Call for Entries! Apply for funding by January 17th, 2025.
Logline
Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, ‘the Singing Rabbi,’ ignited the spiritual landscape for legions of Jews in a post-Holocaust world. Soon after his death, he is accused of sexual abuse. Thirty years later, with intimate access to his family, inner circle, and his victims, Carlebach Project Untitled grapples with a complicated legacy and how — or whether — to separate the art from the artist.
Simon Mendes - Director, Producer
Simon Mendes is a New York-based director and producer. He was Associate Producer of both the Netflix Original documentaries Becoming (Dir. Nadia Hallgren), the story of the former First Lady Michelle Obama, and Dick Johnson Is Dead (Dir. Kirsten Johnson), which premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and was shortlisted for Best Documentary at the 2021 Academy Awards®. Simon was also AP of Charm City (Dir. Marilyn Ness), which was shortlisted for the 2019 Academy Awards®. Simon’s original film, Dating In Place, about virtual dating at the outset of COVID-19, was featured in The New Yorker. Simon co-produced Sabbath Queen (Dir. Sandi DuBowski), which premiered at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival. Simon is a member of the Producers Guild of America (PGA) and the Documentary Producers Alliance (DPA). His work has been supported by Jewish Story Partners, Jewish Film Institute, Gotham Film & Media Institute, and DOC NYC Live Pitch.
Heidi Reinberg - Producer
After distinguished careers in fashion and nonprofit, Heidi Reinberg’s move into film production was inspired by Oscar–winning director Cynthia Wade. Reinberg produced Wade’s debut Grist for the Mill for Cinemax, and Wade’s award-winning Shelter Dogs for HBO. Reinberg’s 93Queen — a co-production with ITVS, ARTE SWR, and YesDocu — had its premiere on PBS’s POV doc series; 93Queen currently lives on HBO Max and Amazon Prime. Previous credits include Born to Be (premiered at NY Film Festival, nominated for Outstanding Documentary and Best Director Emmys Documentary) and War Photographers/ Exposure (NBCUniversal) with Oscar winner Ross Kauffman. Among others, her work has been supported by Sundance Documentary Institute; Open Society Foundation; Just Films | Ford Foundation; Winkelried Foundation; XTR; the Tribeca Film Institute; Catapult Film Fund; Fork Films; NYSCA; IDA Enterprise Fund; IDA Pare Lorentz Doc Fund; Economic Hardship Reporting Project; Picture Motion; Hartley Film Foundation; Austin Film Society; and TFI A&E StoryLab.