Help Support the
Debra Chasnoff / GroundSpark Legacy Initiative
by making a tax-deductible gift here:
ABOUT THE DEBRA CHASNOFF / GROUNDSPARK LEGACY INITIATIVE
Debra Chasnoff changed the world with documentary films and public engagement campaigns. In the nearly 40 years since her first film premiered, the impact of her work has been remarkable. Choosing Children (1984) explored the once unheard of idea that lesbians and gay men could become parents. Her Academy Award-winning Deadly Deception (1991) helped catalyze GE’s exit from the nuclear weapons industry. It’s Elementary (1996) co-produced with Helen S. Cohen, and her Respect for All Project are widely hailed to have promoted life-changing discussions about gender and sexuality, bias and bullying, and acting for positive change. Today,these films are still continually used in classrooms and community settings to build understanding of LGBTQ identities and inspire deeply necessary shifts toward respect and celebration of diversity.
Debra Chasnoff passed away in 2017, after documenting her own journey with advanced breast cancer and end-of-life care in her final and most personal film PROGNOSIS – notes on living. After her passing, Debra’s longtime creative collaborator, Kate Stilley Steiner, led a close-knit team of Debra’s long-time filmmaking collaborators to finish the film and bring it to film festivals around the world from 2021-2023.
GroundSpark’s Board of Directors decided to close the non-profit and transfer the GroundSpark Film Catalog to Citizen Film in the summer of 2023. Citizen Film will continue to support the profound impact of GroundSpark’s past documentaries and lead the public engagement campaign that uses Debra Chasnoff’s final film to help spark conversations about end of life issues with audiences across the country and beyond.
Debra Chasnoff’s catalog of GroundSpark films are available via New Day Films.
GroundSpark’s catalog of films are available on New Day Films. They are produced by Debra Chasnoff and her co-directors / co-producers including Helen S. Cohen, Johnny Symons, Sue Chen, Ariella J. Ben-Dov, Mimi Kim Klausner, Margaret Lazarus, and Kate Stilley Steiner.
Help Support the Debra Chasnoff / GroundSpark Legacy Initiative
by making a tax-deductible gift here:
Project Team
Director: Kate Stilley Steiner
Impact Producer: Andra Oshinsky
Communications Associate: Sarah Scannell
Distribution: New Day Films
