Widening the historical lens, this documentary focuses on an under-explored aspect of Jewish history: the role that Jews played in Western American expansion, both in real life and in the movies. Through a tapestry of archival footage, photographs, and interviews, Amanda Kinsey’s pioneering film entertainingly excavates the past through the stories of an array of people, from known names like Max Aronson (the real “Bronco Billy Anderson” of early Hollywood) and Levi Strauss, to some you may not have heard about, like the Prussian immigrant who became a tribal leader in New Mexico and the Sephardic painter and photographer who documented the Kansas, Colorado, and Utah territories in the 1800s. Kinsey also surveys the experiences of those persecuted European Jews who picked up stakes and left the American Northeast, forging westward for better opportunities. Through the narratives of such trailblazers, and interviews with contemporary Jewish Westerners, the film tells a tale of American resilience and determination too often left out of the official history books.


Jews of the Wild West

US 2022, 2023 International release | 82’ | Feature documentary

Produced by: Amanda Kinsey, Electric Yolk Productions
Directed by: Amanda Kinsey
Editing: Molly Paul
Cinematography: Joe Friedman, Bill Stengel, Domingo Lamarre, Dan Anderson, Corey Leavitt, James Chance, Dan Edblom
Sound: Kwan Ki Chau, Corey Leavitt
Colorist: Daniel Goldberg
Supported by: Colorado Forum Fund, Rosalind P Walter Foundation, Rose Community Foundation, Heitler Fund
Language: Original English version

DVD to be released

Synopsis


Widening the historical lens, this documentary focuses on an under-explored aspect of Jewish history: the role that Jews played in Western American expansion, both in real life and in the movies. Through a tapestry of archival footage, photographs, and interviews, Amanda Kinsey’s pioneering film entertainingly excavates the past through the stories of an array of people, from known names like Max Aronson (the real “Bronco Billy Anderson” of early Hollywood) and Levi Strauss, to some you may not have heard about, like the Prussian immigrant who became a tribal leader in New Mexico and the Sephardic painter and photographer who documented the Kansas, Colorado, and...

Festivals

  • Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, US 2022
  • Chicago Jewish Film Festival, US 2022
  • Vancouver Jewish Film Festival, Canada 2022
  • Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival, US 2022

Additional info

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Festivals

  • Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, US 2022
  • Chicago Jewish Film Festival, US 2022
  • Vancouver Jewish Film Festival, Canada 2022
  • Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival, US 2022
  • Arizona International Film Festival, US 2022
  • Centro Sefarad-Israel, Spain 2022
  • Toronto Jewish Film Festival, Canada 2022
  • Philadelphia Jewish Film and Media Festival, US 2022
  • Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience, US 2022
  • Jacob Burns Film Center's Jewish Film Festival, US 2022
  • Nashville Jewish Film Festival, US 2022
  • Santa Barbara Jewish Film Festival, US 2022
  • Boulder Jewish Film Festival, US 2022
  • New York Jewish Film Festival presented by the Jewish Museum and Film at Lincoln Center, US 2023
  • Greenwich International Film Festival, US 2023
  • Festivales de Punta del Este, Uruguay 2023
  • San Luis Obispo Jewish Film & Learning Festival, US 2023
  • Skirball Cultural Center, US 2023
  • Eiteljorg Museum, US `2023
  • Hartford Jewish Film Festival, 2023
  • Boca Raton Jewish Film Festival, US 2023
  • Palm Springs Jewish Film Festival, US 2023
  • San Luis Obispo International Film Festival, US 2023
  • Pioneer Valley Jewish Film Festival, US 2023
  • Detroit Jewish Film Festival, US 2023
  • National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, US 2023
  • Library of Congress, US 2023
  • James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art, US 2023
  • Athens Jewish Film Festival, Greece 2023
  • Toledo Jewish Film Festival, US 2023
  • Western Spirit Museum, US 2023
  • Aspen Film, US 2023
  • AARP Movies for Grownups Series, US 2023
  • Spokane Jewish Film Festival, US 2023
  • Yiddish Book Center, US 2023
  • Go West Film Festival, US 2023
  • Teaneck International Film Festival, US 2023
  • Arizona Jewish Historical Society, US 2024