Dreaming of a Jewish Christmas

The amazing story of how a group of Jewish songwriters wrote the soundtrack to Christmas premieres this December!

Riddle Films is pleased to announce that Dreaming of a Jewish Christmas will be airing this December on CBC, NDR, ARTE, SVT, NRK, RSI and YLE!

Directed by Larry Weinstein (The Devil’s Horn, Leslie Caron: The Reluctant Star), Dreaming of a Jewish Christmas is an offbeat, irreverent documentary that tells the story of a group of Jewish songwriters, including Irving Berlin, Mel Tormé, Jay Livingston, Ray Evans, Gloria Shayne Baker and Johnny Marks, who wrote the soundtrack to the world’s most musical holiday.

It’s an amazing look at the 20th century North American immigrant experience and the extraordinary outburst of musical energy from the children of those immigrants. This new generation rejected their parents’ European past and instead embraced Tin Pan Alley, Broadway and, finally, Hollywood. The outsiders began writing the soundtrack to the insiders’ American dreams and in doing so, wrote themselves into history.

Telling this story through words and song, Dreaming of a Jewish Christmas features rarely-seen archival footage, original musical performances and interviews with Ben Sidran (There Was a Fire: Jews, Music & the American Dream), Ophira Eisenberg (NPR’s Ask Me Another), Robert Harris (Twenty Pieces of Music That Changed the World), Jennifer 8. Lee (The Fortune Cookie Chronicles), Jackie Mason, Rob Kapilow (What Makes It Great), Lisa Geduldig (Kung Pao Kosher Comedy), Mark Breslin, Mirjam Wenzel (Jewish Museum Frankfurt), Steve March-Tormé and Alan Dershowitz.

Original title Dreaming of a Jewish Christmas
Genre Music Documentary
Recording location Canada, USA, Germany
Duration 52'
Production year 2017
Production Company Riddle Films in association with MODemay, Kobalt Productions GmbH, CBC, NDR, ARTE, SVT, NRK, RSI, YLE & ORF
Director Larry Weinstein