Mah Nishtanah
New York City, New York | Film Short
Drama, Family
On a night devoted to questions, an unexpected answer arrives at the Passover table. Set in the 1960s, a seemingly perfect Jewish family is forced to confront a hidden truth, and their teenage daughter fights to hold them and the traditions that bind them together, as the night unravels.
Mah Nishtanah
New York City, New York | Film Short
Drama, Family
2 Campaigns | New York, United States
29 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
$10,805
Goal: $15,000 for production
On a night devoted to questions, an unexpected answer arrives at the Passover table. Set in the 1960s, a seemingly perfect Jewish family is forced to confront a hidden truth, and their teenage daughter fights to hold them and the traditions that bind them together, as the night unravels.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Mah Nishtanah (מה נשתנה) is the phrase that begins the Four Questions in the Passover Haggadah, asking:
"Why is this night different from all other nights?” This question, at the center of every Passover Seder, drives Mah Nishtanah. But our film asks a more difficult question: what happens when a family is forced to confront the truth of their own story?
Set over a Passover evening in 1960s Pittsburgh, the film follows 17 year-old Carolyn as her family's meticulously prepared Seder is upended by a long-buried secret. Under her mother’s watchful eye, she executes the ritual with care, balancing sibling tensions and the quiet pressure to uphold harmony.
But just before the Four Questions are asked, an unexpected phone call reveals a long-buried secret that can no longer be contained. What begins as a night of ritual, warmth, and togetherness becomes a crucible of tension. Carolyn must step into the emotional backbone of her family… protecting her younger sister, managing conflict, while holding their rituals and the people she loves together even as the ground beneath her shifts. Through Carolyn’s eyes, the Seder becomes more than a ritual - it's a reckoning, a place where humor and warmth simmer, and where unity and tension coexist.
By the end of the night, Carolyn is forced to reckon with a hard truth: that like the Passover story itself, hardship isn’t the end of a family’s story, but the beginning of how it transforms and how they find their way forward.
This story is deeply personal. It is inspired by my own upbringing and my mother's youth - by homes built on ritual, closeness, and the kind of complicated, resilient love that lives inside many families.
While rooted in Jewish tradition, the heart of this film aims to reach beyond one culture. The story speaks to a universal experience - the tension between family, faith, and the desire to preserve connection. It speaks to anyone who has felt the pull between who their family needs them to be and who they are still becoming, especially the daughters who find themselves holding both at once.
At a time when Jewish identity and female adolescence are often simplified or sidelined, stories like this feel important to tell now more than ever. The film aims to deepen understanding, foster connection and honest conversation - so that audiences leave with not only a greater awareness of Jewish tradition, but a deeper understanding of the families they come from and what they carry forward.
Mah Nishtanah is a proof-of-concept short - the first step in bringing this story to life as a feature length film, and with your support, build a story that can reach audiences on a global scale.
All contributions are tax-deductible through our partnership with From the Heart Productions, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that has supported socially impactful films for over 30 years.
We’ve carefully crafted a $15,000 budget - the minimum needed to begin production with our experienced, predominantly female-led team. Your support will equip us with the necessary resources to create this film at the highest quality, creativity, and authenticity, within the most responsible scale.
Every contribution, at any level, helps make this film possible and goes directly toward:
Seed&Spark requires us to raise at least 80% of our goal within 45 days, or we won't receive any funds at all. Your support means the world, without you, this film wouldn’t be possible.
To get our film edited and ready for the world, our stretch goal is to reach $20,000. This will allow us to cover post-production (including editing, color, sound design, and music), as well as distribution and festival submission costs to ensure the film reaches audiences as widely as possible.
CONTRIBUTE to our campaign, we are incredibly grateful for any and all donations, and most importantly, your belief in our film!
SHARE our campaign link with friends, family, and colleagues and by word of mouth, to widen our audience and community.
FOLLOW us here on Seed&Spark and our social media (@mahnishtanahfilm), where we'll be posting regular updates and information on the film and our progress!
By supporting Mah Nishtanah, you become part of our team and the beginning of a larger story. Every contribution is a partnership forged with this film and a vote for the importance of intimate, deeply human stories.
With your help, we are creating a film together that invites us to look more honestly at the families we come from - the traditions we inherit, the truths we grapple with, and the love that continues to bind us together through it all.
We would love for you to join us in bringing this story to life, and sharing it with audiences beyond this table.
With gratitude and love,
The Mah Nishtanah Team
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cast
Costs $2,000
Help bring our five SAG actors to set! Your contribution covers the talent at the heart of this story.
Crew
Costs $3,500
Back the talented people behind the camera! Donations go toward our highly experienced dedicated crew, the majority of whom are women.
Camera & Lighting Gear
Costs $2,500
Help us achieve the cinematic look this story deserves. Funds go toward renting professional camera and lighting gear to capture our vision.
Production Design & Wardrobe
Costs $2,000
Make this world come alive! Support covers props, set dressing, art department essentials, and costume pieces that define each character.
Sound Equipment & Media
Costs $2,000
Capture every moment clearly and cleanly. Your support covers production sound gear, media cards, and drives to store it all.
Locations & Permits
Costs $1,000
Help us cover the location fees, permits, and picture vehicle costs to secure the perfect settings for every scene.
Food & Catering
Costs $800
Support our table! Keep our hard-working cast and crew fed and energized across all four shoot days.
Transportation & Insurance
Costs $1,200
Getting our full cast and crew to and from set safely, with full production insurance coverage to protect everyone on set.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Meet the team behind Mah Nishtanah!
 (6 x 18 in) (2).jpg)
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Mah Nishtanah (מה נשתנה) is the phrase that begins the Four Questions in the Passover Haggadah, asking:
"Why is this night different from all other nights?” This question, at the center of every Passover Seder, drives Mah Nishtanah. But our film asks a more difficult question: what happens when a family is forced to confront the truth of their own story?
Set over a Passover evening in 1960s Pittsburgh, the film follows 17 year-old Carolyn as her family's meticulously prepared Seder is upended by a long-buried secret. Under her mother’s watchful eye, she executes the ritual with care, balancing sibling tensions and the quiet pressure to uphold harmony.
But just before the Four Questions are asked, an unexpected phone call reveals a long-buried secret that can no longer be contained. What begins as a night of ritual, warmth, and togetherness becomes a crucible of tension. Carolyn must step into the emotional backbone of her family… protecting her younger sister, managing conflict, while holding their rituals and the people she loves together even as the ground beneath her shifts. Through Carolyn’s eyes, the Seder becomes more than a ritual - it's a reckoning, a place where humor and warmth simmer, and where unity and tension coexist.
By the end of the night, Carolyn is forced to reckon with a hard truth: that like the Passover story itself, hardship isn’t the end of a family’s story, but the beginning of how it transforms and how they find their way forward.
This story is deeply personal. It is inspired by my own upbringing and my mother's youth - by homes built on ritual, closeness, and the kind of complicated, resilient love that lives inside many families.
While rooted in Jewish tradition, the heart of this film aims to reach beyond one culture. The story speaks to a universal experience - the tension between family, faith, and the desire to preserve connection. It speaks to anyone who has felt the pull between who their family needs them to be and who they are still becoming, especially the daughters who find themselves holding both at once.
At a time when Jewish identity and female adolescence are often simplified or sidelined, stories like this feel important to tell now more than ever. The film aims to deepen understanding, foster connection and honest conversation - so that audiences leave with not only a greater awareness of Jewish tradition, but a deeper understanding of the families they come from and what they carry forward.
Mah Nishtanah is a proof-of-concept short - the first step in bringing this story to life as a feature length film, and with your support, build a story that can reach audiences on a global scale.
All contributions are tax-deductible through our partnership with From the Heart Productions, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that has supported socially impactful films for over 30 years.
We’ve carefully crafted a $15,000 budget - the minimum needed to begin production with our experienced, predominantly female-led team. Your support will equip us with the necessary resources to create this film at the highest quality, creativity, and authenticity, within the most responsible scale.
Every contribution, at any level, helps make this film possible and goes directly toward:
Seed&Spark requires us to raise at least 80% of our goal within 45 days, or we won't receive any funds at all. Your support means the world, without you, this film wouldn’t be possible.
To get our film edited and ready for the world, our stretch goal is to reach $20,000. This will allow us to cover post-production (including editing, color, sound design, and music), as well as distribution and festival submission costs to ensure the film reaches audiences as widely as possible.
CONTRIBUTE to our campaign, we are incredibly grateful for any and all donations, and most importantly, your belief in our film!
SHARE our campaign link with friends, family, and colleagues and by word of mouth, to widen our audience and community.
FOLLOW us here on Seed&Spark and our social media (@mahnishtanahfilm), where we'll be posting regular updates and information on the film and our progress!
By supporting Mah Nishtanah, you become part of our team and the beginning of a larger story. Every contribution is a partnership forged with this film and a vote for the importance of intimate, deeply human stories.
With your help, we are creating a film together that invites us to look more honestly at the families we come from - the traditions we inherit, the truths we grapple with, and the love that continues to bind us together through it all.
We would love for you to join us in bringing this story to life, and sharing it with audiences beyond this table.
With gratitude and love,
The Mah Nishtanah Team
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cast
Costs $2,000
Help bring our five SAG actors to set! Your contribution covers the talent at the heart of this story.
Crew
Costs $3,500
Back the talented people behind the camera! Donations go toward our highly experienced dedicated crew, the majority of whom are women.
Camera & Lighting Gear
Costs $2,500
Help us achieve the cinematic look this story deserves. Funds go toward renting professional camera and lighting gear to capture our vision.
Production Design & Wardrobe
Costs $2,000
Make this world come alive! Support covers props, set dressing, art department essentials, and costume pieces that define each character.
Sound Equipment & Media
Costs $2,000
Capture every moment clearly and cleanly. Your support covers production sound gear, media cards, and drives to store it all.
Locations & Permits
Costs $1,000
Help us cover the location fees, permits, and picture vehicle costs to secure the perfect settings for every scene.
Food & Catering
Costs $800
Support our table! Keep our hard-working cast and crew fed and energized across all four shoot days.
Transportation & Insurance
Costs $1,200
Getting our full cast and crew to and from set safely, with full production insurance coverage to protect everyone on set.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Meet the team behind Mah Nishtanah!