Reboot Studios Announces 2024 Funding Recipients To Elevate Diverse Jewish Stories

Reboot Studios has announced the recipients of its 2024 Creator Fund, providing financing support for four cross-platform Jewish media productions. Launched in 2022, Reboot Studios' investments in new Jewish projects have now surpassed half a million dollars.

"At this unprecedented time in the Jewish world, amidst a historic rise in antisemitism, we believe that reclaiming Jewish narratives is more important than ever," said Reboot Studios Managing Director Noam Dromi. "In a divided world, we are committed to the idea that art can be a unifying force, bringing people together to foster greater empathy and showcase diverse narratives to meet the challenges of our time."

Reboot Studios is the production arm of the acclaimed Jewish arts and culture nonprofit Reboot. Founded by Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw's Righteous Persons Foundation and the Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies, Reboot has spent over 20 years building a network of world class creatives and leaders.

Recipients of the Reboot Studios 2024 Creator Fund:

• Sangre Sucio/Tainted Blood from writer/director Jeremy Xido and producer Noam Dromi, is a Ladino language cowboy movie set on the borderlands between Coahuila, Mexico, and south Texas during the closing days of the American Civil War. The story follows a family of Crypto-Jews, focusing on a dying father, Aureliano, and his son, Emmanuel de León, who harbors a dark past. Following a prophetic dream, Aureliano insists that Emmanuel take him on a perilous journey north to Las Cruces, New Mexico, to mend a longstanding family rift before he dies.
• How To Rule The World (Working Title), from award-winning British filmmaker Tim Samuels, confronts the deep-seated roots and alarming resurgence of antisemitism in this provocative new theatrical documentary. Known for his investigative journalism and subversive humor, Samuels combines these elements to tackle this ancient hatred that continues to evolve in our modern era of misinformation and conspiracy theories.
• Erev Yalda from entrepreneur Rachel Sumekh and food writer Tannaz Sassooni, is an original Iranian-Jewish take on Yalda, the ancient Persian celebration marking the winter solstice by staying up late into the night, reciting poetry, eating traditional foods, and being in community. The holiday, often falling close to Hanukkah, shares themes of bringing light into the darkest moments. The videos will be accompanied by a digital resource kit that guides and inspires readers on how to host their own Yalda night.
• AlefBet Audio from Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie, co-founder and senior spiritual leader of Lab/Shul, is a podcast series that offers the basic building blocks of post-patriarchal Jewish life for the 21st century. Each 45-minute segment explores core Jewish concepts, symbols, ethical values, rituals, and spiritual practices through engaging storytelling and conversations with diverse guests. This series, based on Rabbi Amichai's successful annual course held in New York City and online, aims to provide an inclusive, justice-driven, and meaningful framework for modern Jewish life.

Previously funded projects include:

We Should Eat, a short film written and directed by Shaina Feinberg, and executive produced by Alysia Reiner (Orange is the New Black), humorously exploring age-old familial irritations with Jewish mothers, the intricacies of raising pre-teen daughters, existential dread, and the perpetual struggle to figure out what to order for dinner. The film stars Reiner, Tovah Feldshuh (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), Jackie Hoffman (Only Murders in the Building), Joel de la Fuente (Walking Dead), Bob Ari (Law and Order SVU), and Lexi Perkel (Sack Lunch Bunch). We Should Eat premiered at the 2024 San Francisco Jewish Film Festival.

The Anne Frank Gift Shop, written and directed by author and journalist Mickey Rapkin (Pitch Perfect, Theater Geek), is a dark comedy that tackles antisemitism and sparks a debate about collective trauma, the Holocaust-and tote bags. This short film was shortlisted for an Academy Award in the Live Action Short Film category this year.

Just For Us, written and performed by Tony Award winner Alex Edelman and directed by Adam Brace, explores identity and our collective capacity for empathy through humor. Following a string of anti-Semitic threats directed at him online, Edelman infiltrates a meeting of White Nationalists in Queens, coming face-to-face with the people behind the keyboards. This experience forms the backbone of the hilarious and thought-provoking stories in Just For Us. The one-man comedy special had an acclaimed Broadway run last summer in a production co-produced and funded by Reboot Studios and is now streaming on HBO and MAX.

This is What Jewish Looks Like, a collaboration with Paramount Global, a new video short that celebrates the rich tapestry of Jewish identity. The visual techniques in the piece challenge stereotypes and preconceived notions of identity, especially important at a time when tensions are high among American Jews. Photographer Brian Molyneaux captured portraits of individuals who identify as Jewish, highlighting the rich diversity within the Jewish community across various dimensions such as age, gender and race.

Sabbath Queen, from producer and director Sandi DuBowski and filmed over 21 years, follows Rabbi Amichai Lau Lavie's epic journey as the dynastic heir of 38 generations of Orthodox rabbis who rejects his traditional destiny and becomes a drag-queen rebel, a queer father, and the founder of an experimental congregation in New York. Executive produced by Adrian Salpeter, the film captures a lifelong and cinematic quest to creatively and radically reinvent religion, ritual, and love for a challenging, rapidly changing 21st century. The film premiered in June 2024 at Tribeca and was the closing night film at the 2024 San Francisco Jewish Film Festival.

We've Been Here Before: What the Punk Scene Can Teach Us About White Supremacy, a short form documentary by Emmy-winning filmmaker Jacob Kornbluth and civil rights strategist Eric K. Ward, explores the punk subculture's fight against White Nationalists and neo-Nazis, offering lessons for today's struggle for inclusive democracy. The film follows Eric Ward, who connects mass shootings, antisemitism, and the rise of hate violence in America, drawing from his experiences as an anti-racist skinhead.

Just The Tip, a provocative comedy short by filmmaker Jessie Kahnweiler, humorously explores the controversial topic of male circumcision from a feminist Jewish perspective. Inspired by her personal experience and relationship with a non-Jewish partner, Kahnweiler delves into questions of faith, tradition, and bodily consent, using humor and heart to examine this age-old ritual. The film tackles the intersection of religion, identity, and masculinity, offering a fresh and fearless take on a sensitive subject. The film premiered at the 2024 HollyShorts Film Festival.

The Borscht Belt Pop Up Museum & Arts Festival, created by New York Times reporter and filmmaker Andrew Jacobs, celebrates the golden age of the Catskills resort era and its impact on mainstream American culture. The museum offers a dynamic, interactive experience with immersive exhibits, archival film, and audio that bring to life the celebrities and comedians who defined the era. A new exhibit, "And Such Small Portions! Food and Comedy in the Catskills Resort Era," runs from July 2024 through November.

The announcement comes as Reboot Studios was also recognized by the Television Academy as a leading authority on Jewish representation in their Expert Index for Storytellers. This acknowledgment highlights Reboot Studios' dedication to authentic and diverse narratives and positions it as a key resource for creators committed to authentic storytelling.

The full list of current and announced Reboot Studio Projects can be found here.

Reboot Studios' advisory board is comprised of distinguished entertainment industry leaders and creators who actively shepherd and guide the projects: Rebecca Arzoian, President, Smokehouse Pictures; Steve Bodow, Emmy and Peabody winning writer and producer, The Daily Show (Reboot Board Member); Jeb Brody, President of Imagine Features, former president of Amblin Partners; Melissa Eccles, Emmy-nominated producer and creative director; Michael Ellenberg, CEO & Founder, Media Res Studio, David Greenbaum, President of Disney Live Action Studios and 20th Century Studios; Amy Israel, President of TV, North Road; Jamie Kantrowitz, Entrepreneur and Investor (Reboot Board Member); Samantha Kurtzman-Counter, Emmy-winning producer and director, President, The Mother Company (Reboot Board Secretary); Riva Marker, CEO of Productions, Linden Entertainment; Benj Pasek, Oscar, Grammy, Tony, and Golden Globe Award-winning songwriter of Dear Evan Hansen, La La Land, and The Greatest Showman; Marc Platt, Producer; Stacey Reiss, Emmy award-winning Filmmaker (Reboot Board Vice Chair); Raymond Roker, Consultant and former Global Head of Editorial, Amazon (Reboot Board Member); Adrian Salpeter, Tony Award-winning producer of theatre, film and television and executive creative director (Reboot Board Member); Lacey Schwartz, Producer and Director (Reboot Board Member); Joey Soloway, Writer, director, showrunner, Transparent; Sam Sonenshine, Vice President, Sonenshine Partners; Jenny Steingart, Tony Award-winning producer and co-founder of Ars Nova; Rachel Webber, Chief Commercial & Chief Brand Officer, 11:11 Media.

The next round of funding applications will open in late fall.

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