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Human Rights Spotlight
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Human Ties
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Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
,
QFest LGBTQ Spotlight
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Film
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Directed by Mar Sudac
Gus and Clark — married, late 30s — would like to apply for a mortgage. Their small but…
ARCHIVAL
,
Asian Focus
,
Human Rights Spotlight
,
International Spotlight
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Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
,
Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition
,
Women In Film Spotlight
1983
Film
1983
Directed by Adla Massoud
Four decades after surviving the 1983 US Embassy bombing in Beirut — one of only two people to…
Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition
4000 Days
Film
4000 Days
Directed by Daniel Catullo
4000 Days is a powerful documentary chronicling the relentless fight of three families who turned their personal tragedies…
Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
,
Women In Film Spotlight
A Place Of Honor
Film
A Place Of Honor
Directed by Vanessa Roth
A Place of Honor recounts the lived experiences of veterans and gold star family members from before, through...
Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
,
Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition
A Story About Voices
Film
A Story About Voices
Directed by James Barahanos
A Story About Voices is a participatory / hybrid documentary that follows Shell, a proud Australian Māori and…
Human Ties
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International Spotlight
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Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
A Witch’s Heart
Film
A Witch’s Heart
Directed by Laura Martin
A woman flees into the forest at dawn, her white underdress stained with blood. A warning of the…
QFest LGBTQ Spotlight
,
Women In Film Spotlight
Acting Like Women
Film
Acting Like Women
Directed by Cheri Gaulke
Revisiting the groundbreaking feminist performance art movement in 1970s Los Angeles, one artist spotlights the inspirational, transformational, radical…
American Indie Spotlight
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Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
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Show-Me Cinema
,
Women In Film Spotlight
Aftertaste
Film
Aftertaste
Directed by Chase Norman
When two lovers spend a little too much alone time together, their extramarital affair turns from lustful to…
Human Rights Spotlight
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Human Ties
,
International Spotlight
,
Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight
,
Women In Film Spotlight
All About the Money
Film
All About the Money
Directed by Sinéad O'Shea
A son of one of America's wealthiest families creates a communist revolutionary base in rural Massachusetts as a…
Environmental Focus
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International Spotlight
,
Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight
An Irish Atlantic Rainforest
Film
An Irish Atlantic Rainforest
Directed by Gary Lennon
When a Dublin sculptor trades city life for 73 acres of ecologically ravaged land on Ireland's wild Atlantic…
American Indie Spotlight
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Human Rights Spotlight
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Human Ties
,
The Immigrant Experience
Ana the Cleaner
Film
Ana the Cleaner
Directed by Guy Bauer
Ana spends her days cleaning the homes of Chicago's elite while feeding an obsession with true crime. When…
American Indie Spotlight
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ARCHIVAL
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Cinema For Students Program
,
Human Rights Spotlight
,
Human Ties
,
Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight
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Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
,
QFest LGBTQ Spotlight
,
Race In America: The Black Experience
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Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition
,
Women In Film Spotlight
And Again I Dream
Film
And Again I Dream
Directed by Catherine Gund, Mariah Norman
Ivy Young (1947-2023), a journalist and organizer, knows that mainstream society will not preserve her story after she's…
Human Rights Spotlight
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Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight
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Race In America: The Black Experience
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Show-Me Cinema
,
Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition
Annie Turnbo Malone: The Untold Story
Film
Annie Turnbo Malone: The Untold Story
Directed by Kim Love
This documentary brings to life the remarkable story of Annie Turnbo Malone, the woman who launched an international…
American Indie Spotlight
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Cinema For Students Program
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Fine Arts Spotlight
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Human Ties
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Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
,
SLIFF Kids / Family Films
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Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition
Antonio and the Last Wizard
Film
Antonio and the Last Wizard
Directed by Eros Zhao
An illusion designer undertakes the intricate restoration of a 19th-century automaton trapeze performer, developing a profound bond with…
Animation Spotlight
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Cinema For Students Program
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Environmental Focus
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Human Rights Spotlight
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Human Ties
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International Spotlight
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Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
Anyone lived in a pretty how town
Film
Anyone lived in a pretty how town
Directed by Daniel Kreizberg
In a picturesque town, a man named “anyone" rejoices in the beauty of everyday life and celebrates the…
Animation Spotlight
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Human Rights Spotlight
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Human Ties
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International Spotlight
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Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
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Race In America: The Black Experience
Apart
Film
Apart
Directed by Pola Maneli
Amid the harsh realities of South African apartheid, two boys—Themba and Joel—form a dangerous friendship. As hate and…
Cinema For Students Program
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Human Ties
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Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
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Women In Film Spotlight
Are We Breaking Up?
Film
Are We Breaking Up?
Directed by Mia Hagerty
When Shandaeya and Nic watch a theatrical reenactment of the fight that nearly ended their relationship, they are…
Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
,
Race In America: The Black Experience
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Women In Film Spotlight
Bao
Film
Bao
Directed by Sekera Mohamed Besta
Two people debate identity, race, and shared histories while playing Bao, confronting uncomfortable truths about diaspora and belonging.
Cinema For Students Program
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Fine Arts Spotlight
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Human Ties
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Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
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Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition
Beneath the Surface of the Everyday
Film
Beneath the Surface of the Everyday
Directed by Alex Morelli
An observer of quotidian strangeness, Deb Sokolow creates semi-fictitious drawings and books commenting on architecture, politics, and pop…
American Indie Spotlight
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Human Ties
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Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
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QFest LGBTQ Spotlight
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Women In Film Spotlight
Beware the Wolves
Film
Beware the Wolves
Directed by Alex Bush
While isolated at their estranged grandparents' home, two children begin to suspect that their elders may be more…
Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight
Bob And David Climb Machu Picchu
Film
Bob And David Climb Machu Picchu
Directed by MICHAEL LAHAIE
Comedy legends Bob Odenkirk and David Cross tackle one of the world's toughest hikes — and each other…
American Indie Spotlight
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Cinema For Students Program
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Human Ties
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SLIFF Kids / Family Films
Bob’s Best Friends
Film
Bob’s Best Friends
Directed by Randy Kent
A lonely man discovers he has an ability to talk to dogs after a sudden illness strikes. Through…
Animation Spotlight
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Cinema For Students Program
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International Spotlight
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Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
,
Women In Film Spotlight
Brain Space
Film
Brain Space
Directed by Laura Tofarides
Propelled into her own mind, Rhi explores the thoughts, fears and impulses that shape our internal world. When…
American Indie Spotlight
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Cinema For Students Program
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Fine Arts Spotlight
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Human Ties
Brother Verses Brother
Film
Brother Verses Brother
Directed by Ari Gold
Inspired by Francis Coppola's concept of Live Cinema, "Brother Verses Brother" is a radically personal one-take musical film.…
ARCHIVAL
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Human Rights Spotlight
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Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight
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Race In America: The Black Experience
Brothers in Blood: Black in Vietnam
Film
Brothers in Blood: Black in Vietnam
Directed by Joseph Puleo
In the 1960s and early 1970s, Black Americans fought two wars, one in Vietnam and one at home…
International Spotlight
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Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
Bruised Sky
Film
Bruised Sky
Directed by Gary James Kent
In 1970's Essex, teenage Tommy follows a new friend to the home of an eccentric former cameraman for…
Environmental Focus
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Human Ties
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Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
,
Race In America: The Black Experience
,
Women In Film Spotlight
Buckskin
Film
Buckskin
Directed by Mars Verrone
An experimental portrait of the filmmaker’s grandfather: Carroll B. Williams Jr., a ground-breaking African-American forester, reflecting on his…
Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
,
Race In America: The Black Experience
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SLIFF Kids / Family Films
Building a Dream
Film
Building a Dream
Directed by Ally Betker
Following a catastrophic storm, a youth organization expands its mission to help a community in need.
American Indie Spotlight
,
Human Rights Spotlight
,
Human Ties
,
Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
,
Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition
,
Women In Film Spotlight
Buried Under Years of Dust
Film
Buried Under Years of Dust
Directed by Sophie Sartain
How does someone go from not communicating for 25 years to narrating her life story? Buried Under Years…
American Indie Spotlight
,
Fine Arts Spotlight
,
Human Ties
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Race In America: The Black Experience
C.R.E.A.M.
Film
C.R.E.A.M.
Directed by Ryen McPherson
A modern-day adaptation of Shakespeare's "Romeo & Juliet" told entirely through lyrics sourced from over 700 Wu-Tang Clan…
American Indie Spotlight
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Human Ties
,
QFest LGBTQ Spotlight
,
Women In Film Spotlight
CAITY
Film
CAITY
Directed by Lindsay Calleran
16 year-old Caity and her newly sober father, Paul, co-operate their family business: a locally-beloved haunted house. When…
ARCHIVAL
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Cinema For Students Program
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Human Rights Spotlight
,
Human Ties
,
Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
,
Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition
,
The Immigrant Experience
Come to See Me at Oglala
Film
Come to See Me at Oglala
Directed by Mary Heather Carver, William T. Horner
This is a 1987 interview of William Horn Cloud, a renowned traditional Oglala Lakota singer, historian, philosopher, and…
Cinema For Students Program
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Environmental Focus
,
Fine Arts Spotlight
,
Human Ties
,
International Spotlight
,
Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
,
Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition
,
Women In Film Spotlight
Couture To the Max
Film
Couture To the Max
Directed by DORI Berinstein
COUTURE TO THE MAX" shines a light on an extraordinary young designer who inspires us to dream boldly…
Animation Spotlight
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Cinema For Students Program
,
Human Ties
,
Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
Creature Mountain
Film
Creature Mountain
Directed by Loring Weisenberger
Creature Mountain is the first chapter of a feature film (currently in production) that tells the tale of…
American Indie Spotlight
,
Fine Arts Spotlight
,
Human Ties
Crystal Cross
Film
Crystal Cross
Directed by Richie james Follin
A quirky Christian singer and a suicidal dad drive cross-country, forging an unlikely bond through bad decisions, bizarre…
Human Rights Spotlight
,
Human Ties
,
Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight
,
Race In America: The Black Experience
,
Women In Film Spotlight
Cycle
Film
Cycle
Directed by Laura Dyan Kezman, William Howell
CYCLE pierces the silence surrounding police violence through the death of Ty’rese West, a Black teenager killed by…
1992
,
American Indie Spotlight
Daughters of the Dust
Film
Daughters of the Dust
Directed by Julie Dash
In 1902, a Gullah family on the Sea Islands off South Carolina decide whether to migrate to the...
Animation Spotlight
,
Cinema For Students Program
,
Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
,
Women In Film Spotlight
Dear Upstairs Neighbors
Film
Dear Upstairs Neighbors
Directed by Connie He
A young woman desperate for a good night’s sleep is kept awake by her exceedingly noisy neighbors. As…
Environmental Focus
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Human Rights Spotlight
,
International Spotlight
,
Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
Degree of Certainty
Film
Degree of Certainty
Directed by Simon Schneider
It’s 1982, and Jackson Miller, a young risk analyst at one of the biggest US oil companies, fears…
Human Ties
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Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
Dropping Off
Film
Dropping Off
Directed by Ian Scott McGregor, Will Mayo
Shot almost entirely on security cameras and iPhones, Dropping Off follows Thom, an aspiring musician gigging as a…
American Indie Spotlight
,
Cinema For Students Program
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Human Rights Spotlight
,
Human Ties
,
Race In America: The Black Experience
,
Women In Film Spotlight
Dust
Film
Dust
Directed by Swisyzinna
Dust explores how one tragic event reverberates through the lives of several people across generations. When a young…
American Indie Spotlight
,
Cinema For Students Program
,
Fine Arts Spotlight
,
Human Ties
,
Women In Film Spotlight
Edie Arnold is a Loser
Film
Edie Arnold is a Loser
Directed by Kade Atwood, Megan Rico
Timid dork Edie accidentally takes the spotlight when she starts a punk band with her fellow “turds”, becoming…
Studio Spotlight
Elsinore
Film
Elsinore
Directed by Simon Stone
The fight of his life. The triumph of a lifetime.
Asian Focus
,
Human Rights Spotlight
,
International Spotlight
,
Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight
,
Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
,
Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition
,
The Immigrant Experience
Enver
Film
Enver
Directed by Hsi-lun Chen, Will Wen-jeng Chen
A Uyghur surgeon in exile in the UK turns a long-buried secret into public testimony, yet one question…
Human Ties
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Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
Eternal
Film
Eternal
Directed by Joshua Jeffrey Miller
Eternal is an allegorical tale about a man who, in his grief, seeks out death and the ability…
Animation Spotlight
,
Human Ties
,
International Spotlight
,
Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
,
Women In Film Spotlight
Flamingo in the Garden
Film
Flamingo in the Garden
Directed by Xinhui Ma
A young Chinese woman recovers from a traumatic injury in a Moroccan hospital, where isolation, pain, and morphine-induced…
Human Ties
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Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
,
Show-Me Cinema
,
Women In Film Spotlight
Forget Me Not
Film
Forget Me Not
Directed by Danielle Herrera Boivin, Michelle Bucci
When a fracture in the multiverse tears them from their parallel lives, a guarded go-go dancer and a…
Environmental Focus
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Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight
,
Race In America: The Black Experience
,
Women In Film Spotlight
Fork in the Road
Film
Fork in the Road
Directed by Jonathan Nastasi, Vivian Sorenson
Through compelling stories from independent farmers across the United States, from Alaskan kelp harvesters to dairy farmers in…
American Indie Spotlight
,
Fine Arts Spotlight
,
New Filmmakers Forum
Friday the 69th
Film
Friday the 69th
Directed by Alex Montilla
Porn filmmakers in 1981 seek to cash in on the slasher craze by making their own independent ripoff…
Asian Focus
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Cinema For Students Program
,
Human Rights Spotlight
,
Human Ties
,
International Spotlight
,
Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight
From Gaza with Love
Film
From Gaza with Love
Directed by Charles Villa, Suhail Nassar
Before the war, Suhail Nassar was a graphic designer. Since then, he has been filming the children of…
Environmental Focus
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Human Ties
,
Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
,
Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition
,
Women In Film Spotlight
Growing Humanity
Film
Growing Humanity
Directed by Zoe Malen
Growing Humanity follows six resilient women farmers in the Western U.S., as they navigate gender discrimination, balancing life’s…
American Indie Spotlight
,
SLIFF After Dark
Hag
Film
Hag
Directed by Jackie Kelly
Upon turning thirty, a jaded, lonely sex worker finds herself struggling to make ends meet, with her once...
Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight
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Show-Me Cinema
Half Order
Film
Half Order
Directed by Remrod
HALF ORDER is a cultural documentary exploring the bond between Black culture in St. Louis and the city’s...
Animation Spotlight
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Environmental Focus
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Human Ties
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Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
Hell
Film
Hell
Directed by Parker Croft
A place where dreams are real, wishes come true, and everything is always awful for everyone.
Human Rights Spotlight
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Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight
,
Race In America: The Black Experience
,
Show-Me Cinema
Hell on Hall Street
Film
Hell on Hall Street
Directed by Ben Pfeiffer, Troy Jones
Hell on Hall Street documents the grassroots movement led by ArchCity Defenders to close and demolish St. Louis’s…
Cinema For Students Program
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Human Rights Spotlight
,
Human Ties
,
Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight
,
Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
,
Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition
,
Women In Film Spotlight
Her Baby Don’t Block Her Jumpshot
Film
Her Baby Don’t Block Her Jumpshot
Directed by Emily M Lobsenz
For most of the 20th century, Iowa high school girls thrilled fans in packed stadiums playing 6-on-6 basketball.…
Cinema For Students Program
,
Human Ties
,
Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
,
Race In America: The Black Experience
Heroes Among Us: Kid Electric
Film
Heroes Among Us: Kid Electric
Directed by Anthony Jones
Get ready to be shocked and electrified by a new hero on the horizon. Kid Electric! This young…
American Indie Spotlight
,
Cinema For Students Program
,
Human Ties
,
Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
,
QFest LGBTQ Spotlight
,
Women In Film Spotlight
hi mom
Film
hi mom
Directed by SM Goldberger
Maya struggles to find the right words to come out to her mom.
ARCHIVAL
,
Human Rights Spotlight
,
Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
,
Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition
High Times
Film
High Times
Directed by Jack Moseley
High Times traces the outlaw ambition of Tom Forcade, a rebel publisher who turned risk into revolution when…
Asian Focus
,
Human Ties
,
International Spotlight
,
Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight
,
Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition
Home From The Vietnam War
Film
Home From The Vietnam War
Directed by Mat Hames
Haunted by the war he tried to forget, a decorated U.S. veteran returns to Vietnam with a friend…
Human Ties
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Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
,
Women In Film Spotlight
Homebodies
Film
Homebodies
Directed by Rachel Olson
Logline: In a near future where it literally costs money to leave the house, a burnt-out woman risks…
Asian Focus
,
Human Rights Spotlight
,
Human Ties
,
International Spotlight
,
Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight
,
Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition
,
The Immigrant Experience
,
Women In Film Spotlight
Hoop Like This
Film
Hoop Like This
Directed by Shubhangi Shekhar
Twelve players come together to form the world’s first professional Indian origin basketball team, risking their careers, reputation,…
American Indie Spotlight
,
Environmental Focus
,
Human Ties
,
Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
I Am Not The Last
Film
I Am Not The Last
Directed by Alvaro Donado
Marooned by time and place in a natural world untouched by humankind, a young boy and his refugee…
Human Rights Spotlight
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Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
,
The Immigrant Experience
ICED out of America
Film
ICED out of America
Directed by Michael Nigro
This is the harvesting of human beings -- for profit -- documented in real time. For nearly a…
Environmental Focus
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Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
,
Show-Me Cinema
,
Women In Film Spotlight
Intervention
Film
Intervention
Directed by Kate Grumke, Kyle Pyatt
Scientists head into some of the last remaining prairies in North America to undertake the painstaking work of…
Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight
Jane Elliott Against the World
Film
Jane Elliott Against the World
Directed by Judd Ehrlich
A rural Iowa schoolteacher becomes a national voice against racism after leading a controversial 1968 lesson in discrimination...
Human Ties
,
Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
,
QFest LGBTQ Spotlight
,
Race In America: The Black Experience
,
Women In Film Spotlight
JIA
Film
JIA
Directed by Sam Mandich
In the haze of a California summer, two best friends must reckon with their feelings for one another.
American Indie Spotlight
,
Human Ties
,
QFest LGBTQ Spotlight
Junkie
Film
Junkie
Directed by William Means
Perpetual screwup Stevie (Rocky Shay) is running on empty having just escaped from rehab [again]. On a quest…
Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
,
The Immigrant Experience
,
Women In Film Spotlight
Just Us
Film
Just Us
Directed by Anna Lauren Tufekci
A story about grief, the isolation of motherhood, unwelcome company, and the quiet power of a home-cooked meal.…
Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight
,
Women In Film Spotlight
Kenny Loggins: Conviction of the Heart
Film
Kenny Loggins: Conviction of the Heart
Directed by DORI Berinstein
Kenny Loggins – multi-platinum, Grammy, Emmy-winning and Oscar and Tony-nominated Songwriter/Recording Artist – was a shy, gawky, unpopular…
Cinema For Students Program
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Human Rights Spotlight
,
Human Ties
,
International Spotlight
,
Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight
,
Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition
,
Women In Film Spotlight
Kikuyu Land
Film
Kikuyu Land
Directed by Andrew H. Brown, Bea Wangondu
In Kenya’s tea highlands, one man’s claim to his family’s stolen land sets Mr. Mungai against a multinational…
Studio Spotlight
Killing Castro
Film
Killing Castro
Directed by Eif Rivera
Centered on true events when Cuban revolution leader Fidel Castro visited New York City and stayed in Harlem...
Cinema For Students Program
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Human Ties
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International Spotlight
,
Women In Film Spotlight
La Boheme
Film
La Boheme
Directed by Robin Norton-Hale
In present day East End London, an aspiring novelist falls in love with a Ukrainian cleaner whilst his...
American Indie Spotlight
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Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
,
Show-Me Cinema
Lady Killer
Film
Lady Killer
Directed by Caleb Wieland
This Lady Killer is sure to have you clutching your pearls… A woman home alone is approached by…
American Indie Spotlight
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Asian Focus
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Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
,
Show-Me Cinema
Ladybeetle
Film
Ladybeetle
Directed by Jessica Che, John Che
May, an anxious 18-year-old, struggles to move on from living a life dictated by the behavioral patterns she…
American Indie Spotlight
,
ARCHIVAL
,
Cinema For Students Program
,
Human Rights Spotlight
,
Human Ties
,
Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight
,
Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition
,
The Immigrant Experience
,
Women In Film Spotlight
Landscapes of Memory
Film
Landscapes of Memory
Directed by Leah Galant
Landscapes Of Memory follows Leah Galant's journey through Germany as she reckons with family trauma and the weight…
Animation Spotlight
,
ARCHIVAL
,
Cinema For Students Program
,
Fine Arts Spotlight
,
Human Ties
,
Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
,
Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition
Let’s All Go to the Lobby: The Story of Filmack Studios
Film
Let’s All Go to the Lobby: The Story of Filmack Studios
Directed by Justin Atkinson
Robbie Mack, the third-generation owner of Filmack Studios, takes us behind the scenes of the world’s oldest producer…
American Indie Spotlight
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Animation Spotlight
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Fine Arts Spotlight
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Human Ties
,
Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
Living with a Visionary
Film
Living with a Visionary
Directed by Stephen P. Neary
After 50 years of marriage, John must care for his wife while learning to live alongside her vivid…
American Indie Spotlight
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Human Ties
,
New Filmmakers Forum
Love – Love
Film
Love – Love
Directed by Thomas Leisten Schneider
After their grandmother’s death, two estranged brothers : Andy, who suffers from schizophrenia, and Jeff, an actor searching…
Cinema For Students Program
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Human Rights Spotlight
,
Human Ties
,
Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
,
Spanish-Language Focus
,
Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition
,
The Immigrant Experience
,
Women In Film Spotlight
Love Thy Neighbor
Film
Love Thy Neighbor
Directed by Isabella Urrutia
Witness a day in the life of Casa De Paz workers as they support newly released individuals.
American Indie Spotlight
,
Cinema For Students Program
,
Human Ties
,
Women In Film Spotlight
Mackenzie
Film
Mackenzie
Directed by Mylissa Fitzsimmons
An 11-year-old girl runs away from home hoping to meet her celebrity crush. Lost in the desert, she…
Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight
Manhood
Film
Manhood
Directed by Daniel Lombroso
“Manhood” follows Dallas entrepreneur Bill Moore as he attempts to make penis enlargement as commonplace as Botox. Along...
Asian Focus
,
Fine Arts Spotlight
,
International Spotlight
,
Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
,
Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition
,
The Immigrant Experience
Mark Hama: In Service
Film
Mark Hama: In Service
Directed by Brendan Leahy
At 16, Mark Hama entered the Yashica camera factory to support his father and siblings; years later, he…
Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight
,
Spanish-Language Focus
,
The Immigrant Experience
Mexicanamerican
Film
Mexicanamerican
Directed by Eddie Sánchez
Expertly merging old VHS home movies with new family interviews, filmmaker Eddie Sánchez traces his parents' journey from…
American Indie Spotlight
,
Human Ties
,
Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
Mistake
Film
Mistake
Directed by JT Ibanez
On a tragic relationship ending date. A couple is trapped in a battle, troubled by an irreverent argument,…
American Indie Spotlight
,
Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
,
Show-Me Cinema
Mort
Film
Mort
Directed by Larry Ziegelman, Terry Ziegelman
A risk-averse actuary's all-nighter spirals into absurdity when an unexpected visitor claiming to be Death, forces him to…
Animation Spotlight
,
Human Ties
,
Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
,
Women In Film Spotlight
Moticos
Film
Moticos
Directed by Paige Meakin
In rural Texas, a driver embarks on a solitary road trip where she is overcome with memories of…
American Indie Spotlight
,
Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
Octarine
Film
Octarine
Directed by Dustie Carter
An obsessed fan spirals into an AI-fueled psychosis after attempting to conjure a meeting with their favorite pop…
ARCHIVAL
,
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Oh Whale
Film
Oh Whale
Directed by Winslow Crane-Murdoch
When news anchor Paul Linnman arrived in Florence OR on November 12th, 1970, he had no idea that…
American Indie Spotlight
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Cinema For Students Program
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Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
One More Cup
Film
One More Cup
Directed by Max Wagenblass
As toddler Leona is about to host her very first tea party with her stuffed animals, it inexplicably…
American Indie Spotlight
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Cinema For Students Program
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Environmental Focus
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Human Rights Spotlight
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Human Ties
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Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
Ornamental Horticulture
Film
Ornamental Horticulture
Directed by Sam Hyatt
After experiencing the wrath of the internet firsthand, an aspiring succulent influencer struggles to make her second post.
American Indie Spotlight
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Human Ties
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QFest LGBTQ Spotlight
Out of the Woods
Film
Out of the Woods
Directed by Sal Bardo
Max is slowing losing her memory. When she reunites with an old friend, Diana, a long-hidden part of…
American Indie Spotlight
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Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
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Show-Me Cinema
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Women In Film Spotlight
Permanent Scar
Film
Permanent Scar
Directed by Ally Betker
An introverted and withdrawn young woman, Kali, meets a precocious little girl at a park. Though she tries…
Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
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QFest LGBTQ Spotlight
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Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition
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Plumped
Film
Plumped
Directed by Faye Tsakas, Nora DeLigter
Inspired by Les Blank’s seminal short film Gap-Toothed Women (1987), Plumped is an honest, direct-to-camera survey film in…
Environmental Focus
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International Spotlight
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Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
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Polyphem
Film
Polyphem
Directed by Ilaria Di Carlo
POLYPHEM is the second chapter in a series of short landscape films that reinterpret the stages of the…
American Indie Spotlight
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Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
Reentry
Film
Reentry
Directed by Keenan OReilly
Two friends make a pact to get out and stay out when released from prison.
American Indie Spotlight
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Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
Remedy in the Rhythm
Film
Remedy in the Rhythm
Directed by Jon Boogz
Haunted and guilt-ridden after his childhood best friend's suicide, Jon spirals into isolation until his friends push him…
1992
Reservoir Dogs
Film
Reservoir Dogs
Directed by Quentin Tarantino
Every dog has his day.
Human Ties
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International Spotlight
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Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
Right on Time
Film
Right on Time
Directed by Tom Bent
When Ben is late to an important family event in his Cornish hometown, memories of his tumultuous relationship…
Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
Right On Time
Film
Right On Time
When Ben is late to an important family event in his Cornish hometown, memories of his tumultuous relationship...
American Indie Spotlight
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Romare Bearden: A Life in Collage
Film
Romare Bearden: A Life in Collage
Directed by Deborah Riley Draper
RB_SM_WIKI.1716__Pablo Picasso meeting with Rosanjin
Cinema For Students Program
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Human Ties
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Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
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QFest LGBTQ Spotlight
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Show-Me Cinema
Ronita Rambo
Film
Ronita Rambo
Directed by Michael Doshier
At a small-town diner in rural Missouri, a tough-talking waitress finds the courage to ask a pair of…
Asian Focus
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Cinema For Students Program
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Fine Arts Spotlight
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Human Ties
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Sandiwara
Film
Sandiwara
Directed by Sean Baker
Michelle Yeoh delivers a transformative performance, amid Penang’s vibrant cityscape. In collaboration with Academy Award-winning Director Sean Baker,…
Human Rights Spotlight
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Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight
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Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition
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The Immigrant Experience
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Women In Film Spotlight
Sapiro v. Ford: The Jew Who Sued Henry Ford
Film
Sapiro v. Ford: The Jew Who Sued Henry Ford
Directed by Gaylen Ross
Sapiro v. Ford tells the riveting true story of Aaron Sapiro, a young Jewish lawyer who took on…
American Indie Spotlight
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Human Rights Spotlight
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Human Ties
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Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight
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Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
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Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition
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The Immigrant Experience
Sawyer Avenue, Sunday Afternoon
Film
Sawyer Avenue, Sunday Afternoon
Directed by Bill Morrison
When masked US Customs and Border Protection agents abduct a man from a residential street in Chicago without…
American Indie Spotlight
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Human Ties
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Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
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Women In Film Spotlight
See You Tomorrow Tomorrow Tomorrow
Film
See You Tomorrow Tomorrow Tomorrow
Directed by Desdemona Chiang
An aspiring queer stand-up comedian delays her career aspirations to do the greater work of caring for her…
Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight
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Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition
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Women In Film Spotlight
Seized
Film
Seized
Directed by Sharon Liese
Balancing the absurdity of small-town politics with the gravity of a constitutional crisis, the small town of Marion,…
American Indie Spotlight
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Human Ties
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New Filmmakers Forum
Sender
Film
Sender
Directed by Russell Goldman
After receiving a series of unnervingly personal packages she never ordered, a woman, newly sober and starting over,…
Cinema For Students Program
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Human Rights Spotlight
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Human Ties
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Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
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Race In America: The Black Experience
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The Immigrant Experience
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Women In Film Spotlight
She Dared to Dream: Ayanna Pressley
Film
She Dared to Dream: Ayanna Pressley
Directed by Abby Ginzberg
She Dared to Dream documents the journey of Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley from her early years in Chicago to…
Human Ties
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International Spotlight
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Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
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Signal
Film
Signal
Directed by Zak Jarvis
Starring Emmy award winner Christopher Eccleston as Ray, a railway Signalman whose routine night shift turns into a…
Animation Spotlight
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Fine Arts Spotlight
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Human Ties
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International Spotlight
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Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
Small Hours
Film
Small Hours
Directed by Oscar Wyndham Lewis
Struggling with alcohol addiction and mental illness, an artist reaches out to an old friend.
American Indie Spotlight
Stages
Film
Stages
Directed by Ryan Booth
After the tumultuous breakup of his band, Ben Garza embarks on his first-ever solo tour. Life on the...
Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
State of Nebraska v. Crotchy the Clown
Film
State of Nebraska v. Crotchy the Clown
Directed by Benjamin Radford
State of Nebraska V. Crotchy the Clown is a short documentary about a clown named Crotchy who took…
American Indie Spotlight
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Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
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Women In Film Spotlight
Stop to Stop
Film
Stop to Stop
Directed by Asher Grodman, Samantha Massell
Carolyn is flooded with political text messages. When a chance encounter reveals the identity of one of her…
International Spotlight
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Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
Stuck
Film
Stuck
Directed by Will Peppercorn
Ambitious journalist Simon is drawn into a bitter rural feud involving one dead dog, two angry men, and…
American Indie Spotlight
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Human Rights Spotlight
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Human Ties
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New Filmmakers Forum
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Take Me Home
Film
Take Me Home
Directed by Liz Sargent
Anna, a middle-aged Korean adoptee with a cognitive disability, cares for her aging parents in a fragile balance…
Human Rights Spotlight
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Human Ties
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Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
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Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition
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Women In Film Spotlight
Tampons & Taxes
Film
Tampons & Taxes
Directed by Emily Harrold
When male legislators in South Carolina refuse to repeal a sexist state tax on menstrual hygiene products, the…
Animation Spotlight
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Studio Spotlight
Tangles
Film
Tangles
Directed by Leah Nelson
When Alzheimer’s disease begins to strip away her mother’s vibrant personality, a headstrong young woman is forced to...
Studio Spotlight
Tender Loving Care
Film
Tender Loving Care
Directed by Mike Leigh
Amy is a devoted social service worker who puts her heart and soul into her job to care...
Cinema For Students Program
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Environmental Focus
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Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight
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Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition
The [Conserv]atives
Film
The [Conserv]atives
Directed by Dominic Whinfield Gill, Nadia Michelle Gill
As extreme weather intensifies and the 2024 election looms, four Republicans embedded in different corners of the conservative…
Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
The Custodian
Film
The Custodian
Directed by Khaula Malik
Following Samu Qureshi, a devoted Washington Commanders superfan who has spent more than 50 years building the country’s…
ARCHIVAL
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The Dark Knot at the Center
Film
The Dark Knot at the Center
Directed by Inês Pedrosa e Melo
Drawing from an archive of letters written in the 1960s, the film reimagines women's clandestine journeys from across…
Human Ties
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Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
The Expiration of Darius Campbell
Film
The Expiration of Darius Campbell
Directed by Charlie Roth
In a retro-futuristic "revitalization suite" widow Bethany Campbell pays to have her dead husband Darius revived so that…
Cinema For Students Program
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Human Ties
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Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight
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Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
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Race In America: The Black Experience
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Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition
The Good News
Film
The Good News
Directed by Christopher Hoerdemann
A documentary about the transformation of Chicago’s Austin neighborhood—told by the people who are leading it. Once dismissed…
Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight
The Great Experiment
Film
The Great Experiment
Directed by Eric Daniel Metzgar, Stephen T. Maing
The Great Experiment is an ambitious cinematic time capsule of one of the most volatile and perplexing eras...
ARCHIVAL
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The Last Picture Shows
Film
The Last Picture Shows
Directed by Rustin Thompson
Filmmaker Rustin Thompson journeys into the American West on a search for traces of what was once a…
Studio Spotlight
The Liberation
Film
The Liberation
Directed by Guy Nattiv
Rita is entranced by the mesmeric Leader and renounces her family to embrace the world of the enigmatic...
Environmental Focus
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Human Ties
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Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight
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Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition
The Life We Leave
Film
The Life We Leave
Directed by JJ Gerber
An ambitious entrepreneur and two funeral directors pioneer a groundbreaking eco-friendly deathcare facility in Washington state, challenging traditional…
Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight
The Lorraine
Film
The Lorraine
Directed by Sam Pollard
Renowned documentarian Sam Pollard tells the astonishing, inspiring story of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, site of...
Cinema For Students Program
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Human Ties
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International Spotlight
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Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
The moon we love like a brother
Film
The moon we love like a brother
Directed by Iñaki Velasquez
Two exchange students in Chile, Anya and Sung-Joon, are kidnapped by a rideshare driver who is clearly xenophobic.
The Tiger Widows
Film
The Tiger Widows
Directed by Kaustuv Mukherjee
A documentary feature about human survival, resilience and hope against all odds in the perilous forests of “Sundarbans”,…
Cinema For Students Program
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Fine Arts Spotlight
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International Spotlight
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Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
The Tuners
Film
The Tuners
Directed by Paweł Chorzępa
In the shadows of the world's most important piano competition, a group of expert tuners spend a month…
American Indie Spotlight
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The Whistle
Film
The Whistle
Directed by Greg Franklin
A Jewish doctor and his family are living a comfortable life in Cologne, Germany when, in 1938, the…
ARCHIVAL
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Human Rights Spotlight
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Theodor Herzl: The Man Behind Israel
Film
Theodor Herzl: The Man Behind Israel
Directed by Dominic Howlett, James Dann
Theodor Herzl is one of the most consequential figures in modern history; yet almost no one knows his…
Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight
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QFest LGBTQ Spotlight
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Women In Film Spotlight
Tim Miller Citizen Artist: Performing Stories to Change the Ending
Film
Tim Miller Citizen Artist: Performing Stories to Change the Ending
Directed by Keenan OReilly
Citizen Artist explores the life and career of the internationally acclaimed performance artist Tim Miller who, over his…
Human Ties
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J. Kim & Sharon Tucci Italian Focus
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Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
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The Immigrant Experience
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Women In Film Spotlight
Tiramisu
Film
Tiramisu
Directed by Katerina Munis
In the aftermath of ICE raids, a temperamental Italian chef must bargain for help in his kitchen from…
Animation Spotlight
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Asian Focus
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Cinema For Students Program
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Human Ties
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International Spotlight
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Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
Trading Cards
Film
Trading Cards
Directed by Radheya Jang
An enigmatic man journeys back in time to find his younger self, seemingly to revisit the nostalgia of…
American Indie Spotlight
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Human Ties
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New Filmmakers Forum
Wake
Film
Wake
Directed by Devon M. Schwartz
Four estranged siblings deal with difficult relatives and an anxious funeral director at their father's wake, where family…
American Indie Spotlight
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Human Ties
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Water Cooler
Film
Water Cooler
Directed by Emma V.F.
The Trump administration has turned immigration courts into deportation traps. As ICE agents wait to arrest their targets…
Cinema For Students Program
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Fine Arts Spotlight
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Human Ties
We Are The Shaggs
Film
We Are The Shaggs
Directed by Ken William Kwapis
WE ARE THE SHAGGS is a music documentary about The Shaggs, an all-girl band that created some of…
Human Ties
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International Spotlight
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Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition
WEGWERF!
Film
WEGWERF!
Directed by Cole Edwards
An anti-AI in the arts comedy. A hospice workers gets more than he bargained for cleaning the room…
American Indie Spotlight
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Human Ties
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What Will I Become?
Film
What Will I Become?
Directed by Lexie Bean, Logan Rozos
Winner of the Amnesty International Film Award at the Berlin International Film Festival, What Will I Become? explores…
Human Rights Spotlight
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Spanish-Language Focus
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Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition
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The Immigrant Experience
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Women In Film Spotlight
While You Return
Film
While You Return
Directed by Leonor Zúniga
A woman in exile fights to free her husband, a political prisoner in Nicaragua, while caring for their…
Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight
Wild Inside
Film
Wild Inside
Directed by Penny Lane
On February 2, 2023, Flaco — a male Eurasian eagle-owl, the largest species of owl in the world...
Human Rights Spotlight
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Human Ties
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Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight
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Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition
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Wood Street
Film
Wood Street
Directed by Caron Creighton
Two unhoused men turned community leaders— John and LaMonté —organize their neighbors in the face of displacement, addiction,…
American Indie Spotlight
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Human Ties
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Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight
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Yo (Love is a Rebellious Bird)
Film
Yo (Love is a Rebellious Bird)
Directed by Anna Fitch, Banker White
Anna spends a decade obsessively building a detailed 1/3-scale version of her friend’s house after losing her. It’s…