The COJECO BluePrint Fellowship
Film & Video
Across the Narrow Bridge
Across the Narrow Bridge is a documentary film about a group of first generation Americans of Soviet Jewish background who travel to Ukraine to explore the Jewish history of the region. Throughout this journey the trip participants share their feelings and their family stories on the issues of assimilation, living in fear of discrimination and […]
Dmitriy Khavin was born in Odessa, Ukraine. His first job in film was working as a lighting assistant at the Odessa Film Studios. Since 1992 Dmitriy has lived in New York where he works as a director, producer, editor and cinematographer on documentaries and television programs. Dmitriy’s television credits include programs for HBO, PBS, Discovery, MTV, Link TV, Jewish Life TV and many others.
Banany Chronicles
For his COJECO BluePrint Fellowship community project, Pavel Sklyar created a short documentary film “Banany Chronicles” exploring experiences of immigrants who arrived to America between the ages of 5 and 16. The film explored adaptation experiences of these young people who found themselves in new schools, learning new customs, and a new language. The film […]
Pavel Sklyar was born in Kiev, Ukraine. He was initially introduced to Jewish history, culture and traditions at the Jewish school, which was established in Kiev by Rabbi Bleich in 1991. At the age of 13 he, together with his family, immigrated to New York City, where he continued his study and explore Judaism. His other interests include traveling, photography, film, and investing. Pavel graduated from Hunter College with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics. Currently he works full time as a Business Planning Analyst at a Fortune 500 telecommunications company. He is also the President and co-founder of MMIC Investment club.
Blender Bodies
Our bodies are live blenders of heritage, history, family, rituals and beliefs. Blender Bodies is a multimedia art installation that offers a different view that reflects the multicultural nature of Jewish communities around the world and exposes the common ground we all share collectively as human beings. The project is driven by an exploration of […]
Ronit Levin Delgado (born Tel-Aviv, Israel) a multi media artist and a Fulbright scholar, lives and works in NYC. Levin Delgado holds a MFA in the Studio Art at MSU, NJ (2013) and a BFA from Bezalel Academy, Jerusalem (2008). Levin Delgado has won many honors and awards bestowed on her, including the Ministry of Culture scholarship, 2011-2013 Fulbright scholarship and in 2014 she was chosen to be the recipient of the First Annual Prize for Bezalel Alumni Ambassador. Levin Delgado has had solo exhibitions and participated in numerous international group exhibitions in Israel, Europe and the US.
Bukharian Jews of New York
‘Bukharian Jews of New York’ is a photographic exploration of Bukharian Jewish youth in their formative years, when their identities and worldviews take shape. More than two decades after a major wave of immigration from Central Asia, there is now a generation of young Bukharian Jews born in America. Photographer George Itzhak creates evocative portraits […]
George Itzhak is a filmmaker, photographer, and storyteller originally from Tashkent, Uzbekistan. He works in both narrative and documentary, and has several projects in development and production that deal with issues of Russian immigration, Jewish life and culture, and the history and people of the Middle-East. His latest projects include Reading Tehran in Tel-Aviv, a documentary that premiered at the New York Sephardic Jewish Film Festival, and Broccoli, a Russian-language short film premiered in the summer of 2014. George began his career in television news with internships at NBC, a stint at the Sochi Olympics, and he currently works at NBC’s Nightly News.
Distanced from the Source
“Distanced From the Source” was a group show of 5 artists Irina Khokhlova, Anya Roz, Polina Barskaya, Viktoriya Sorochinski, and Daniel Veksler. Their work explores the themes of otherness-as-identity through the mediums of photography, painting, video installation, and recorded oral history. “Distanced From the Source” opened on December 17, 2011 at the SET Gallery, in […]
Irina Khokhlova is a filmmaker, video artist, television, and web video producer living and working in New York City. Originally from Moscow, Russia, she moved to NY in 1992 .She received her Master of Arts degree in Filmmaking from The New School University in 2006. She began her career as a TV and film editor, later moving on to producing and directing for television and the web. Her independent work includes documentaries, short narrative films, fashion films and video art. In 2009 the Television program Irina produced received an NY Emmy nomination in the Arts: Program/Special category.
Dueling Identities: An Exploration of the Russian-Jewish Disposition
A documentary exploring the Russian-Jewish identity through a series of interviews with subjects who immigrated to the US in the early 1980’s-mid 1990’s as kids or teenagers and are currently in their 20’s and 30’s. The event took place on June 18,2015 at University Settlement, 184 Eldridge Street NYC with close to a 100 people in attendance. […]
Irina Dizik was born in St. Petersburg, Russia and grew up in Israel. After graduating from high school in Israel, Irina moved to the US to attend Rutgers University where she received her degree in Psychology.
Her Journey
Her Journey is a 33 minute documentary film that features the stories of Russian speaking Jewish women who went through evacuation during World War II. The story line of the documentary has five segments; moment when war begins, the evacuation journey, life in evacuation, the return home, and lessons for future generations. Karina interviewed four (4) […]
Karina Weinstein was born in Odessa, Ukraine and moved to New York when she was 11 years old. Karina graduated from Tufts University in 2002 with a Bachelor degree in International Relations and from Harvard University Kennedy School of Government in 2008 with a Master in Public Policy. Karina is passionate about local and global community development having worked with community organizations in India, Chile, Bolivia and Mexico. Karina is determined to raise her Mexican American Russian Jewish son with a strong sense of identity and commitment to improving the lives of others.
Inheritance, an Immersive Installation
“Inheritance” is an interactive exhibit and live performance presented by The Inheritance Project, a storytelling platform that asks, “How much of our identity do we inherit?” Artist Katya Stepanov explores the impact of her own inheritance in an immersive exhibition of photographs and interviews with her family and extended community. “Inheritance” immerses visitors in the […]
KinoFERMA
КиноФестиваль Еврейской Русскоязычной Молодежи Америки On Sunday, October 12, 2008, the JCC in Manhattan hosted KinoFERMA, the first-of-its kind film festival showcasing the works of young Russian-speaking Jewish directors and animators. The Festival presented short films and animations, several of which had already been recognized at prestigious international film festivals and others that premiered for the first time. […]
Yevgeniy Klig was born in Odessa, Ukraine and immigrated to United States in 1997. After graduating from Stony Brook University with a degree in Electrical Engineering, Yevgeniy worked for a major telecommunication company involved in the implementation of the high-tech communication solutions. During his tenure as an engineer, Yevgeniy went on the Taglit trip that inspired his interest in Jewish identity exploration.
From 2007, Yevgeniy participated in a number of Jewish identity and leadership development seminars and fellowships, becoming an active lay leader. Having been selected as one of the first four recipients of the COJECO Blueprint Fellowship Grant, Yevgeniy created a Russian-speaking Jewish film festival "KinoFERMA." Motivated by this experience to become a Jewish community professional, Yevgeniy began working for a JCC in Brooklyn (Marks JCH of Bensonhurst) as Director of Teen Services, consulted with COJECO as a volunteer coordinator during Superstorm Sandy, and created various young adult social programs for the NYC Russian-speaking community.
Prior to joining GPG, Yevgeniy worked as a Senior Director of Russian-speaking Programming at Moishe House, managing 12 RSJ Moishe Houses across the globe and organizing multiple learning and training conferences for the young adult Russian-speaking Jewish community.
Yevgeniy resides in Brooklyn, NYC with his wife Lisa and a fat cat named Yuriy.
Marlo: Jewish [En]Lightning
Marlo: Book One: Jewish [En]Lightning is the second book in Chicago-headquartered Urban Pop Art Projects’ publishing imprint Urban Pop Art Books. New York artist/ videographer/ author Aleks Degtyarev expertly navigates his id to deconstruct a complicated identity: that of the post-Soviet child immigrant all grown up. Navigating questions about identity often sidelined by urges to just […]
Aleks Degtyarev could be described as a story teller. Aleks has been passionately involved in the media world for over 10 years. Among a diversified skill set his main focus has always been producing, filming and editing, combined with education. As a multi-disciplinary artist, Aleks grounds all his work from a writer’s background sealing it with his knowledge of poetry and philosophy. Working with actors/talent as a director, he is not afraid to get in front of the lens and expose his own vulnerability. Aleks believes that everyone has a great story to tell and he searches out ways to inspire his collaborators to tell their stories. His major focus is honest media that has transformative potential, seeking to strengthen communities, and evolving communication.
Pinsky
Rebecca Karpovsky is an actor, writer and producer originally from Boston and currently based in NYC. For her Blueprint Fellowship project, she aims to finish and release the full feature film “Pinsky” – a dark Russian-Jewish-American comedy featuring a Bechdel Test–acing number of women in front of and behind the camera. The goal of the […]
Rebecca Karpovsky is an actor, writer and producer originally from Boston and currently based in NYC. As an actor she has performed at the ZACH and Vortex Theatres in Austin, TX, as well as in feature films, shorts and commercials in Boston, Austin and NYC. Recently settled in NYC, her most recent film projects include Andrew Wagner's, Breakable You, A Lonely Woman, Pact and Strawberries. Karpovsky is trilingual and performs in Russian, Spanish and English on the screen and stage. A lot of the work she writes and produces is heavily influenced by her own Russian Jewish culture. This most recent project, PINSKY, which she starred in, co-wrote and produced, was shot this spring in Boston. Her actor training is based in the Sanford Meisner technique, which she studied under Kathryn Gately at the Gately/Poole Conservatory. She has also studied corporeal mime under Thomas Leabhart and Droznin-based movement training with the Moscow Art Theatre. She is a graduate of Scripps College, where she studied acting and film production. More information is available at www.rebeccakarpovsky.com.
Portrait of an Artist
An Evening Full of Art, Film + Music Screening of Alex Kaluzhsky’s award-winning short film ARKADYA, as well as the premiere of his latest film, THE VISITORS, an experimental short form documentary about the life of a young Russian American Jewish artist with a recognizable past. After the films, music from Lev ‘LJOVA’ Zhurbin and […]
Alex Kaluzhsky is a filmmaker who was born in Odessa, Ukraine and immigrated with his family to Brooklyn, NY in the late 80’s. Under the banner of his production company Apropos Films Alex has produced the features “The Missing Person” starring Mike Shannon and Amy Ryan, Academy Award nominees, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was released in theaters across the nation in 2009 and named one of IFC top ten films of the year. And “Weakness” written and directed by Michael Melamedoff starring Bobby Canavale, Danielle Panabaker, Josh Charles and Lily Rabe, which premiered at the 2010 Austin Film Festival. As writer/ director he has made numerous short films including “Bad Moon Rising” which screened at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, and “Apropos” which screened at the New Filmmaker’s and SoHo Screening Series in New York. As actor he has worked on films such as Columbia Picture’s “The Taking of Pelham 123” starring John Travolta, Denzel Washington, and James Gandolfini, directed by Tony Scott; “Solitary Man” produced by Steven Soderbergh and starring Michael Douglas, Susan Sarandon, Mary Louis Parker, and Danny DeVito. “You and I” directed by Roland Joffe. As well as television, stage and short film productions. He studied acting at the Actor’s Center with teachers from Juilliard, Yale, NYU and Harvard, and filmmaking at New York University and The School of Visual Arts.
Polina Barskaya was born in Cherkassy, Ukraine in 1984 when it was still part of the Soviet Union. When she was four years old, her entire family immigrated to the United States as political refugees. They left two years before the Soviet collapse in ’91.The trip took about 9 months as they moved through Slovakia, Austria, Italy, and then on to America. During this time, she was surrounded by languages she did not understand so she felt a closeness to imagery. She would draw narrative images because they could be understood no matter where she was. Learning to speak English was a stressful experience, throughout which she continued drawing. “When you are at a disadvantage in one area, as I always was with language barriers you become better at something else. I was attracted to images and storytelling so I created different stories and adventures for myself to escape into. I would tell myself entire stories without having to write any words.” To see Polina’s works, visit polinabarskaya.carbonmade.com
Short film
A short film that examines how trauma in a Soviet Jewish family can be passed on through generations and its effects. The intention for this film is to bring people in RSJ community together and start a discussion about mental health that can be a taboo subject for our community (and many other immigrant communities ) […]
Marina is a New York City based Russian-Armenian actress, writer, and producer from Moscow. She can be seen performing monthly at The Pit Striker with her indie sketch team Suede and at venues around the city with her indie improv group the idiots. She also performs original characters. She has produced, wrote, and acted in the past two seasons of 2293 Productions’ Reservations at The Kraine Theatre as well the web series The Box. Marina holds a degree in Cinema Studies and Dramatic Literature from NYU Tisch School Of The Arts (2012.) She was the co founder of a curated monthly screening series Black Mariah Films (2012-2015) where she programmed film series that showcased emerging filmmakers alongside classic and art house films. She completed the two year acting conservatory at The Barrow Group Theatre Company where she studied with Seth Barrish and Lee Brock and performed in her first full length play, A Perfect Couple as Emma. Marina continued her acting training at Playhouse West Brooklyn Lab where she completed the two year Meisner training program. She is an Academy level student at Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB) where she has been taking improv and character classes since 2015. She has also studied improv at The People’s Improv Theatre (PIT) and at iO Chicago.
Short film
A short film that examines how trauma in a Soviet Jewish family can be passed on through generations and its effects. The intention for this film is to bring people in RSJ community together and start a discussion about mental health that can be a taboo subject for our community (and many other immigrant communities ) […]
Born in Leningrad, Russia, raised in the belly of Brooklyn, Irina has been on the path of metamorphosis from a young age. Although she doesn't remember much of her childhood, she enjoys reading Dostoyevsky and daydreaming of other lifetimes. After being discovered at a young age to play Young Margo in The Royal Tenebaums, Irina went on to be in several more feature films including It Runs in The Family and The Butterfly Effect. She attended the School of American Ballet, LaGuardia High School for Drama, and then CUNY Hunter College where she earned her BA in the highly lucrative field of Philosophy. Irina has since gone on to study at UCB, the Barrow Group under Seth Barrish and Lee Brock, and with international Meisner teacher Andrea Dantas. She works in both theater and film, most recently moving into producing and performing her own content including co-writing and producing her own web series (Frank&Alice), two seasons of Reservations at The Kraine Theater under 2293 Productions, and writing, producing and starring in critically acclaimed short films (Sun on Your Elbows, A Magnificent Gray), the latter of which is now being adapted into a feature film. Irina currently resides in NYC and can be spotted weaving through traffic and avoiding potholes on her bicycle, rain or shine. She wears her helmet proudly. Irina would like to thank her family and friends for their undying love, support and laughing at her jokes even when they aren't funny. She believes in the power of collaboration, being kind, and sharing french fries.
Songs of Our Grandmothers
Songs of our Grandmothers is a film exploring of the role that songs play in the immigrant experience and the history of these songs, through the eyes of elderly immigrants to the United States. 10 different interviews were conducted with elderly Russian-Jewish immigrants in New York and New Jersey. Of those interviews, 4 made it […]
Ilya Blokh, originally from Moscow, has found himself around the world—from Alabama and New York to Japan and Scotland. By day he works as a product manager for an educational software start-up, but by night he dabbles in film and is particularly interested in music from all corners of the world and the culture that forms around it.
