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Young filmmaker's trip to Belarus leads to movie.
KAREN SCHULTZ TARNOPOL I CONTRIBUTING WRITER
S
hooting skateboard and
snowboard videos in
middle school with his
parents' video camera
while using two VCRs to edit them,
Alex Gorosh knew that filmmaking
was what he was going to do when
he grew up.
Gorosh, 27, original-
ly of West Bloomfield,
studied film, creative
writing and screen
writing while attend-
ing the University of
Michigan, and in 2007
took a chance and
moved to Los Angeles
to pursue his goals.
Fresh out of college
he landed a dream
3
job, shooting more
Alex Gorosh
than 70 videos for
a national outdoor
leadership school called Outward Bound.
This adventure-based outfit takes its
participants on back-country expeditions
for character-building experiences, and
Gorosh shot and edited promotional vid-
eos for all of their expeditions.
"While working at Outward Bound,
I had the opportunity to go white-
water rafting in Utah, snowboarding
in Colorado, canoeing in Maine and
dog sledding in Minnesota. I was very
lucky to travel while doing what I love,"
Gorosh says.
Aside from the valuable video experi-
ence, Gorosh also noticed some self-
transformation occurring while working
at Outward Bound as a result of being in
the right place at the right time.
Gorosh's next adventure was at Good
Magazine, a media platform that focuses
on bettering the community and help-
ing people become who they want to
be. One of the films he worked on was
for the Gap in India, which empowered
women to become educated and follow
their dreams.
"I'm fortunate to work on projects
that have the potential to change peo-
ple's minds and to work with companies
and people I care about," Gorosh says.
Good Magazine helps to improve
brand image as well. "I had the oppor-
tunity to create videos for companies
such as Starbucks, FedEx and GE," says
Gorosh, who continues to freelance there.
One of Gorosh's latest projects
stemmed from a family trip to David-
Horodok, a small town in southern
Belarus, birthplace of his great-grand-
mother Anna Grenadier. "My grandma,
Norma Gorosh, took me and my family
to Belarus to connect to our heritage,"
he explains.
The film Belarus: A
Trip captured the inten-
sity of the town's horrific
history. Gorosh planned
to film the experience,
but it wasn't until he
arrived in Belarus that
the significance of this
story really hit home
for him.
"Belarus is a place
where people don't
have many freedoms
and the community is
very cautious. The people
in town weren't sure why we were there,
and we could see the concern in the way
that they responded to us," he says.
The group consisted of 100 people
from the U.S. and Israel "to honor those
that were murdered and to recreate the
death march to the killing field," accord-
ing to Gorosh.
The film shows a memorial service that
was held as a rededication of the ground
that was once used as a mass gravesite
for all of the victims, and hundreds of the
people from David-Horodok attended.
Gorosh's greatest surprise was the
response from the town's people. "We
were so touched by the overwhelming
response by the people of David-Horodok
who showed up to show their respect
and support us."
Also in the film were Alex's grandma,
Norma Gorosh of West Bloomfield, his
parents, Neil and Marla Gorosh of West
Bloomfield, and his brother Loren of Las
Vegas.
"I'm proud of Alex, and I am happy he
could take part in this trip," says Norma.
Gorosh was in town recently for a
special screening of Belarus: A Trip at the
15th Annual Lenore Marwil Jewish Film
Festival at the Berman Center for the
Performing Arts, West Bloomfield.
If you missed the screening, you can
view it on YouTube: http://bit.ly/ZNOkTa .
Visit www.alexgorosh.com to see more of
Gorosh's work. ❑
6881 Orchard Lake Rd. • on the Boardwalk • (248) 851 5030
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Compassionate and cathartic, lig turns humorous and hopeful,
"Rabbit Hole" is ultimatelg an uplifting storg of love and redemption.
rabbit hole
A Pulitzer-winning drama by
David Lindsay-Abaire
May 10 - 12,16 - 19, 2013
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Advance Tickets: $14 ea
All shows at 8 pm except Sundays at 2 pm • No late seating
415 S Lafayette Ave Royal Oak 48067
All seats reserved I Visa / MC accepted
Tickets at 248-541-6430 or online at
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May 2 • 2013
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