If only Hollywood were real

(JNS) — It was an ideal opportunity to get opinions and reactions, and elicit what they think and feel beyond their words. After all, people from all over the world flock to Las Vegas for this specific market. But it wasn’t just any universal gathering of people coming to buy and sell their wares; it was the annual American Film Market. The movie industry. An industry that carries exceptional weight and influence on vast, diverse audiences. Despite being part of that industry years ago, I was now writing about it from a specific Jewish frame of reference.

During this time of freefall antisemitism, which affects every Jewish person’s life regardless of age, social stature, occupation, citizenship or self-selected identity (if there is such a thing), a cautious period of concern hovers over us everywhere. The age-old condition and question of “why” is answered in the Torah by believers, yet it remains fascinating to try to delve into the mindset of those who hold antisemitic bias, whether expressed verbally and/or physically or not. With movies such a wide conveyor and convincing medium, I decided to explore the demeanor of some of the various nationalities who come here to market a story from the vantage point of their specific culture.

My first stop: Millenium Media, which bills itself as “[o]ne of the longest-running independent film companies in Hollywood … .” An American film company, yes, but its founder, Avi Lerner, originally hails from Haifa. I caught up with his son Yariv in the doorway of their business suite as he was courting one client out and another on the way in. Yariv Lerner is a producer and CEO of Millennium’s production company in Bulgaria, Nu Boyana Film Studios. If anyone knows the market, he certainly does.

I asked him about the marketability of Jewish content films amid today’s forthright hostilities. He responded that World War II films still sell, but anything with Jewish content seems to be difficult to market. When I asked him about Israeli films, he said, “Israeli films recently have suffered a bit of a backlash because the moment you say ‘Israel,’ already you’ve got an opinion before they’ve even seen it.”

A few floors below, I met with Moritz Hemminger, head of acquisitions and sales for the German company, The Playmaker Munich. He was interested in talking to me about the new film on their roster, “Never Alone.” It’s a co-German/Finnish production developed from the true story of a prominent Jewish philanthropist in Finland who tried to save the Jews of that community during World War II. He has already sold the film for distribution to a buyer for the American market. Just before our meeting, he showed the trailer to a prospective distributor from South Korea who expressed interest.

Then there was the Russian distributor, the French and the British. I had heard enough. By this time of the day, the answers about the viable market and the younger generation’s interest in Jewish content only as it related to World War II were pretty uniform. Is that our fault or theirs?

Yes, it is a precarious time. But is antisemitism any different today than it has been historically? What is the fascination with World War II-era films? Intrigue? Curiosity? Suspense? Everyone knows how the movie ends, and it certainly isn’t a happy Hollywood ending. Then again, for antisemites, I suppose it is.

But the inevitable question always arises, “Why did they just go en masse like sheep to slaughter knowing their horrendous destiny?” Having studied the event, taken survivor testimony, written about the Holocaust, and even more convincing, simply being a Jew, the answer becomes obvious: It was beyond their ken. That barbaric behavior and scope of atrocity was totally outside their believability, let alone their imagination. Despite having heard the rumors, how could it be true?

So, the question is, where are the positive stories? Why aren’t they being written and placed onscreen? Why don’t we promote who we are to counter being portrayed as victims or “vermin?” Where is the true Jewish content the rest of the world should see?

And I must pose this question: In all due respect, why do we continually build new Holocaust museums or sanctify the existing ones as tributes to who we are? Martyrs? Victims? Dead Jews? Is it to teach something? If so, what? Does it? And to whom?

They claim we control the world. Is that true? For sure not now, at least not yet. Their claim may be due to their inertly knowing something that we don’t or that we won’t admit to. If we don’t know, then perhaps it is we who should be taught. And if we do know, then why don’t we do?

Because, for the most part, we either do not know who we are or try not to admit it. After all, it is a huge responsibility. We are different. We are not all the same, as much as many try and have tried to be regardless of the time and place. As Jews, it is both to our benefit and theirs to acknowledge our differences and manifest our potential significant influence in the way this given attribute was intended. It stands to reason. That’s why they hate us—we’re simply not doing our job.

Although I was not able to probe their reasons or feelings for the unpopularity of Jews and movies of Jewish content, their answers, I’m sure, would not have revealed anything we Jews haven’t heard before. My conclusion? Instead of looking outward for answers, perhaps it’s time to look within.