Jonathan Kesselman

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).

Jonathan Kesselman
Born1974 (age 46–47)
Los Angeles, CA
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater
Occupation
  • Film director
  • screenwriter
Years active2001-present
Notable credit(s)
The Hebrew Hammer

Early life

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

The Hebrew Hammer

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 onboard 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 USA.[15][16]

Jimmy Vestvood

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

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

Feature films
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
  1. "The Hebrew Hammer". Penn Libraries. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  2. Pappu, Sridhar (2 June 2016). "A Man Goes on a Journey". New York Times. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  3. Gunther, Shea (15 July 2011). "Jonathan Kesselman: Filmmaker, writer, observer of life". Mother Nature Network. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  4. Pfefferman, Naomi (4 December 2003). "'One mean Heeb' in first 'Jewsploitation' film". Cleveland Jewish News. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  5. "Shabbat Shalom". Filmmaker Magazine. Winter 2003. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  6. "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. 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. 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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