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Jonathan Kesselman

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Jonathan Kesselman
Born1974 (age 49–50)
Los Angeles, CA
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater
Occupations
  • Film director
  • screenwriter
Years active2001-present
Notable creditThe Hebrew Hammer

Jonathan Kesselman (born 1974)[1] is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer, who first gained notice as the writer and director of The Hebrew Hammer (2003).

Early life

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Kesselman grew up in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles.[2][3] He graduated from the University of Colorado with a degree in psychology, and then spent a few years working as an information systems consultant.[3][4] He studied film at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, graduating in 2001 with a master's degree in film production.[2][3][5]

Career

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The Hebrew Hammer

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While at USC, Kesselman wrote and directed a short film version of The Hebrew Hammer,[5] which screened at the 2000 Austin Film Festival.[4][6] In 2001, ContentFilm offered to finance a feature film version, with Edward R. Pressman and John Schmidt on board as executive producers.[4][6]

Kesselman wrote and directed The Hebrew Hammer, a "Jewxploitation" send-up of Blaxploitation and superhero films, starring Adam Goldberg as Mordechai Jefferson Carver, an Orthodox Jew on a quest to save Hanukkah from Santa Claus's evil son. It also stars Andy Dick, Mario Van Peebles, Nora Dunn, Peter Coyote, and Judy Greer,[7][8] and has a cameo from Melvin Van Peebles reprising his role as Sweetback from Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971).[9] It premiered at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival,[5] had its television premiere on Comedy Central on December 8, 2003,[4] and opened theatrically on December 19, 2003.[10] It aired exclusively on Comedy Central for five years after its theatrical release,[11] and is generally considered to be a cult film.[12][13]

In 2005, Kesselman and Goldberg started discussing a sequel to The Hebrew Hammer, and Kesselman wrote the first draft of the script.[14] In 2013, Kesselman and Goldberg first announced the sequel publicly.[11] In The Hebrew Hammer vs. Hitler, the Hebrew Hammer comes out of retirement to combat racism, sexism, and anti-Semitism after an infomercial star becomes president of the US.[15][16]

Jimmy Vestvood

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Kesselman directed the 2016 political satire Jimmy Vestvood: Amerikan Hero, written by Maz Jobrani and Amir Ohebsion, and starring Jobrani as an Iranian traffic cop who moves from Tehran to Los Angeles to become a private investigator.[17] It premiered at the 2014 Austin Film Festival,[18] where it won the Comedy Vanguard Jury Award[19] and the Audience Award for Comedy Vanguard Feature.[20] It was released in theaters on May 13, 2016.[21]

Other

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Kesselman directed the 2013 TV pilot Grow, a comedy about a Los Angeles medical marijuana dispensary starring Jamie Hector and Dale Dickey.[3] He wrote, directed, produced, and starred in the 2009-10 man on the street show On the Streets with Jonathan Kesselman on the Mother Nature Network website.[3] He directed second unit for the 2016 war film Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, directed by Ang Lee.[14] He taught the seminar Writing Comedy for Film and Television at Yale University,[22] and wrote the five-part series Writing in My Father's Footsteps, published in The Forward in 2009.[23] It won second place in the Nefesh B'Nefesh category of the Simon Rockower Awards.[24]

Kesselman was the showrunner on the six-episode 2020 sketch comedy series Gander, written by Rob Kutner and featuring Adam Goldberg, Lewis Black, Jay Mohr, Oscar Nunez, and Rachel Dratch.[25]

Filmography

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Feature films

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Year Title Credited as Notes
2003 The Hebrew Hammer Writer and director
2016 Jimmy Vestvood: Amerikan Hero Director
2016 Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk 2nd unit director Directed by Ang Lee

References

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  1. ^ "The Hebrew Hammer". Penn Libraries. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  2. ^ a b Pappu, Sridhar (2 June 2016). "A Man Goes on a Journey". New York Times. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d e Gunther, Shea (15 July 2011). "Jonathan Kesselman: Filmmaker, writer, observer of life". Mother Nature Network. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  4. ^ a b c d Pfefferman, Naomi (4 December 2003). "'One mean Heeb' in first 'Jewsploitation' film". Cleveland Jewish News. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  5. ^ a b c "Shabbat Shalom". Filmmaker Magazine. Winter 2003. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  6. ^ a b "Shalom, Motherfuckers". New York Observer. 27 May 2002. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  7. ^ Scott, A.O. (19 December 2003). "When Hanukkah Is in Jeopardy, A Jewish Superman Gets the Call". New York Times. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  8. ^ Heyman, Marshall (19 December 2012). "Hanukkah's Crafty Days and Crazy Nights". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  9. ^ Rooney, David (28 January 2003). "The Hebrew Hammer". Variety. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  10. ^ Fox, Michael (5 December 2003). "He's big, he's bad, he's the Hebrew Hammer". JWeekly. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  11. ^ a b Zakarin, Jordan (7 January 2013). "The Hebrew Hammer Returns to Fight Hitler -- and Americans' 'Cuddly Racism'". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  12. ^ Klein, Amy (8 December 2012). ""The Hebrew Hammer": The baddest Jew in the whole damn town!". Salon. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  13. ^ Thurm, Eric (17 December 2014). "The Hebrew Hammer makes Christmastime safe for Jews from New York to Tel Aviv". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  14. ^ a b Solzman, Danielle (7 November 2017). "JONATHAN KESSELMAN TALKS THE HEBREW HAMMER VS. HITLER". Cultured Vultures. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  15. ^ Lawrence, Derek (16 October 2017). "Adam Goldberg launches crowdfunding effort for Hebrew Hammer sequel". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  16. ^ Erbland, Kate (17 October 2017). "'Hebrew Hammer' Sequel: Adam Goldberg Wants to 'Make America Kosher Again'". Indiewire. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  17. ^ Kompanek, Christopher (12 May 2016). "'Jimmy Vestvood: Amerikan Hero' aims for sharp satire and misses". Washington Post. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  18. ^ Baumgarten, Marjorie (26 October 2014). "Austin Film Festival: Jimmy Vestvood: Amerikan Hero". Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  19. ^ Jones, Kimberley (26 October 2014). "AFF Announces Award Winners". Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  20. ^ Baumgarten, Marjorie (4 November 2014). "AFF Announces Audience Awards". Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  21. ^ Busch, Anita (29 March 2016). "Maz Jobrani's Political Satire 'Jimmy Vestvood' To Bow In May". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  22. ^ Wessel, Nora (3 December 2007). "Alumni TV writers on strike find outlet". Yale News. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  23. ^ "Jonathan Kesselman". The Forward. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  24. ^ "The 29th Annual Simon Rockower Award Winners". AJPA. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  25. ^ Solzman, Danielle (27 September 2020). "Rob Kutner, Jonathan Kesselman talk Gander". Solzy at the Movies. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
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