NYC PREMIERE After discovering the work of Oscar Torres, her once world-famous queer filmmaker cousin, Victoria Linares journeys down a path of kindred self-discovery. Through reconstructions of Torres’ intimate memories living under the authoritarian regime of Trujillo in 1950s Dominican Republic, Linares creates a world between fiction and fact, casting her family in these reenactments […]
NYC PREMIERE Filmmaker Marina Zenovich has created superb explorations of the lives and legacies of numerous public figures (Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired, Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind, The Way Down). With the US politics reaching new levels of tumult, Zenovich turns her attention to the life and career of two-time, four-term Governor of […]
NYC PREMIERE Blues and soul singer Lee Fields’ career spans 50 years, from his early days playing Harlem clubs to stints with Kool & the Gang and Sharon Jones, to inspiring today’s rappers Travis Scott and A$ap Rocky. Despite comparisons to James Brown, Lee is his own man: loving husband, dynamic performer, and oh, that […]
What happens when “universal” rights are tested by women? In Alabama, Brittany Smith’s case calls into question the purpose of “stand your ground” laws. And in Russia, activist Anastasia Shevchenko pays a heavy price for standing up to President Vladimir Putin. (Total Running Time: 67 MIN) State of Alabama vs. Brittany Smith | Director: Ryan WhiteUnfolding […]
WORLD PREMIERE Far from the unfavorable images often espoused in pop culture, today’s teens are some of the most engaged, thoughtful, creative, courageous, and self-aware of any era. Filmmaker and middle-school educator Alexis Neophytides gifts us this survey of thirteen-year-olds from across the globe as they navigate the joys and complexities of that seminal age. […]
During the 19 months before the Taliban retook Afghanistan, filmmaker Tamana Ayazi and Oscar-nominated director Marcel Mettelsiefen gained unique access to Zarifa Ghafari, the youngest female Afghan mayor. IN HER HANDS follows the 26-year-old Ghafari as she navigates multiple layers of political and personal turmoil, including a tense relationship with her father (a leader in […]
NYC PREMIERE Lea Najjar’s debut follows plumes of smoke from the devastating 2020 explosion in Beirut and guides us through the rooftops of the city where men play kash hamam with pigeons, luring them in, casting them away, watching them fly. In this cyclical motion, Najjar finds a resonance with the endless strife of living in […]
INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE Filmmaker Lina Chamie finds a free-flowing, immersive style to create a symbiotic cinematic experience with the famed Brazilian street artist Kobra. Kobra, who has created more than 50 kaleidoscopic, peace-themed murals in New York, and credits the city’s artists as the major influence on his work, reveals his inner world in stages. As […]
WORLD PREMIERE When filmmaker Elettra Fiumi inherited her father Fabrizio Fiumi’s archives, she discovered a man she knew nothing about. Fabrizio, along with the group of radical architects called 9999, imagined architectural innovations and anticipated a future that is still forthcoming. He was also founder of the Florence Film Festival. In coming to know her […]
NYC PREMIERE In the counterculture world of skateboarding, gender bias still looms over professional female skaters. In spite of systemic barriers, legends Mimi Knoop and Cara-Beth Burnside blazed a trail for a new crop of stars like Nora Vascocellos, Nicole Hause, Tin Kouv and Jessyka Bailey. The decades-long fight for gender equity and respect encouraged […]