"The Sabbath Queen," which follows Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie's journey, makes its Florida premiere at the Miami Jewish Film Festival.
The documentary "Sabbath Queen," featuring a rabbi's journey from drag queen to influential leader of a God-optional, artist-driven New York synagogue, makes its Florida premiere outdoors under the stars during the 28th Miami Jewish Film Festival.
This fascinating and enlightening film, directed by Sandi DuBowski, screens at 7 p.m on Thursday, Jan. 16 at Miami Beach Botanical Garden. It headlines MJFF's spotlight on LGBTQ+ cinema.
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The documentary, shot over the span of 21 years, follows Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie's story as the dynastic heir of 38 generations of Orthodox rabbis, including the Chief Rabbis of Israel. The viewers see that Lau-Lavie is torn between rejecting and embracing his destiny as he becomes a drag-queen rebel, a queer bio-dad and the founder of Lab/Shul, which is considered to be an everybody-friendly, God-optional, artist-driven, pop-up experimental congregation.
Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie's journey from drag queen to influential rabbi of an artist-driven synagogue is documented in "The Sabbath Queen."
In an interview, DuBowski said he has shown the film in several places throughout the world and that it has been invited to more than 55 film festivals, including its world premiere at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival. He said the reactions to the film have been so extraordinary.
"People are really connecting deeply to the film," said DuBowski. "It's holding all the questions of what it means right now to deal with gender, with queerness, with Jewish survival, with justice, and art and living in this very complicated world that we live in. It came to be a film that speaks very deeply to a post-Oct. 7 world, to a post-election world. Amichai has such an incredible vision on how to deal with all these big paradigm shifts in our world."
DuBowski continued, "Somebody came out of a theater and said to me, 'this is medicine for the moment.' "
He said that he has people who return to see the film multiple times.
"People are crying and crying throughout the whole film. People are laughing. People are feeling community and togetherness. When you go on a life journey with someone for over 20 years, you see that there's something really powerful about witnessing this life of Amichai and how gravely and boldly he's leading it."
Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie's story is featured in "The Sabbath Queen."
DuBowski explained what he feels was very eye-opening when documenting Lau-Lavie's story.
"Many of us come from religious traditions that don't serve us," he said. "That can just be the we really doubt our faith in God, or we've been marginalized because we're LGBTQ. I think that there's something quite incredible about how Amichai speaks to the many many ways in which we are trying to find our way, through our identities and our families and our traditions."
Lau-Lavie said in an email interview: "I hope that audiences of the Miami Jewish Film Festival come away from 'The Sabbath Queen' with a deeper understanding of how ancient traditions can and must meet modern realities to remain relevant and sacred," adding that it reflects a personal and collective journey."
. . . An eternal interplay between the rigid frameworks of inherited religion and the fluid, evolving needs of our lives today," he added. "The story isn’t just mine; it’s a mirror for anyone grappling with identity, community and the balance between continuity and change."
Sandi DuBowski is the director for "The Sabbath Queen."
Lau-Lavie hopes viewers are compelled to ask themselves questions:
" 'What parts of our rituals still speak to us, and where do we need to infuse them with new life? What of our trauma and tradition no longer serves our moral landscape and ethical responsibilities? The film documents my own struggle with these questions, and in doing so, I hope it invites others to embrace the creative tension between tradition and innovation," he continued.
Lau-Lavie said that in light of what is happening in Israel-Gaza and the broader political situation in Israel and Palestine, the movie can also resonate on many levels.
"Too often, we are pressured to choose sides, to simplify complex realities into binary options. But real healing and transformation require us to hold the pain and narratives of all sides. It’s not about sacrificing justice or truth but expanding our capacity for compassion and complexity. It's about meeting in the messy middle. 'The Sabbath Queen' invites viewers to reflect on this both/and mindset, asking: 'How can we honor the beauty of our tradition while making room for new voices?' 'How can we hold space for hope even in the face of profound grief?' And 'how can we move beyond fear-based binaries toward a more inclusive, interconnected vision of peace and justice'? I believe that when we engage with our texts, traditions and one another with both reverence and irreverence, with holy chutzpah, we create pathways toward a more inclusive, compassionate, and justice driven world," he said.
Both DuBowski and Lau-Lavie are expected to be in attendance introduce the film and participate in a question and answer session after the screening.
For more information on the film, visit sabbathqueen.com.
WHAT: Miami Jewish Film Festival Presents "The Sabbath Queen"
WHEN: 7 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 16
WHERE: Miami Beach Botanical Garden, 2000 Convention Center Drive.
TICKETS AND INFORMATION: miamijewishfilmfestival.org.
The 28th Miami Jewish Film Festival runs from Jan.9-23.
