The Accused: Damned or Devoted?SYNOPSIS In Pakistan, the blasphemy law prescribes a compulsory death sentence for disrespecting The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and life imprisonment for desecrating the Holy Quran. The Accused: Damned or Devoted? follows the stories and fate of four people accused of blasphemy. The most famous of them is Asia Bibi, a Christian woman who claims she Read More…
AdvocateSYNOPSIS Since the early 1970s, attorney Lea Tsemel has made a career out of defending Palestinians in Israeli courts: feminists and fundamentalists, non-violent demonstrators and armed militants. As far as most Israelis are concerned, she defends the indefensible. As far as Palestinians are concerned, she’s more than an attorney, she’s an advocate. Advocate follows Tsemel’s Read More…
The Art of DissentSYNOPSIS The Art of Dissent celebrates the power of artistic engagement and inspired resistance in Czechoslovakia before and after the 1968 Soviet-led invasion. The documentary’s main protagonists – playwright Václav Havel, banned singer Marta Kubišová, and the underground rock group the Plastic People of the Universe – became the most recognizable dissidents during the 1970-80s. Read More…
AugustSYNOPSIS Cuba, summer of 1994. In the midst of “período especial”, one of the greatest economic crises in the country’s history, thousands of Cuban rafters try to reach the United States illegally, never sure if they’ll make it out alive. With holidays starting, Carlos plunges into a carefree August, wandering around with his friends and Read More…
Birth WarsSYNOPSIS Told through deeply personal stories in the trenches of the healthcare sector, “Birth Wars” chronicles a power struggle between doctors and midwives in Mexico about whose vision of childbirth should prevail. The film follows midwives and doctors in Guerrero and Chiapas, two of Mexico’s most marginalized and violent states, as they fight against huge Read More…
ColewellSYNOPSIS For thirty-five years, Nora Pancowski, played by Karen Allen, has been the postmaster of Colewell, Pennsylvania. When the USPS decides to close her office, she must choose whether to relocate for a new position or face retirement in Colewell. ONLINE AVAILABILITY Dates: Thursday, August 27 – Thursday, September 3 Time: All hours Access to Read More…
Desert OneSYNOPSIS In April 1980, the U.S. government launched Operation Eagle Claw, their response to the hostage crisis that was happening in Iran at that time. Helmed by then-President Jimmy Carter, the Delta Force tried unsuccessfully to rescue the 52 hostages that were detained in the U.S. Embassy and Foreign Ministry buildings in Tehran. This film Read More…
Down a Dark StairwellSYNOPSIS When a Chinese-American police officer kills an unarmed black man in a darkened stairwell of a New York City housing project, it sets off a firestorm of emotion and fractured calls for justice. When he becomes the first NYPD officer to be convicted in a decade, the meaning of justice itself becomes complicated, pitting Read More…
The FightSYNOPSIS An inside look at the legal battles that lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union are waging during the Trump administration. When a mother is separated from her child, a soldier is threatened with the loss of his career, a young woman’s right to choose is imperiled at the pleasure of a government official, Read More…
Finding YingyingWINNER: Best Documentary Feature SYNOPSIS Yingying Zhang, a 26-year-old Chinese student, comes to the U.S. to study. In her detailed and beautiful diaries, the aspiring young scientist and teacher is full of optimism, hoping to also be married and a mother someday. Within weeks of her arrival, Yingying disappears from the campus. Through exclusive access Read More…
For the Love of RutlandSYNOPSIS As her small, blue-collar city struggles to emerge from the opioid epidemic and gets caught up in battles over change, identity, and self-mythology, Stacie Griffin – a remarkable and resilient woman who lives in the toughest neighborhood of the heroin-battered town of Rutland, Vermont – relates her story with candor and honesty. ONLINE AVAILABILITY Read More…
FreelandSYNOPSIS An aging pot farmer suddenly finds her world shattered as she races to bring in what could be her final harvest, fighting against the threat of eviction as the ensuing legalization of the California cannabis industry rapidly destroys her idyllic way of life. ONLINE AVAILABILITY Dates: Thursday, August 27 – Thursday, September 3 Time: Read More…
Gotta Get Down To ItSYNOPSIS Valerie Martin, a young African-American college professor, works at Sedalia College, a small midwestern liberal arts school. When the college’s invitation to a controversial conservative speaker threatens to divide the campus, Val is pressured into introducing the speaker and serving as the public face of the event. When she discovers that trying to keep Read More…
Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll PresidentSYNOPSIS If it hadn’t been for a bottle of scotch and a late-night visit from musician Gregg Allman, Jimmy Carter might never have been elected the 39th President of the United States. This dynamic film charts the mostly forgotten story of how Carter, a lover of all types of music, forged a tight bond with Read More…
John Lewis: Good TroubleSYNOPSIS An inspiring chronicle of the life and career of the legendary civil rights activist and Democratic Representative from Georgia, John Robert Lewis. Using interviews and rare archival footage, the documentary portrays Mr. Lewis’ 60-plus years of social activism and legislative action on civil rights, voting rights, gun control, health-care reform and immigration policy. Using Read More…
Life in SynchroSYNOPSIS Welcome to the beautiful, cold, hard world of synchronized ice skating – the toughest sport you’ve never heard of. Synchro has been empowering generations of women since 1956 when it was founded by a father who saw the need for team sports for girls. Today these skaters lift, leap, and spin together in ways Read More…
#LIKESYNOPSIS On the first anniversary of her sister Amelia’s death by suicide, high school senior Rosie discovers that the mysterious man who sexploited her sister, bullying her into ending her life, is back online trolling for new victims. After the authorities refuse to get involved, she finds a darker side to her personality that she Read More…
The MarinaSYNOPSIS By the summer of his 19th birthday, Charlie Hall, champion wakeboarder, doesn’t know if he’ll ever get back on a wakeboard following an injury. When he flees his anguish and uncertainty by going to his cousin Noah’s house in the town of Chambly, he meets Juliette, a young employee of the local marina. The Read More…
Martha: A Picture StorySYNOPSIS In 1970s New York, photographer Martha Cooper captured some of the first images of bold graffiti appearing on the city’s subway cars. Decades later, she realizes she’s become an unexpected icon of the established street art world. Now, at age 75, Martha must navigate her way through this vastly changed culture. ONLINE AVAILABILITY Dates: Read More…
MurmurWINNER: Best Narrative Feature SYNOPSIS Donna has recently been convicted of “Driving While Impaired” and is ordered to perform community service at the local animal shelter. When an elderly dog is scheduled to be euthanized, Donna decides to take the dog home and quickly realizes his companionship can ease her loneliness. In a futile attempt Read More…
Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The BandSYNOPSIS Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band is a confessional, cautionary, and occasionally humorous tale of Robertson’s young life and the creation of one of the most enduring groups in the history of popular music, The Band. The film is a moving story of Robertson’s personal journey, overcoming adversity and finding camaraderie alongside Read More…
The Rabbi Goes WestSYNOPSIS A fish out of water story about a young and charismatic Hasidic Chabad rabbi who moved from Brooklyn, New York to Bozeman, Montana to bring his brand of Judaism to the American west. His mission: to place a Mezuzah, an encased prayer offering, on the doorpost of every Montana Jewish home. As he travels Read More…
River City DrumbeatSYNOPSIS River City Drumbeat is a powerful and uplifting story of music, love, and legacies set in the American South. Edward “Nardie” White devoted his life to leading the African-American drum corps he co-founded with Zambia Nkrumah in Louisville, Kentucky three decades ago. Together they inspired youth from their West Louisville neighborhood to thrive by Read More…
Sisters RisingWINNER: Thaddeus Stevens Award for Social Engagement by a Vermont Filmmaker SYNOPSIS Sisters Rising is an urgent call to action, a stunning portrait of women acting in solidarity, and a demand for tribal sovereignty and self-determination as the necessary step towards ending violence against Indigenous women in the United States. The film follows six women Read More…
Sorry We Missed YouSYNOPSIS Hoping that self-employment through the gig economy can solve their financial woes, a hard-up UK delivery driver and his wife, struggling to raise a family, end up trapped in the vicious circle of this modern-day form of labor exploitation. ONLINE AVAILABILITY Dates: Thursday, August 27 – Sunday, August 30 Time: All hours Access to Read More…
WBCN and the American RevolutionSYNOPSIS The amazing, untold story of the radical underground radio station WBCN-FM, set against the dazzling and profound social, political, and cultural changes that took place in Boston and nationally during the late 1960s and early 70s. Told through the actual sights, sounds, and stories of a compelling cast of characters who connected through the Read More…
La PastoraSYNOPSIS Laura decides to leave behind a promising career as a biologist in Barcelona and pursue her real dream: to become a shepherd in the remote Catalonian Pyrenees. She gamely faces the challenges of entering a traditionally all-male profession, of living in a village with only one permanent resident, and dealing with the inherent hardships Read More…
NightsongsSYNOPSIS To avoid hawks and navigate by the stars, millions upon millions of birds migrate at night, skimming over our rooftops while we sleep. To experience this invisible wonder, birdwatcher Eric Masterson says, we have to learn to “see with our ears.” Celebrating both avian achievement and human devotion, Nightsongs is a meditation on the Read More…
Depot AsmaraSYNOPSIS In 1993, Eritrea, a small country in the Horn of Africa, finally gained independence from Ethiopia after a thirty-year war of liberation that has left its marks – on the people and their landscape. However, the most important achievement of the colonial period was put back into operation: the steam railway. In this remarkable Read More…
Huo ZheSYNOPSIS Hands are us, water is how life is treating us, and we as audiences are watching life from afar. The title “Huo Zhe” means “living” in Mandarin. ONLINE AVAILABILITY Dates: Thursday, August 27 – Thursday, September 3 Time: All hours Access to the film: Fest Pass or Ticket Location: Documentary Short Program – POETIC Read More…
A Different Place, AltogetherSYNOPSIS Artist Ross Sheehan sets out to examine the fluctuating suburban-city of South Burlington, Vermont. He walks throughout the quasi-urban landscape in search of vanishing landmarks such as an abandoned “Pizza Hut” and a semi-permanent street barricade. A Different Place, Altogether is not only a tour of the in-between environments of a place, but an Read More…
How We See WaterSYNOPSIS How We See Water follows the lives of two young women, Juana Gomez Ramirez and Rosa Maria Hernandez, in San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico, as they grow from girls to young women and struggle to fulfill their dreams of obtaining an education while also serving a vital role in earning a living for Read More…
This Is The Way We RiseSYNOPSIS A vibrant exploration into the creative process, the film follows kinetic slam poet Jamaica Heolimeleikalani Osorio as her calling to protect Mauna Kea (a dormant volcano on the island of Hawaiʻi) reinvigorates her art. ONLINE AVAILABILITY Dates: Thursday, August 27 – Thursday, September 3 Time: All hours Access to the film: Fest Pass or Read More…
Little RinkSYNOPSIS In the sphere of revered sporting events, there’s the Olympics, the Super Bowl and the World Series. And then there’s the TJ Rugg Table Hockey Tournament. Eighteen of North America’s most elite players have traveled across the continent to Carragher’s Bar in NYC to be named the champion of the little rink. Throughout the Read More…
DrivenSYNOPSIS In a world of adrenaline and speed, a quadriplegic race car driver pushes to keep his dream of racing alive. ONLINE AVAILABILITY Dates: Thursday, August 27 – Thursday, September 3 Time: All hours Access to the film: Fest Pass or Ticket Location: Documentary Short Program – PORTRAITS NOTE: Single Ticket to this film includes all Read More…
The Twins (Rise & Fall)SYNOPSIS This experimental short film contrasts the original 1976 commercial about the construction of New York City’s Twin Towers with rare footage of the clean-up efforts at Ground Zero from September 2001 to May 2002. The split-screen throughout the video tells a story of the various kinds of labor that surround the rise and fall Read More…
Desert MourningSYNOPSIS What is lost when landscapes change? Focused on the ongoing conflict over the Grand Staircase-Escalante national monument in southern Utah, this short documentary investigates how individuals from different communities neighboring the land grapple with boundaries, and lifestyles, in flux. ONLINE AVAILABILITY Dates: Thursday, August 27 – Thursday, September 3 Time: All hours Access to Read More…
NineSYNOPSIS The film portrays the story of a brave group of powerful young women who came together to petition for the inclusion of Woman’s Crew as a varsity sport at Boston University in the mid-1970’s. They went on to become national champions. This would not have happened without the passage of Title 9 which finally Read More…
Our Own HouseSYNOPSIS The locals in Punta Gorda, a small remote town in Southern Belize, remember a time without electricity, roads, and plastics. Amidst the influx of single-use plastics, an activist and his neighbors confront the threat to their piece of paradise. ONLINE AVAILABILITY Dates: Thursday, August 27 – Thursday, September 3 Time: All hours Access to Read More…
Lowland KidsSYNOPSIS As climate change literally erases the Louisiana coast, the last two teenagers on pastoral Isle de Jean Charles fight to stay on an island that’s been their family home for generations. ONLINE AVAILABILITY Dates: Thursday, August 27 – Thursday, September 3 Time: All hours Access to the film: Fest Pass or Ticket Location: Documentary Read More…
Teranga – Life in the Waiting RoomWINNER: Best Documentary Short SYNOPSIS A stunning observational short documentary about youth, music and collective trauma set in Naples, Italy, and filmed over two years, Teranga – Life in the Waiting room vividly humanizes West African migrants living in Europe. The film depicts asylum seekers as rarely seen before, as they figure out how to Read More…
The Neighbors’ WindowSYNOPSIS Winner of the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short, The Neighbor’s Window is the story of a middle-aged woman with small children whose life is shaken up when two free-spirited twenty-somethings move into the apartment across the street. ONLINE AVAILABILITY Dates: Thursday, August 27 – Thursday, September 3 Time: All hours Access to Read More…
AdamsSYNOPSIS Based on a short story by Man Booker Prize-winning author George Saunders, Adams is a very dark comedy starring Patton Oswalt and Fred Armisen. Oswalt plays Roger, a regular guy who’s always been suspicious of Adams (Armisen), his pretentious next-door neighbor. One day Roger comes home to find Adams standing in his kitchen in Read More…
Dog FightSYNOPSIS In a dog fight venue, a referee expels two gamblers who keep fighting with one another. The gamblers let their dogs fight outside the main venue, with a jointly bought sheep as the prize. One of the dogs dies in the fight and its owner kills the other dog for revenge – and the Read More…
Bride. Groom. Herring.SYNOPSIS Even back in one’s hometown after a long absence, you’re not safe from condemnation, assumption and punishment. http://vimeo.com/385227132 ONLINE AVAILABILITY Dates: Thursday, August 27 – Thursday, September 3 Time: All hours Access to the film: Fest Pass or Ticket Location: Narrative Short Program – OUTSIDE NOTE: Single Ticket to this film includes all short films Read More…
MaudeSYNOPSIS When retired housewife Maude wins a cruise for two, her hope of escape from her stale marriage is placed on Henry, her local shopkeeper. ONLINE AVAILABILITY Dates: Thursday, August 27 – Thursday, September 3 Time: All hours Access to the film: Fest Pass or Ticket Location: Narrative Short Program – INSIDE NOTE: Single Ticket Read More…
CarolSYNOPSIS A superb violin player gives up romanticism and rediscovers his art. ONLINE AVAILABILITY Dates: Thursday, August 27 – Thursday, September 3 Time: All hours Access to the film: Fest Pass or Ticket Location: Narrative Short Program – INSIDE NOTE: Single Ticket to this film includes all short films in the Narrative Program 2 – Read More…
The Magical Forest and the ThingsSYNOPSIS A six year old narrator teams up with an adult illustrator during Covid-19 to tell a hand-drawn animated story about human consumption and the social reinforcements that affect it. ONLINE AVAILABILITY Dates: Thursday, August 27 – Thursday, September 3 Time: All hours Access to the film: Fest Pass or Ticket Location: Narrative Short Program Read More…
BronaghSYNOPSIS Bronagh moves to a quiet, small-town to be alone with her grief, but caught between imagination and reality, she soon invents some contrary coping mechanisms. ONLINE AVAILABILITY Dates: Thursday, August 27 – Thursday, September 3 Time: All hours Access to the film: Fest Pass or Ticket Location: Narrative Short Program – INSIDE NOTE: Single Read More…
Le TrouSYNOPSIS A young man spends the afternoon tirelessly digging a grave shaped hole in the ground. By the time his mother calls him to dinner, his brother, Martin, is nowhere to be seen. ONLINE AVAILABILITY Dates: Thursday, August 27 – Thursday, September 3 Time: All hours Access to the film: Fest Pass or Ticket Location: Read More…
UmbralSYNOPSIS Mar and Adrián are cozily ensconced in her bedroom spending an intimate evening together without the outside world disturbing them. After failing to engage him in a conversation about their relationship, she leaves the bedroom only to hear disquieting noises coming from her neighbors’ apartment. ONLINE AVAILABILITY Dates: Thursday, August 27 – Thursday, September Read More…
BambilandSYNOPSIS Strahinja has just finished acting school and he works as a clown in a kid’s playhouse. Bambiland is a big amusement park in his home town which was open when he was a child. Now, it is an abandoned, creepy place and as such it represents a metaphor for Strahinja’s generation in Serbia. ONLINE Read More…
WhiteoutWINNER: Best Narrative Short SYNOPSIS When a young couple encounters a strange old man wandering in a snowstorm, they must decide if he needs their help or if he has more sinister intentions. ONLINE AVAILABILITY Dates: Thursday, August 27 – Thursday, September 3 Time: All hours Access to the film: Fest Pass or Ticket Location: Read More…
Love Lives in a VoidSYNOPSIS Anthony has hit rock bottom – broken-hearted and fired from his job. Krystal works at an establishment near Anthony’s job. They’ve always shared a connection but never followed through until today, Anthony breaks the news that he won’t be stopping by anymore. The harsh reality, that they may never see each other again, drives Read More…
Time’s UpSYNOPSIS A woman on her way home must deal with the unseen horrors of sexual harassment. ONLINE AVAILABILITY Dates: Thursday, August 27 – Thursday, September 3 Time: All hours Access to the film: Fest Pass or Ticket Location: Narrative Short Program – THE TWO OF US NOTE: Single Ticket to this film includes all short films Read More…
In This Land We’re Briefly GhostsSYNOPSIS Myanmar, 2013. A 12-year-old Burmese child soldier, imprisoned for deserting battle, is forced to either kill her older brother, a fellow deserter, or die alongside him. Based on actual events. ONLINE AVAILABILITY Dates: Thursday, August 27 – Thursday, September 3 Time: All hours Access to the film: Fest Pass or Ticket Location: Narrative Short Read More…
A ShoreSYNOPSIS A businessman is led down a vast and isolated beach in search of the one thing that has evaded him his whole life – a way out. ONLINE AVAILABILITY Dates: Thursday, August 27 – Thursday, September 3 Time: All hours Access to the film: Fest Pass or Ticket Location: Narrative Short Program – THE Read More…
A Living SculptureSYNOPSIS Francesca, a horn player and music composition student, is contemplating the pros and cons of continuing a relationship with Nick, an artist. A Living Sculpture explores and dissects the problematic idea of the female muse in the 21st century. ONLINE AVAILABILITY Dates: Thursday, August 27 – Thursday, September 3 Time: All hours Access to Read More…
Home From HomeSYNOPSIS Clara, an older woman, takes in Samir, a young Kurdish refugee. Two people, both dreaming of home, keep missing each other’s track in a short film about the absurdity, sadness and hope of trying to co-exist. ONLINE AVAILABILITY Dates: Thursday, August 27 – Thursday, September 3 Time: All hours Access to the film: Fest Read More…
