Michal Birnbaum and Lorena Rodríguez
Modern slavery has yet to be banished in most industrialized countries around the world, let alone the USA. Based on true events that are still taking place on the corner of Division and Marcy Avenues in Brooklyn NY, this moving short film, written by Michal Birnbaum and produced by Lorena Rodríguez, tells the story of Fernanda, one immigrant worker.
A few days before Passover, Fernanda,( Lorena Rodríguez) a young Mexican immigrant is hired on the street by an unscrupulous agent who offers cleaning jobs in local people’s homes. Fernanda is taken to work as a cleaner for a local family, Nechama ( Michal Birnbaum) and her husband Yoel, who are part of the Jewish Hasidic community of the area.
Lorena Rodríguez and Michal Birnbaum
Fernanda quickly discovers the vulnerability and helplessness of her position. The agent pays her for the first week but then, although she faithfully continues to turn up for work, he stops giving her any more money. Meanwhile her mother and daughter back home in Mexico are struggling to put food on the table. As Nechama’s family are Hasidic Jews, there are certain codes that are hard for Fernanda to understand, but despite the disparity of their background an unexpected bond develops between them.
Lorena Rodríguez and Michal Birnbaum
This film is unpretentious and has a gentle humour, as the story builds up with the development of the characters and significant details of their lives. In its brief 14 minutes, it covers a lot of ground and is very thought provoking.
Division Ave was put together almost entirely by women! There was ‘one’ man in the crew, the musician, who composed the original music for the production, Nadav Remez. He appears to have survived unscathed
The production hangs together very well, inviting the idea of a longer project on the subject. There is a strong sense of place, with the area becoming a distinctive presence in the film. The pace and the lighting in turn, create a haunting effect which has a powerful impact.
There were some negative reactions from the local Jewish community around Williamsburg, who complained that it made all Jews look bad. Interestingly, many of the women in this production, including the writer, are Jewish themselves and they vociferously defend the right to examine and discuss issues around domestic workers that are taking place in their communities without adequate scrutiny.
These immigrants are not all Latinas, many come from countries from as far away as Poland and Romania. Often, they are unable to obtain work visas because they lack sufficient academic qualifications, although, more often than not, it’s because they cannot afford the cost of the application process. Usually, they are trying to find work to be able to provide for the families they have had to leave behind in their home countries. Their mistreatment and abuse are therefore all the more distressing. Many are grossly underpaid and sexually abused.
This film raised money through a ‘kickstarter’ crowd-funding campaign. The strong female presence in the production was key to their success in raising funds, which included contributions from the Latin Grammy-winning band Mariachi Flor De Toloache (the first all-female Mariachi band) and a production grant from Panavision.
‘Division Ave’ has been well received at the festivals. More recently, it was screened at the inaugural Oxford International Short Film Festival (OXISFF). This festival which took place as a packed all-day event on March 23rd 2019, celebrated the diversity and creativity of short films. Located in the heart of the historic university city of Oxford, it was held on the same road where Inspector Morse, CS Lewis, and JRR Tolkien all famously enjoyed a tipple, a mere stone's throw from Hogwarts' Dining Hall.
Director: Tamar Glezerman.
Writer: Michal Birnbaum.
Production: Lorena Rodríguez Medina, Michal Birnbaum, Leila Rusciani.
Cinematography: Meg Kettel.
Editor: Jessica Kingdon.
Music: Nadav Remez.
Cast: Lorena Rodríguez Medina, Michal Birnbaum, Luzer Twersky. Nati Rabinowitz.
