Abby Ginzberg, a Peabody Award-winning director and Emmys® Silver Circle inductee, has been producing compelling documentaries about race and social justice for over 35 years. Recently honored with induction into the Silver Circle of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) in recognition of her 25 years of commitment to the film and TV community, Abby has created an impressive portfolio of award-winning films. 

Abby’s film BARBARA LEE: SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER won the 2022 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Documentary and premiered on STARZ® and was distributed by Lionsgate® Entertainment. The feature length documentary tells the complex story of Representative Barbara Lee, a steadfast voice for human rights, peace and economic and racial justice in the US Congress. This intimate film features prominent voices including Alice Walker, Van Jones, Rep. John Lewis, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Senator Cory Booker, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, and Danny Glover.  

Her short film JUDGING JURIES, highlights the urgent need to address inequities in jury service that undermine the fundamental right to be judged by a diverse and representative jury, premiered at the Pan African Film Festival and has garnered recognition with awards such as Best Documentary Short at the Cal Film Festival and Outstanding Achievement in Documentary Shorts from the Accolade Global Awards.

Her current film, co-directed with Christy Carpenter, SHAKING IT UP: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF LIZ CARPENTER, premiered at SXSW, receiving accolades including Best Feature Documentary at the Hill Country Film Festival and Best Biographical Film at the Toronto International Women Film Festival and will be broadcast on public television in 2025. 

Abby also produced A DOUBLE LIFE, directed by Catherine Masud, which premiered at the Mill Valley Film Festival, earning an Audience Favorite award. This compelling documentary focuses on activism in the 1960s and the role of activists and lawyers in the prison reform movement of the early 1970s, introducing educational institutions and future generations to this pivotal era. 

She served as the Consulting Producer on THE BARBER OF BIRMINGHAM, directed by Robin Fryday and Gail Dolgin. This poignant documentary premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2011 and was nominated for a 2012 Academy Award® in the Short Documentary category, highlighting its significant impact and relevance in exploring social justice through the experience of foot soldiers of the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham, Alabama.

Abby directed and produced SOFT VENGEANCE: ALBIE SACHS AND THE NEW SOUTH AFRICA, which won a Peabody Award and has screened at numerous film festivals worldwide. The film, narrated by Emmy® Award-Winning actress Alfre Woodard, tells the powerful story of Albie Sachs, a prominent anti-apartheid activist and former Constitutional Court judge, exploring his journey and contributions to South Africa's post-apartheid landscape.  

Abby’s film, WAGING CHANGE, examines the challenges faced by tipped restaurant servers, forced to live off tips. The documentary highlights the struggles surrounding the federal tipped minimum wage, which remains at  $2.13 per hour, and was broadcast on public television.

The film features award-winning actor and activist Jane Fonda, recognized with multiple Academy Awards®, Primetime Emmy Awards®, and Golden Globe Awards® for her contributions to film and television. It also features award-winning actor and activist Lily Tomlin, who has received multiple Academy Awards®, Primetime Emmy Awards®, and Golden Globe Awards® for her work in the industry.

AND THEN THEY CAME FOR US (2017), featuring George Takei, explores the connection between the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II and the Trump administration’s Muslim travel ban, raising critical questions about civil liberties. The film was broadcast on public television.

AGENTS OF CHANGE (2016), co-directed with Frank Dawson, tells the untold story of the Black student movement of the late 1960s on college campuses. Actor and activist, Danny Glover, is featured in the film. It won both the Jury and Audience awards for Best Documentary at the Pan African Film Festival and was broadcast on public television as part of America ReFramed.

 Currently, Abby is in production on several new films,.including SHE DARED TO DREAM (a docu-series in development), which features Rep. Ayanna Pressley, a Democrat representing Massachusetts’ 7th Congressional District. This project brings together the same women-led team from the NAACP Image Award-winning film BARBARA LEE: SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER, with Barbara Lee serving as a consulting producer. The film will explore Pressley’s vision, challenges, and aspirations as a trailblazer in American politics, alongside Abby’s broader documentary series about women of color serving in the House of Representatives.

LABORS OF LOVE: HENRIETTA SZOLD’S LIFE AND LEGACY. This documentary delves into the remarkable life of Szold, founder of Hadassah in 1912, a key figure in establishing healthcare and social services in early twentieth-century Palestine. The film explores her efforts in rescuing Jewish children during the 1930s and her lasting legacy in public health and social work.

Her films are distributed for educational use through Women Make Movies,  Good Docs and California Newsreel and for personal use through Amazon Prime, Apple TV and Vimeo.  This distribution network not only enhances accessibility to her powerful narratives but also aligns with Abby's commitment to fostering dialogue around critical social issues. Through these partnerships, her films educate, inspire, and continue to make an impact, while provoking meaningful discussions across diverse audiences and educational institutions.

Char Woods Silberg has worked in documentary and video production for public and network television, and independent outlets. Her passions and core strengths lie in research, writing and producing. Char won a national Emmy for Flight 93 with a team at CBS News Productions. In addition, she has worked in nonprofits to promote education and economic equality. As Communications Director in a charitable organization based at the National Institutes of Health, she supported patients in treatment trials. Char holds an MPA from New York University and was a Benton Fellow of Broadcast Journalism at the University of Chicago. She lives with her husband in Rome.

Eli Olson is an Emmy® Award-winning editor and storyteller. In 2022, Eli worked on the Hi I’m series on the episode “Hi I’m Nancy Rubin” which is currently airing on HBO Max. In 2021, Eli cut Brother, an animated short documentary about a brother and sister’s journey through opioid addiction. Brother is streaming on PBS Independent Lens.

In 2020, Eli edited the Frontline Episode “Covid’s Hidden Toll,” an investigation into the human rights abuses of California’s farming industry. The episode won a Scripps Howard Award for excellence in national/international investigative reporting and was nominated for a Peabody Award.

In 2018, Eli had four films selected for the Mill Valley Film Festival: From Baghdad To The Bay, Time for Ilhan, I am Maris, and Who Killed Lt. Van Dorn? Van Dorn won the Active Cinema Audience award at MVFF. Baghdad won Best Documentary at Cinequest 2018 and Time for Ilhan was an official selection of the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival.

Eli won an Emmy® for her work on My Flesh and Blood for HBO films, which also took Best Documentary honors as well as the Audience Award and Best Director prizes at the Sundance Film Festival.

Yvette Gershon is an independent consultant, project manager, and global branding specialist for the non-profit sector. Previously she was Head of PR at Technion for three decades where she consolidated its global status as the innovation powerhouse that seeded the Startup Nation, advocating for Israel’s premier university dedicated to human progress and the creation of a better world through effective science communication. As creative director of Technion’s global image, milestones included the Nobel Prize campaigns and launching Technion’s new campuses in New York (JTCI) and China (GTIIT). Campaigns have included promoting women in science, producing popular science videos and the creation of Israel’s leading university YouTube channel, and establishing a historic media archive. Her passion lies in bringing out the best in people, mentoring, outreach, and social impact projects.

Frederick Hertz is an attorney-mediator based in Oakland, California.  He has been a long-term supporter of documentary film, especially in the areas of LGBT and refugee rights and Israeli historical documentaries. He is a former Board member of the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival. He is a regular attendee at Docaviv, the premiere Israeli documentary film festival, and is the son of a lifetime member and past regional president of Hadassah.

Avigail Sperber is a Producer, Director, and a Cinematographer for Documentaries, TV Series and Dramas. Furthermore, she is an artist, an Artistic Adviser for various foundations, an Academic Film Lecturer and Mentor. For the past 25 years she has been involved in dozens of projects, for which she won multiple awards, in Israel and abroad. Among those, her award- winning film, Probation Time, which won Best Israeli Film and Best Cinematography awards at the Docaviv Film Festival as well as Best Cinematography, Best Documentary, and Best Editing awards from The Israeli Documentary Film Forum. Her film, The Hangman, got the Best Documentary award on Haifa International Film Festival, a Special Mention on IDFA, and was screened in dozens of festivals around the worlds. Further, Avigail won Best Cinematography award for The Hangman from The Israeli Documentary Film Forum. Her previous films include Prisoners (2021) | Probation Time (2016) The Holy Closet (2022-producer) | Absolute Happiness (2019) | Covered Up (2018) | Mirror of the Sun (2018) | Family Matters (2015)

Sharon is a graduate of the  Sam Spiegel Film and Television School. During her studies Sharon specialized in directing and sound- recording and design.. Sharon is one of the only women in Israel in field recording. Among the documentaries she has worked on as a Sound Engineer are: "The Hangman" (IDFA 2010), "Black Bus" (Berlinale 2011) and on Sandi DuBowski's latest documentary co-production.. Sharon also teaches sound at the Spiegel Film and Television School and at Minshar School for Art.

Amily Glick Weil is a multidisciplinary artist, art director, cinematographer, producer and colorful adventurer. She works mainly as an art director and cinematographer who sees the big picture and pays attention to the little details in the frame. As part of her studies, she won the best cinematography award for her short films - Films Animal and Make a Wish. During the last decade she has produced, been a cinematographer and designed dozens of films, TV shows, promotional videos and music videos. In addition, Amily is a facilitator of group dynamics and processes of personal development.