Kippah
Golden, Colorado | Film Short
Drama, Teen
While conversations about faith, sexuality, and tradition are too often reduced to extremes - Kippah opts for empathy. It invites viewers into both sides - Jonah and Abram are both right, both afraid, and both learning. Their conflict is not about winning, but about love evolving through change.
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This campaign raised $9,327 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
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While conversations about faith, sexuality, and tradition are too often reduced to extremes - Kippah opts for empathy. It invites viewers into both sides - Jonah and Abram are both right, both afraid, and both learning. Their conflict is not about winning, but about love evolving through change.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Fade in: 15 -year-old Jonah is sitting on the edge of his rumpled bed, waking up slowly as his dad yells for him that he's going to be late for school. He sighs and rubs his eyes, which catch on an old picture of him and his mom on his bedside table. He gives that photo a long loving look and then gets up to get through the day.
The rest of the story unfolds throughout that single day. On his way out the door to school Jonah and his father clash - about whether Jonah needs to wear his kippah (religious skullcap) to school, about Jonah's plans for the future, about just about everything fathers and sons fight about - we see both of them contemplating their own identities and their relationship to one another.
Jonah learns some hard lessons at school while his father considers what role he wants in his child's life.
Kippah is a coming-of-age short film about a father and son learning how to see one another after loss, change, and fear collide.
Jude Pockross wrote this story in the 7th grade, it was originally an assigned play for his Drama class. As he was navigating his own growth and identity, his relationship with his parents, and his own Jewish background, this story emerged as a gripping and emotional coming-of-age tale that won a playwright's award from the Denver Center of the Performing Arts. Turns out, it is also perfect for the screen.
As this story has evolved, the context of our nation and perceptions of Jewish people has become even more fraught, giving this film an urgent message of connection, grief, and what it means to exist openly in a world that can be cruel.
Kippah is a story about Jewish identity, queer identity, generational trauma, and grief—but at its heart, it is universal. It asks how parents protect their children when the strategies they inherited no longer fit the present moment. It asks what acceptance looks like beyond tolerance. And it asks how love evolves when the world demands it.
These behind-the-scenes images are from the first days of filming which took place in February, 2026 - two full days recording the scenes between Jonah and his dad. On April 13 and 14, we will be recording scenes of Jonah at school and on his walk home. The rest of Spring, 2026 will be spent editing and in post-production for color and sound to cut the film into what we hope will be a beautiful 20 minute short film. We are planning to submit the film to festivals starting Fall, 2026 - so hopefully you'll see this film on a big screen near you!
Your support for this campaign will cover costs that have already been spent to support the film crew, craft services, costumes and set costs. If we are able to raise more than the budget of this campaign, that money will go towards post-production costs, film festival applications, and building an audience for this beautiful and important film.
Please help us spread the word! Tell your friends, "A teenager in Colorado is partnered with an award-winning filmmaker to make a film I can't wait to see! Let's support them to get this thing made."
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Pay a crew member
Costs $3,000
Our crew of 20+ people is a professional team and are willing to volunteer their time for art! But let's try to get them paid a bit.
Food!
Costs $1,600
Feed our crew! This is 20+ people over four full filming days.
Transportation and Equipment
Costs $3,000
Cars, gas, lights, cameras, dollies, track, lifts, and more!
Costumes and Set
Costs $300
Thrifting and friends' basements were our main source, but we needed a bit of this, that, and the other to make the production look great.
Media Licensing
Costs $2,000
We need some gorgeous images of famous artists, great music, and other odds and ends that make the production look and sound amazing.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Jude Pockross, 15 years old, student.JPG)
I wrote Kippah because I wanted to explore what it feels like when love exists, but understanding doesn’t come easily. The story started as a play, inspired by conversations I’d had and moments I’d witnessed—especially the tension between wanting to honor tradition and needing space to define yourself. Writing it helped me think about how grief, fear, and identity can all collide inside a family, even when everyone is trying their best.
Seeing the play adapted into a film has been an incredible experience. Working with professional filmmakers while still being trusted to keep my voice has taught me how powerful collaboration can be. I hope audiences see themselves in Jonah and Abram—not as symbols, but as people.
I want this film to make viewers feel less alone, and maybe a little more willing to listen.
John Conn, Owner, Emmy-Award Winner, Stage 2 Studios
What moved me most about Jude’s writing was its generosity. The story doesn’t villainize anyone. Instead, it allows both Jonah and Abram to be complicated, loving, and afraid at the same time. That kind of emotional honesty is rare, especially from such a young writer.
In adapting Jude’s award-winning play for the screen, my goal has been to protect the intimacy of the story while letting the camera sit close to these characters as they navigate so many aspects of life in one single day. This film isn’t about providing answers—it’s about creating room for reflection.
Kippah is a reminder that understanding is not inherited. It’s practiced. And sometimes, it begins by simply choosing to listen.
Josh Berkowitz, Actor, Abram
Josh Berkowitz is an actor, performance artist, and visual artist, as well as the Creative Director and Founder of The Lab on Santa Fe, located in the heart of Denver’s most vibrant art district. His unconventional approach to acting began with his role in JONESIN’ at the University of Michigan’s Arthur Miller Theatre, where manic, stream-of-consciousness poetry fused into emerging theatrical forms.
His experimental work continued to gain recognition with the video art piece Shame, Compassion and De-Fence, in which he portrayed every character—including his mother and father. Berkowitz went on to study with internationally renowned figures such as performance artist Tim Miller and visual art master John M. White.
While living in Los Angeles, he served as Co-Artistic Director of the Electric Lodge from 2016 to 2018. In Denver, his acting credits include playing Fenrir in Ellen K. Graham’s Loki’s Monstrous Children and starring in Richard Greenberg’s Three Days of Rain. He toured his one-man show Doubt and Its Double in 2024, followed the next year by Dr. Head Fake, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying About Rodman and North Korea.
Micah Sacks, Actor, Jonah
Micah Sacks is an accomplished actor and a Junior at Denver School of the Performing Arts.
Ellen K. Graham, Script Consultant
Ellen K. Graham writes plays, screenplays, and narrative nonfiction. She has been a finalist for the Shakespeare’s Sister Fellowship, Clubbed Thumb’s Biennial Commission, the O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, the Green Mountain New Play Festival, and the Global Age Project. Her work has been produced in Chicago, Columbus, New York City, Sonoma County, and in her hometown of Denver, where she has worked with many companies, including And Toto Too, Buntport Theater, The Catamounts, the Edge Theatre, Benchmark, Paragon, and the Denver Center Theatre Company. She is the founder of Feral Assembly, a co-founder of Shocking Beyond Belief! Films (“The Sword of Truth Behind the Shield of Entertainment”), a graduate of the University of Chicago, and a member of the Dramatists Guild of America.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Fade in: 15 -year-old Jonah is sitting on the edge of his rumpled bed, waking up slowly as his dad yells for him that he's going to be late for school. He sighs and rubs his eyes, which catch on an old picture of him and his mom on his bedside table. He gives that photo a long loving look and then gets up to get through the day.
The rest of the story unfolds throughout that single day. On his way out the door to school Jonah and his father clash - about whether Jonah needs to wear his kippah (religious skullcap) to school, about Jonah's plans for the future, about just about everything fathers and sons fight about - we see both of them contemplating their own identities and their relationship to one another.
Jonah learns some hard lessons at school while his father considers what role he wants in his child's life.
Kippah is a coming-of-age short film about a father and son learning how to see one another after loss, change, and fear collide.
Jude Pockross wrote this story in the 7th grade, it was originally an assigned play for his Drama class. As he was navigating his own growth and identity, his relationship with his parents, and his own Jewish background, this story emerged as a gripping and emotional coming-of-age tale that won a playwright's award from the Denver Center of the Performing Arts. Turns out, it is also perfect for the screen.
As this story has evolved, the context of our nation and perceptions of Jewish people has become even more fraught, giving this film an urgent message of connection, grief, and what it means to exist openly in a world that can be cruel.
Kippah is a story about Jewish identity, queer identity, generational trauma, and grief—but at its heart, it is universal. It asks how parents protect their children when the strategies they inherited no longer fit the present moment. It asks what acceptance looks like beyond tolerance. And it asks how love evolves when the world demands it.
These behind-the-scenes images are from the first days of filming which took place in February, 2026 - two full days recording the scenes between Jonah and his dad. On April 13 and 14, we will be recording scenes of Jonah at school and on his walk home. The rest of Spring, 2026 will be spent editing and in post-production for color and sound to cut the film into what we hope will be a beautiful 20 minute short film. We are planning to submit the film to festivals starting Fall, 2026 - so hopefully you'll see this film on a big screen near you!
Your support for this campaign will cover costs that have already been spent to support the film crew, craft services, costumes and set costs. If we are able to raise more than the budget of this campaign, that money will go towards post-production costs, film festival applications, and building an audience for this beautiful and important film.
Please help us spread the word! Tell your friends, "A teenager in Colorado is partnered with an award-winning filmmaker to make a film I can't wait to see! Let's support them to get this thing made."
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Pay a crew member
Costs $3,000
Our crew of 20+ people is a professional team and are willing to volunteer their time for art! But let's try to get them paid a bit.
Food!
Costs $1,600
Feed our crew! This is 20+ people over four full filming days.
Transportation and Equipment
Costs $3,000
Cars, gas, lights, cameras, dollies, track, lifts, and more!
Costumes and Set
Costs $300
Thrifting and friends' basements were our main source, but we needed a bit of this, that, and the other to make the production look great.
Media Licensing
Costs $2,000
We need some gorgeous images of famous artists, great music, and other odds and ends that make the production look and sound amazing.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Jude Pockross, 15 years old, studentI wrote Kippah because I wanted to explore what it feels like when love exists, but understanding doesn’t come easily. The story started as a play, inspired by conversations I’d had and moments I’d witnessed—especially the tension between wanting to honor tradition and needing space to define yourself. Writing it helped me think about how grief, fear, and identity can all collide inside a family, even when everyone is trying their best.
Seeing the play adapted into a film has been an incredible experience. Working with professional filmmakers while still being trusted to keep my voice has taught me how powerful collaboration can be. I hope audiences see themselves in Jonah and Abram—not as symbols, but as people.
I want this film to make viewers feel less alone, and maybe a little more willing to listen.
John Conn, Owner, Emmy-Award Winner, Stage 2 Studios
What moved me most about Jude’s writing was its generosity. The story doesn’t villainize anyone. Instead, it allows both Jonah and Abram to be complicated, loving, and afraid at the same time. That kind of emotional honesty is rare, especially from such a young writer.
In adapting Jude’s award-winning play for the screen, my goal has been to protect the intimacy of the story while letting the camera sit close to these characters as they navigate so many aspects of life in one single day. This film isn’t about providing answers—it’s about creating room for reflection.
Kippah is a reminder that understanding is not inherited. It’s practiced. And sometimes, it begins by simply choosing to listen.
Josh Berkowitz, Actor, Abram
Josh Berkowitz is an actor, performance artist, and visual artist, as well as the Creative Director and Founder of The Lab on Santa Fe, located in the heart of Denver’s most vibrant art district. His unconventional approach to acting began with his role in JONESIN’ at the University of Michigan’s Arthur Miller Theatre, where manic, stream-of-consciousness poetry fused into emerging theatrical forms.
His experimental work continued to gain recognition with the video art piece Shame, Compassion and De-Fence, in which he portrayed every character—including his mother and father. Berkowitz went on to study with internationally renowned figures such as performance artist Tim Miller and visual art master John M. White.
While living in Los Angeles, he served as Co-Artistic Director of the Electric Lodge from 2016 to 2018. In Denver, his acting credits include playing Fenrir in Ellen K. Graham’s Loki’s Monstrous Children and starring in Richard Greenberg’s Three Days of Rain. He toured his one-man show Doubt and Its Double in 2024, followed the next year by Dr. Head Fake, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying About Rodman and North Korea.
Micah Sacks, Actor, Jonah
Micah Sacks is an accomplished actor and a Junior at Denver School of the Performing Arts.
Ellen K. Graham, Script Consultant
Ellen K. Graham writes plays, screenplays, and narrative nonfiction. She has been a finalist for the Shakespeare’s Sister Fellowship, Clubbed Thumb’s Biennial Commission, the O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, the Green Mountain New Play Festival, and the Global Age Project. Her work has been produced in Chicago, Columbus, New York City, Sonoma County, and in her hometown of Denver, where she has worked with many companies, including And Toto Too, Buntport Theater, The Catamounts, the Edge Theatre, Benchmark, Paragon, and the Denver Center Theatre Company. She is the founder of Feral Assembly, a co-founder of Shocking Beyond Belief! Films (“The Sword of Truth Behind the Shield of Entertainment”), a graduate of the University of Chicago, and a member of the Dramatists Guild of America.