LOS ANGELES (Press Release) — Reboot Studios, which empowers artists, storytellers and innovators to transform society with diverse, inspirational and provocative new Jewish content, 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.
“Reboot Studios is proud to support this year’s Creator Fund recipients, who are expanding the Jewish narrative by bringing to light underrepresented stories from across the diaspora,” said Reboot Studios Managing Director Noam Dromi. “From the Sephardic experience in Sangre Sucio to the cultural celebration of Erev Yalda, confronting modern antisemitism in How To Rule The World, and redefining Jewish life through AlefBet Audio, these projects reflect our commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive understanding of Jewish identity.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
Recently released 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 Alysia Reiner (Orange Is the New Black), 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 full list of current and announced Reboot Studio Projects can be found here.
*
Preceding provided by Reboot Studios