Daniel Medina MIA ’13 Co-Directs Documentary Film

Daniel Medina MIA ’13, a dual degree student at SIPA and Columbia Journalism School, recently premiered the film A Shtetl of Our Own, made in collaboration with his Journalism classmate Kayla Ruble.

The 40-minute documentary portrays young Hasidic Jews who have fled their insular hometowns in and around New York City to form a community in the upstate New York town of Airmont. The film also explores the tension that accompanies their continued desire for acceptance. He spoke with SIPA News about the balancing act of making the film while studying at SIPA.

How did you pick this subject?

I chose this subject with my co-director, Kayla Ruble, last February. At that point, Kayla had already been reporting for months in the upstate Hasidic community of Kiryas Joel and was led to this story in Airmont. I joined the project because it offered us the unique opportunity as journalists to tell a story that really hadn't been told. This story was compelling because ex-Hasidic rebels had formed this community very close to where they grew up, but in a completely different way as far as their perspectives on tolerance and their Jewish religion and identity were concerned.

What were the challenges of making this film, or any film?

First, we had to build a rapport with the Airmont community, which we did over the course of many months. This delayed filming for quite some time, but it was crucial to getting the whole story. Most documentary projects have, at the very least, five-person crews. Given that we were only two on this film, we struggled initially to find the film's narrative arc and express that to the greater audience. It was a complicated process to explain where these people had come from and we had significant help in doing this from our adviser, Howard Weinberg at the Journalism School.

What are you going to remember when you look back on this?

This project was one of the hardest tasks I've ever undertaken in my personal and professional life. It was exhausting, mentally and physically, but to have a film come out of it that we both were proud of and that accurately depicted the Airmont community was truly worth the many sleepless nights in the editing suites. Kayla and I are both only starting out as journalists and to have this as a product of our work to show others is truly special.

What’s it like to come to SIPA after spending a year at another Columbia graduate school?

SIPA is a totally different environment from the Journalism School. The students and faculty operate literally on different worldviews, so the initial transition was tough, but I've since embraced SIPA and have met some amazing people here. Furthermore, the classes offered in political theory and international relations —the two subjects that brought me here — are unparalleled.

Do you plan to make more documentaries after graduating?

I would love to make another documentary within the next few years, but I would carefully choose the project and fully dedicate myself to the film for the necessary time. Filmmaking is a 24-7 job that cannot be interrupted with a full-time job or loaded class schedule. That's what I learned most from working on a A Shtetl of Our Own.

— Neha Tara Mehta