A Long Journey: The Hidden Jews of the Southwest brings to life stories of individuals whose secret was their hidden Jewish roots while living an outwardly Catholic life. It’s a cinematic journey about reaffirmation and self-awareness set against the magnificent natural and cultural landscapes of the region.
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Isaac Artenstein -Producer/Director
Directed Ballad of an Unsung Hero which aired nationally on PBS and served as the basis for his feature film Break of Dawn. He also directed Tijuana Jews, Border Brujo and Growing Up Weston. He produced the comedies A Day Without a Mexican and Love Always. He also directed Challah Rising in the Desert: The Jews of New Mexico, and To the Ends of the Earth: A Portrait of Jewish San Diego, as part of the Frontier Jews series focusing on communities along the Southwest border region. He’s currently working on The Journeys of Harry Crosby about the pioneering photographer and historian of the Baja California peninsula.
Paula Amar Schwartz - Producer
Paula is a Pittsburg, PA native who initially came to New Mexico in the 1960s to attend UNM. She’s the past president the New Mexico Jewish Historical Society and helped create a landmark videographed history of the state’s Jewish Pioneers. She produced the feature-length documentary Challah Rising in the Desert: The Jews of New Mexico which premiered on KNME-NMPBS (2017). She taught at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, published many scientific articles and books and served as president of the Society of Clinical Psychologists. Paula has published two books of poetry “Beyond Time and Space” (2008) and “Unfolding Universe” (2013) .
Sergio Ulloa - Director of Photography
Cinematographer Sergio Ulloa has worked on award winning films including Roberto Rochín's technically innovative 180º film Tortugas, Antonio Urrutias’s Sin Sostén (Cannes Film Festival Winner), Cages (Winner of 2009 Palm Springs Short Film Festival) and many others. In 2013 he shot Eleanor Antin’s experimental documentary Fragments of a Revolution. Sergio shot To the Ends of the Earth, and is also collaborating on The Journeys of Harry Crosby.
Keith Shapiro - Editor/Writer
Keith has spent almost 20 years in Los Angeles working in the film and television industry on a diverse range of projects including television specials such as One Day in Auschwitz, Avenging the Alamo, Ancient Aliens, America Declassified and the feature documentaries Rhino Resurrected and Rock God. He is the editor of Cinewest’s Frontier Jews series that include the communities of San Diego, El Paso and the State of Arizona. An avid musician and amateur historian, Keith especially appreciates when all the art forms intersect.
Mark Adler - Composer
Mark composed the original score for “Break of Dawn” and is responsible for a season’s theme of PBS’s American Experience, and the music for the 5-part “We Shall Remain” series about Native Americans. Other American Experience episodes include “Bataan Rescue,” “War Letters.” “John Brown’s Holy War,” “Fly Girls” and “Influenza 1918.” He’s also composed episodes for PBS’s Nova, American Masters, Frontline and Nature Series, as well as numerous National Geographic specials and landmark documentaries such as “Food Inc.” “Hollywood Chinese,” “Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo,” and “Coming Out Under Fire.” His other independent feature films include "Picture Bride,” "Focus," based on the novel by Arthur Miller, Wayne Wang’s "Eat A Bowl of Tea" and "Life Is Cheap." He won a Primetime Emmy for his work on HBO's "The Rat Pack.”
