Source: G-dcast Studio
Back in August, 12 young artists, storytellers, and programmers got together at the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco and remixed Talmudic tales through original art. This week, we started rolling out their brand new Studio G-dcast collaborative films. So far, we’ve premiered “Waiting For Ewe” and “Fringe Benefits.” There are many more to come!
Now, you can witness the fruits of their labor, or at least, some of the labor fruits. The Studio G‑dcast 2013 residents worked in traditional chevruta pairs for six days at the CJM to create new versions of ancient tales.
The first of the 2013 batch, “Waiting for Ewe,” went live on Monday, and colorful “Fringe Benefits” went up yesterday. These films were made possible in part by funds granted by The Covenant Foundation.
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Let’s start with “Waiting for Ewe,” which is a lovely film with an even lovelier original song narrating the story. Residents Muriel MacDonald and Jacob Rivkin created “Waiting for Ewe.” Listen to MacDonald’s song in the video, and just try to get it out of your head.
MacDonald is a songwriter and recent graduate of the University of Virginia, with a B.A. in English. After graduating, she worked at The World Resources Institute in Washington D.C., where she wrote about sustainable transportation in developing countries.
Rivkin is an interdisciplinary artist living in Philadelphia. He received his Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 2013 and BA from Vassar College in 2007.
“Waiting for Ewe” follows the story of Rabbi Akiva, from a poor shepherd to a powerful rabbi, and looks at two different takes on the story, in which Rabbi Akiva’s wife Rachel is perceived very differently.
“Fringe Benefits,” on the other hand, is the seductive tale of a tzit tzit-toting student who gets in over his head when he pays a visit to an elite and ethereal woman who knows what she wants.
Aviva Stein and Robert Kornstein conceived of “Fringe Benefits.” Stein is a soon-to-be graduate of the Creative Writing and Environmental Studies programs at the University of Wisconsin Madison. Kornstein attended the undergraduate film program at New York University, where he developed his skills in pursuit of his passion to make cartoons. He graduated in May 2012, and has been working freelance ever since.
Enjoy, and get ready for more Studio G‑dcast at CJM releases next week.