Sabbath Queen
Mullen James Hall | UNC Asheville
Sabbath Queen, a feature documentary filmed over 21 years, follows Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie's epic journey as the dynastic heir of 38 generations of Orthodox rabbis including the Chief Rabbis of Israel. He is torn between rejecting and embracing his destiny and becomes a drag-queen rebel, a queer bio-dad and the founder of Lab/Shul—an everybody-friendly, God-optional, artist-driven, pop-up experimental congregation. Sabbath Queen joins Amichai on a lifelong quest to creatively and radically reinvent religion and ritual, challenge patriarchy and supremacy, champion interfaith love, and stand up for peace, ceasefire, and an end to the Occupation in Israel/Palestine. The film interrogates what Jewish survival means in a difficult rapidly changing 21st century. Directed by Sandi DuBowski. Click here to watch the trailer.
Genre
Documentary
Country
United States
Year
2025
Language
English
Length
1 hour 45 minutes
Price
$18 Advance Ticket
$20 Door Ticket
$10 Student Ticket
Festival packages available; click here to learn more
Purchase a festival package to secure your tickets early and save!
Individual Screening
$18 Advance | $20 Door | $10 Student Ticket
Three-Film Package
$50 (save up to $10)
$60 (save up to $20)
$75 (save up to $25) | $58 Student Ticket
Free parking is nearby and complimentary shuttle service is available for those needing assistance. Ticket holders will receive detailed information with their ticket purchase.
The Asheville Jewish Film Festival will have appropriate security present to create a safe space that is both open and attentive to everyone’s well-being. Patrons may be asked to pass through a security check before entering venues, which may include a weapons detector, and bags may be searched at the door.
One relentless mother, decades of setbacks, and small miracles that add up. Heartfelt, human, and quietly fierce.
A 12-year-old Palestinian boy decides to find a way to reach the Mediterranean alone — without speaking Hebrew. Tense, tender, unforgettable.
A search for a family heirloom opens up a much bigger inheritance: survival, memory, and the long shadow the Holocaust casts across generations.