Jewish Story Partners Issues $450,000 in Grants for 18 New Documentary Films

Los Angeles nonprofit Jewish Story Partners announced $450,000 in new grants to fund 18 different documentary projects this week.

Founded in 2021 with support from Kate Capshaw and Steven Spielberg, the group seeks “to stimulate and support the highest caliber independent films that expand the Jewish story.” Since its inception, JSP has awarded approximately $2.5 million in grants.

The new slate of recipients includes filmmakers like Anne Aghion (“My Neighbor, My Killer”), Dan Habib (“Intelligent Lives”), Mark Jonathan Harris (“The Long Way Home,” “Into the Arms of Strangers”), Rachel Leah Jones (“Advocate”), Jacob Kornbluth (“Inequality for All,” “Haiku Tunnel”) and Marlene McCurtis (“Women on Death Row”).

More from Variety

• Jewish Story Partners Set 2023 Slate of Documentary Film Grantees (EXCLUSIVE)

• Jewish Story Partners Announces Second Wave of Film Grants, Pledges $1 Million by 2023

• Steven Spielberg, Kate Capshaw Donate $1 Million to Help Launch Jewish Story Partners Film Foundation

“At a time when nuance is sorely needed in public discourse, we’re proud to support films that elucidate complex realities and reflect a range of Jewish stories, perspectives and experiences,” said JSP co-executive directors Caroline Libresco and Roberta Grossman.

Upon the grant awarding, JSP leadership said that in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel, “[We] renew our faith in film as an indispensable tool to build empathy and fight against ignorance and hate,” and that the program seeks to respond to “the persistence of Holocaust denial and the myriad Holocaust stories yet to be told.”

To that end, JSP has established two new funds. First, the Holocaust Film Fund, which will provide funding for nonfiction work about the Holocaust. Second, the Antisemitism and the Ecosystem of Hate Film Fund, which will support docs exploring antisemitism as well as those that probe the connections between antisemitism and other group-based hate. Learn more about the slate of grant winners here.

Best of Variety

• Oscars Predictions: Original Score – Could the 'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse' Music Challenge 'Oppenheimer?'

• New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 

• Oscars Predictions: Documentary Feature – Which 15 Movies Will Make the Shortlist?

Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.