The lost stories

Judaism lives in the present, but we are defined by our past-- by our master story and our shared history. This history shapes our destiny-- we can't look forward without looking back. So where is Jewish history in Jewish film? Except for Holocaust movies, it's hardly visible. This is a shame.
When we complain about apathy towards Judaism today, one place to look at is at the absence of Jewish historical films. Imagine if there was a Schindlers' List for every fascinating character in Jewish history. It's not as if we don't have the heroes or the villains-- or the storytellers.
One people that has had no problem telling its history through film are the Japanese, as Eli Kavon discusses here in The Jerusalem Post.   

Seeing these films in a short span of time both exhilarated and overwhelmed me. As a student of Jewish history, I must admit that I felt cheated - and I still feel that way today. While American-Jewish filmmakers do present films that focus on the Holocaust - Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List comes to mind immediately - one wonders why directors and screenwriters are not exploiting the great events and figures of ancient, medieval and early modern Jewish history. We have seen many films focusing on the Shoah, the State of Israel, and contemporary Jewish life in America. I have yet to see a film biography of Judah Maccabee, Moses Maimonides, or Gracia Nasi.
Historians have written thousands of studies of the Jewish past that are available for everyone to read. Is there not one story of ancient or medieval Jewish life that deserves a film adaptation? Have we not had enough telling of stories of Jewish history's disasters? Is there not one director or screenwriter that can chronicle the triumphs of Jewish history?