Instagram story viewer> @jrseftel> Posts

Joshua Seftel

@jrseftel

6.9K

followers

2414

following

🎬 Director @alltheemptyrooms🏆 Academy Award® Winner 2026 🌞 Commentator: CBS Sunday Morning (with my mom)
Follow for posts about my mom, Pat

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

Over the past 15 years, my mom and I have been recording our conversations to share with the world. What started as a fun way to connect grew into something much bigger than we ever expected. Thanks to @cbssundaymorning for your partnership. Here’s a look at how it all got started. by @jrseftel

3k

131

2 months ago

All the Empty Rooms has won the Academy Award® for Best Documentary Short Film.

Thank you to everyone who helped bring us to this moment: Steve Hartman, Lou Bopp, the team at @netflix, our incredible ensemble of filmmakers, and many more.

The empty rooms in our film belonged to four young children: Hallie, Gracie, Dominic, and Jackie. All of them were killed in school shootings.

To their families: Thank you for trusting us to help share their stories. We couldn’t be here without you.  
—

Director:
@jrseftel

Producers:
@jamesthecharles
@trevor.burgess.94
@casualconall

Editors:
@erinlcasper
@mainmaing
@jeremymedoff

Director of Photography:
@mattporwoll

Music:
@alexsomersmusic

Sound Design:
Peter Albrechtsen, MPSE

Colorist:
@kathraisch

Executive Producers:
Adam McKay @mr.ghostpanther
Kevin Messick
Steve Kerr
Rev. Dr. Conrad Fischer, MD
Roy and Mary Judelson @royjudelson
Phil and Cheryl Milstein
Geralyn Dreyfous
Regina K. Scully @reginascully
Melony and Adam Lewis
Claire Aguilar @claireannaguilar
Lisa Cortés @misscortes
Sigrid Dyekjær @sigriddyekjaer
Anna Bick Rowe @annabickrowe
Jon Levin
Kim Magnusson @kimmerik
Eric Nichols @esnichols1

Co-Producers:
Avi Bond
Michael J Gray
Sarah McCarthy @sarahlikesfilms

Consulting Producers:
Dr. Chethan Sathya, MD @drchethansathya
Fred Guttenberg @fredguttenberg18
Jody Snider @jodybsnider
Ilene Gutman @ilenegutman
Erika Frankel @erikafrankel

Co-EP:
Chelsea Noll-McClintock @chelnollmcc

#AllTheEmptyRooms by @jrseftel

6k

212

7 months ago

Filled with joy and gratitude from last night. It took a village to make All the Empty Rooms, winner of the Academy Award® for Best Documentary Short Film, and we’re deeply grateful to everyone who played a role.

Special thanks to the parents of Hallie, Gracie, Dominic, and Jackie, the young children whose empty bedrooms are featured in our film. It was an honor to have you with us at the awards last night. This film would not exist without you.

#AllTheEmptyRooms by @jrseftel

2k

37

7 months ago

It was incredibly inspiring to be among so many advocates, researchers, and community organizers fighting for gun safety at the recent @stridesforpeace National Gun Violence Prevention Expo in Chicago.

One of the highlights was crossing paths with fellow storyteller @leonfordspeaks, an author, playwright, gun violence survivor, and CEO of @thehearfoundation.

When Ford was 19, he was shot and paralyzed by a police officer in a case of mistaken identity. That experience led him to dedicate his life to work centered on public safety, community, and healing, co-founding @hearfoundationpgh alongside a veteran public safety official. The first and only nonprofit of its kind in Pittsburgh, the foundation works to build a safer, more thriving community through collaboration.

Recently, Ford’s first play, The Weight of Forgiveness, premiered in Pittsburgh, drawing from a real conversation between Leon and the officer who shot him. We can’t wait to see what he does next.

Thank you to @stridesforpeace for bringing so many people and perspectives together and making connections like these possible. taken in Chicago, Illinois by @jrseftel

286

6

3 days ago

A lot has changed in the years since my mom and I started doing this series with @cbssundaymorning but one thing is always the same: my mom never fails to keep everyone laughing. Check out some of her funniest moments here! by @jrseftel

515

48

5 days ago

We were honored to join @march_fourth_ for their annual impact fundraiser in Chicago, where hundreds of advocates, volunteers, and survivors came together around a shared belief that mass shootings should never be accepted as a fact of American life.

The March Fourth team has been an incredible partner to us over the years, and we were inspired by the turnout and passion of everyone in the room. It was especially lovely to catch up with the Scruggs and Cazares families, parents of Hallie and Jackie from our film. The night was filled with hugs, laughter, and tears.

Huge thanks to March Fourth for bringing this community together, and for all the work you do to champion a safer future. Thank you for continuing to support our film. Grateful to be a part of your community. taken in Chicago, Illinois by @jrseftel

283

8

9 days ago

When Abdul El-Sayed ran for office the first time back in 2018, we were there with cameras rolling. Directed by Brittany Huckabee and produced by our own Joshua Seftel, How to Fix a Primary goes behind the scenes of that campaign to capture the staggering reality of running for office. by @jrseftel

57

3

11 days ago

That time my mom tried cannabis! by @jrseftel

1k

61

13 days ago

Talking about gun violence and grief is never easy, but for Congresswoman @RepLucyMcBath, it’s personal. Her son Jordan was shot and killed in 2012. He was 17 years old.

While we know it’s difficult, we’re grateful that All the Empty Rooms can help people understand what so many families live through after gun violence.

If you know someone who can’t or doesn’t want to watch our film, for whatever reason, we hope you’ll consider sharing Congresswoman McBath’s words with them.

Our sincere thanks to Congresswoman McBath for introducing our film at a recent screening at @emoryuniversity. Your story has had a huge impact. taken in Georgia by @jrseftel

85

8

14 days ago

324

16

18 days ago

Not every day you get to hold an Oscar. 🏆

Last night I was honored to be in the room for the Opening Gala of the inaugural National Gun Violence Prevention Expo, presented by @stridesforpeace at the Hilton Chicago. A room full of people who have given their lives to making our communities safer.

The highlight of my night was @junehott215 and I meeting director Joshua Seftel @jrseftel and executive producer Lisa Cortés @misscortes of @alltheemptyrooms , this year’s Academy Award winner for Best Documentary Short Film.

And yes, they let me hold the statue. 🙏🏾

The film follows CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman and photographer Lou Bopp on a seven-year journey documenting the bedrooms of children lost to school shootings, rooms their families have kept exactly as they left them. It is dedicated to Alyssa, Charlotte, Dominic, Jackie, Luke, Gracie, Carmen and Hallie. Those quiet rooms say more than any statistic ever could.

I shared a bit of our story and the work we’re doing at @hearfoundationpgh back home in Pittsburgh, and I got to learn about theirs.

Congratulations to all of the 2026 honorees, and thank you to Maggie Baczkowski and the entire Strides for Peace family for building a national table for this work. The Expo runs through Saturday. Let’s keep going. 💙

If you haven’t watched All the Empty Rooms yet, it’s streaming now on Netflix. taken in Chicago, Illinois by @jrseftel

389

14

24 days ago

Thank you @emoryuniversity for hosting such an inspiring evening of film and conversation around All the Empty Rooms!

We’re especially grateful to members of the Apalachee High School community who joined us, just days away from the two-year anniversary of the mass shooting that killed four and injured seven others at their school in September 2024. Among them was Sasha Contreras, who survived the shooting and went on to co-found @changeforchee, a student and community-led organization working to improve school safety across Georgia.

Congresswoman Lucy McBath, who lost her son to gun violence, delivered a moving video message before the screening (stay tuned for more!), and afterward, Sasha joined director @jrseftel, pediatric trauma surgeon and consulting producer @drchethansathya, and @georgiamajority advocate and organizer Heather Hallett for an emotional Q&A with our audience—filled with students, advocates, politicians, healthcare providers, and many more.

We’re proud to continue partnering with local and national advocacy organizations doing the hard work to create meaningful change, and we’re grateful to @georgiaclinicians4gunsafety, @georgiamajority, @emorywellbeing, and @besmartforkids for joining us and sharing resources and support.

Many people at Emory worked hard to make this evening possible. Special thanks to Matthew Bernstein of Emory Film and Dr. Sofia Chaudhary of Emory Pediatric Emergency Medicine for bringing us all together. taken in Emory University by @jrseftel

281

7

25 days ago