Powered by thrilling sequences of big-wave surfing, this energetic film profiles Joana Andrade, a fiery athlete constantly breaking barriers as an extreme competitor. When additional skills are needed to dominate giant waves and overcome personal fears, Joana seeks out a celebrated freediver to help her survive the churning waters of Nazaré, Portugal. Smoothly transitioning from […]
New Jersey’s Good Grief counseling center offers a holistic approach to mourning. Filmmaker Katrine Philp presents viewers with a child’s perspective of its programs, offering an affectionate and intimate look at the lives of several children who have recently lost their parents and must navigate their grief by embracing sadness with honesty, bravery, humor, and […]
For decades, Las Vegas fertility specialist Dr. Quincy Fortier was celebrated for helping thousands of couples have babies. His secret? Impregnating women with his own sperm, unbeknownst to them. Using a consumer DNA test, a woman discovers that Dr. Fortier is her biological father, setting in motion a quest to find her many half-siblings. Filmmaker […]
WORLD PREMIERE | Filmmaker Nancy Buirski (The Loving Story) tells the story of a lasting bond formed between an unjustly arrested Black man, Gary Duncan, and Richard Sobol, his young Jewish attorney. In 1966, 19-year-old Duncan faces the white supremacist court system in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, for daring to touch a white boy’s arm. Standing united, […]
WORLD PREMIERE | In the 1980s, Corey Pegues found himself embroiled in a life of crime as a member of New York’s City’s infamous Supreme Team gang. After an incident forces Pegues away from the streets, he unexpectedly emerges as a rising star in the NYPD, his past unknown to his fellow officers. A decorated 21-year police […]
In the midst of the most devastating attack in American history on US soil, President George W. Bush finds himself in a South Florida classroom with a group of elementary school children. Nearly 20 years later, filmmaker Elizabeth St. Phillip follows these now-grown students and their journey into young adulthood. With their formative years framed […]
WORLD PREMIERE | What can history tell us about the present? Filmmakers Petra Epperlein and Michael Tucker (Karl Marx City) search for answers, taking inspiration from Sebastian Haffner’s 1978 German best-selling book The Meaning of Hitler. Shot in nine countries, the film explores what Hitler means in the current waves of white supremacy, antisemitism, and the weaponization […]
2020 VIEWFINDERS SPECIAL JURY RECOGNITION FOR ETHICS OF CARE Night-shift workers and single moms in New Rochelle, NY have angels in their midst: Nunu and husband Patrick run a 24-hour childcare center for parents with no other options. The home-based center provides children with food, fun, and lots of love, but at what cost to […]
US PREMIERE | Indian singer Sona Mohapatra uses her powerful voice not only to entertain, but to speak out against Indian music industry practices that refuse to give female performers a fair shake. Director Deepti Gupta follows the unapologetically outspoken artist for three years of concerts, controversies, and conflicts with religious fundamentalists, social media trolls, and […]
The stunning island of Hispaniola is shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti, countries with a complicated history and tense relations. In 2013, the DR’s Supreme Court retroactively stripped the citizenship of residents of Haitian descent, leaving more than 200,000 people stateless, subject to immediate deportation, and devastating loss. In the midst of staggering intolerance, […]