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TORAH TROPICAL
Jimmy Ferguson, Ezra Axelrod, Gloria Nancy Monsalve
2024
|
Colombia
100 minutes
|
NY Premiere
Tuesday, May 5, 2026 at 9:00:00 PM UTC
FESTIVALS & 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 first-time filmmaker originally from rural Eastern Oregon. In 2017 he settled permanently in Cali, Colombia, the contemporary epicenter of the Drug War, to work on peace process initiatives with his long-term partner, Cali-native and drug policy reform expert David Restrepo. In 2021, Ezra and David founded ThisTopia, a vehicle for developing transmedia storytelling projects from Southwestern Colombia that draw international attention to defiant local stories at the forefront of global paradigm shifts. In addition to Torah Tropical, Ezra is developing The Coca Codex, documenting the unexpected alliance between Colombia's Indigenous and Queer movements in ending the Drug War. Ezra is a 2008 graduate of Middlebury College (Vermont) and a 2016 graduate of The Royal College of Music (London). Ezra is also the composer of the Torah Tropical soundtrack.
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.
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