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The Chosen One

A Hasidic Horror Story

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The Chosen One

The Chosen One

The Chosen One

The Chosen One

The Chosen One

A Hasidic Horror Story

A Hasidic Horror Story

A Hasidic Horror Story

A Hasidic Horror Story

Chosen One Team
Chosen One Team
Chosen One Team
Chosen One Team
1 Campaign |
Los Angeles, United States
$2,722 USD 39 backers
22% of $12,065 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal

After impulsively shaving off his beard and sidelocks, a young Hasid named Yitzchak-Meir Isenstein is thrown out of his family home. Tumbling through the streets in a fragile state of mind, he experiences a nightmarish transformation that leads him right back to where he started. Over the course of this one painful night, Yitzchak-Meir will come to realize that it's much easier to shave your beard than to shed who you are. 

 

Why THE CHOSEN ONE?

It's rare to come across an Ultra-Orthodox or Hasidic character in film or TV. 

Having grown up Ultra-Orthodox, I know the humanity of these communities. I also know the struggle of the very few who lose their faith and attempt to venture out into the secular world. I know that while the Hasidic world might seem niche from the outside, their life stories are just as resonant as anyone else’s. And as a formerly Ultra-Orthodox Jew, I believe I am the right person to tell these stories.

The Chosen One is one such story. It’s a story of rejection, exploration, and shame. It’s an allegory about self-sacrifice and self-loathing. We're telling a universal story that just so happens to be set in a culture most people know nothing about. This is the fundamental purpose of storytelling, and the unique power of film. Through the lens of a surrealist genre film, we will introduce viewers to the tragic tale of Yitzchak Meir Isenstein… and that of thousands of others just like him.

- Elazar Fine, Writer and Director

 

 

Luzer Twersky is an actor, writer, and occasional musician. He was raised as a Hasidic Jew in Brooklyn, NY and broke away from his community in 2007 to become a professional actor. He starred in the 2016 film Felix & Meira, for which he was nominated for a Canadian Jutra Award.  The following year, Luzer was the subject of the Netflix documentary One of Us, which follows him as he pursues his acting career and deals with the ramifications of leaving the Hasidic community. It was shortlisted for an Academy Award nomination in 2018. Later that year, Luzer starred in "Derech," an episode of the HBO Anthology series High Maintenance. He is also an accomplished stage actor, working regularly with the New Yiddish Rep in New York.  

 

Malky Goldman is an actor and artist currently located in New York City. Originally from Jerusalem, she relocated to the United States to study and graduated from Hunter College with a Degree in Fine Art. Her most recent acting work includes The Vigil (Blumhouse), Unorthodox (Netflix), and High Maintenance (HBO). Malky is also an accomplished stage actor, having starred in the New Yiddish Rep's acclaimed stage productions of Rhinoceros and God of Vengeance.

 

 

Elazar Fine is an award-winning writer and director. He grew up in the Ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, and spent his formative years studying ancient Aramaic texts in yeshiva boarding schools. He credits his love for writing, and film in particular, for helping him leave his fundamentalist background. After leaving yeshiva, he attended Emerson College in Boston, from which he graduated in 2018 with a degree in Media Arts Production. His feature script, “Bad Jews,” won Emerson College’s award for Outstanding Writing for Film in 2018, and his pilot script “The Chosen One” was nominated for Outstanding Writing for TV. In addition, “Bad Jews” was recently rated among the top 5% of writer-submitted scripts on the Black List’s writer’s website.

 

Kale Davidoff has worked in the film industry for more than a decade in a slew of production capacities. He has a variety of experience, from coordinating independent music videos to working in production offices of big budget features. He recently produced his first feature film, NEW MONEY, which was released by Gravitas Ventures in 2019. NEW MONEY premiered at the Black Nights Film Festival in 2017 and won the Audience Choice Award for Narrative Features at the 2018 Indie Memphis Film Festival. Kale lives in Los Angeles, but he loves Detroit.

 

Jacob Bridgman grew up in western Massachusetts, and studied film production at Emerson. He was one of the producers of 8 Billion Angels, a feature environmental documentary that will screen at the New Delhi Film Festival and the American Conservation Film Festival this month. Working both in fiction & non-fiction, He has produced over a dozen shorts that revolve around subjects of social justice, underrepresented stories, & climate change. He currently lives in Los Angeles and works at an internationally recognized commercial & music video company.

 

Noah Graham is an award winning Director of Photography, Steadicam Operator and Drone
Operator. His love for visual storytelling, and the power of cinematic engagement keeps him
motivated and seeking out stories that he believes critical for the world to hear. Noah has
worked with a wide range of clients from NBC, MSNBC, NowThis, and ESPN, to Calvin Klein,
NYC MTA, Boston Preservation Alliance, as well as many independent films. Noah is the owner
of Steadi Eye Productions which is known for specialized camera movement systems from
Steadicam and drone, to gimbal operating and jib.

 

We’re thrilled that the competitive Panavision New Filmmaker Program has decided to support The Chosen One with an incredible Equipment Grant. 

Not only does this mean that The Chosen One will be shot on some of the most high-end cinema cameras on the market, it also allows us to focus our fundraising efforts toward Production Design, Sound, Music & Image Licensing, and Casting, all of which are just as essential to our film as Camera. Thank you Panavision! 

Here's a handy graph to give you a sense of where your money will be going:

 

As you can see, we need approximately $15,000 to make our movie. Fortunately, we've already been able to raise nearly $3000 through private investment. 

Indiegogo encourages projects to reach their goals. If we don't hit our goal of $12,065, Indiegogo will charge severe platform fees that will significantly decrease the percentage of the total gross that will go toward our production. As a result, it is crucial that we reach our goal to ensure that each investment made by contributors like you is put to good use. 

 

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Choose your Perk

The Clean Shave Perk

The Clean Shave Perk

$10 USD
Our undying thanks and a shout out on social media. TODA RABA!
Included Items
  • Our Thanks
Estimated Shipping
December 2020
4 claimed
The Peach Fuzz Perk

The Peach Fuzz Perk

$25 USD
Get your name in the end credits because you're awesome!
Included Items
  • Our Thanks
  • Shout out on Social Media
  • Special Thanks in Credits
Estimated Shipping
December 2020
6 claimed
The Stunning Stache Perk

The Stunning Stache Perk

$50 USD
We'll send you downloadable behind-the-scenes production materials! The package includes a copy of the film's script, lookbook, and score.
Included Items
  • Our Thanks
  • Shout out on Social Media
  • Special Thanks in Credits
  • Digital Package
Estimated Shipping
December 2020
3 claimed
The Goatee Perk

The Goatee Perk

$100 USD
For $100, you'll get insight into the inner workings of a director on set. With an annotated copy of the script, you'll have a chance to see a director's thought process scrawled on the page. You'll have a special peek into the making of our film!
Included Items
  • Our Thanks
  • Shout out on Social Media
  • Special Thanks in Credits
  • Digital Package
Estimated Shipping
December 2020
5 out of 50 of claimed
The Full Beard Perk

The Full Beard Perk

$500 USD
Join us for the film's Cast & Crew screening as a VIP! Get to experience the first showing of the film along with the cast and crew!* OR get a private link to the finished film before the general public. *Subject to contributors locations & availability.
Included Items
  • Our Thanks
  • Shout out on Social Media
  • Special Thanks in Credits
  • Digital Package
  • Premiere Invitation
Estimated Shipping
December 2020
0 claimed
Shave the Crew

Shave the Crew

$750 USD
We all love our facial hair. For $750, one key member of our crew will commit to shaving their beard on camera. 1st Donation - Line Producer Jason 2nd Donation - Director Elazar 3rd Donation - Producer Jake
Included Items
  • Our Thanks
  • Shout out on Social Media
  • Special Thanks in Credits
  • Digital Package
  • Shave a Crew Member
Estimated Shipping
December 2020
0 out of 3 of claimed
Associate Producer

Associate Producer

$1,000 USD
For just $1,000, you can be an Associate Producer on THE CHOSEN ONE!
Included Items
  • Our Thanks
  • Shout out on Social Media
  • Special Thanks in Credits
  • Digital Package
  • Premiere Invitation
Estimated Shipping
December 2020
0 claimed
Executive Producer

Executive Producer

$2,500 USD
You'll receive an Executive Producer credit, and everyone will know our film wasn't possible without YOU!
Included Items
  • Our Thanks
  • Shout out on Social Media
  • Special Thanks in Credits
  • Digital Package
  • Premiere Invitation
  • Executive Producer Credit
Estimated Shipping
December 2020
0 claimed

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