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 […]
NYC PREMIERE Lydia Emily is a mural artist, teacher, single mother, and one of the innumerable Americans who are navigating an unforgiving healthcare system, as she lives with advancing multiple sclerosis, which threatens to put an end to her career. This inspiring film records Emily’s dedication to create amidst mounting debt and an ever-present sense […]
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 […]
WORLD PREMIERE Filmed inside California’s oldest state prison, 26.2 to Life explores the transformative power of San Quentin’s 1000 Mile Club, in which incarcerated men train for and run a marathon on the dirt and concrete path circling the prison yard. Through intimate access behind the walls of the infamous correctional facility, the film confronts […]
WORLD PREMIERE Alice is a descendant of Martha Carrier, a woman hanged for witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials. Her research for an upcoming book leads her to work with Brooklyn-based feminist guru Silvia Federici and to trace the history of the great witch hunts to today’s continuing patriarchal power grabs. A captivating story at […]