Dokumentarfilm “Sabbath Queen”

SABBATH QUEEN, a feature documentary filmed over 21 years, follows Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie’s epic journey as the dynastic heir of 38 generations of Orthodox rabbis, including the Chief Rabbis of Israel. He is torn between rejecting and embracing his destiny. He becomes a drag-queen rebel, a queer bio-dad, and the founder of Lab/Shul – an everybody-friendly, God-optional, artist-driven, pop-up experimental congregation. SABBATH QUEEN joins Amichai on a lifelong quest to creatively and radically reinvent religion and ritual, challenge patriarchy and supremacy, champion interfaith love, and stand up for peace. The film interrogates what Jewish survival means in a difficult, rapidly changing 21st century.

Sabbath Queen has received moving and profound responses from audiences at the Tribeca Film Festival in NYC, Zurich Film Festival, Closing Night of San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, Los Angeles Skirball Center, Doc Edge New Zealand, Nashville Film Festival, and DC/DOX, along with outstanding reviews. There are upcoming European screenings at the Rome Film Festival, IDFA in Best of Fests, Bergen Film Festival, and UK Jewish Film Festival.

The Hollywood Reporter called it “Awe-inspiring. Enthralling. Sabbath Queen is a rich and intimate portrait… One of the best films I’ve seen this year.”

The J Weekly wrote “I laughed and cried, I deepened and expanded, and you will too. Lau Lavie’s wisdom and capacity for connection are deep. Again and again he invites us to reach across boundaries — queer and not, Jewish and not, Jews/Israelis and Palestinians…. DuBowski’s film captures Lau-Lavie’s yin-yang genius at both standing in that messy middle and in inspiring others to do so as well.”

Sabbath Queen will open theatrically at IFC Center in New York on November 22nd.For more info, visit: www.sabbathqueen.com

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