Telling our own Jewish stories

In an industry where representation is treated as cultural currency, Jewish Australians remain almost entirely absent from the screen. There has never been a feature film or television series set in the Australian Jewish community, made by the community, and publicly supported by a funding body. Writer and director Gideon Heine is seeking to change this with his new film, Wish You Long Life.

Shaped by the stories of his grandparents, Heine says he has a lifelong fascination with storytelling and its ability to connect across generations.

“Growing up in an immigrant family with Holocaust-surviving grandparents whose first language wasn’t English, I was shaped by stories of survival, identity, and resilience,” Heine told The AJN, explaining that the film is a response to the current moment where being openly Jewish feels complex.

“Despite Australia’s deep and diverse Jewish history, those stories are still largely absent from our screens,” he said, saying the film is his response. “It aims to bear witness to the lived experiences of Jewish Australians today, while honouring the histories, Holocaust survivors, and communities that continue to shape them.”

The story follows Adi Hertzberg, played by Noah Missell, who returns to Melbourne’s Jewish community after the death of his childhood best friend, Reuben. Adi and his friend Maya, played by Tal Davida, are forced to reconnect after Reuben is doxxed for being Jewish. The characters navigate the trauma of their grandparents, who survived Auschwitz and the Farhud, while confronting contemporary antisemitism.

For Missell, who joined the project after Heine reached out to him on Instagram, he hopes that the film normalises Jewish stories being told.

“It’s the first time, at least that I can think of, that we’ve had a film about the Jewish Australian experience,” Missell said, continuing to explain that beyond the specific Jewish experience, there are elements that speak to the human experience too.

“Especially for Jewish people I want them to feel heard,” he said. “I want it to be normal to see us in a movie like this and all the versions of us that there are.”

Davida, who grew up between Israel and the Netherlands before settling in Australia, said she felt a pull toward stories about identity.

“Being invited into this film felt less like chance and more like a natural continuation of that calling,” she said.

According to Heine, having more Jewish representation in film starts with collaboration and authenticity.

“Representation isn’t just about visibility, it’s about authorship. We need support for culturally specific storytelling, and a willingness from institutions and audiences to engage with those stories in all their complexity,” he said. “We need the community’s support for Jewish artists, across film, music, and art, because Jewish culture isn’t just something we inherit, it’s something we must all actively preserve, or risk losing it altogether.”

The film is being supported by the Jewish Australian Screen Fund, which was created due to a systemic lack of representation. Heine noted that Jewish creatives are currently losing work and opportunities due to a climate that has made Jewish identity “professionally risky”.

As Heine pointed out, “if we do not build the infrastructure to tell our own stories, we will continue to be spoken for”.

As for the trio’s aim with the film. Missell hopes that the film shows the light always wins.

“I hope people feel what Jewish people have always relied on, as with what the characters in this movie try to find; our community,” he said.

For Davida, it’s about showing the world what is really happening.

“I hope it offers an honest window into antisemitism not just as an abstract concept, but as something lived and felt,” she said, continuing though to say that she wants people to be hopeful. “With joy that feels earned, not forced. With love that lingers. And with a reminder of the beauty of friendship, how it can hold us, even when the world feels fractured.”

As for Heine, he hopes audiences walk away with a renewed sense of identity.

“Identity isn’t something you can outrun. The film is about what it costs to hide, and what it means to come back, to community, to culture, and to yourself. It’s also about resilience, and the idea that even in the darkest moments, there’s still connection, humour, light and above all else Jewish life and community.”

For more information about Wish You Long Life, visit wishyoulonglife.com