JESSICA BARR
A MITZVAH

Pre-production grant
Funds will be used to support test shoots and outreach to local synagogues to cast Jewish teen actors.

About the project: Talia Cohen has just turned 13 and is mortified by everything, most notably herself. On the precipice of her bat mitzvah, Cohen grapples with her Jewish identity and sexuality at her least favorite place in the world — Hebrew School.

I’ve always wanted to explore my relationship to Judaism on film, the legacy of ritual and it bringing about a sense of obligation, and what it’s like to live with a terminally ill parent. In my short film I want to explore a 13 year old’s coming of age within the context of Judaism, without the classic 'Jewish Mother' figure to guide her into adulthood.

About the filmmaker: Jessica Barr is a filmmaker from Portland, Oregon. Sophie Jones, a feature film she wrote, produced and starred in premiered at the 2020 Deauville Film Festival. The film was inspired by her high school experience. After playing at numerous festivals across the globe it was acquired by Oscilloscope Laboratories and was released in March of 2021. Sophie Jones holds a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Barr is currently producing the short film Julia, which was the recipient of the 2020 Oregon Made "Tell Your Story” grant and the Bend Film Festival's 2021 BIPOC Women's Film Production Grant. She is gearing up to star in and produce the Portland independent feature film Can't Seem To Make You Mine. Her first short film, That Piece Of You, premiered at the 2021 NW Film Forum Local Sighting's Festival in Seattle. She is currently developing it into a feature version.

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