Martin Rawlings-Fein
Martin Rawlings-Fein is a second-year Jewish Studies graduate student at Hebrew College in Boston. As an out bisexual trans man, he is a queer community documentarian and filmmaker. He also contributed to the anthology Balancing on the Mechitza: Transgender in Jewish Community, forthcoming from North Atlantic Books (Summer 2010).
His films include Clocked: An Oral History, Who You Callin' Queer?, Perfect Fit, and the upcoming Gillian. He is also in the pre production phases of Ger: Choosing to be Chosen.
When Martin is not writing, reading, filming or organizing in his various communities, he is blessed with the privilege of being a husband and father.
Clocked: An Oral History
The film Clocked: An Oral History is the story of transgender life through personal insights, stories and reflections on the meaning of community and being trans. Clocked grew out of a conversation with a friend about taking oral histories from transgender elders. Once filming started, the project quickly gained a life of its own.Eventually the film was shown at the Lou Sullivan Society, Congregation Sha'ar Zahav, on AccesSF and in other local outlets.
"What a wonderful, moving story of their individual triumph of simply "becoming who they were" in an otherwise intolerant world."
- Randolfe Wicker, Filmmaker
Ger: Choosing to be Chosen
Ger (Hebrew for "stranger" or "proselyte") is the examination of those who are converts to Judaism and identify as LGBT or queer. The participants of this project come from across the boundaries of familial, socioeconomic, ethnic, and racial backgrounds and traditional movements to give insight into the process of conversion. Ger takes a look into the lives of LGBT Jews by Choice to find the intersection between Jewish and queer identity.
Agency
Agency is a broadcast interview show that focuses on personal stories and reflections about enacting change through spiritual, political, literary or cultural agency. From the San Francisco Human Rights Commission's LGBT Advisory Committee to the personal journey of a local gay Jew by Choice, the options for cultural change and agency are endless. Watch Agency on AccesSF, cable channel 29, the third Sunday of the month at 8:30 PM.
Etz Chaim
Etz Chaim (or Tree of Life) is an interview show that focuses on personal stories and reflections about Judaism, its intersections with queer community, and the organizations that serve both Jewish and queer communities. The show airs at 6:00 pm on the second and fourth Sunday of the month on AccesSF.
AccesSF is the dba of San Francisco Community Television Corporation (SFCTC), which currently has 300+ producer members submit 225+ regular series for playback each month. Annually, the station cablecasts 5,000+ hours of original local programming on Cable Channel 29, which reaches into 217,000+ households across all neighborhoods on both Comcast and RCN cable.