Seeking justice. Grassroots organizations and activists ignored by national news take center stage in From Flint: Voices of a Poisoned City (USA, 23 min., Elise Conklin). Andy Goes In (USA, 16 min., Josh Polon) to uncover animal abuse at America’s top farms. Mass Swell (USA, 12 min., Patricia Silva) lends a powerful counterpoint to media […]
WORLD PREMIERE A historical marker with moments of poetic domesticity, Mass Swell counteracts dominant media narratives surrounding Ferguson protestors. Mass Swell shows the centrality of black women in organizing Ferguson direct actions, the role that local clergy and ministry played in supporting the Ferguson movement, and the on-going political and social power of eyewitness media. […]
Films about artistic inspiration and creativity. An artistcreates love-worn, gothic bunny dolls in Amanda and the Hare (USA, 12 min., Emily Mills). The Man Is the Music explores the impact of being socially discarded (USA, 19 min., Maris Curran). An advertising creative pursues female empowerment through street art in MissMe: The Artful Vandal (USA/Canada, 4 […]
10th Anniversary screening. In the enthralling, and often surprisingly funny, Cannes award-winning Sisters in Law, two fierce and feisty women challenge tradition to make a difference in Cameroon law. Prosecutor Vera Ngassa and judge Beatrice Ntuba give long-silenced women their day in court, empowering them to cast off the roles of victims and demand justice. […]
Having previously investigated rape in the military in the Oscar-nominated The Invisible War, Kirby Dick turns his attention to another insidious bastion of sexual assaults: the college campus. While 20 percent of female college students experience sexual violence, few report the crime, and their perpetrators typically suffer no consequences. The Hunting Ground lays bare the […]
Malala Yousafzai gained world attention at age 15 when she spoke out for girls’ education from her home in Pakistan’s Swat Valley and survived being shot in the head by Taliban militants. Oscar-winning filmmaker Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth) gives a close-up portrait of this strong-willed teenager and her family. The title’s “he” refers to […]
A candid portrait of a woman’s redemptive fight against sexual exploitation, Kim Longinotto’s masterful observational film follows Brenda, a charismatic former drug addict and prostitute who, having turned her life around, has made it her mission to give hope to women and girls in need. Through her Dreamcatcher Foundation, she reaches out to sex workers, […]
Unwilling to become a victim of Mexico’s notorious drug cartels, a small-town physician organizes a grassroots civilian defense force to combat the danger and instability they’ve wrought. On the other side of the border, a veteran fearful that the violence will cross into America sets up his own paramilitary group. Director Matthew Heineman embeds himself […]
WORLD PREMIERE In Canada, seal hunting was historically considered to be a respectable job until people witnessed the graphic images of the practice for themselves on television. Angry and committed to save the seals, Brian Davies, a charismatic young activist, sets out on a crusade that becomes his life’s mission. Using the power of cinematography, […]
NYC PREMIERE In recent decades, mainstream media has portrayed pit bulls as vicious killers, with several states even banning the breed. When Atlanta Falcons’ star quarterback Michael Vick’s brutal dog-fighting ring was exposed, this stigma resulted in calls for euthanasia of the pit bulls involved by PETA and the Humane Society. The Champions intimately chronicles […]