About the Film

Sustainable Nation, the new hour-long documentary from Imagination Productions, follows three individuals who are doing their part to bring sustainable water solutions to an increasingly thirsty planet.

Using solutions developed in water-poor Israel, they are working to change the status quo of a world where one in ten people lacks access to safe drinking water.

But water is just the beginning. The work of this visionary trio highlights the nexus between food, energy and water and underscores how solving these enormous challenges can help free women, and the world, from life-threatening poverty, illness and lack of opportunity.

From the creators of Netflix-featured Beneath the Helmet: From High School to the Home Front, and PBS-featured Israel Inside: How a Small Nation Makes a Big Difference, Sustainable Nation shows how fixing global water issues is not only a matter of life and death but the start of healing the world.

Director's Note

The year was 1989, and I remember sitting in my 4th grade class, listening to our homeroom teacher teaching us about the drought in California and the need to conserve water. While the drought subsided a few years later and the water-saving methods we had learned became unnecessary, I would never forget what I really learned that day: every individual has a responsibility to protect the environment, and even the smallest acts can make a difference.

Nearly 30 years later, the global water crisis has grown more severe. One in nine people lack access to safe water and a million people die every year due to water, sanitation and hygiene-related disease. By 2025, the World Health Organization estimates that by 2025 half of the global population will be facing water scarcity. 

When my producers and I began working on this project several years ago, we certainly wanted to make a film that spread awareness about the water crisis- Ultimately though, we wanted to focus on solutions to give audiences hope that we can solve this issue. 

As we began our research, there was one statistic that truly blew me away: Israel leads the world in wastewater recycling, reusing more than 80% of its wastewater, with the next closest country being Spain at 20%. Following up on this we found that in a country that is mainly desert, and after years of drought in the 1980’s and 90’s, Israel has become a water exporter. Over the course of just a few decades, Israelis developed a unique social consciousness around water conservation that has resulted in homegrown solutions that are now used around the world. This is the kind of transformation we dream of for the global community. When it comes to water, Israelis are incredible role models for how individuals around the world can have an impact.

It is our hope that by sharing the stories and insights of the people in this small country, our film will have an impact on the global water crisis. While Sustainable Nation tells the stories of just a few people working on issues of water scarcity, the film is ultimately meant to teach the same lesson I learned in 4th grade: every individual has a responsibility to protect the environment, and even the smallest actions can make a difference.

The Filmmakers

Micah Smith, Director & Editor

Micah is an award-winning narrative and documentary filmmaker whose films have been featured on Netflix, and screened at international film festivals, the UN, British Parliament, and the US Congress.

Raphael Shore, Executive Producer

Raphael Shore, Jerusalem U Founder and CEO, is a rabbi, educator and film producer. He has produced over a dozen highly acclaimed documentaries including the Netflix-featured Beneath the Helmet, a coming-of-age film about five Israeli soldiers, and the PBS-featured Israel Inside, about contemporary Israel and its global contributions.

Mitchell R. Julis, Executive Producer

Mitch Julis is Co-Founder, Co-Chairman, and Co-CEO of Canyon Partners, LLC. Prior to forming Canyon, he directed a group of professionals at Drexel Burnham Lambert. He is a graduate of the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University, Harvard Law School, and Harvard Business School, and helped establish the Harvard Law School Program on Jewish and Israeli Law.

Fernanda Rossi, Supervising Writer

Fernanda Rossi is an internationally renowned writer and educator who has collaborated on over 500 scripts, documentaries, and projects. Her documentaries have been nominated for the Academy Awards and the Wildscreen Panda Awards, and have won awards at IDFA, Hot Docs, Sheffield Doc/Fest, Sundance and, DOCNYC. Her book Trailer Mechanics: How to Make Your Documentary Fundraising Demo is considered the bible on demo production by industry professionals.

Rebecca Shore, Producer/Writer

Rebecca Shore directed the award-winning documentary When the Smoke Clears. She was writer for the acclaimed PBS-featured documentary Israel Inside; producer/writer of the Netflix-featured Beneath the Helmet; director/producer of Mekonen: the Journey of an African Jew; and writer of Hummus! The Movie. She is also an artist and lecturer.

David Coleman, Senior Producer

David is a filmmaker with more than 20 years’ experience in the entertainment and media industry. He has served as producer, director, and distributor on numerous productions. Prior to his work at Imagination Productions, his award-winning documentary film, Blindsided, premiered on HBO Television.

The Main Characters

Film Credits

Executive Producers

Karen W. Davidson
Mitch Julis
Russell F. Robinson

Co-Producers

Kam Babaoff
Pamela Claman
Bill Farber
Rachel Gindi
Shmuel Katz
Ezra Kest
Adam Milstein
Gay Peisach
Sunny Sassoon
Alison Wolfson

Associate Producers

Russell Jay Greenberg
Marc Levine
Lawrence A. Wolfe

Producer’s Circle

Kam & Lily Babaoff
Aba & Pamela Claman
BIMAH Foundation
Marcia & Philip Cohen

Rachel & Jackז”ל Gindi Family Foundation
Robyn & Russell Greenberg
Gerald & Sheryl Hartman
Honickman Foundation
Dr. Shmuel & Evelyn Katz
Lauren & Ezra Kest
Millie & Larry Magid
The Adam & Gila Milstein Family Foundation
Alberto & Gay Peisach
The Julis Rabinowitz Family
Sunny & Debbie Sassoon
Andrea & Lawrence Wolfe Family Foundation
Sherry & Bob Wiener
Sheryl & David Wiener

Director’s Circle

Jane & John August
The Bernstein Family Foundation
Drew & Beth Fromkin
Andrea & Larry Gill
Caroline & Michael Hackman
Janice & Steve Hefter
Hochberg Family Foundation
Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles
JNF Boruchin Israel Education and
Advocacy Center
Faye & Jonathan Kellerman
Beth & Jeff Kopin
Diane & Andy Lappin
Middle East Forum

Shevi & Tom Peters
Pamela Rose
Susan & Marc Sacks
Debbie & Naty Saidoff
Rob Schwartz & Vicki Trachten Schwartz
Ilan Sharon
Stand With Us
Thank Israeli Soldiers
In honor of Noya Engel & Gal Zohar

Cinematographer’s Circle

Debby & Erik Belt
Archie Gottesman & Gary DeBode
Samuel Delug
Arlene & Stanley Ginsburg
Ellen & David Goldschmidt
Jules L. & Dorothy M. Kamsly Teen Programs Fund
Corie & Michael Koss
Karen & Mitch Kuflik
Kim & Jonathan Kushner
Shari & Nathan Lindenbaum
Tracy Stein & Marco Masotti
Kim & Perry Shwachman
Rachel Tigay
The Uretsky family
Naomi Vilko
Jewish Federation of Greater Washington’s
Jteen Philanthropy
Princeton Jewish Community Youth Foundation
Jewish Federation South Palm Beach County