For Broadway performer Randi, birthing her son felt triumphant, then confusing as he was whisked away to the NICU. When doctors shared that Moses was profoundly disabled and faced a tenuous future, Randi fell into a well of grief before unearthing a new language by which to learn and love her son – one born and honed in the body. Randi’s story laces together family, queerness and disability with vulnerability. Hers is a parenting journey we rarely speak openly about in our culture. HOLDING MOSES illuminates the often invisible story of the caregiver and sparks conversations that help shift the shame narrative around the stunning challenges and surprising gifts that come with the birth of a child with a disability.
Screenings
HOLDING MOSES is available on the New Yorker website and continues to screen with festivals and organizations around the world! You can host an in-person or virtual screening for your group too. Medical institutions, rare disease foundations, disability groups, LGBTQ+ centers, educators, corporations and community groups can screen the film and hold meaningful discussions around journeys of ableism, making caregiving visible and LGBTQ+ families. Get in touch to learn more.
“…parents of children with disabilities will find … a genuine, sensitive, and compelling account of the doubts, trials, and tribulations (and the joys) they faced when their children were young. Educators may well see it … as a path to greater empathy for the lives of families that include a child with a disability.” – Special Education Today
For festival screening inquiries, please contact The Film Collaborative.
For all other screening inquiries, please contact Frankly Speaking Films.
Press
Oscars: Shortlists for 95th Academy Awards Unveiled – Hollywood Reporter, December 21, 2022
‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ eligible in five categories as Motion Picture Academy releases Oscars short list – JAM Broadcasting, December 21, 2022
‘All That Breathes’ Breathes Easier After Making Oscar Doc Shortlist, But Some Major Titles Don’t Make The Cut – Deadline, December 21, 2022
Oscar Shortlists Released In 10 Categories: ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’, ‘All Quiet On The Western Front’ Top Mentions – Deadline, December 21, 2022
Taylor Swift’s All Too Well Oscar Hopes Are Long Gone – Vulture, December 21, 2022
2023 Academy Awards Shortlists Revealed; ‘All Quiet,’ And ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Lead – Hola, December 21, 2022
Academy Awards 2023: Shortlists announced for 10 categories – The Federal, December 22, 2022
2023 Oscars Best Documentary Short Film cheat sheet: All 15 semi-finalists with complete details – Gold Derby, December 22, 2022
Oscar Predictions: Documentary Short – A Category Stacked With Heartfelt Tales, Polar Bears and Linsanity – Variety, December 22, 2022
The Academy Announces The Shortlist For 10 Categories From The 95th Oscars – Nile FM, December 22, 2022
Rivkah Beth Medow & Jen Rainin on Holding Moses and the Importance of Telling Stories Through an Experiential Lens – The Tuesday Series, December 20, 2022
Watch: Short Film About Queer Mom and Disabled Son Is an Oscar Contender – Mombian, December 14, 2022
Holding Moses is a groundbreaking story of queer parenting and disability – Queer Forty, December 9, 2022
Sports, Politics and Equality Among Top Subjects of Documentary Short Contenders – The Hollywood Reporter, December 7, 2022
2023 Oscars Predictions: Collective – ‘Avatar 2’ and ‘A Man Called Otto’ Finally Drop; AFI and NBR Boost; Could ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Conquer Best Picture? – Variety, December 9, 2022
‘Holding Moses’ Trailer: The New Yorker’s Oscar-Contending Short Doc Reveals Dancer’s Journey Of Love With Her Disabled Son – Deadline, Oct. 24, 2022
Press Kit
Download press kit [pdf]
Team
Director – Rivkah Beth Medow
Producer & Co-Director – Jen Rainin
Cinematographer – Clare Major
Editor – Greg O’Toole
Assistant Editor – Kylee Acevedo
Sound – Danielle Dupre
Color – Ana Escorse / Studio Feather
CC & AD – Cheryl Green
Consulting Producer – Marc Smolowitz