IN THE ABSENCE DIR: Seung-jun Yi When the passenger ferry MV Sewol sank off the coast of South Korea in 2014, over three hundred people lost their lives, most of them schoolchildren. Years later, the victims’ families and survivors are still demanding justice from national authorities. Courtesy of Field of Vision. (USA/South Korea, 29 MIN, […]
FIRE IN PARADISE DIR: Drea Cooper, Zachary Canepari On the morning of November 8, 2018, a seemingly small fire broke out in Butte County, California near the town of Paradise. Over the course of a few short hours, it grew into the country’s deadliest wildfire in over a century, killing 85 people and destroying Paradise. […]
Israeli attorney Lea Tsemel has defended Palestinians in court for five decades, from nonviolent demonstrators to armed militants. To many Israeli Jews, Tsemel is a controversial figure, even a traitor, willing to defend the enemy, but she remains steadfast in her belief that her clients’ crimes are acts of resistance that must be heeded. Directors […]
US PREMIERE Ten years ago, director Thomas Balmès (Babies, Happiness) filmed in Bhutan with a seven-year-old Buddhist monk named Peyangki awaiting the arrival of electricity to his village. Now a decade later, Balmès returns to find Peyangki and the whole monastery obsessed with cell phones. With beautiful cinematography, the film captures nuance, humor and humanity. Witnessing […]
NYC PREMIERE Though they each came to New York City from different parts of the world, Aber, Shamsi, Kobir, Debbie and Mohamed share a common identity as Muslim Americans. In the age of Trump, they must also confront the reality of heightened Islamophobia. Tracking their experiences from the beginning of the Muslim ban to the Supreme […]
WORLD PREMIERE This intimate film revisits director Cara Jones’ upbringing within the Unification Church of Reverend Sun Myung Moon—commonly known as the Moonies—where her parents are high-ranking members. Home videos reveal never-before-seen footage of the inner workings of the controversial movement, considered a cult by some. After Jones separates from the church, she must come to […]
WORLD PREMIERE Ganden is the most influential monastery of Tibetan Buddhism, likened by Buddhists to the Vatican. It is here where the Dalai Lama’s lineage began. For more than 500 years, monks lived in Ganden in simplicity and contentment, before a brutal invasion drove them from their beloved home to start anew in India. Embodying the […]
A group of suburban Muslim friends trace the disappearance of their friend “Mark,” who is suspected of joining ISIS. Experiencing guilt, fear and sadness, they try to piece together what happened to their friend. Courtesy of Netflix.
WORLD PREMIERE This timely film profiles Life After Hate, an organization founded by former skinheads and neo-Nazis that supports white nationalists seeking to break away from these radical movements. Given exclusive access, director Peter Hutchison follows group counselors as they attempt both to reform individuals and offer support to communities impacted by the recent rise of […]
NYC PREMIERE After their two-year-old daughter succumbs to cancer, a Thai couple decides to make her the youngest person to undergo the cryopreservation process, with the hope that she will have another chance at life in the future. When their story becomes national news, the family faces criticism from religious and spiritual groups. Consumed with grief, […]