2024 Filmmakers in Residence
Yeshiva University has never been an inviting place for LGBTQ students, and the ongoing lawsuit between YU and its Pride Alliance student club has made that more explicit. Mal Meisels was one of the student leaders who filed a lawsuit after YU officially rejected an LGBTQ club on campus. At the time, they were proud to be giving a voice to the many queer students on their Orthodox campus who felt ignored and often scared. However, though they knowingly became a representative for LGBTQ activism in the community, they didn’t expect to be the face of a lawsuit that threatens to overturn LGBTQ rights in the United States. In 2021, YU petitioned for a stay from the Supreme Court, which took their debate around religious discrimination to a national level. Now, Mal’s attempt to start an LGBTQ club on campus has become the frontline in the legal battle between religious freedom and anti-discrimination in the US.
Jeremy Borison is a filmmaker based in Los Angeles, whose work explores the intersection of religion and sexuality. His films have received grants from organizations including Micah Philanthropies, Aviv Foundation, and Jewish Story Partners for their efforts in creating discourse around LGBTQ inclusion in religious communities. Jeremy has been selected for various initiatives that explore art and religion, as an Asylum Arts Fellow, a writer for Imagination Productions, a Wexner Heritage fellow, and a JFI Filmmaker in Residence. His debut feature film, ‘Unspoken,’ which follows a closeted teenager in a religious community, premiered at the British Film Institute's Flare Film Festival, and recently received the audience award for Best Narrative Film at the Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival.
Project description and bios courtesy of the Residents