The Art of Film Funding
Discover the secrets to funding and creating successful indie films with The Art of Film Funding Podcast. Join Carole Dean, President of From the Heart Productions and author of The Art of Film Funding, and Heather Lenz, director of the award-winning documentary Kusama-Infinity, as they chat with top film industry pros. Get practical insider tips on crowdfunding, pitching, saving on budgets, marketing, hybrid distribution, and the latest in A.I. filmmaking. Whether you’re funding your first project or navigating new trends, this podcast has everything you need to succeed. Subscribe and let’s get your film funded!
The Art of Film Funding
Jewish Story Partners Impactful Film Funding Initiatives
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SPEAKER_05Hi, and welcome to the Art of Film Funding. I'm your co-host, Claire Capan. Along with Carol Dean, author of the best-selling book, The Art of Film Funding, Carol is also the founder and president of From the Heart Productions and the host of this show. An award-winning filmmaker, Roberta Grossman, co-founded the nonprofit production company Kadin Productions, and is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Writers Guild of America. She's written, directed, and produced more than 40 hours of film and television. Roberta produced the soon-to-be released Vishniak, Dorothy Alang, Grab a Hunk of Lightning, which aired on PBS American Masters in 2014, and was the series producer and co-writer of 500 Nations, the eight-hour CBS series on Native Americans, hosted by Kevin Kosner. Roberta received the TAUB Jewish People Award in 2020. The award honors Jewish men and women who have worked to foster pride in Jewish identity and heritage for new generations, making a uniquely Jewish contribution to global culture. Grossman also is currently writing, producing, and directing a series of films for the new lost Shet uh uh uh Shetal Museum in Lithuania. And Carol from the Heart has received a grant for one of your filmmakers from the Jewish Story Partners, right? Yes, Claire.
SPEAKER_02We're so honored to have you, Roberta. Thank you very much for joining us.
SPEAKER_01Thanks for having me.
SPEAKER_02So uh what we'd like you to do is please tell us about your mission and goals at Jewish Story Partners and how it supports the Jewish storytelling in our film industry.
SPEAKER_01Well, Jewish Story Partners was founded about two years ago. Um, it was co-founded by myself and Carolyn Labresco, who was a senior programmer at Sundance for two decades, um, with support of Righteous Persons Foundation and other foundations. Um the goal of the foundation, the mission of the foundation, was to give grants to filmmakers, not necessarily Jewish filmmakers, telling a story with Jewish content or telling a Jewish story. And in particular, we hope to diversify the Jewish story from a sort of flat, uh Ashkenazi, um, you know, one note kind of uh story to something more diverse that represents all the many, many different kinds of Jews all over the world, people of different uh races, different classes, different origins. Um so that that that's our mission. And um we've been in in existence for about two years. And um so far we've given away, I believe, 72 grants uh close to two million dollars. And uh we're just getting started, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Oh my gosh, how wonderful. You're busy, Roberta. That's work.
SPEAKER_01Um well, you know, I'm not doing it by myself. We have a really fantastic staff of about seven people. Um and um, you know, a lot of our our work is doing the heavy lifting of fundraising, right? So that every filmmaker doesn't have to reinvent the wheel. I mean, certainly we'll never have enough money to support uh, you know, uh a high quality documentary on our own, but we can get the ball rolling, we fund as early as early development, and all the way through um post-production. So we can help sort of prime the pump, if you will.
SPEAKER_02Right. This is um Mrs. Annenberg said almost the same thing. She said, I just want to make a little dent and get things moving. And people take it from there, right? So this is wonderful. Uh well, so what inspired the creation? You wanted to expand the films that were being made?
SPEAKER_01Well, my um for me it was a little bit more um basic than that. Um I've spent the last couple of um probably fifteen years making documentary films primarily about uh Jewish history, a sort of very nerdy endeavor. And my experience was that um foundations that were interested in giving to film um were not particularly interested in giving to films uh on Jewish subjects. And that those Jewish funders who um were interested in arts and culture were a little bit allergic to giving to film. So um there's a gap there. There's always been a gap there, and so Jewish Story Partners was formed to fill that gap.
SPEAKER_02Well done. Yes, that makes sense. Well, tell us about your grants and funding opportunities, please.
SPEAKER_01Sure. Um so Jewish Story Partners, um, as I mentioned, funds films that in some way deal with, um, expand, explicate um the Jewish story. We give to US-based feature-length documentaries. Um, and by US-based, I mean either the producer or the director needs to be U.S. based. Um half of that, that producing directing uh partner team could come from someplace outside of the United States. Um and um we try to take a generous attitude as to what is a Jewish film. And if somebody wants to explore that further, they certainly can go to our wet website, Jewishstorypartners.org, and take a look at the films we funded to get a sense of the breadth of the kind of films that we're funding.
SPEAKER_02Okay, that's good. Um now uh what is the criteria for uh funding for Flying?
SPEAKER_01Um the criteria are um one, that either the producer or the director uh is based in the United States, two, that you're producing making a a a documentary film, a feature-length documentary film. And the feature length is is uh you know interpreted what that length is is based on what the Academy considers a f uh a feature-length film. Um and um you have to have, although we do fund development, um you have to have some footage to show that kind of gives us a sense of the style and content of the film that you hope to make. Um so uh uh we're not funding idea at the idea stage. Um and we fund all the way through post-production. Um and um the primary the two well a film has to in some way explore, expand on, deal with, tell some aspect of the Jewish story, broadly defined. Um filmmakers don't have to be Jewish. Um and um but the I would say the overarching criteria is excellence. We have to we're funding films that we think um have a good chance of getting out into the world, reaching audiences, whatever those audiences are, um and doing so um through excellent filmmaking.
SPEAKER_02Right, excellent filmmaking. Now, so it's really uh the uh feature length, which would be 90 minute docs that you're looking for.
SPEAKER_01Not just ninety minutes, not no short docs, but I think that the Academy I don't know what the I don't I don't have it in front of me, but I think something like sixty minutes is considered a feature length. So it doesn't have to be ninety minutes, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I you know I've I've seen so many people do a ninety minute doc and then they have to cut it to sixty for s uh for sale. And then they find that the sixty minute uh is the one everybody wants. It's uh it sells faster.
SPEAKER_01Well, you know, it's that old adage, if I had had more time I would have written a shorter letter. Um, right, right.
SPEAKER_02Oh goodness, okay. So um how many films typically receive funding each year?
SPEAKER_01Um about thirty um each year. We have two funding cycles each year. Um and we our grants are um our grants are for the most part juried grants. We have different juries each cycle, really esteemed um jury panels. Um and the juries um award about 10 grants. They go from $18,000 to $75,000 at this juncture. Um and then there every once in a while um we have what we call discretionary grants, which do not go through the jury process. Films that we don't think are ready to face a really grueling jury process, but that have something really promising to offer, and we give smaller grants to those, five to ten thousand dollars. Um and we've uh this year we've initiated um what we're calling reprise grants. Films that we have already given grants to can come back one time, and those films that show really good promise to reach their intended audiences and be excellent, um, we're we are giving second grants to.
SPEAKER_02Would that also include um a film that's finished but is in um uh it's an outreach impact campaign. Would they uh come back for uh more money?
SPEAKER_01Yes, there's no. That's a great question, yes and no. The um the reprieves grants are are not for um completed films, they're for films that are nearly completed. Um we have started or we plan to start in the fall of this year, um, a new, a very limited um rollout of new grants that are uh called educational impact grants, and we're selecting a couple of films that we've already given grants to, and uh we're giving an additional grant for educational um impact campaigns that will be run through and by um the educational distributor Good Docs. Oh, do you recommend them? I do, highly.
SPEAKER_02Good. All right, that's wonderful. That I'm telling you, Roberta, to get a good recommendation for education.
SPEAKER_01I mean the Good Docs is it's a Oh yeah, well Good Docs is an educational distributor, and they're run by they started and run by um Sarah Feinboom, who was uh is a documentary filmmaker herself. Very honest, very um, very organized, very um lean in and do the job working with the filmmakers to achieve their distribution goals. So yes, I would highly recommend Good Docs.
SPEAKER_02Great, because I we are uh this school sponsors, and I have a couple of great films coming along. So it's uh thank you for that. I'll check them out. Good Docs.
SPEAKER_01Sure. Yeah, yeah, yeah, you should.
SPEAKER_02Okay, so I know that you've helped find important stories. Uh Trish at Lesig is a uh a sponsor of ours, and she made the fantastic film, A Tree of Life, about the Pittsburgh uh shooting. Uh and so I want to thank you very much. Jewish Story Partners gave her a good donation. It was so kind of you because um this woman w has I've never seen people work so hard as documentary filmmakers, you know? They are night and day, totally dedicated because she was sitting at her father's house in Pittsburgh when that occurred and she picked up her camera, got in the car, drove over there and started shooting. And then she had to get uh start asking friends and family and everyone for money, and she raised she did a marvelous job, total dedication.
SPEAKER_01Right. No, I find that you know if you really have a story that um you feel has to be told and you feel you're the right person to tell it, um, that that is um motivation enough to to get it done, to to lift every stone, so to speak, to f to find the way to make to get it done. That's what you need, you know. You can't be half-hearted about making an independent documentary film.
SPEAKER_02No, it's total commitment. You're absolutely right. Well, um, and your company, Jewish Story Partners, is committed to social justice and positive change through storytelling. So please tell us some examples of how filmmakers supported by your organization have addressed social issues or shed light on important topics.
SPEAKER_01Well, one of our um films that we we gave uh uh funding to, uh Last Flight Home, by um very well-known um independent film uh documentary filmmaker Andy Timoner, um, is about the last 15 days in the life of her father, and it's a very closely observed, fly-on-the-wall, intimate portrait of somebody who chooses to end their life. In California, there is an a right to a right to end one's life, and she follows the her father and his process, as well as the her family members. And I think that, you know, it's a really great film in just in terms of its uh watchability and construction, it's very moving. Um but it's it's very um it takes you inside a life experience that um can help you look at can help audiences, number one, look at death differently, and m perhaps more importantly, look at life differently, um what's important, what's not important. And I think that that's a very that's a very good example of um a film that sparks conversation and can make uh it can contribute to change and social change and just to quality of life and in this case quality of death and family life. Um so it's it's exploring a subject that is not overtly commercial um but is very, very important. Um you mentioned the tree of life, that explores the the aftermath or of of that horrific event and the impact on the community, so it looks looks at anti-Semitism, of course. Um and we funded a film called Conspiracy that takes a look at literally the conspiracy that started um you know, I don't know, a hundred years ago or more with um the the fake protocols of the elders of Zion, which was an anti-Semitic tome that basically said that Jews ran the world in a nefarious way. Um, and it goes all the way from Alfred Dreyfus, the French uh colonel who was uh Jewish colonel who was uh court-martialed and caused tremendous uproar in France at the time, all the way to the attacks on George Soros today as being somehow uh a manipulator behind the scenes. Um it's really looking at the origins of anti-Semitism, and I don't think that that and it's really done in a spectacular way. I don't think, again, not necessarily the kind of film that um a commercial company would be jumping to to fund, um, but a very important film that I think is gonna have a very long life, um uh uh uh broadcast educationally, et cetera, et cetera, and will really has the possibility to change hearts and minds. Um so those those are so two examples.
SPEAKER_02Wonderful, thank you very much. Conspiracy. Now, how can how can I see that?
SPEAKER_01I don't think it's been released yet.
SPEAKER_02Oh, okay. All right, so that's coming out soon, I hope. Coming up.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Okay. All right. But uh tell us what your primary responsibilities are with Jewish Story Partners. Are you working to raise money, Roberta?
SPEAKER_01Well, um uh as I mentioned, I I co-founded Jewish Story Partners with Carolyn La Bresco, and we share the job of co-executive directors of the organization. Um Caroline, with her, you know, uh decades of experience at Sundance, um, she runs the programming department, um, which means running you know the grant programs and other we also try to we also give a continuum of support. We don't just give write checks, we also provide um advice as needed and wanted to filmmakers and connect them with um with uh other filmmakers, uh experienced producers, directors, writers, editors who can help f uh filmmakers when they reach a snag in a project. Um so uh Caroline runs, primarily runs the the programs and uh I take as although I we both participate in the granting process, um I try to make my primary responsibility to raise money to give away to filmmakers.
SPEAKER_02Right. That is quite a challenge.
SPEAKER_03Yes.
SPEAKER_02So I take my hat off to you. That's a lot of work, and I uh you must be doing good to have funded so many films already.
SPEAKER_01This is an incredible we've had we've had very generous funding partners, um, founding partners Righteous Steven Spielberg's Righteous Persons Foundation, Jim Joseph Foundation, Memodities, Corette, Klarman, Schusterman, um and and uh and others, and individuals as well. The Lynn and Jules Crow uh Fund for Doc Ju Jewish Documentary Film. I mean, we really um are are reaching out to people um to join us as uh funding partners in Jewish Story Partners.
SPEAKER_02Well, yes, you have all of the uh ingredients you need to pick and and prepare and nurture filmmakers uh and get these films made uh and that is your focus. So yes, it's a great way uh to achieve success is through uh focusing on the money because th you and Carolyn can choose the winners, so you know how to do that. Well done. Well uh let's talk about um some of the rewarding experiences that you've had in your organization. I guess bringing in a large donation must have been a great achievement.
SPEAKER_01Well, yes, it is it is wonderful to um you know to get in donations to keep the organization alive to fulfill its mission. Um but the best moment of course is notifying filmmakers that they've received a grant. Um and as you know, that's you know s a an a a tremendous thrill for filmmakers because it means that they can continue on in the project that they care so deeply about. So that's what it's all about, right? And that is incredibly gratifying.
SPEAKER_02Well, do you call them? How do you uh notify them?
SPEAKER_01Um usually we notify them um by email, um but but we we do talk with each and every one of our grantees uh at least once a year, um shortly after they receive their grant, and we're checking in with them to see how are they doing, what do they need, what other support can we provide, um, and just to introduce ourselves and hear about what their process is and you know see what we can do we can do to help. Um so and then we we try to talk to those who, you know, we're available to talk to um everyone to the extent that they want us to, to look at cuts, that kind of thing, um, our grantees, um, and give notes, um, or as I mentioned before, to to connect them with other uh filmmakers who can guide them in that process because uh as we get further and further along and have more and more projects, it becomes more and more difficult for Caroline and I to be the only people, you know, helping the filmmakers because we're just you know two people. Um uh and um then we check in during the course of of the year or whenever whenever they they want. So there's a great deal of communication between us and the filmmakers. I mean, we don't want to be intrusive, of course. Most of these filmmakers know very well what they're doing and what they want to do, and you know, we only really you know engage when invited to do so.
SPEAKER_02Right. But having you there a great support system, I'll tell you, I'm sure that people love that. And uh Yeah, the fact that you will look at their cuts and give feedback, that's very time consuming. I know I've done that. Um and it's fully it's full dedication to the process. So thank you very much for that. So um now let's talk about um your personal journey in the industry and any projects that you're currently working on.
SPEAKER_01Well, in addition to a story partners, the main thing I'm doing right now Is um I'm making films for a museum that's being built in Lithuania called the Los Stättl Museum. The Shtdel was a little market town in Eastern Europe, um, and there were literally thousands of them before World War II all over Eastern Europe. And this museum is focusing on um Lithuania, and in particular a small town in Lithuania called um Serdva, which is where um the museum is being built. Um and so we're we're creating films that will educate excuse me, I'm going to sneeze. Okay. On live sneezing, um I'm um it's going the museum is is is going to educate well it's often a bad word. It's going to allow visitors to experience what life was like in these um shtetls, which were predomin you know, uh had large Jewish populations. They were not exclusively Jewish towns, uh that these shedels, but they were market towns that had large or even majority uh Jewish populations throughout Eastern Europe. Uh things that are on the roof. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Oh yes, yes, of course. And uh that's how they used to be. So it's a historical thing that we can all look at.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, because those those towns don't ex don't exist anymore. That's why it's called the La Stadtel Museum. All all those towns were wiped out in the in the in the war. The Holocaust.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. All right. Um thank you. That sounds like a great project. So how many films are you making for them?
SPEAKER_01Well uh the films for museums, so um, you know, it's like an intro film, which is the first thing visitors were s will see, and then films in every gal gallery. I think it's about eight films altogether. Um I just returned from uh Lithuania not that long ago where I was uh there for nine weeks uh doing the filming for it. Uh and have been there many times before that in preparation for that filming. So it's a big uh endeavor um and it's been very uh very interesting. Wow.
SPEAKER_02That eight films out. This is wonderful. Yes, that's gotta be exciting. Yeah. All right, so let's uh talk about Jewish story partners acknowledges that there is no one monolithic Jewish people or Judaism. So how does the organization integrate uh the diversity within the Jewish community?
SPEAKER_01Well, I think first and foremost, um it's uh a frame of mind, right? That we're actively wanting to support stories that haven't been told before and filmmakers who haven't necessarily received institution the institutional support that they need in order to um to make their films. So it's uh it's a it's an intentional focus. Um and s I don't think um I'm ready to say oh that we've succeeded in in our goals, but we're we're certainly um uh on on we're starting, we're trying, we're on our way, and it's a something that we will continue to develop and continue to focus on as we go. Right.
SPEAKER_02Yes, that is the focus. Okay. Well, what can we expect to see from Jewish partners in the coming years? What are your long-term goals?
SPEAKER_01Well, I think like most, you know, most um arts nonprofits have a way of, you know, um having exciting beginnings and important work to do. And it's very hard to sustain uh arts nonprofits. I think we've done very well in establishing a inst a structural in terms of our our our internal processes and fabulous staff and structures within how we operate. Um and we've also done a good job of um bringing in Jewish individuals or individuals and and foundations that are interested in funding Jewish film, and I think we've made a very solid start. Um and the the the goal at this juncture is is really to keep it going. Um uh is to make sure that the organization and the support that it provides to filmmakers um is here, you know, uh going forward. So that I think I would say is a primary goal. Yes.
SPEAKER_02Keep up with what you've done so far, just to keep up with yourself.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_02Sounds like yes, great. Well, how do you bring in these advisors you mentioned that you connect people? And I think that's so important. But uh do you ask your uh people that win your grant, would you consider giving back and helping another filmmaker? Is that how you do it?
SPEAKER_01No, not yet. I mean that might happen down the line. Um, but at this point, um, you know, Caroline and I have both been filmmakers. Um Caroline, in addition to her work at Sundance, also has produced a number of films. Um but we've both been, you know, uh hard at work in the field for decades. Um so our relationships in the field are pretty deep. So at this point we're reaching out to people that that we know, filmmakers, and asking them um for their assistance with other films. And we're not asking people to volunteer, by the way, because filmmakers at all levels need to continue to make a living. So we we pay the advisees, uh advisors. Oh, good for you.
SPEAKER_02I seldom hear that, Roberta. Yes, I know, I know. That is great. Uh all right. Well, thank you so much. We really appreciate all this information because I know there's so many brilliant Jewish stories that need to be told, and I uh I see them come through. We have a little film grant, and uh we've been we have helped fund a lot of them that uh started out with uh a lot of uh guts and um dedication and have been successful. So uh it's uh really important to have a company behind you when you're making a film uh that will always listen and support you because it's very easy to hit the wall as a filmmaker when you feel like you've done everything and nothing is working. You really need someone to talk to. And I guess that's the time they call you and ask for help, right? Roberta?
SPEAKER_05Okay, Claire. It could be that maybe Roberta's mind draw. And uh uh if there's anything else that uh we need to uh do to um hold on for just a moment to see if she'll call back, and in the meantime, we can go ahead and and talk about any new news with from the heart that you might like to share with our listeners.
SPEAKER_02Well, we're having yes, we're having a class on AI. Uh the interesting uh interview we had with Patrick Martin last week. We have a blog online for the first half to tell you how to use uh ChatGPT and VEDIQ and a few other programs. So that's available.
SPEAKER_05Great. And and and Carol, just so you know, it looks like Roberto is back with us. You're back with us, Roberta?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I have no idea. All of a sudden I just was talking to myself. Which I often do.
SPEAKER_02Well, we just first of all, we thank you so much for the work you're doing. And uh we uh really appreciate the time you've given us today to tell us about Jewish partners and how people can contact you. So let's uh close with the company website and all of the information so people can find you.
SPEAKER_01Sure, it's Jewishstorypartners.org. And all the information is there to um about applying, contacting, etc., etc.
SPEAKER_02Okay. Well, we wish you lots of luck and uh we hope maybe in a year we can check back with you and find and listen to all of your great achievements.
SPEAKER_01Great, thank you so much. I really appreciate it.
SPEAKER_02Great. We thank you. And Carolyn too for the work you're doing.
SPEAKER_01Thank you. All right, take care.
SPEAKER_02Thanks. Bye.
SPEAKER_05Great, and be well, everyone. Thank you, Claire. I want to remind our listeners that David Rakelin is a brilliant and talented award-winning musician who scores films and can compose music for a trio or for a full orchestra. David is a very good friend to the independent filmmaker and comes highly recommended by From the Heart Productions. If you need music to help tell your story, please contact him at Davidrakeln.com. That's david R-A-I-K-L-E-N.com. And Carol and I want to thank you for tuning in to the Art of Film Funding. Please visit our website at FromTheHeart Productions.com. You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter. Good luck with your films, everyone.
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