NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE Photographer Kwame Brathwaite, who used his art as activism, captured the joy of Black American life, documenting jazz musicians, celebrities, everyday Harlem scenes, and more—while popularizing the phrase “Black is Beautiful,” amplifying the movement that redefined Black pride. Through interviews with his family and celebrities like Jesse Williams, Gabrielle Union, and Alicia […]
WORLD PREMIERE As the clock counts down to the 2023 Women’s World Cup, the Reggae Girlz, the Jamaican soccer team, face uphill battles for recognition, respect, and resources. Suffering from financial struggles and institutional neglect, the team boldly confronts the soccer federation, finding surprising allies at home and abroad. With stunning Jamaican landscapes and a […]
US PREMIERE A complex power structure of casteism, oppression, and corruption governs the lives of Dalit poppy farmers. Vardibhai, older and traumatized by casteist abuse, believes the way out is through hard work and resilience. Her son Mangilal chooses the political route to organize and agitate toward a resistance. The Hot Docs Best International Feature […]
INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE An invigorating examination of the growing movement for the right to roam in the UK and beyond. Perspectives of activists, landowners, and walkers reclaiming access to the countryside reveal how globally relevant questions of land ownership are bound to histories of colonialism, class, and power. With energy and clarity, the film captures a pivotal […]
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE Director Isa Willinger asks herself whether women’s filmmaking is characterized by a particular harshness. Inspired by Ukrainian director Kira Muratova, No Mercy interrogates power, violence, and representation as it blends history, criticism, and manifesto. With contributions from Céline Sciamma, Virginie Despentes, Nina Menkes, Catherine Breillat, Apolline Traoré, Joey Soloway, and more, the […]
NYC PREMIERE Nigerian-born British image-maker Misan Harriman has garnered accolades for his powerful photographs of grassroots protests against climate change inaction, Gaza atrocities, George Floyd’s murder, and more. Yet even as his images provoke palpable reactions, as a self-described person of privilege, Harriman shares his doubts about his work’s effectiveness in discussion with such human rights […]
NYC PREMIERE Against the backdrop of Holi festivities, an intimate portrait of Mohini, a transgender woman whose life reveals the tension between reverence and rejection in small-town India. – Murtada Elfadl The first and second screening will be followed by a Q&A with director/cinematographer Udit Nijhawan. All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon […]