L.A. STORIES
WORLD PREMIERE In the summer of 2017, Angelenos used Instagram to broadcast their lives more freely and vulnerably than ever before, knowing that their videos would expire after 24 hours.
Women Directors
LADY PARTS JUSTICE IN THE NEW WORLD ORDER
WORLD PREMIERE Lizz Winstead, co-creator of The Daily Show, is furious. Even before the arrival of the Trump administration, Winstead realized women’s reproductive rights were being eroded across the nation. In effort to create a sustainable agency for change, Winstead formed Lady Parts Justice, a collection of activists and comedians. Setting off on the Vagical […]
LAILA AT THE BRIDGE
NYC PREMIERE Under a dank bridge in Kabul, Afghanistan—the country with the world’s highest rate of opium production and addiction—a squalid group of drug addicts is getting high or fiending for their next fix. Former child bride and self-proclaimed badass Laila offers salvation by inviting these lost souls to the detox clinics she runs with […]
LESSONS FROM A SCHOOL: NOTES FROM DUNBLANE
In the aftermath of the Sandy Hook school shooting, local priest Father Bob Weiss connects with Father Basil O’Sullivan of Dunblane, Scotland, from a community which could uniquely relate to Newtown’s trauma. Kim A. Snyder’s film explores the power of resilience through the bond forged between these two priests. Courtesy of Netflix.
LISTEN
NYC PREMIERE. Life can seem pretty overwhelming at times, particularly when you’re growing up. And it’s not always easy to talk to your parents or friends about your problems. Fortunately, the “Kindertelefoon” (Child Helpline) in the Netherlands provides a listening ear. LISTEN presents a cross-section of conversations between children and the Kindertelefoon. One girl talks about […]
LITTLE MISS WESTIE
WORLD PREMIERE If Ren could go back in time before she was four, she would tell her parents that she wasn’t happy living as a boy. Now, Ren is about to take part in a rite of passage for their community in West Haven, CT as the first out transgirl to compete in the Little […]
A LITTLE WISDOM
2018 VIEWFINDERS COMPETITION WINNER NYC PREMIERE This beautiful observational portrait of childhood is set in a Tibetan Buddhist monastery located on the border between Nepal and India, the birthplace of the Buddha. Director Yuqi Kang reveals the emotional dynamics of five-year-old Hopakuli and his older brother Chorten as these young novice monks attempt to balance […]
LON
NYC PREMIERE Lon Landau is a promising Jewish stage designer whose life takes a turn during= World War II. He is held captive in a Belgian nazi camp, but decides to stay positive and do what he knows best: building dream worlds. LON is an ode to the power of imagination and how people maintain […]
LOTTE THAT SILHOUETTE GIRL
NYC PREMIERE Before Walt Disney, there was a trailblazing woman at the vanguard of animation. Influenced by folktales and legends, Lotte Reiniger was a tour de force of creativity and innovation: she invented the multiplane camera and created the oldest surviving animated feature. This stunning film explores the life and times of a woman who […]
THE MAGNITUDINOUS ILLUMINOUS
WORLD PREMIERE The Magnitudinous Illuminous is a short documentary following Pete Napolitano, a 66-year-old Brooklyn bartender, and self-proclaimed philosopher. In between pouring shots and shaking cocktails at the bowling alley where he works, Pete’s been writing his life’s work of metaphysical theories on paper towels behind the bar. Pull up a stool to Pete’s “Table of […]