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Fellows /
Jessie Kahnweiler
Screenwriters Lab
2023-2024 Fellow
YIDS
YIDS is a half hour single camera comedy that follows a group of teens in Poland against the backdrop of Hitler’s rise to power. YIDS is Yiddish for Jews. It was co-opted by Anti-Semites in Europe as a derogatory word but we are reclaiming it. Just to be clear, this show is gonna be fun! It’s gonna be wild and hysterical just like the kids themselves. It’s a comedy through and through but because we the audience are aware of the historical context the comedy feels incredibly poignant. We will stay in the kids POV: The world events are happening in the background but the teens are focused on their daily dramas. That’s all that matters. We’re not going to show anything that we’re used to seeing during this time period. No ghettos, Jewish stars, death camps, or Nazis. This series will take place right before all that shit goes down because… I wanna make a show about how Jewish teens lived, not how they died.
Jessie's films have been featured everywhere from the New York Times to the Cannes Film Festival. Jessie wrote, directed, and starred in 'The Skinny', a dark comedic series based on her 10-year relationship with bulimia. ‘The Skinny’ was produced by Joey Soloway and Refinery29. It premiered at Sundance and won a Webby for best series. Jessie also developed ‘Viagra Diaries’ for CW, ‘Bump’ for ABC, and staffed on ‘Skam AUSTIN’ for Facebook Watch. Fox commissioned Jessie to write and direct the comedic thriller Retreat which premiered on Hulu in 2020. Jessie's short film, 'He's The One,' premiered at Sundance and her series of the same name sold to Topic Studios. She is an alumnus of the Sundance Labs, Six Points Fellowship, and the Jewish Writer’s Initiative. Currently, Jessie is directing a documentary about circumcision for Reboot Studios and writing the verticals ‘Pregnant by the Boss’ and 'Royally Screwed’ for Interactive Films. IG: @jessie_kahnweiler
Screenwriters Lab 
