BLACK LINE
NYC PREMIERE A woman fishing in turbid waters, a suffering nature, the broken chant of the muezzin, all linked by a thin, black line.
Women Directors
BOYS WHO LIKE GIRLS
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE In the aftermath of the infamous Delhi gang rape, one man works to change the way Indian boys view females. Harish and his nonprofit are devoted to educating impoverished male youth like Ved to respect women and girls. Despite the progress the activist makes in combating toxic masculinity, Harish struggles to find […]
BRAVE GIRLS
WORLD PREMIERE Three young Indian women in a conservative Muslim town seek to change their futures through education and self-determination. The opportunity to continue their schooling has opened up the possibility of a different future for Karishma, Apsana and Samira, but even as they prepare for final exams, their families threaten to pull them back […]
THE CANDIDATES
WORLD PREMIERE Since 1996, the wonderfully diverse students of a Queens public high school have staged an elaborate mock presidential election for an entire semester, simulating the American electoral process against the backdrop of the real one. In 2016, Ukranian-American Daniel hams it up as a cocky Donald Trump, while Pakistani-American Misbah, an observant Muslim, […]
CARE TO LAUGH
NYC PREMIERE From his humble beginnings parking cars at the Comedy Store, Jesus Trejo is relentless in his pursuit of stand-up stardom. For Jesus, who drives hours for a three-minute open mic stint, comedy is both a dream and an escape from the heavy demands of caring for his aging parents. Undeterred, Trejo funnels his […]
CARLOTTA’S FACE
NYC PREMIERE As a child, Carlotta didn’t expect the people around her to have faces. She even doesn’t recognize her own face. Years later, she learns about a rare, untreatable deficit of her brain. It was art, after all, that offered her a way to finally recognize herself.
CHINA LOVE
INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE A must for any newly engaged Chinese couple is the pre-wedding photo shoot. A marked break from the austere, purely functional weddings of the generation who grew up in the shadow of the Cultural Revolution, this multibillion dollar industry is the ultimate display of romance, status and wealth. Take a trip through modern-day Shanghai […]
THE CITY THAT SOLD AMERICA
NYC PREMIERE Chicago was built upon the aspirations of industry tycoons, ambitious politicians and shrewd advertising executives. Buoyed by the Great Migration, the Windy City soon became the epicenter of commercial production, spawning the modern advertising industry that continues to shape our behavior today. This playful doc, spanning the whole of the twentieth century, offers […]
COOKED: SURVIVAL BY ZIP CODE
WORLD PREMIERE In July 1995, Chicago was hit by a record heat wave that claimed the lives of 739 residents, primarily among the elderly, African Americans and those living in poverty. Using this tragedy as a jumping-off point, but referencing other extreme weather catastrophes like Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy, Cooked provocatively reframes the politics of […]
CRACKED UP
WORLD PREMIERE With courage and, of course, humor, master impressionist, comedian and Saturday Night Live veteran Darrell Hammond reveals his dark history of child abuse. Brilliant in the spotlight, Darrell was misdiagnosed and wrongly medicated for decades, struggling with drugs, alcohol and nightmarish flashbacks. Michelle Esrick’s poignant film illuminates the devastating effects of childhood trauma and […]