Sandi Simcha DuBowski

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American film producer

title: "Sandi Simcha DuBowski" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["living-people", "1970-births", "harvard-university-alumni", "hunter-college-high-school-alumni", "lgbtq-conservative-jews", "film-directors-from-new-york-city", "american-documentary-film-producers", "american-lgbtq-film-directors", "radical-faeries-members", "film-producers-from-new-york-(state)", "jewish-american-film-people"] description: "American film producer" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandi_Simcha_DuBowski" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American film producer ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]

FieldValue
nameSandi Simcha Dubowski
imageSandi Simcha DuBowski (54117776549) (cropped).jpg
captionDubowski in 2024
birth_date
birth_placeNew York City
nationalityAmerican
occupationFilmmaker
alma_materHarvard University
known_forGay rights films
::

| name = Sandi Simcha Dubowski | image = Sandi Simcha DuBowski (54117776549) (cropped).jpg | image_size = | caption = Dubowski in 2024 | birth_date = | birth_place = New York City | death_date = | death_place = | citizenship = | nationality = American | occupation = Filmmaker | homepage = | alma_mater = Harvard University | known_for = Gay rights films | awards = | footnotes =

Sandi Simcha DuBowski is an American director and producer, best known for his work on the intersection of LGBT people and their 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).

Personal life

DuBowski was born in Brooklyn 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.

Work

Before beginning full-length films, DuBowski worked for Planned Parenthood 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.

''Tomboychik'' (1994)

Tomboychik is a 15-minute video directed by and starring DuBowski.{{cite web | title =Tomboychik | publisher = Real NY Season Three | url =http://www.thirteen.org/reelnewyork3/film7.html | access-date = February 18, 2007}} The story, shown through a series of vignettes, 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.{{cite web | title = Tomboychik | publisher = Video Data Bank | url =http://www.vdb.org/smackn.acgi$tapedetail?TOMBOYCHIK | access-date = February 18, 2007}} The short video portrays struggles against gender roles and patriarchy.

The Melbourne International Film Festival described the film:

''Trembling Before G-d'' (2001)

Main article: Trembling Before G-d

Growing up, DuBowski had not known any Orthodox Jews. 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, "It was a whole world I hadn't experienced growing up. It gave me a beauty and love for the tradition of Judaism."{{cite news | last = Sandi Simcha | first = DuBowski | title = Talk Today: 'Trembling Before G-d' | publisher = USA Today | date = January 21, 2005 | url = https://www.usatoday.com/community/chat_03/2003-06-04-dubowski.htm | access-date = February 11, 2007}}

''A Jihad for Love (2007)''

Main article: A Jihad for Love

DuBowski produced the documentary A Jihad for Love (previously known as In the Name of Allah), directed by Parvez Sharma. 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"{{cite news | last = Hays | first = Matthew | title = Benefit held for gay Islam film | publisher = Bay Area Reporter | date = October 19, 2006 | url = http://www.ebar.com/news/article.php?sec=news&article=1258 | access-date = February 5, 2007}}

As producer, DuBowski said that he wanted to screen the film in "every Muslim nation, even if it's underground."{{cite news | last =Meza | first =Ed | title =New 'Allah' doc ready to raise a ruckus | work =Variety | date = February 14, 2006 | url =https://www.variety.com/article/VR1117938165.html?categoryid=13&cs=1&nid=2562 | access-date = February 18, 2007 }}

''Sabbath Queen'' (2024)

Sandi DuBowski directed and produced the feature documentary Sabbath Queen, filmed over 21 years. It follows Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie, the heir to 38 generations of Orthodox rabbis, as he navigates the tension between tradition and personal identity. Lau-Lavie, rejecting conventional expectations, becomes a drag performer, a queer parent, and the founder of Lab/Shul, a progressive, experimental Jewish congregation.

The film explores his efforts to redefine Jewish practice, challenge religious authority, and advocate for gender inclusivity, interfaith relationships, and political activism, including calls for peace in Israel/Palestine. Sabbath Queen examines shifting concepts of faith and community in contemporary Judaism. The project has been supported by the Sundance Institute.

Awards and recognition

DuBowski was named one of ''The Jewish Daily Forward'''s "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 Foundation's Film/Video/Multimedia Fellowship and the Creative Capital Moving Image Award.

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.

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
  • Sabbath Queen (2024) — director, producer

References

References

  1. [http://channel.creative-capital.org/resumes/dubowski.pdf DuBowski's résumé] {{webarchive. link. (October 1, 2006)
  2. Lewis, Anne S.. (April 9, 2002). "Keeping the Faith: 'Trembling Before G-d' asks if coming out and staying in the Orthodox Jewish community is an impossible dream". Austin Chronicle.
  3. (2006). "About the Director".
  4. [http://www.apparitionfilm.com Apparition of the Eternal Church] official site
  5. [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0810758/ Apparition of the Eternal Church], IMDB
  6. "PopcornQ Movies: Tomboychik". PlanetOut.com.
  7. Vincentelli, Elisabeth. (November 21, 2024). "'Sabbath Queen' Review: Capturing the Act of Questioning". New York Times.
  8. Kelly, Jeffrey. (July 12, 2025). "Harvard alum on ‘Sabbath Queen,’ his doc about a rabbi embracing his drag persona". [[Boston Globe]].
  9. (June 16, 2024). "'Pushing Boundaries': The Ex-yeshiva Boy Turned Drag Queen Behind New York's 'God-optional' Shul". [[Haaretz]].
  10. Herndon, Jessica. (October 8, 2024). "The DFP Team Shares 18 Sundance Institute–Supported Nonfiction Projects Not to Miss This Fall". Sundance Institute.
  11. Tomboychik details http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/519352 {{Webarchive. link. (January 16, 2008)

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