Example niche film dissertation topic 3:

The humour of the Passover seder in modern Jewish film. The Jewish festival of Passover resonates as a thread throughout Jews’ lives, and is as significant as Thanksgiving in America, and Christmas in the UK as an opportunity to reunite and re-connect families. This dissertation examines three films in particular with regard to how Passover is depicted: Let My People Go! (Buch, 2011), When do We Eat? (Litvak, 2005), and It Runs in the Family (Schepisi, 2003). Each of these films examines the issue of the Passover seder in a humorous light; this paper considers whether such treatment devalues the seder, or whether it offers a window into how religion plays a role even in relatively secular Jewish lives. Suggested initial topic reading:

• Baskind, S. (2007) ‘The ‘Fockerized’ Jew? Questioning Jewishness as cool in American popular entertainment’, Shofar: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies, Vol. 25(4), pp. 3-17.
• Gertel, E. (2003) Over the top Judaism: Precedents and trends in the depiction of Jewish beliefs and observances in film and television. Lanham, MD: University Press.
• Goldman, E.A. (2003) ‘Avalon and Liberty Heights: Toward a better understanding of the American Jewish experience through cinema’, American Jewish History, Vol. 91(1), pp. 109-127.