Keep Not Silent is a documentary film

Documentary film

Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...

 by Israeli director Ilil Alexander about three lesbian

Lesbian

Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...

s in Jerusalem. It won the Israeli Academy Award for best documentary in 2004 as well as 8 international awards including two audience awards in Berlin and Italy.

Lesbianism is generally viewed as forbidden in Orthodox Judaism (see Homosexuality and Judaism). In Jerusalem, a number of Orthodox Jewish lesbians formed a group called OrthoDykes for mutual support and to learn the relevant issues in Jewish law. The film describes lives of three of them. One is Yudit, single and trying to have her same-sex marriage

Same-sex marriage

Same-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....

 follow the Orthodox rules. Another is Miriam-Ester (pseudonym), who is married to a man and has ten children. She is suppressing her lesbian feelings in order to keep her marriage for religious reasons. Ruth, another married lesbian, keeps her marriage for the same reason, while her husband agrees to her seeing her lover regularly.

Awards

• India: Mumbai Intl. Film Festival, Best First Feature Doc
• China: Guangzhou International Doc FF, Best Director
• Germany: Berlin International Jewish FF, Audience Award
• Israel: Best First Feature Doc, DocAviv Int'l Doc FF
• Denmark: Copenhagen International Gay & Lesbian Fest, Best Doc
• Italy: Torino Gay & Lesbian FF, Audience Award
• Israel: International Women's Film Festival Israel, Best Film
• United States: Outfest Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian FF, Freedom Award
• Israel: The Open House, Jerusalem, First Award
• Israel: The Israeli Academy Award for Best Documentary

See also

• Trembling Before G-d
  Trembling Before G-d
  Trembling Before G-d is an 2001 American documentary film about gay and lesbian Orthodox Jews trying to reconcile their sexuality with their faith. It was directed by Sandi Simcha DuBowski, an American who wanted to compare orthodox attitudes to homosexuality with his own upbringing as a gay...
  
  (2001)
• Homosexuality and Judaism
  Homosexuality and Judaism
  The subject of homosexuality in Judaism dates back to the Torah, in the books of Bereshit and Vayiqra. Bereshit treats the destruction of the cities of Sedom and Amorrah by God...
  
  
• Say Amen
  Say Amen
  Say Amen is a personal documentary film by David Deri, an Orthodox Jew, who reveals his homosexuality to his parents and siblings. The documentary is named one of the best five documentaries of the year 2005 by Israeli Film Academy and appeared in many film festivals, including HOTDOCS-Toronto,...
  
  (2005) a documentary about a gay man coming out to his Orthodox family