Jillian Glantz

Jillian Glantz

Jillian grew up in Dallas, Texas, and spent a year and a half studying at the University of Texas at Arlington and the University of Texas at Austin before taking a break to gain hands-on experience in the film industry. In 2019, she completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, where she produced and directed her first feature-length documentary, Remember My Soul.

Remember My Soul explores the Jewish history of South Texas, tracing the Jewish diaspora from Europe to Mexico and into the modern Texas–Mexico borderlands. The film examines suspected crypto-Judaic traditions in the region and the interethnic relationships between Jewish and Catholic Latino communities. It has screened at multiple film festivals, including the San Antonio Film Festival, Cine El Sol Film Festival, and the Boca Raton Jewish Film Festival, and is archived at several Texas university libraries as well as the Library of Congress.

Jillian received grants from the Texas Jewish Historical Society and her university’s Engaged Scholar Award to support the production of the film. She has presented and hosted screenings in collaboration with the Society for Crypto-Judaic Studies, the Texas Jewish Historical Society, and the New Mexico Jewish Historical Society.

She earned her M.A. in History from Texas A&M University in 2024 and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in history. Her doctoral research focuses on early Black women filmmakers from 1918 to 1941. Jillian continues to screen and present Remember My Soul at academic and public venues.