IF THESE WALLS COULD ROCK

US PREMIERE Following acclaimed Syrian clarinetist Kinan Azmeh as he travels from Beirut to Amsterdam to NYC, Half Moon examines the role of art in times of crisis. As Syria’s devastating displacement looms in the background, Kinan collaborates with fellow musicians and mentors, reflecting on exile, identity, and music theory. Featuring stunning performances and intimate moments with his family, this moving portrait captures the resilience of creativity in the face of loss and upheaval. - Karen McMullen

The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with film protagonist Kinan Azmeh.

All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.

WORLD PREMIERE Filmmaker Penny Lane brings her inimitably quirky outlook to the art and business of children’s music, an industry generally skipped over by those above the age of 10. Way beyond the grating basicness of “Baby Shark,” Lane profiles performers invested in creating the tastes of kids—artists wanting to shape what children will understand to care about. Among the standouts is former grunge rocker Chris Ballew, who notes amusingly that kids are like the “greatest drunk people ever” for their wild abandon at his concerts. - Jaie Laplante

The first and second screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Penny Lane.

All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.

WORLD PREMIERE Zere Asylbek was 19 when she released a music video demanding respect for women in the largely conservative Kyrgyzstan. It was intentionally provocative, and Asylbek achieved what she set out to do: jolting the society into paying attention to the evils of the country’s deeply patriarchal and misogynist culture. Six years on, the death threats keep coming as Asylbek’s ever-steely resolve to usher in change only grows stronger. - Bedatri D. Choudhury

The first and second screenings will be followed by a Q&A with director Leigh Iacobucci and film protagonist Zere Asylbek.

All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.

WORLD PREMIERE DOC NYC alumnus Chuck Smith revels in 1960s sounds and the spirit of counterculture with this politically pointed look back at the volatile energy of protest and creation behind the avant-garde NYC band The Fugs (say it out loud!). Even as band members Ed Sanders, Ken Weaver, and Tuli Kupferberg found that fighting the good fight eventually proved unsustainable, today they are—along with present-day commentators like Penny Arcade, Jeffrey Lewis, Lenny Kaye, and Aline and R. Crumb—just as individualistic and feisty. - Jaie Laplante

The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with director/producer/editor Chuck Smith, and film participant/member of The Fugs Ed Sanders.

The second screening will be followed by a Q&A with director/producer/editor Chuck Smith, and film participant/musician Jeffrey Lewis.

All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.