While at USC , Kesselman wrote and directed a short film version of '' The Hebrew Hammer '' , which screened at the 2000 Austin Film Festival . In 2001 , ContentFilm offered to finance a feature film version , with Edward R. Pressman and John Schmidt onboard as executive producers . Kesselman wrote and directed '' The Hebrew Hammer '' , a " Jewxploitation " send-up of Blaxploitation and superhero films , starring Adam Goldberg as Mordechai Jefferson Carver , an Orthodox Jew on a quest to save Hanukkah from Santa Claus 's evil son . It also stars Andy Dick , Mario Van Peebles , Nora Dunn , Peter Coyote , and Judy Greer , and has a cameo from Melvin Van Peebles reprising his role as Sweetback from '' Sweet Sweetback 's Baadasssss Song '' ( 1971 ) . It premiered at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival , had its television premiere on Comedy Central on December 8 , 2003 , and opened theatrically on December 19 , 2003 . It aired exclusively on Comedy Central for five years after its theatrical release , and is generally considered to be a cult film
2003 Sundance Film Festival
2003 Sundance Film Festival
Jonathan Kesselman