Sandi Simcha DuBowski
Encyclopedia
Sandi Simcha DuBowski is an American
director and producer. Best known for his work on homosexuality and religion
, DuBowski directed the 2001 documentary Trembling Before G-d
and is the producer of Parvez Sharma
's documentary A Jihad for Love (formerly known as In the Name of Allah
) (2007).
in 1970. He was raised in Conservative Judaism
.
DuBowski attended Hunter College High School
in New York City, during which he was selected to participate in Camp Rising Sun
, the Louis August Jonas Foundation's international summer scholarship program.
In 1992, DuBowski graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University
. As an undergraduate, he received two Ford Program for Undergraduate Research grants for his work on homosexuality in Hollywood and independent film.
He lives and works in New York City
.
as a research associate for nearly three years, creating videos on the Christian Right
and anti-abortion movement. In 1996 he produced Missionaries Form Militias, documenting anti-abortion leader Rev. Matt Trewhella calling for the formation of armed militias. It was screened for Attorney General Janet Reno
and federal law enforcement officials, following the murder of abortion provider Dr. Bayard Britton. An excerpt was run on CBS News
, was reported by publications including The New York Times
and Newsweek
, and has been used by the Northwest Coalition Against Malicious Harassment to train human rights
activists.
In 2006, DuBowski appeared in the Paul Festa documentary Apparition of the Eternal Church. The film captures the responses of 31 authors, musicians, filmmakers and dancers as they listen to Olivier Messiaen
's organ piece "Apparition of the Eternal Church."
DuBowski has worked as speaker and has moderated numerous religious dialogues on homosexuality, including a Mormon-Jewish dialogue and Christian-Muslim-Jewish panel. He and Steven Greenberg
, the first openly gay Orthodox rabbi, have traveled to 60 cities and organized over 400 question-and-answer sessions, dialogues, events, inter-faith discussions.
, centers around his relationship with his grandmother, Malverna DuBowski, as 22-year-old Sandi DuBowski attempts to teach his 88-year-old grandmother how to film. The short video portrays struggles against gender roles and patriarchy
.
The Melbourne International Film Festival described the film:
. The main motivation to make the film was curiosity.
The film took more than six years to make. During this time, DuBowski grew more religious and began studying the Torah
regularly, he said.
. Filmed in 11 different countries in 9 different languages, the film explores the lives of gay, lesbian, and transgender Muslims, and DuBowski intends for it to be "a profound catalyst for change"
As producer, DuBowksi wants to screen the film in "every Muslim nation, even if it's underground."
's Film/Video/Multimedia Fellowship.
Along with Rabbi Steven Greenberg
, DuBowski was awarded seed funding by Steven Spielberg
's Righteous Persons Foundation in order to launch an Orthodox community education project for Trembling Before G-d
in the U.S., Israel and the U.K.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
director and producer. Best known for his work on homosexuality and religion
Homosexuality and religion
The relationship between religion and homosexuality can vary greatly across time and place, within and between different religions and sects, and regarding different forms of homosexuality and bisexuality...
, DuBowski directed the 2001 documentary 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...
and is the producer of Parvez Sharma
Parvez Sharma
Parvez Sharma is an internationally renowned New York based Indian writer and filmmaker. He is best known for the multiple award winning and acclaimed film A Jihad for Love, on gay and lesbian Muslims....
's documentary A Jihad for Love (formerly known as In the Name of Allah
In the Name of Allah
A Jihad for Love is the world's first documentary film on the coexistence of Islam and homosexuality. The film is directed by Parvez Sharma, and produced by Sharma and Trembling Before G-d director Sandi DuBowski....
) (2007).
Personal life
DuBowski was born in BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
in 1970. He was raised in Conservative Judaism
Conservative Judaism
Conservative Judaism is a modern stream of Judaism that arose out of intellectual currents in Germany in the mid-19th century and took institutional form in the United States in the early 1900s.Conservative Judaism has its roots in the school of thought known as Positive-Historical Judaism,...
.
DuBowski attended Hunter College High School
Hunter College High School
Hunter College High School is a New York City secondary school for intellectually gifted students located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. It is administered by Hunter College, a senior college of the City University of New York. Although it is not operated by the New York City Department of...
in New York City, during which he was selected to participate in Camp Rising Sun
Camp Rising Sun
Camp Rising Sun is an invitation-only, international, full-scholarship, leadership summer program for students aged 14–16. Operated by the Louis August Jonas Foundation , a non-profit organization, the program lasts for seven weeks...
, the Louis August Jonas Foundation's international summer scholarship program.
In 1992, DuBowski graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. As an undergraduate, he received two Ford Program for Undergraduate Research grants for his work on homosexuality in Hollywood and independent film.
He lives and works in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Work
Before beginning full-length films, DuBowski worked for Planned ParenthoodPlanned Parenthood
Planned Parenthood Federation of America , commonly shortened to Planned Parenthood, is the U.S. affiliate of the International Planned Parenthood Federation and one of its larger members. PPFA is a non-profit organization providing reproductive health and maternal and child health services. The...
as a research associate for nearly three years, creating videos on the Christian Right
Christian right
Christian right is a term used predominantly in the United States to describe "right-wing" Christian political groups that are characterized by their strong support of socially conservative policies...
and anti-abortion movement. In 1996 he produced Missionaries Form Militias, documenting anti-abortion leader Rev. Matt Trewhella calling for the formation of armed militias. It was screened for Attorney General Janet Reno
Janet Reno
Janet Wood Reno is a former Attorney General of the United States . She was nominated by President Bill Clinton on February 11, 1993, and confirmed on March 11...
and federal law enforcement officials, following the murder of abortion provider Dr. Bayard Britton. An excerpt was run on CBS News
CBS News
CBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main...
, was reported by publications including The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
and Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
, and has been used by the Northwest Coalition Against Malicious Harassment to train human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
activists.
In 2006, DuBowski appeared in the Paul Festa documentary Apparition of the Eternal Church. The film captures the responses of 31 authors, musicians, filmmakers and dancers as they listen to Olivier Messiaen
Olivier Messiaen
Olivier Messiaen was a French composer, organist and ornithologist, one of the major composers of the 20th century. His music is rhythmically complex ; harmonically and melodically it is based on modes of limited transposition, which he abstracted from his early compositions and improvisations...
's organ piece "Apparition of the Eternal Church."
DuBowski has worked as speaker and has moderated numerous religious dialogues on homosexuality, including a Mormon-Jewish dialogue and Christian-Muslim-Jewish panel. He and Steven Greenberg
Steven Greenberg (rabbi)
Steven Greenberg is an American rabbi. He is generally described as the first openly gay Orthodox Jewish rabbi. His being an Orthodox rabbi is disputed by some Orthodox Jews since he publicly disclosed he was gay in an article in the Israeli newspaper Maariv in 1999 and participated in the 2001...
, the first openly gay Orthodox rabbi, have traveled to 60 cities and organized over 400 question-and-answer sessions, dialogues, events, inter-faith discussions.
Tomboychik (1994)
Tomboychik is a 15-minute video directed by and starring DuBowski. The story, shown through a series of vignettesVignette (literature)
In theatrical script writing, sketch stories, and poetry, a vignette is a short impressionistic scene that focuses on one moment or gives a trenchant impression about a character, an idea, or a setting and sometimes an object...
, centers around his relationship with his grandmother, Malverna DuBowski, as 22-year-old Sandi DuBowski attempts to teach his 88-year-old grandmother how to film. The short video portrays struggles against gender roles and patriarchy
Patriarchy
Patriarchy is a social system in which the role of the male as the primary authority figure is central to social organization, and where fathers hold authority over women, children, and property. It implies the institutions of male rule and privilege, and entails female subordination...
.
The Melbourne International Film Festival described the film:
Trembling Before G-d (2001)
Growing up, DuBowski had not known any Orthodox JewsOrthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
. The main motivation to make the film was curiosity.
The film took more than six years to make. During this time, DuBowski grew more religious and began studying the Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
regularly, he said.
A Jihad for Love (2007)
DuBowski produced the documentary A Jihad for Love (previously known as In the Name of Allah), directed by Parvez SharmaParvez Sharma
Parvez Sharma is an internationally renowned New York based Indian writer and filmmaker. He is best known for the multiple award winning and acclaimed film A Jihad for Love, on gay and lesbian Muslims....
. Filmed in 11 different countries in 9 different languages, the film explores the lives of gay, lesbian, and transgender Muslims, and DuBowski intends for it to be "a profound catalyst for change"
As producer, DuBowksi wants to screen the film in "every Muslim nation, even if it's underground."
Awards and recognition
DuBowski was named one of The Forward 50, which is given to the 50 Jews who have "been at the center of the year's events, demonstrating leadership, offering new ideas and representing a distinct Jewish presence in American life." He is also a recipient of the Rockefeller FoundationRockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is a prominent philanthropic organization and private foundation based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The preeminent institution established by the six-generation Rockefeller family, it was founded by John D. Rockefeller , along with his son John D. Rockefeller, Jr...
's Film/Video/Multimedia Fellowship.
Along with Rabbi Steven Greenberg
Steven Greenberg (rabbi)
Steven Greenberg is an American rabbi. He is generally described as the first openly gay Orthodox Jewish rabbi. His being an Orthodox rabbi is disputed by some Orthodox Jews since he publicly disclosed he was gay in an article in the Israeli newspaper Maariv in 1999 and participated in the 2001...
, DuBowski was awarded seed funding by Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
's Righteous Persons Foundation in order to launch an Orthodox community education project for 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...
in the U.S., Israel and the U.K.
Filmography
- Tomboychik (1994) — director, producer, photographer, editor, actor
- Missionaries Form Militias Unholy Alliance (1996) — director
- Trembling Before G-d (2001) — director, producer
- A Jihad for Love (2007) — producer
External links
- Online conference with Sandi DuBowski at The D-WordThe D-WordThe D-Word is a worldwide online community for professionals in the documentary film industry. Discussions include creative, business, technical, and social topics related to documentary filmmaking....
- Sandi DuBowski in the Video Data BankVideo Data BankVideo Data Bank is an international video art distribution organization and a resource in the United States for videos by and about contemporary artists...