October 12, 2023

THE KIND STRANGER

INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE A stranger on the internet whispers while running a hairbrush slowly through her hair, and viewers find themselves immersed in a sudden tingly serotonin boost. ASMR influencers are part of the cultural landscape, providing a unique source of care to others remotely.This documentary demystifies one of the stranger phenomena to capture our collective attention. […]

October 12, 2023

THE DMITRIEV AFFAIR

US PREMIERE Through a thick layer of snow in the forests of Russia, historian Yuri Dmitriev searches for unmarked and lost graves. His singular efforts have uncovered mass burial sites of those who were killed under Stalin’s “Great Terror” of 1937. With no help from official channels, he traces the dead and rescues their memory […]

October 12, 2023

SEARCHING FOR NIKA

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE When Russian forces invaded Ukraine and filmmaker Stanislav Kapralov’s parents fled the country, his beloved dog Nika ran away. In a heroic attempt to find Nika he goes back to Kyiv and joins several volunteers on a mission to rescue pets left behind during Russia’s brutal attacks. This lucid and riveting portrait of […]

October 12, 2023

RAINBOW WARRIOR

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE The Rainbow Warrior was a Greenpeace ship that was bombed by operatives of the French government, in New Zealand in 1985, while heading to a protest against nuclear testing, tragically taking the life of photographer Fernando Pereira. Edward McGurn’s enlightening and exciting documentary uncovers a tangled tale of nuclear weapons, geopolitical coverups, […]

October 12, 2023

PLAY WITH THE DEVIL – BECOMING ZEAL & ARDOR

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE Manuel Gagneux, a mixed-race Swiss musician, fuses American Negro work songs and heavy metal music to create “Black Death Metal,” an explosive new genre that confronts societal ills. A year-long global tour with his band, Zeal & Ardor, is a raging success with their die-hard fans, yet reveals Manu’s aversion to authority […]

October 12, 2023

POLISH PRAYERS

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE Can people truly change? In Hanka Nobis’s engrossing observational film, she follows a 22-year-old Polish man named Antek as he goes from membership in a far-right, anti-LGBTQ group called The Brotherhood to, four years later, joining his girlfriend for a Gay Pride march he formerly protested against. What happens to Antek in those […]

October 12, 2023

PAUL MULDOON: LAOITHE ‘S LIRICÍ/A LIFE IN LYRICS

NEW YORK PREMIERE Charting the remarkable journey of poet and wordsmith Paul Muldoon, this film weaves his life’s chapters through the artistry of renowned actors, musicians, and artists. From his humble roots in Ireland through prestigious positions at institutions like Oxford and Princeton, Muldoon’s story unfolds like a vivid tapestry. The lyrical narrative features a […]

October 12, 2023

PATRIA Y VIDA: THE POWER OF MUSIC

NEW YORK PREMIERE The artist group, San Isidro, whose members have been jailed and tortured by the Cuban government, represents one of the few significant resistance movements in the history of oppression in Cuba. Inspired by their courage, Cuban hip-hop musicians living in exile record a protest song, “Patria y vida” (“Homeland and Life”) a […]

October 12, 2023

LE SPECTRE DE BOKO HARAM

US PREMIERE In the village of Kolofata on the Nigerian border, the Cameroonian military has been dispatched to guard villagers from attacks by the religious terrorist group Boko Haram. In this milieu, filmmaker Cyrielle Raingou follows three young children as they navigate lost innocence while growing up in constant fear. Having sparked international outrage in […]

October 12, 2023

GRASSHOPPER REPUBLIC

NYC PREMIERE This observational chronicle is an immersive exploration of Uganda’s grasshopper industry. Following the hardships of a group of trappers in pursuit of the nutritious delicacy, this atmospheric film grapples with capitalism and sustainability while meditating on the way humans engage with the natural world. The otherworldly nighttime cinematography, based on Michele Sibiloni’s highly […]