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Fellows /
Doron Drew Feldman
Screenwriters Lab
2023-2024 Fellow
HERZL
Set against the backdrop of pervasive anti-Semitism in late 19th and 20th century Europe, “HERZL,” a movie-musical, paints a vivid picture of Theodore Herzl’s life as he transitions from a dynamic playwright to a visionary political activist and struggles to secure a Jewish homeland. In a complex political theater that includes countries, kings, popes, and diplomats, Herzl successfully forges the first Jewish parliament in over two millennia, but when he fails to secure Palestine as a homeland, his attention shifts to Africa, causing a deep schism in the Zionist movement. Even as his health declines and familial tensions mount, Herzl must overcome not only external adversaries but also internal dissent. Influenced by Herzl’s vision of “The Old New Land,” the musical score blends traditional Zionist folk music with contemporary folk-rock, incorporating Eastern Jewish, Yemenite, and Arabic influences to capture the Jewish people’s historical struggles, their aspirations for a homeland, and the significance of their collective dream.
Drew Feldman is a Jewish-American director and writer whose work spans network television, film, documentaries, animation, commercials, and music videos. His films have screened at over 20 festivals worldwide, including Pivot Pals (Best of Fest, Rochester; now on Omeleto) and Touch of Grey (Golden List 2021, co-written with Derek Weissbein). On television, Drew has directed for REELZ (Murder Made Me Famous, Price of Fame, Johnny Cash: Road to Redemption) and Lifetime (#TextMeWhenYouGetHome), and served as showrunner for The Jewish Story on Unpacked. For JWI, Drew developed Herzl, a movie-musical about Theodor Herzl--a failed playwright who, shocked by the Dreyfus Affair, abandons everything in a desperate bid to save his people. Scorned by the elite and risking it all, he stages the First Zionist Congress, changing Jewish history forever Drew’s background includes acting Off-Broadway, touring nationally, and directing theater in the US and Israel. He is a Drama League Fellow and a graduate of Oklahoma City University and the National Theater Institute.
Screenwriters Lab 
