TORAH TROPICAL

Jimmy Ferguson, Ezra Axelrod, Gloria Nancy Monsalve

Colombia | Documentary | 2024 | 100 min | NY PREMIERE

Part of Cinema of Belonging

Tuesday, May 5, 2026 at 9:00:00 PM UTC

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Part of Havana Star Prize Documentary Competition

FESTIVALS AND AWARDS

TORAH TROPICAL

Torah Tropical explores a Jewish community in Colombia navigating faith, identity, and belonging far from traditional centers of Judaism. Through intimate stories of ritual, conversion, and daily life, the film reveals how spirituality adapts across cultures, offering a moving portrait of community, memory, and the search for meaning in unexpected places.

TORAH TROPICAL

Torah Tropical explora una comunidad judía en Colombia que transita entre la fe, la identidad y el sentido de pertenencia, lejos de los centros tradicionales del judaísmo. A través de historias íntimas de rituales, conversiones y vida cotidiana, la película revela cómo la espiritualidad se adapta a través de las culturas, ofreciendo un conmovedor retrato de la comunidad, la memoria y la búsqueda de sentido en lugares inesperados.

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR

Jimmy Ferguson

Jimmy Ferguson is a multicultural, award-winning film artist with deep experience in all stages of production spanning fiction/narrative, documentary, commercials, and contemporary art. His narrative and documentary shorts have premiered at Mill Valley, DOC NYC, Maryland, Salento International, and Newport Beach Film Festivals. Jimmy’s honors include: LA Filmmaker of the Year (2008), a Jerome Foundation grant (2014), and a QCA Artist Commission (2019). He participated in IFP's Project Forum (2013) and EAVE’s Ties That Bind (2017). Jimmy won a CINDY Gold Award for his #NotAFan campaign against domestic violence (2017). Jimmy is a current member of the Brooklyn Filmmakers Collective. Jimmy has a keen interest in contemporary spirituality, is fluent in Spanish, and is passionate about exploring Colombian narratives. Jimmy is also Torah Tropical’s director of photography.

Ezra Axelrod

Ezra Axelrod is a composer, writer, and filmmaker originally from rural Eastern Oregon, now based in Cali, Colombia. Since relocating in 2017, his work has been shaped by his involvement in peace process initiatives and his collaboration with local communities. In 2021, he co-founded ThisTopia, a platform for developing transmedia storytelling projects that amplify underrepresented voices from Southwestern Colombia. In addition to Torah Tropical, for which he also composed the score, he is developing The Coca Codex, a project exploring alliances between Indigenous and queer movements in the context of the Drug War.

Gloria Nancy Monsalve

Gloria Nancy Monsalve is a Colombian screenwriter and director whose career began in 1998 with the making-of documentary for Víctor Gaviria’s The Rose Seller. She has since collaborated closely with Gaviria and contributed as a writer to a wide range of Colombian films and television series. Her work has earned multiple awards across Latin America, including the India Catalina Award for Best Film. In recent years, she has established a creative partnership with Jimmy Ferguson, with whom she is developing the feature Ximena, centered on underground plastic surgery and sex work in Medellín.