BABKA Synopsis: In the heart of Hasidic Brooklyn, a newly blind Jewish Orthodox baker forms an unlikely friendship with a Queer Catholic Latino guide dog trainer, embarking on an eye-opening journey to overcome personal and cultural barriers in his quest to reopen his beloved bakery.
1. BABKA explores the intersection of faith, disability, and identity—what drew you to telling this particular story?
I’ve always been drawn to stories that live in the spaces between cultures and identities. I call myself a “culture-clasher”. With BABKA, I wanted to explore what happens when two people from very different worlds collide, Hasidic Brooklyn and queer Latino Catholic New York, and how disability –-and a dog— shift that dynamic. It’s about finding humanity and commonality where we least expect it.
2. The dynamic between the Hasidic baker and the trainer—how did you approach, balancing authenticity with universality, in their relationship?
Authenticity came first; we worked with people, including blind and low vision, within the Hasidic community, and we were incredibly lucky to partner with The Seeing Eye, the oldest guide dog school, to ensure accurate portrayal of the guide dog training world. We wanted to make sure that both communities felt truthfully represented. But at its core, it’s a story about an unlikely friendship between two men who find unexpected connections through food, conflicted relationship to their respective faith, and a dog . It’s human. It’s universal. Neither of them feel like they fully belong in their respective world. It’s human. It’s universal.
3. As a director, what were some of the biggest creative or cultural sensitivities you wanted to honor while portraying Hasidic Brooklyn?
I love to turn stereotypes on their head. Have the viewer believe they’re watching a stereotypical character, and then turn them into complex three-dimentional characters. In a short film, it’s particularly tricky because there’s so little time to develop character. I wanted to make sure that the different Hasidic characters each felt unique and show that beneath the common clothes and customs, each person is their own individual. I was lucky to be able to meet numerous people in the community, some of whom were blind or low vision. We also worked with Rocky Joel Noe, who grew up in Hasidic Brooklyn but has since left the community, for cultural accuracy and sensitivity.
4. Saul Rubinek brings such depth to the lead role—what made him the right choice, and how did his perspective influence the film?
Saul is a legend. He brought personal experience, empathy, and a wicked sense of humor that elevated the role. He understood the layers of faith, loss, and resilience, heritage, and his presence gave the film a weight I couldn’t have dreamed of. Additionally, Saul’s first language is Yiddish, and just like many people in Hasidic Brooklyn -and myself-, Saul is the descendant of Holocaust survivors.
5. The film uses blindness not only as a physical challenge but also as a metaphor—was that symbolism intentional from the start?
Yes. Blindness in the film is literal, but it’s also about seeing beyond prejudice, beyond the walls we build. It’s about what happens when we open our eyes to different ways of living.
6. Food, especially bread and babka, plays a symbolic role in the film. What does it represent to you in terms of tradition, healing, or connection?
One thing we all have in common is food. It’s something we can all relate to. Food, in this case, baked goods, is the first connector between Moishe, a baker who kept his Holocaust survivor’s grandmother’s babka recipe alive, and Jesus, who was raised by his Puerto Rican abuela who brought her culinary heritage to New York. But also, we’re talking about a double-chocolate babka here…it is the most delicious mouth-watering pastry, no matter who you are.
7. The story touches on interfaith and intercultural dialogue—how do you hope audiences from different backgrounds connect with the film?
I hope people see themselves in it, even if they don’t share the same faith or culture. At the end of the day, it’s about friendship, and finding common ground. That speaks across borders.
8. Independent short films often face production challenges. What was the most difficult moment in bringing BABKA to life, and how did you overcome it?
All of it? We shot on location in the middle of a heat wave with a dog…in a neighborhood that never has film shoots or dogs…. We had to take into account the temperature of the ground so that the dog’s paws wouldn’t overheat. We had to stop traffic in a busy intersection and simulate a near car accident. We had to be sensitive with the local community, reassuring them that our intentions were good. We overcame these challenges because we were all in this together and all believed in this story. I surrounded myself with a badass cast and crew.
9. BABKA has already been recognized as a Humanitas Prize nominee. What does that acknowledgment mean to you as a filmmaker?
It means that people care about individuals living in the shadows of society. It means that people who knew nothing about the Hasidic community, blindness and guide dog training saw the humanity in these characters. Humanitas celebrates stories that uplift our shared humanity, and that’s exactly why I made this film. To have BABKA recognized in that way feels very validating for me as a filmmaker and my entire team.
10. Looking ahead, do you see BABKA expanding into a feature or series, or do you feel the short format captured the story exactly as it needed to be told?
The short stands on its own, but while doing the research for the short screenplay, I realized that there was a much bigger story to tell. So I wrote it as a feature, which we are very actively developing. To be continued…
