The Tribe

July 17, 2023

What can the most successful doll on the planet show us about being Jewish today? Narrated by Peter Coyote, this award-winning film from Tiffany Shlain and Ken Goldberg mixes old school narration with a new school style. Weaving together archival footage, animation, Barbie dioramas, and slam poetry, The Tribe takes audiences on an electric ride through the complex history of the Jewish people- from Biblical times to present day- through the story of Barbie. The film sheds light on the questions: What does it mean to be an American Jew today? What does it mean to be a member of any tribe in the 21st Century? Learn more and watch here.

An unauthorized, unorthodox history of the Jewish people and the Barbie doll. 

What can the most successful doll on the planet show us about being Jewish today? Narrated by Peter Coyote, this award-winning film from Tiffany Shlain and Ken Goldberg mixes old school narration with a new school style. Weaving together archival footage, animation, Barbie dioramas, and slam poetry, The Tribe takes audiences on an electric ride through the complex history of the Jewish people- from Biblical times to present day- through the story of Barbie. The film sheds light on the questions: What does it mean to be an American Jew today? What does it mean to be a member of any tribe in the 21st Century?

Learn More and Watch Here

“A powerful, universal film that will surprise and challenge anyone who has wrestled with issues of faith, identity, and history.”
Roberta Munroe, Sundance Film Festival Programmer

“A smart, funny, 18-minute film.”
The New York Times

Bonus Video: Reboot went behind the scenes with the co-writers of The Tribe, Tiffany Shlain and Ken Goldberg, in a short series that we shared on social media earlier this summer. We learned why Barbie was the focus of The Tribe, how people feel about Barbie, her secret Jewish roots and more. Watch below:

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Tiffany Shlain

Artist, Emmy-nominated filmmaker, founder of the Webby Awards, and author of the national bestselling book 24/6: The Power of Unplugging One Day a Week

Tiffany Shlain is an artist, activist, Emmy-nominated filmmaker, best-selling author of 24/6: Giving up Screens One Day a Week to Get More Time, Creativity, and Connection, and founder of the Webby Awards. Her work has shown at The Museum of Modern Art in New York and her new exhibition, Human Nature, will travel next to DC and NYC. Shlain has had multiple premieres at the Sundance Film Festival and her awards and distinctions include the Neil Postman Award for Career Achievement in Intellectual Activity. Shlain’s new exhibition is part of the Getty Museum’s Pacific Standard Time: Art & Science Collide art event with Ken Goldberg at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles set for Oct 2024. Her new film on the adolescent brain will be out early 2024. You can find out more about The Tribe here and stay posted on her art and films by signing up for her monthly newsletter here. tiffanyshlain.com IG, TW, & FB @tiffanyshlain

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