Reboot Studios

Noam Dromi, Managing Director of Reboot Studios, sat down with filmmaker and actor Matthew Shear to discuss his new film Fantasy Life, a deeply personal story where Jewish identity isn’t a premise, but a lived cultural environment shaping how characters think, joke and relate to one another. In this conversation, Shear reflects on the origins of the film, the role of intergenerational memory and the subtle, often uncomfortable ways we navigate identity, assimilation and inheritance. Rather than positioning itself as an “issue film,” Fantasy Life offers something more intimate and textured, rooted in character, humor and emotional honesty. Watch the video conversation or read the written Q&A to learn through our conversation with Shear about the making of the film, the ideas behind it, and the cultural questions it raises. Fantasy Life is now streaming on all platforms!

Reboot Studios short film Mashhad streaming exclusively on ChaiFlicks. Set in the holy Islamic city of Mashhad in 1930’s Iran, Mashhad follows Miriam, a young Jewish ghetto girl struggling to understand why her family conceal who they are. An innocent day playing with a neighborhood friend soon threatens the fragile safety of two households. Produced by Reboot Studios and inspired by writer-director Sarah Solemani’s family history in the Mashhadi Jewish community, the film offers a rare cinematic window onto a long-suppressed chapter of Iranian Jewish life. Though set in the past, the story of Mashhad resonates today as conversations about Iran and its people often overlook the complexity of the country’s history and the diverse communities who have lived there. Learn more here.

What can the most successful doll on the planet show us about being Jewish today? Narrated by Peter Coyote, this award-winning film from Tiffany Shlain and Ken Goldberg mixes old school narration with a new school style. Weaving together archival footage, animation, Barbie dioramas, and slam poetry, The Tribe takes audiences on an electric ride through the complex history of the Jewish people- from Biblical times to present day- through the story of Barbie. The film sheds light on the questions: What does it mean to be an American Jew today? What does it mean to be a member of any tribe in the 21st Century? Learn more and watch here.

Now streaming, the Kitchen Radio podcast brings listeners to the table of communities from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia for intergenerational stories of community life and ritual practices from guests who are part of a rising renaissance of creative food projects in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Listen to the audio trailer now here and subscribe to the Reboot Presents podcast channel to get the first episode next month. Learn more here!

Reboot and Tiffany Woolf’s Silver Screen Studios are partnering with the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco around Reboot Network member Gillian Laub’s new photo exhibition Family Matters. The project offers a space for people to reflect on family – biological or chosen – and how our connections with loved ones influence our lives. Watch our first reel of public contributions to the project and visit at The CJM until April 9, 2023.

As Broadway and theatres around the globe finally begin to reopen, international stars of Fiddler on the Roof pause to offer this “Sabbath Prayer” for our collective safe return. Presented by OneTable with Broadway.com and produced by Adam Kantor in partnership with Reboot. Watch here.