Lili Rosen radiates trans joy!
— Talia L.
I was blown away— truly amazing and inspiring!
— Jessica Kirson
Had me laughing and ugly crying!
— Melanie R.
Moving and powerful!
— Rula Muñoz
The one-woman show is a funny, poignant account of the performer’s transition.
— The Forward
Flyer from our initial LABA NY/14Y Theater productionThe Second Circumcision of Lili Rosen
A new solo show written & performed
by Lili Rosen
Directed by
Lindsey Hope Pearlman
Join Lili Rosen on her transformative journey of self-discovery around religion, gender dysphoria, sexuality, bodily autonomy, and identity.
This autobiographical solo show tells the story of Lili, a trans woman of Hasidic experience, who has grappled with both her body and soul since (her first!) puberty. Follow along with Lili’s achingly real, darkly comedic journey of self-acceptance as she publicly wrestles with her most controversial decision yet.
The Binding of Itzik
Wins Prestigious SFFILM Rainin Grant
I am absolutely thrilled to announce that Anika Benkov (writer/director of The Binding of Itzik) and I were named as recipients of the 2023 SFFILM Rainin Grant! The Rainin Grant is the flagship artist development program offered by SFFILM Makers in partnership with the Kenneth Rainin Foundation. Seventeen filmmaking teams have been selected as recipients of the SFFILM Rainin Grant which includes funding and professional support for their narrative projects at different stages of production.
The SFFILM Rainin Grant program is the largest granting body for independent narrative feature films in the US, and supports films that address social justice issues—the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges—in a positive and meaningful way through plot, character, theme, or setting. Awards are made to multiple projects once a year, for screenwriting, development, and post-production. Recipients are offered a cash grant up to $25,000 for screenwriting and development, post-production as well as a two-month residency at FilmHouse, SFFILM’s premier artist residency space.
See Lili as Itzik in The Binding of Itzik
An official selection at OUTFEST and the New Orleans Film Festival, the film was shortlisted for the prestigious IRIS PRIZE, was a Vimeo STAFF PICK, and won numerous awards, including San Francisco Jewish Film Festival’s Film Movement Award for best narrative short, Special Jury Award (Bend Film Festival), Best Film Award (Berlin Underground Film Festival), and FreshFlix Short Film Award (Boston Jewish Film Festival).
Rosen reveals herself to be a sensitive dramatic actor and marvelously understated…
— Forward
At its essence, the film is about a courageous act of self-discovery, and you’ll be rooting for Itzik all the way through.
— Anti-Gravity Magazine
“Exploring kinks, one email at a time. Funny, sweet and incisive in its look at intimacy in all its many beautiful forms. One of the most sex-positive short films I've ever seen.”
— Source Weekly
See Lili as
Reb Yossele
on NETFLIX
Featured in
Making Unorthodox
on NETFLIX
“That's very nice, but when will you get a real job?”
- Lili’s Mother
Lili was born and raised in a Hasidic Jewish community in Brooklyn, which she left to pursue life, liberty and a law degree. Shortly thereafter (i.e. seven years of indentured-servitude-to-Uncle-Laban later), she saw the error in her ways. A recovering lawyer, Lili is now discovering her long-repressed passion in the dramatic arts. When not running from set to base and back like a geshokhtene kapore, Lili can be found translating obscure tomes, updating her website and hatching ill-fated schemes for trans world dominance.