U.S. PREMIERE Now in his 70s, Ken Smith has lived off-grid in a cabin near Loch Treig, “the lonely loch,” in the Scottish Highlands. The spirited hermit spends his days making wine, fishing, and taking 27-mile walks to drop a letter to a friend. With his advancing age, Ken reflects on the trauma that initiated […]
US PREMIERE In the sexually repressive atmosphere of the 1950s and early ’60s, a Latino broadcaster and his wig-making wife create a clandestine haven for cross-dressers in a small Catskills resort. With only old photographs and the oral histories of two of the last surviving members of this early chapter of trans identity, filmmaker Sébastien […]
WORLD PREMIERE Patriarch of the famed “First Family of Jazz,” Ellis Marsalis was a master jazz pianist, composer and educator. This intimate documentary delves into the life and career of this music icon, interlaced with rare footage of key moments in US history, and footage of his final live performances. Anecdotes from sons Wynton, Branford, […]
US PREMIERE Senobia was a self-made artist and a surrealist collector who transformed her home into the “Museum of Antiquities of All Species.” In her small Panamanian village, the extraordinary world she built with her artistic creations and her writings impacted the lives of other women struggling with the patriarchal system around them. In this […]
NYC PREMIERE A meticulous documenting of the filmmaker’s mother as she gradually slips into the grip of dementia. Rea Tajiri is both a witness and a participant in a process of remembrance and archiving; throughout this moving collaboration, the mother and daughter switch roles between daughter, mother, survivor, and documentarian. Without falling into the trappings […]
NYC PREMIERE Jonas Mekas, godfather of avant-garde cinema, emigrated to New York in 1949 and over the next 70 years drove the rise of the independent film scene. Filmmaker KD Davison allows Mekas (who died in 2019) to tell much of his own story, as he creates his celebrated diary films and searches for those […]
US PREMIERE Folk singer-songwriter turned activist and philanthropist, Buffy Sainte-Marie’s 60-year career includes winning the first Academy Award for an Indigenous person, the first internet album, and an FBI file. Fearless and ahead of her time, a vibrant 80-year-old Buffy —aided by her fellow folk-singing icon Joni Mitchell—tells her own story as an abuse survivor, […]
WORLD PREMIERE With the devastating economic impact of the pandemic and city redevelopment, Chinatowns in New York, Montreal and Vancouver search for innovative ways and resistance to keep their communities thriving. With lush verité footage of bustling Lunar New Year celebrations and warm social gatherings, filmmaker Karen Cho celebrates the vibrance of Chinatown communities. – […]
WORLD PREMIERE On Martha’s Vineyard, three-time Tony-winning playwright and director James Lapine (Into the Woods, Falsettos, Passion) meets Rose Styron, the widow of the great American novelist William Styron. Over six years of periodic meetings, Rose shares the fascinating story of her complex life as a poet, journalist, human rights activist, and life partner to […]
US PREMIERE An exquisite and piercing essay film about the director’s father, one of the most recognized Korean artists of his generation. Kim Tschang-Yeul’s fascinations and brilliant obstinacy become a fertile landscape to explore the relationship between a father and a son while reflecting on their differences in culture, age, and temperament. Following the traces […]