Jonathan Kesselman | |
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Born | 1974 (age 48–49) Los Angeles, CA |
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | |
Occupations |
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Years active | 2001-present |
Notable credit | The 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).
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]
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]
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]
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]
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 |
Hammer Film Productions Ltd. is a British film production company based in London. Founded in 1934, the company is best known for a series of Gothic horror and fantasy films made from the mid-1950s until the 1970s. Many of these involve classic horror characters such as Baron Victor Frankenstein, Count Dracula, and the Mummy, which Hammer reintroduced to audiences by filming them in vivid colour for the first time. Hammer also produced science fiction, thrillers, film noir and comedies, as well as, in later years, television series.
Jonathan Kolia Favreau is an American actor and filmmaker. As an actor, Favreau has appeared in films such as Rudy (1993), PCU (1994), Swingers (1996), Very Bad Things (1998), Deep Impact (1998), The Replacements (2000), Daredevil (2003), and The Break-Up (2006). He has also appeared in films such as Four Christmases (2008), Couples Retreat (2009), I Love You, Man (2009), People Like Us (2012), The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), Chef (2014), and several films created by Marvel Studios.
Adam Charles Goldberg is an American character actor, filmmaker, musician, and photographer. Known for his supporting roles in film and television, Goldberg has appeared in films such as Dazed and Confused, Saving Private Ryan, A Beautiful Mind, and Zodiac. He has also played leading roles in independent films such as The Hebrew Hammer and 2 Days in Paris. His TV appearances include the shows Law & Order: Criminal Intent, My Name Is Earl, Friends, Entourage, The Jim Gaffigan Show, The Unusuals, and his role as hitman Grady Numbers in the first season of Fargo. He currently stars opposite Queen Latifah on CBS' The Equalizer.
The Hebrew Hammer is a 2003 American comedy film written and directed by Jonathan Kesselman. It stars Adam Goldberg, Judy Greer, Andy Dick, Mario Van Peebles, and Peter Coyote. The plot concerns a Jewish blaxploitation crime fighter known as the Hebrew Hammer who must save Hanukkah from the evil son of Santa Claus, who wants to destroy Hanukkah and Kwanzaa and make everyone celebrate Christmas.
Nickelodeon Movies is the film production arm of American children's network Nickelodeon and the family film distribution label of Paramount Pictures, launched on February 25, 1995 and based in Los Angeles, California.
Seth Aaron Rogen is a Canadian actor, comedian and filmmaker. Originally a stand-up comedian in Vancouver, he moved to Los Angeles for a part in Judd Apatow's series Freaks and Geeks in 1999, and got a part on Apatow's sitcom Undeclared in 2001, which also hired him as a writer. After landing his job as a staff writer on the final season of Da Ali G Show (2004), Apatow guided Rogen toward a film career. As a writer, he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series.
Ready to Rumble is a 2000 American buddy comedy sports film directed by Brian Robbins and written by Steven Brill, which is based on Turner Broadcasting's now defunct professional wrestling promotion, World Championship Wrestling (WCW). The movie draws its title from ring announcer Michael Buffer's catchphrase, "Let's get ready to rumble!" The movie features many wrestlers from WCW.
Hebrew Hammer may refer to:
Nefesh B'Nefesh, or Jewish Souls United, a nonprofit organization, promotes, encourages and facilitates aliyah from the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. The organization aims to remove or minimize the financial, professional, logistical, and social obstacles that potential olim face. Nefesh B'Nefesh works in close cooperation with the Jewish Agency for Israel, the Government of Israel and major Jewish organizations across various denominations, and assists people of all ages in the pre- and post-aliyah process, offering resources such as financial aid, employment guidance and networking, assistance navigating the Israeli system, social guidance and counseling. Since 2002 Nefesh B'Nefesh has brought over 60,000 olim to Israel. In 2011 Nefesh B'Nefesh co-founder Yehoshua Fass received the Moskowitz Prize for Zionism on behalf of the organization.
Sam Golzari is a British actor of Iranian descent active in the United States. He is known for his debut role in American Dreamz.
Benjamin Wheatley is an English filmmaker and screenwriter. Beginning his career in advertising, Wheatley first gained recognition and acclaim for his commercials and short films, before transitioning into feature films and television programmes. He is best known for his work in the thriller and horror genres, with his films frequently incorporating heavy elements of black comedy and satire. His best-known works include the psychological horror films Kill List and A Field in England, the J. G. Ballard adaptation High-Rise and the action comedy Free Fire.
Hanukkah music contains several songs associated with the festival of Hanukkah.
Maziyar Jobrani, better known as Maz Jobrani, is an American comedian and actor who was part of the "Axis of Evil" comedy group. The group appeared on a comedy special on Comedy Central. Jobrani has also appeared in numerous films, television shows, including Better Off Ted, on radio, and in comedy clubs. His filmography includes roles in The Interpreter, Friday After Next, Dragonfly, and Jimmy Vestvood: Amerikan Hero. He appeared as a regular character on the 2017 CBS sitcom Superior Donuts. He had been an advisory board member of the National Iranian American Council (NIAC).
Kiosk is a rock band formed in Tehran in 2003, known for its blend of musical styles and its wry lyrics confronting Iranian cultural angst.
Deanna Russo is an American actress. She is known for her starring roles on the 2008 NBC version of Knight Rider and the 2014 USA Network television series Satisfaction.
Todd Joseph Miller is an American comedian and actor.
Blaxploitation is an ethnic subgenre of the exploitation film that emerged in the United States during the early 1970s. The term, a portmanteau of the words "black" and "exploitation", was coined in August 1972 by Junius Griffin, the president of the Beverly Hills–Hollywood NAACP branch. He claimed the genre was "proliferating offenses" to the black community in its perpetuation of stereotypes often involved in crime. The genre does rank among the first after the race films in the 1940s and 1960s in which black characters and communities are the protagonists and subjects of film and television, rather than sidekicks, antagonists or victims of brutality. The genre's inception coincides with the rethinking of race relations in the 1970s.
Jimmy Vestvood: Amerikan Hero is a 2014 comedy film directed by Jonathan Kesselman and written by Maz Jobrani and Amir Ohebsion. The films stars Maz Jobrani, John Heard, Deanna Russo, Sheila Vand and Marshall Manesh. The plot follows an Iranian who wins the Green Card lottery and moves to Los Angeles with his mom to pursue his dream of becoming an American hero.
Tehran Von Ghasri, or simply Tehran Ghasri, professionally known as Tehran formerly Tehran SoParvaz, is an American international comedian, actor, host, television and radio personality, entertainer of African-American and Persian descent. Tehran was raised in Washington D.C. and surrounding Washington Metropolitan Area, where he began his career hosting on television and curating events. Tehran is multilingual, performing comedy in Persian, mixed Arabic, some Hebrew, French, and primarily English.
A Hanukkah film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on the celebration of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. Films in this style traditionally incorporate the religious aspects of Hanukkah, such as lighting the menorah and the story of the Maccabees, as well as the cultural aspects of Hanukkah, such as spinning dreidels, or eating traditional foods such as latkes, sufganiyot, or gelt. Films in this genre are typically similar to comedy and romantic comedy films in content, however some are similar in style to action, drama, and animated films, among other genres. Hanukkah films are more commonly produced in the United States, however, they are also produced in other countries such as Israel.