Premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival

About the Film

Inspired by the lawsuits filed in Florida challenging the state's abortion ban on the basis of religious freedom, Under G-d is a documentary short film about the national Jewish response to the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization U.S. Supreme Court decision woven through the lived experiences of impacted Jewish women and the various lawsuits currently being launched by rabbis, Jewish organizations and interfaith leaders to challenge the overturning of Roe v. Wade, state by state. Through the lens of maintaining the separation between church and state, these nationwide efforts are predicated on ultimately protecting religious freedom – and democracy – for all. 

Under G-d  weaves together the stories of a Jewish mother and activist in Indiana, a rabbi in Florida and lawyers throughout the country who are seeking to fight abortion bans in part by placing them in the legal and cultural context of religious freedom. In an ironic twist, the very laws that might support this work are the Religious Freedom Restoration Acts (RFRAs), which have thus far been used to allow faith believers to make an end-run around civil rights protections, as in the notorious Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. or gay wedding cake cases at the U.S. Supreme Court. Under G-d introduces us to characters that are now flipping the very script used so effectively by Christian nationalists. 

In taking on these public protests and cases, Jewish leaders around the country are asking the United States to protect women, and protect democracy, by preserving the constitutionally enshrined separation of church and state.

Screenings

January 22-23 26 & 28, 2023 - Sundance Film Festival - Utah

May 27-28, 2023 - Mountainfilm Film Festival - Colorado

June 10, 2023 - Lighthouse International Film Festival - New Jersey

June 16, 2023 - DC/DOX Film Festival - Washington, D.C.

June 26, 2023 - Palm Springs ShortFest - California

July 21-27, 2023 - DCTV Firehouse Cinema - New York

August 3, 2023 - San Francisco Jewish Film Festival - California

August 27, 2023 - Sidewalk Film Festival - Alabama

September 11, 2023 - Jewish Theological Seminary - New York

September 23, 2023 - SVA Alumni Film Festival - New York

October 6, 2023 - Louisville's International Festival of Film - Kentucky

October 7, 2023 – Hamptons International Film Festival - New York

October 11, 2023 - Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival - Arkansas

October 12, 2023 - Jewish Federation of Greater Toledo - Ohio

October 13, 2023 - Loft Film Fest - Arizona

October 15, 2023 - New Haven Documentary Film Festival - Connecticut

October 16, 2023 - National Council of Jewish Women - New York

October 26, 2023 - DCTV Firehouse Cinema - New York

November 5, 2023 - SFFILM Doc Stories - California

November 9, 2023 - Emory University’s Tam Institute for Jewish Studies - Georgia

November 10-11, 2023 - Denver Film Festival - Colorado

November 12, 2023 - Teaneck Film Festival - New Jersey

November 30, 2023 - Essex National Council of Jewish Women - New Jersey

December 2, 2023 - Wabash College - Indiana 

December 9, 2023 - Emory University Tam School for Jewish Studies - Georgia

January 30, 2024 - Indiana University School of Medicine OB/GYN Student Interest Group - Indiana

February 4, 2024 - Greater Houston chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State - Texas 

February 9, 2024 - Temple Beth El - North Carolina 

February 10, 2024 - Sid Jacobson Jewish Community Center - New York

February 10, 2024 - Congregation Kol Ami - New York

2023 - PBS Short Film Festival Jury Award

2023 - Palm Springs Shortfest Local Jury Award

2023 - Vimeo Staff Pick

Awards

Filmmakers

PAULA EISELT
Director and Producer

DARCY MCKINNON
Producer

RAHDI TAYLOR
Executive Producer

Edited by:
INES VOGELFANG

Supervising Editor
SUNITA PRASAD

Cinematographer
JENNI MORELLO

Music by:
LAURA KARPMAN and NORA KROLL-ROSENBAUM

Executive Producers
JULIE PARKER BENELLO, MICHELLE MERCER, BRUCE GOLDEN, ZOE MERCER GOLDEN, DAVIS GUGGENHEIM, RUTH ANN HARNISCH

Executive Producers for Inmaat Foundation
REBECCA LICHTENFELD and CHANDRA JESSE

Co-Executive Producer
NANCY BLACHMAN

Contributing Producers
LISA KLEINER CHANOFF, MEGAN GELSTEIN

In Association with
THE HARNISCH FOUNDATION

With support from
CONCORDIA STUDIO, SUNDANCE DOCUMENTARY FUND, JEWISH STORY PARTNERS, CATAPULT FILM FUND, SECRET SAUCE, THE HARNISCH FOUNDATION and the InMaat Foundation

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Press Highlights

Featured
Sundance First Look: ‘Under G-d,’ Premiering On 50th Anniversary Of Roe V. Wade, Examines Fight To Preserve Abortion Rights Using Religious Arguments
Sundance First Look: ‘Under G-d,’ Premiering On 50th Anniversary Of Roe V. Wade, Examines Fight To Preserve Abortion Rights Using Religious Arguments

Deadline.com — The Sundance short documentary Under G-d explores the movement to protect access to abortion as a matter of religious liberty.

‘Under G-d’ Review: Curbing Abortion Bans Through Religious Freedoms
‘Under G-d’ Review: Curbing Abortion Bans Through Religious Freedoms

POVMagazine.com — Through interviews with activists, lawyers, professors, and faith leaders, the film serves as an example of how the fight against oppression can unify people across various denominations.

The Sundance Reel: 'Under G-D' Director Paula Eiselt Chronicles Challenge to Overturn Roe v. Wade
The Sundance Reel: 'Under G-D' Director Paula Eiselt Chronicles Challenge to Overturn Roe v. Wade

KPCW.org — Director Paula Eiselt shares how her documentary short film came together.

Sundance Documentary ‘Under G-d’ Follows the Jewish Legal Fight for Abortion Rights After Roe
Sundance Documentary ‘Under G-d’ Follows the Jewish Legal Fight for Abortion Rights After Roe

JTA.org — Last summer, in the days after the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that protected the right to an abortion, Paula Eiselt was doing press work for her acclaimed documentary Aftershock.

Paula Eiselt Talks ‘Under G-d’ – Sundance 2023
Paula Eiselt Talks ‘Under G-d’ – Sundance 2023

SolzyAtTheMovies.com — Paula Eiselt returns to Sundance a year after the premiere of Aftershock. This time, the filmmaker is back with a documentary short on the Jewish response to the Dobbs decision.

2023 Sundance | Sex & Stigma: How Creatives In TV And Film Leverage Their Art As Activism
2023 Sundance | Sex & Stigma: How Creatives In TV And Film Leverage Their Art As Activism

GettyImages.co.uk — Paula Eiselt, Shruti Ganguly, Caren Spruch, Tia Lessin, Marcella Steingart, and Nicole Newnham speak onstage at 2023 Sundance Film Festival for Sex & Stigma: How Creatives In TV And Film Leverage Their Art As Activism, hosted by Planned Parenthood

5 Top Short Films From 2023 Sundance
5 Top Short Films From 2023 Sundance

UtahReview.com — Examining the fallout from the Dobbs U.S. Supreme Court decision last year, Eiselt’s short is an intriguing, instructive example of being careful what you wish for and the surprising consequences that can arise.

50 Years After Roe v. Wade, Fight for Choice Turns Into Battle for Religious Freedom
50 Years After Roe v. Wade, Fight for Choice Turns Into Battle for Religious Freedom

TimesOfIsrael.com — After a 2022 decision to overturn the longstanding right to abortion, religious women's groups unite in protesting laws reflecting a Christian-centric view on when life begins.

The Best of Sundance: ‘Squaring The Circle,’ ‘Under G-d,’ ‘2o Days in Mariupol’ Top the List
The Best of Sundance: ‘Squaring The Circle,’ ‘Under G-d,’ ‘2o Days in Mariupol’ Top the List

ScreenComment.com — Paul Eiselt’s short is a fascinating expansion of that ongoing conversation, and one that, perhaps, might bring the temperature down from knee-jerk argumentation.

A New Film Takes on the Jewish Case for Abortion Rights
A New Film Takes on the Jewish Case for Abortion Rights

Lilith.org — Paula Eiselt’s new documentary Under G-D, which premiered at Sundance on what should have been the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, is a short masterpiece.

Sundance Documentary ‘Under G-d’ Details the Jewish Legal Response to the Dobbs Decision
Sundance Documentary ‘Under G-d’ Details the Jewish Legal Response to the Dobbs Decision

Forward.com — Rabbis and Jewish organizations are helping lead lawsuits across the country against Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, alleging their religious freedom has been infringed upon

Press Contacts

Adam J. Segal
adam@the2050group.com

Yoninah Potok Segal
ypotok@the2050group.com