THOUGHTS & PRAYERS

WORLD PREMIERE The sight of rogue Santas gallivanting through the streets has become an NYC winter staple. While the revelry can feel like just a drunken lark, the origins of the festivities lie in something far more absurd. Born in the Bay Area from the same minds as Burning Man, Santacon grew from zany capitalist commentary to a seasonal sensation. Featuring interviews with its creators, these Santa shenanigans give an irreverent twist to the Christmas season. - Brandon Harrison

The first and second screenings will be followed by a Q&A with director/producer Seth Porges and film participants John Law, Rob Schmitt, Marci Macfarlane.

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.

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE In 1977, television star David Carradine cast his estranged daughter Calista in Mata Hari with the ambitious intent to film over 15 years as she grew up. Following his death in 2009, David’s film remained unfinished, but he left behind a remarkable trove of footage. With Calista and David’s relationship increasingly strained throughout the process, this exploration of his bold vision highlights the struggle of navigating familial bonds while in pursuit of creative expression. - Brandon Harrison

The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with co-directors/co-producers James Smith and Joe Beshenkovsky.

The second screening will be followed by a Q&A with co-director/co-producer James Smith.

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 Guided by professional hunter Marc Warnke and survival expert Callie Russell, struggling tech entrepreneur Mansal Denton sets out on an eight-day remote wilderness expedition in search of elk, along with answers to some of life's biggest questions. Shot on gorgeous 16mm, this introspective film follows our complex trio as the trials of the journey surface their foremost wounds, forcing them to grapple with the profound mysteries of mortality. - Brandon Harrison

The first and second screening will be followed by a Q&A with director/producer/co-editor Barlow Jacobs and director of photography Sean Webley.

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 Detroit has often been framed in a negative light, saddled with proclamations of crime and urban decay, but that isn't the city that filmmaker Jeremy Xido calls home. After his family moved to the city during his youth, an African American family “adopted” Xido and his parents as part of their clan. In this emotionally rich personal tale, Xido reconnects with an estranged “cousin” as he reckons with the social forces that pulled them apart. - Brandon Harrison

The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Jeremy Xido, producer Amanda Burr, co-producer Russell Stewart, cinematographer Jide Tom Akinleminu, and editor Elia Gasull Balada.

The second screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Jeremy Xido, producer Amanda Burr, and co-producer Russell Stewart.

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 Delving into the past and not shying away from the dug-up pain, a young filmmaker speaks to her Mexican mother and Palestinian father about their trying journeys into the United States. In a society with rhetoric increasingly vilifying Mexicans and Palestinians, the filmmaker picks up her camera in a bid to address the grief at the center of the generational trauma that has underscored her relationship with her family. A meditation of loss and grief relieved, ultimately, through reconciliation. - Bedatri D. Choudhury

The first and second screenings will be followed by a Q&A with director Colette Ghunim, producer Sara Maamouri, and film participant Baha Hilo.

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 A moving story of a son reconnecting with his Indigenous mother, who left him as a child to return to her tribe in the Amazon. As an adult, he seeks to rebuild their bond across distance, culture, language, and time. The story revolves around several hurdles they encounter, many of which are bureaucratic, trying to get her to the US. The heart of the film, though, lies in the tender relationship between mother and son. - Murtada Elfadl

The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Andrew Balcof, producers David Good and Elius Kim, and executive producers Larry Weiss and Johnny Griffith.

The second screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Andrew Balcof and executive producer Johnny Griffith.

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 Growing up in the US, filmmaker Khoa Ha always knew her grandfather was a famous musician in her native Vietnam. What she didn’t realize was the magnitude of his popularity or the mystique that surrounded his real background. In excavating the story of the musician Y Vân, she not only discovers the man behind the persona but also unearths a part of Vietnamese music history that was lost to time. - Bedatri D. Choudhury

The first and second screenings will be followed by a Q&A with co-directors Khoa Ha and Victor Velle, producer Douglas Emerson, co-producer Mike Pham, and cinematographer Jake L. Mitchell.

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.