Plays in Shorts Program: A Reckoning
Friday, June 12
5:00 PM - 6:30 PM

Regal Gallery Place

701 7th St NW, Washington, DC 20001

for all screenings

Scenes from the Divide

Film Languages

Russian, English

Director

Alison Klayman

Executive Producers

Daniel May, Arielle Angel

Producers

Alison Klayman, Courtney Powell

Editor

Courtney Powell

Co-Editor

Courtney Powell

Cinematographers

Alison Klayman, Dan Fridman

Composer

Landon Knoblock

Contact

Samantha Bloom sambloom21@gmail.com

In the lead-up to Zohran Mamdani’s election as mayor of New York City, many Jewish leaders, along with pundits and politicians, argued that his support for Palestine represented a threat to Jews. By inviting viewers into the homes of New Yorkers on both sides of the campaign, SCENES FROM THE DIVIDE unsettles that familiar narrative.

Rather than a controversy over a single election or candidate, the film reveals a fierce struggle among American Jews over identity, history, and responsibility. SCENES FROM THE DIVIDE explores the story behind the story, uncovering a fraught reckoning within a rapidly transforming community.

Director, Scenes from the Divide

Alison Klayman is an award-winning director whose films explore some of the most compelling people and stories of our time. Big issues, high stakes, and major historical events shape her work, even as she brings viewers into these worlds with an intimate and often humorous touch. AI WEIWEI: NEVER SORRY follows Chinese artist Ai Weiwei at his Beijing studio and amid the consequences of his political activism. The film received a Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and placed Klayman on The New York Times’ list of 20 Directors to Watch.

Her film JAGGED draws on Alanis Morissette’s personal video archive to explore her rise to stardom at age 21. In THE BRINK, Klayman follows right-wing strategist Steve Bannon as he attempts to build a coalition of far-right movements in the U.S. and Europe. In his New York Times Critics’ Pick review, A. O. Scott praised the film as “unnervingly entertaining… horror alternates with grim comedy.”

Her films have been shortlisted for an Academy Award and have received multiple honors, including from the Sundance Film Festival, the Peabody Awards, and the Alfred I. duPont–Columbia Awards. Her Netflix Original film TAKE YOUR PILLS was an international hit, while WHITE HOT: THE RISE & FALL OF ABERCROMBIE & FITCH was the platform’s most-watched film upon release. Her most recent feature, UNFINISHED BUSINESS, follows the New York Liberty during a pivotal season as both the team and the WNBA moved further into the mainstream of American sports. The film premiered at the Tribeca Festival and later aired on ESPN.