Private Project

CHEWDAISM: A Taste of Jewish Montreal

Struggling with their own proverbial “YidLife Crisis,” two Montrealers on the cusp of middle age return to Montreal to discover their own mixed-up heritage in the story of Jewish Montreal, as told through an entire day's worth of eating in and around the city. CHEWDAISM: A Taste of Jewish Montreal is an hour-long documentary following Jamie and Eli as they discover the roots of the city’s Jewish community through a series of classical Jewish eateries telling the story of their community in the last 100 years, with various guests along the way sharing tales and meals.

  • Jamie Elman
    Director
    YidLife Crisis
  • Eli Batalion
    Director
    YidLife Crisis, APPINESS
  • Jamie Elman
    Writer
    YidLife Crisis, Crazy/Sexy/Awkward
  • Eli Batalion
    Writer
    YidLife Crisis, APPINESS, The Legend of Beaver Dam
  • Jamie Elman
    Key Cast
    YidLife Crisis, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Mad Men
  • Eli Batalion
    Key Cast
    YidLife Crisis, Stage Fright, APPINESS
  • Mark Bendit
    Editor
    Mon Israel, APPINESS, Coming Out of Bondage
  • Francis Hanneman
    Online Editor
    Tokyo Idols, The Wandering Muse
  • Joe Barrucco
    Sound
    Cheap Thrills, YidLife Crisis, Stage Fright
  • Sheiny Satanove
    Associate Producer
    True Fiction, APPINESS
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Feature
  • Genres:
    History, Food, Travelog
  • Runtime:
    1 hour
  • Completion Date:
    September 1, 2018
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Country of Filming:
    Canada
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Atlanta Jewish Film Festival
    Atlanta
    United States
    February 26, 2019
  • Miami Jewish Film Festival
    Miami
    United States
    January 19, 2019
    US Premiere
  • Hot Docs Theatre ("Taste Of" Series)
    Toronto
    Canada
    March 31, 2019
  • Detroit Jewish Film Festival
    Detroit, MI
    United States
    May 9, 2019
  • The Donald M Ephraim Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival
    West Palm Beach
    United States
    April 4, 2019
  • JXJ (DC Jewish Film Festival)
    Washington, DC
    United States
    May 12, 2019
  • Calgary Jewish Film Festival
    Calgary
    Canada
    November 11, 2018
  • Vancouver Jewish Film Festival
    Vancouver
    Canada
    November 18, 2018
  • Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival
    LA
    United States
    May 5, 2019
  • National Center for Jewish Film Festival
    Boston, MA
    United States
    May 7, 2019
  • Victoria Jewish Film Festival
    Victoria Jewish Film Festival
    Canada
    November 6, 2018
  • Bucharest Jewish Film Festival
    Bucharest
    Romania
    December 16, 2018
    Romanian Premiere
  • New Hampshire Jewish Film Festival
    Manchester, NH
    United States
    April 4, 2019
  • JFilm Pittsburgh
    Pittsburgh
    United States
    March 10, 2019
  • Asheville Jewish Film Festival
    Asheville, NC
    United States
    April 11, 2019
  • Gainesville Jewish Film Festival
    Gainesville, FL
    United States
    March 20, 2019
  • JCCS International Jewish Film Festival
    Marblehead, MA
    United States
    May 5, 2019
  • Michiana Jewish Film Festival at Notre Dame
    Notre Dame
    United States
    May 16, 2019
  • Rialto Theatre
    Montreal
    Canada
    May 5, 2019
    Montreal Premiere
  • Toledo Jewish Film Festival
    Toledo
    United States
    July 15, 2019
  • Stowe Jewish Film Festival
    Stowe, VT
    United States
    August 7, 2019
  • Rochester Jewish Film Festival
    Rochester
    United States
    July 13, 2019
  • Cleveland Jewish Film Festival
    Cleveland
    United States
    September 13, 2019
  • Cinéma du Parc
    Montreal
    Canada
    September 13, 2019
  • Winnipeg Jewish Film Festival
    Winnipeg
    Canada
    May 21, 2019
  • Maine Yiddish Culture Festival
    Portland
    United States
    November 3, 2019
  • Dallas Jewish Film Festival
    Dallas
    United States
    September 26, 2019
  • Philadelphia Jewish Film Festival
    Philadelphia
    United States
    November 17, 2019
    Audience Award for Best Documentary
  • Charlotte Jewish Film Festival
    Charlotte
    United States
    February 2, 2020
Director Biography - Jamie Elman, Eli Batalion

Jamie Elman and Eli Batalion are YidLife Crisis, the world's first 18 and over (or Chai Plus) Yiddish web series and Jewish cultural comedy brand. The creator duo have won a 2017 IAWTV Award for the series, been nominated for 4 Canadian Screen Awards (the Canadian Oscars + Emmys combined) and have been selected to the prestigious Slingshot Guide for Most Innovative Jewish Organizations twice. Their web series has spawned numerous live presentations and screenings across the globe, as well as the travelog web series, Global Shtetl, the precursor to the full feature length-documentary about their home town, CHEWDAISM: A Taste of Jewish Montreal.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

After years of touring around the world capturing the culture and the food in different corners of the world, we decided to turn the cameras on our own culturally unique backyard of Montreal to show the world all the great things the Jewish community has contributed to it, well beyond the bagel (but definitely the bagel!)