A few days before Passover, Fernanda (Lorena Rodriguez), a young Mexican woman, is hired by a Brooklyn cleaning agency to work in the local Jewish Hasidic community. Despite a prolonged wait for her payment, Fernanda continues to faithfully show up for work each day at the home of Nehama (Michal Birnbaum, Unorthdox). An unexpected connection between the two leads to a fight for justice against the cleaning agency at fault, bridging the gaps between their very different worlds.

The story behind Division Ave is inspired by true events happening to this day on the corner of Division and Marcy Ave in Brooklyn, NY. This modern day slave labor started decades ago in the early 1990’s, in a different Williamsburg location. It is common practice for individuals and companies to frequent Division and Marcy early in the morning and hire a cleaning lady for the day. The women, mostly immigrants from Latin America and Eastern Europe, are often underpaid and/or sexually abused.

Best Actress (Lorena Rodriguez) | Strasberg Film Festival
Best Drama | Poppy Jasper International Film Festival
Honorable Mention | Workers Unite Film Festival NY

Directed by Tamar Glezerman
Written by Michal Birnbaum
USA, 2019
Drama
English, Spanish, Yiddish (with English subtitles)
14 Minutes