American Film Institute -
www.songofdavidmovie.com David Fisher (played by Nosson Isaac Zand [NIZ]) is a sixteen year old soul-searching Hasidic who is studying to become a rabbi in a Los Angeles Yeshiva. Alienated by the social boundaries that enclose him, he reaches out to the broader world. He becomes obsessed with rap music, wherein he discovers artistic freedom and honest self expression. He then must choose between diverging worlds.
This this is one of the weirdest/interesting things I've ever seen, a movie on the Premises of Yeshiva Oher Elchonon of Los Angeles! All the actors are not genuine Chassidim except for the main actor who is a Baal Teshuva and Frum Boy.
From what i understand the story goes that there was a student or a film student that needed to make a short film for a certain contest. The student knew somebody in California that knew the Yeshiva and they managed to convince the Yeshiva to allow them to shoot on their campus. Originally he wanted bochurem from the Yeshiva to be the extras on his film and they were going to. But as soon as they realized what this was all about, the Yeshiva forbade it. I'm not sure if the Yeshiva was paid for the use of their facility and i doubt the Yeshiva understood what they were getting themselves into.
Although the filming took place during Pesach break, the director hung around Yeshiva foe several Months before that, observing the Yeshiva and campus. which leads me to think that the Rosh Yeshiva character is based on the
Roshe, Rabbi Schochat, dean of the Campus.
Check Their Web site where they have Pictures of The "real" Yeshiva in action.HT:
The Cool Jew.
