“In the Hasidic community there’s a huge divide between the genders,” explains Rachel “Ruchie” Freier in our exclusive trailer for “93Queen.” “I’m being told that it’s not right for Jewish girls to become EMTs.” But the lawyer doesn’t listen to those who try to convince her that “when it comes to speed and strength, men are superior.” She and other women in her Brooklyn neighborhood are ready to dismantle the “boys’ club.”
Directed by Paula Eiselt, the upcoming documentary sees the underdogs defying expectations and odds to create Ezras Nashim, the first all-female volunteer ambulance corps in New York City.
“As an Orthodox Jewish woman myself, I immediately understood that the formation of Ezras Nashim would be a significant disruption to cultural norms in the gender-segregated Hasidic community,” said Eiselt in a statement. She produced the pic alongside Heidi Reinberg.
“93Queen” was a featured work in progress at the 2015 Athena Film Festival. The film is set to make its world premiere April 29 at Hot Docs, North America’s largest documentary festival. Before making its national television debut on PBS’ “POV,” “93Queen” will have a limited theatrical run in Summer 2018.