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Logline

Legally divorced but bound by Jewish law, agunot—’chained women’—turn to Brooklyn activist Adina Sash as their last hope for freedom. Defying centuries of tradition, Sash leverages social media and bold, unconventional campaigns to fight for the liberation of Orthodox women.

Synopsis

In the cloistered and deeply traditional Hasidic communities of Borough Park and Williamsburg, Brooklyn, life adheres strictly to religious laws that have remained unchanged for centuries. Within this world, tradition is not merely respected but revered, often at the expense of individual freedom. One of the painful consequences of this rigidity is the plight of the agunot—women trapped in marriages because their husbands refuse to grant them a gett, or religious divorce. Without a gett, these women remain tethered to toxic and often abusive marriages, unable to remarry within their faith and effectively becoming prisoners in their own lives. A disturbing correlation exists between gett withholders and violent abusers within the community – the refusal to grant a gett becoming a tool for men using their power to maintain control over the lives of women.

Adina Sash, widely known as @Flatbushgirl, is a passionate and outspoken Orthodox Jewish woman who has made it her mission to help these women break free. Adina leverages social media, community organizing, and direct confrontation to challenge the entrenched patriarchal structures that allow this form of abuse to persist. Adina embodies the delicate balance between challenging her community’s sacred traditions and remaining committed to her faith. Helping women from Brooklyn to Antwerp, Montreal, and Texas, Adina organizes key community events, protests, and meetings with rabbis and lawmakers to push for legislation that would classify coercive control, including gett refusal, as a criminal offense.
 

Meet the Filmmakers

Katie Paul — Director
Katie Paul is a director & producer based in New York City, who has directed music videos for major labels including Roc Nation, RCA, Hollywood Records, Island Records, and Def Jam. Working on the feature documentary Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story on Netflix, Katie developed a passion for crafting narratives centered around resilient women, often misunderstood by society. Recent documentary credits include Hulu’s Diane von Furstenburg: Woman in Charge, YouTube Originals’ This Is Paris, and Peacock’s Casey Anthony: Where the Truth Lies.

Gett Out will be Katie’s feature directorial debut.

Grace Sin — Producer
Grace Sin is a filmmaker committed to championing underrepresented voices. Named one of DOC NYC’s 40 Under 40, she has established herself in the documentary space helping companies grow and expand their documentary slates as Head of Production, Supervising Producer, and Consulting Line Producer. She has produced nonfiction content for networks including HBO, Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon that have premiered at Sundance, SXSW, and DOC NYC. Shifting her focus to independent producing, she is developing fiction and nonfiction projects helmed by women and filmmakers of color through her company PARADOXIC. Grace is a Television Academy member and WIF Creative Producer Fellow.

Josh Herzog — Cinematographer
Josh Herzog is a commercial and documentary cinematographer splitting time between NY and LA. Growing up with one parent as a fine artist, and the other a psychologist, Josh often finds himself taking inspiration from both worlds and combining them into his work. He explores not only the beauty of capturing an image, but also the story and message communicated to the viewer. His list of clients has included Nike, Arc’teryx, Vogue, Canon, Arch Digest, Bloomingdales, Vice, Coinbase, Wired and GQ. His most recent documentary Deaf Blind Potter just received an exclusive NOWNESS premiere and his most recent TV Pilot just premiered at Tribeca Film Festival.

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Contact

For inquiries, please contact fiscalsponsorship@filmindependent.org.