Runner Up: Audience Award DOC NYC 2020 NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE | In 1970, off the coast of Cape Cod, Lithuanian sailor Simas Kudirka jumped from his Soviet ship onto a US Coast Guard vessel seeking asylum. Denied refuge by the American crew, Simas was sentenced to a Soviet labor camp for treason, sparking an international cause […]
In this timely and radical film about female desire, gender politics, and sexuality, director Maria Finitzo invites us to share intimate conversations with women on a mission to reverse a patriarchal legacy that excludes female empowerment through omissions and distortions. Sophia Wallace’s artwork on “cliteracy” acts as a powerful framing device as the film explores […]
With debates on income inequality and healthcare becoming increasingly prevalent, and figures like Senator Bernie Sanders rising to prominence, socialism has found a new relevance. As Americans confront 21st century issues, the allure of the economic system attracts politicians and everyday citizens alike to its cause. Through a comprehensive history and expert interviews, Yael Bridge’s […]
In Istanbul, stray dogs are an everyday part of the fabric of the community, belonging to no one and everyone at the same time. Among them are the expressive, independent Zeytin; the friendly Nazar; and the shy puppy, Kartal. But the Turkish city is home to human strays as well, as Zeytin and her friends […]
Executive produced by Joshua Oppenheimer, this poignant portrait reveals the dark truth behind Chile’s seemingly idyllic, tourist-friendly German colony, Colonia Dignidad. Led by a cruel cult leader for more than 40 years, it remains the home of several generations of perpetrators and victims, inexplicably coexisting without reckoning with decades of abuse. Filmmakers Marianne Hougen-Moraga and […]
US PREMIERE | Just outside of Beijing, the city of Langfang is on the front lines of China’s fight against air pollution. The local environmental protection bureau and its intrepid deputy chief—affectionately called “Uncle Smog Buster” by local school kids—are tasked with navigating Beijing’s strict national policy and the interests of local politicians and businesses. In […]
Runner Up: Audience Award DOC NYC 2020 Kimonti Carter is serving life without parole in a Washington state prison based on a harsh 1990s three-strikes law, but rather than accept this condemnation, he has worked to transform inmates’ lives through education. His experience brilliantly elucidates the dehumanization and trauma that accompany incarceration, but also demonstrates […]
WORLD PREMIERE | What do humans need to be happy, healthy, and sane? A crew of six non-astronauts from all over the world, chosen for their ability to survive isolation, embark on a one-year mission in the Mars simulation station in Hawai’i in order to provide much-needed research for the future of space exploration. Survive, […]
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE | An epic self-portrait of Ulrike Ottinger, one of Germany’s most prominent contemporary avant-garde artists, known for her paintings, photographs, and, above all, her films. An impressive and extensive archive of sensorial memories, historical photographs, and documentary footage traces the early influences of Ottinger’s life in Paris in the 1960s. This was […]
At the edge of Venezuela’s Lake Maracaibo is the small floating village of Congo Mirador. Now sinking into sediment, this once-prosperous fishing community is unraveling after years of criminal pollution and government neglect. Focusing on two fierce, independent women who epitomize opposing sides of this vulnerable community, Anabel Rodríguez Ríos’s film is a stunning microcosm […]