We talk to Gary Enkin, writer of short film competition winner, Beshert, showing at this year’s UK Jewish Film Festival.
When Gary Enkin retired during COVID, he had a secret. While his wife went about her routine, the 70-year-old Leeds resident was teaching himself to write screenplays. Without formal training or any writing background, what began as a retirement hobby has culminated in Beshert, a short film that won the UK Jewish Film’s Pears Short Film Fund and is now touring the country.
“I always had stories in my head,” Gary explains. “But life gets in the way – you’ve got to earn money and keep the family afloat. When I retired, I started writing a book. It lasted ten pages. I read it back and thought, ‘This is rubbish.’ I just tore it up.”
What happened next took Gary by surprise. He discovered he thought visually – or perhaps cinematically – seeing characters and hearing them speak. Screenwriting felt natural. He taught himself the format online, learning as he went. His first script for the competition made the final five, encouraging him to continue despite not winning.
Two or three years and several scripts later, Gary wrote Beshert. His daughter and wife read it and declared it his best work. But he couldn’t find a filmmaker to partner with. Frustrated, he emailed the competition organisers to withdraw. It was the last day of entries. “They just said, ‘Send it in anyway. At least let the judges read it,'” Gary recalls. “I sent it in and thought no more about it.”
Days later, the organisers called. The judges were impressed and they’d found London filmmakers who wanted to collaborate. Gary met director Lewis Rose and producer Jason Solomons in a restaurant, then went straight to the shortlist interviews. That night, a WhatsApp message from Solomons arrived that read: “Mazel tov on making your film!” Gary recalls the whole thing as being quite surreal.
Beshert – a Yiddish word traditionally meaning soulmate or destiny – explores an intergenerational friendship set in a Jewish nursing home. The story centres on the unlikely connection between a grumpy elderly man and a reluctant young visitor which transforms both their lives.
The inspiration came from visiting relatives in care homes: “I noticed that older and young people really connect when you skip the middle generation. That was the basis – two people who didn’t want to meet, but from that meeting, both their futures are affected.”
The term itself resonated deeply. His parents and grandparents used it frequently, and Gary was surprised how many younger people, while perhaps not using the word, still believe things happen for a reason: “It’s not just a romantic term anymore. It’s evolved to mean something broader – that sometimes meetings and moments are meant to be.”
Shot over four days in a Jewish nursing home in Clapham, the film features what Gary describes as ‘top-notch’ cinematography and performances. He watched as an observer, learning about filmmaking while his words came to life.
“When I saw the final cut, I was emotional, pretty gobsmacked,” he says. “It was exactly what was inside my head. All the characters were exactly how I imagined them. The weirdest feeling, honestly.”
Beshert premiered in London in early November and screens in Leeds at Hyde Park Picture House this December. For Gary, the film represents more than personal achievement – it’s proof that creativity has no age limit.
“Just because you get older doesn’t mean you retire from being creative,” he insists. “If I can do it, anybody can. I hope that inspires even one person.”
Gary is already working on his next project – a comedy drama – and says he’s finally “found his voice” as a writer. The difference between his early scripts and recent work is striking: “I found how to express myself and how the characters should speak. I see them and hear them. That’s what I concentrate on now.”
As for whether Beshert itself was meant to be? Gary’s wife remains the most surprised by his success, but even she can’t deny the serendipity. A last-minute submission, unexpected collaborators, and a story about destiny – the film’s title says it all. For Gary, retirement hasn’t meant stopping. It’s meant starting something entirely new.
