Filmmaker Lacey Schwarz Delgado shared two different sides of her identity with audiences at TIFF 2026, and brings a story often not told to the big screen in her feature-length documentary, ‘Re/Pair.‘
She herself being of both Black and Jewish descent, Schwarz Delgado is more familiar than many with the two groups’ shared history. The documentary heavily relies on interviews, where the filmmaker pairs up prominent Black and Jewish personalities from different walks of life. Some of these pairings include actors Harry Lennix and David Schwimmer, and writers W. Kamau Bell and Adam Mansbach. These pairings conversed on camera, anything from personal experiences to the retelling of their groups’ (often forgotten,) history. The film discuses the alliance between Martin Luther King Jr. and Rabbi Abraham Heschel, and also delves into important discussions of today, such as the conversation around Israel and Palestine, and the ways that racism and antisemitism continue to be intertwined.
“We are so grateful to the Toronto International Film Festival, and to you, for giving us a space to bring this topic here.” Schwarz Delgado said, “This is not in any way just about Blacks and Jews…It connects to so many other people as well.”
Photo by The Knockturnal.
Another prominent interviewee was actress Ashley Jackson—the daughter of prominent civil rights activist, the Reverend Jesse Jackson. She spoke candidly about her experience converting to Judaism, and how her Black heritage played into that.
“I am so proud to be part of this project.” Jackson went on to address Schwarz Delgado directly, “The courage and bravery you instilled in each of us to go on this journey…You being the director that you were made me feel safe to share this part of my journey.”
Schwarz Delgado expressed that this is just the beginning for the project, planning to show the film at Universities and other venues in an effort to reach others with their message.“We’re excited to take it on the road, to all sorts of spaces, especially with young people…We really want to bring this out to people to let them get messy in their own space,”
“It’s such an important conversation.” Jackson added.
