A Kaddish for Bernie Madoff
Synopsis
An artistic excommunication set in 2008, A Kaddish For Bernie Madoff is a mystical meta-musical about the greatest financial fraud in history. A hybrid of musical memoir and narrative fantasy, the film tells the story of Madoff and the system that allowed him to function for decades through the eyes of musician/poet Alicia Jo Rabins, who watches the financial crash from her 9th floor studio in an abandoned office building on Wall Street. Fueled by her growing obsession, real-life interviews transform into music videos, ancient spiritual texts become fevered fantasies of synchronized swimming, and a vivid, vulnerable work of art is born from the unique perspective of an artist watching the global financial collapse up close.
Credits
Director(s)
Alicia J. Rose
Producer(s)
Lara Cuddy
Executive Producer(s)
Alicia Jo Rabins, Alicia J. Rose
Script
Alicia J. Rose, Alicia Jo Rabins
Cinematography
Asia Brown, Brad Reeb
Editor
Alicia J. Rose
Original Music
Alicia Jo Rabins
Original Language
English
Subtitles
English
Animation
Zak Margolis
Choreography
Tahni Holt
Production & Costume design
Nora Colie & Sarah Turner
Supported by
Portland's Regional Arts and Culture Council; Peleh Fund; Jack Straw Cultural Center
Festival Highlights
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WINNER
Audience AwardAshland Independent Film Festival2021 -
WINNER
Visionary AwardSarasota International Film Festival2021 -
WINNER
1st Feature Directors AwardPort Townsend Film Festival2021
Ann Arbor Jewish Film Festival, USA, 2022
Or Shalom Film Society, Canada, 2022
Savannah Jewish Film Festival, USA, 2022
New York Jewish Film Festival, USA, 2022
POFF: Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, Estonia, Rebels with a Cause Competition, 2021
Port Townsend Film Festival, USA, Official Competition, 2021
Ashland Independent Film Festival, USA, Official Competition, 2021
Sarasota International Film Festival, USA, Official Competition, 2021
Portland International Film Festival, USA, Official Competition, 2021
Washington Jewish Film Festival, USA, 2021
Reviews
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"The film by Alicia Jo Rabins and Alicia J. Rose may be about the financial crisis of 2008, but its images and themes couldn't feel more current." Alma
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"If Anna Deavere Smith, Sarah Koenig, and Joey Soloway wrote a self-reflexive musical about finance and religion, it might approach [this] film’s impish, mystical spirit...it's a blessing." The Atlantic
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"A hallucinogenic, experimental art piece grappling with identity and betrayal. There are mesmerizing sequences of synchronized swimmers and witchy rituals created by Rose." The Forward
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"A post-modern masterpiece and a top-shelf contemporary art film...Highly, highly recommended" The Rogue Valley Messenger
