Israel.

The story behind the work…

Unknowingly, LATE BLOOMER was the first film made by Not Paper Productions, before the studio was even founded.

Creative Director Jack Pendleton made his first trip to Israel in December 2022 and decided to document the journey, the story eventually settling on the emotional transformation and path he took in connecting with Judaism. This was Jack’s first film, and it has been shown several times in theaters and synagogues across California, where Jack lived during the production of this film. It was an official selection in the San Luis Obispo Jewish Film and Learning Festival.

Jack returned to Israel for three weeks in September 2023, shortly before the October 7th attacks. In this time, he conduced an anthropological study of Israel, learning more about its culture and the people who make it the accepting, diverse, unique place it is. It was thanks to this trip, those he met along the way, and the lessons he learned that motivated him to open Not Paper Productions.