Proud Bialik High School graduates Jamie Elman and Eli Batalion of YidLife Crisis are indeed coming home on Wednesday, August 17 (7pm) when they present a live variety show featuring comedy, video, music and thought-provoking shtick inspired by the history and roots of Côte Saint-Luc. Seats for the live show, cleverly entitled A Closer Luc, are sold out, but it will be broadcast live on our You Tube channel.
In June 2021, our library presented a collaborative project with the Conseil des arts de Montreal which would award a $25,000 prize to a selected local artist group or collective who would then produce an artistic project that would be showcased in Côte Saint-Luc. In the fall, the call went out for submissions and three artist groups applied. YidLife Crisis was selected.
If you have not seen Jamie and Eli in action, YidLife Crisis started off as a web series and has virtually turned into an empire. The boys have travelled across the globe, with their alter egos speaking Yiddish with English sub-titles. Go to www.yidlifecrisis.com to see for yourself.
The purpose of this project was for YidLife Crisis to research, write, produce, and present a
special 60-minute multi-media presentation by and for our community.
Using a similar lens to their award-winning documentary "CHEWDAISM: A Taste of Jewish Montreal" (CBC, PBS), where food and culture are used to explore the history of YidLife Crisis’ home town, this presentation will hone in on Côte Saint-Luc to explore the origins of how this unique enclave on the island of Montreal came to be, how its unique character as a specific kind of Canadian and Québecois experience shaped the world lens of the creators themselves, and demonstrate how it has evolved to take on its unique character in the modern day, putting current community cultural contributors in the spotlight. The project will meld the multidisciplinary creative powers of YidLife Crisis as award-winning filmmakers and global touring performers by combining elements such as short film, visuals (e.g. slides and archival footage), musical creation and classical theatrical
elements.”
I was honoured to be interviewed for this project and I can’t wait to see how they integrate my video footage into the final product.
You can also see this story from the Canadian Jewish News.
