Maylen: I wrote a script about a Jewish boy who is struggling with his religion after his mother dies. I honestly have no idea why. Well, other than the fact that I have always been obsessed with spirituality. I was the twelve year old sitting alone in the church and meditating while my friends were making out with each other. (I made out with them too, just after I meditated.)  Later, I converted to Judaism. I love Shabbat, I love the way Jews honor traditions, I love my Jewish husband and his Holocaust surviving father, who died before we were married and asked me to convert. But I’ve also studied with a Mayan shaman, yogi master, indigenous teacher, spent months in India and time in Mexico and  Guatemala. I have taught yoga for 15 years. I wanted the story to be funny, while at the same time dealing with real issues of spiritual crisis, the pain of bullying and antisemitism, the excitement and complexities of new love and adolescence and the heartbreaking lingering effects of loss. 

Herschel: Yup, that’s how Maylen described it to me when she asked me if I would give her “notes” on the script. In real life Maylen is the Dean of campus at the New York Film Academy on South Beach and I serve as the Chair of Filmmaking. She is, without question, the de-facto pre-eminent big-boss-without-equal. So it’s easy to see that nothing good could possibly come from her request. I instantly pre-visualized that moment where I would plaster on a Willem Dafoe-styled smile and tell her about how much I enjoyed the read, but that the script was ultimately out of my “wheelhouse.”  So I did what I do best – I procrastinated – hoping her need for feedback would fade away like my sciatica. But it didn’t. And after three weeks of continued requests, I finally spent a Sunday afternoon reading the first draft of ETHAN BLOOM. To my surprise, the script wowed me from the get-go. The story follows the journey of “Ethan Bloomfield,” a precocious pre-teen who has recently lost his mom. For reasons the reader comes to understand, Ethan secretly wants to be a Catholic, while his father wants him to go through with his Bar Mitzvah. Not only was the concept unique, but the characters were all so richly drawn, especially Ethan, who seemed plucked right out of my own noggin. I saw so much of myself in Ethan that I just knew that I must, without fail, against all odds, convince Maylen to let me direct the film.

Maylen: I had no idea that any of this was going on behind the scenes. I thought he just really wanted to read my script. But, lucky for me, once Herschel did finally read the script, he  loved it and asked me if he could direct it. Actually we were eating sandwiches at Joe and the Juice when we decided to officially commit  to working on the project together. It may have been Presidents Day.

Herschel: I think it was Arbor Day.

Maylen: Tomato, tomato. In any case the two of us raised some money and we shot a sizzle reel for the project.

Herschel: It was an Oscar-worthy sizzle reel (see above). Hollywood quickly came a-knockin’. But so did Covid.

Maylen: Ugh, covid.  Our movie got put on the back burner until the greatest Casting Director, John Levy (ER, West Wing, Shameless), also loved the script and agreed to help us cast it.

Herschel: Based on the script and sizzle reel (and with NO money), we got actors excited to work on it and currently have Jamie Lynn Sigler (The Sopranos) and Victor Rasuk (Baker and the Beauty) attached to act in it. 

Maylen: We’ve raised about $100,000 for the project from the people that actually love us. And now we need $200,000 from the people that kind of like us.

Herschel: Or want to get to know us. 

Maylen: Even if you don’t like us, or don’t want to get to know us, we’d love it if you supported the film.

Herschel: If you love movies that make you laugh and cry, films that leave you feeling hopeful about humanity and have warm and wonderful characters, then please help us get this movie made. 

Maylen: Independent art has always relied on community and the support of people who care about art. This is one of those times when we are reaching out to our community for help to  get our film made.

Herschel: Any amount that you can give will be greatly appreciated. And if you donate more, there are a lot of great perks!  You may even be able to see yourself on the big screen!