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Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition

Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition
Sponsored by The Albrecht Family

A juried competition that awards a $5,000 prize to a feature documentary that focuses on people working to make the world a better place, inspires audience members, and leaves them with a sense of hope for the future.

ARCHIVAL, Asian Focus, Human Rights Spotlight, International Spotlight, 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, 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…
American Indie Spotlight, ARCHIVAL, Cinema For Students Program, Human Rights Spotlight, Human Ties, Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight, Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition, QFest LGBTQ Spotlight, Race In America: The Black Experience, 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, Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight, Race In America: The Black Experience, 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, Cinema For Students Program, Fine Arts Spotlight, Human Ties, Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition, SLIFF Kids / Family Films, 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…
Cinema For Students Program, Fine Arts Spotlight, Human Ties, Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition, 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, 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…
ARCHIVAL, Cinema For Students Program, 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, 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…
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…
Fine Arts Spotlight, International Spotlight, Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight, Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition, Women In Film Spotlight

Every Line Becomes A Circle

Film Every Line Becomes A Circle Directed by Christopher Leete, Lynnette Luis, Ottilie Maters Every Line Becomes A Circle is a powerful documentary about 94-year-old German artist Inge Besgen. Her life and…
Environmental Focus, 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…
Environmental Focus, Human Ties, Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight, Race In America: The Black Experience, Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition, Women In Film Spotlight

Harvest

Film Harvest Directed by Hyacinth Parker, Natalie Baszile Four brothers. One farm. A season that could change everything. HARVEST follows the Nelson brothers, fourth-generation farmers in…
Cinema For Students Program, 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.…
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…
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,…
Cinema For Students Program, 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…
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…
Cinema For Students Program, 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.
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…
Human Rights Spotlight, Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight, QFest LGBTQ Spotlight, Race In America: The Black Experience, Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition, Women In Film Spotlight

My NDA

Film My NDA Directed by Juliane Dressner and Miriam Shor Bound by non-disclosure agreements that forbid them from even acknowledging they signed one, three individuals risk everything by…
ARCHIVAL, Human Ties, Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition, Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition

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, Human Rights Spotlight, Human Ties, Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition, Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition

Once a Soldier, Always a Soldier

Film Once a Soldier, Always a Soldier Directed by Brian Ryu In the shadow of America's secret artillery war against ISIS, soldiers Joshua Bullard and Joshua James battle debilitating…
Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition, QFest LGBTQ Spotlight, Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition, Women In Film Spotlight

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, International Spotlight, Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition, Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition, Women In Film Spotlight

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…
Human Rights Spotlight, International Spotlight, Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight, Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition, Women In Film Spotlight

Reading the World

Film Reading the World Directed by Catherine Murphy, Iris de Oliveira In 1963, global icon Paulo Freire led an experimental project teaching hundreds of rural farmers to read, write…
Human Rights Spotlight, Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight, Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition, The Immigrant Experience, 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, Human Rights Spotlight, Human Ties, Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight, Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition, Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition, 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…
Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight, Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition, 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,…
Cinema For Students Program, Human Rights Spotlight, Human Ties, Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition, Race In America: The Black Experience, Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition, The Immigrant Experience, 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…
Cinema For Students Program, Human Ties, International Spotlight, Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition, Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition, Women In Film Spotlight

Shoulder

Film Shoulder Directed by Batchen Kahalani Seventeen years ago, when she was a child, the director experienced a traumatic event that still holds her,…
Cinema For Students Program, Environmental Focus, Human Ties, International Spotlight, Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition, Spanish-Language Focus, Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition, Women In Film Spotlight

Si la Isla Quiere (“Island Willing”)

Film Si la Isla Quiere (“Island Willing”) Directed by Cece King Chile's Robinson Crusoe Island, named for the marooned sailor who inspired the novel, has a higher percentage of…
Human Ties, International Spotlight, Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition, Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition

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…
Cinema For Students Program, Environmental Focus, International Spotlight, Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition, Spanish-Language Focus, Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition, Women In Film Spotlight

Sotobosque

Film Sotobosque Directed by Raina Bhargava Dany Murillo was born and raised in Camarones, a small community nestled in Ecuador's Pacific Forest. With the…
Human Rights Spotlight, Human Ties, Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition, Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition, 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, Human Rights Spotlight, Human Ties, International Spotlight, Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition, Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition, Women In Film Spotlight

That Night

Film That Night Directed by Hoda Sobhani When Iran's Evin prison caught fire on October 15, 2022, activist Neda was locked inside a smoke-filled cell,…
Cinema For Students Program, Environmental Focus, Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight, 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…
Cinema For Students Program, Human Ties, Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight, Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition, Race In America: The Black Experience, 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…
ARCHIVAL, Cinema For Students Program, Fine Arts Spotlight, Human Ties, Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight, Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition

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…
Environmental Focus, Human Ties, Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight, 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…
Human Ties, International Spotlight, Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition, Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition

The Race

Film The Race Directed by Zoran Pribičević Sanja, Darko, and their 7-year-old daughter Mara live in perfect family bliss—until a sudden heart defect shatters their…
ARCHIVAL, Human Rights Spotlight, International Spotlight, Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight, Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition, The Immigrant Experience

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…
Human Rights Spotlight, Human Ties, International Spotlight, Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight, Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition, Women In Film Spotlight

Traces

Film Traces Directed by Alisa Kovalenko, Marysia Nikitiuk Traces shines a light on Ukrainian women who, after surviving conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) and torture during Russia’s…
American Indie Spotlight, Human Rights Spotlight, Human Ties, Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight, QFest LGBTQ Spotlight, Race In America: The Black Experience, Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition

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, International Spotlight, Spanish-Language Focus, Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition, The Immigrant Experience, 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…
Cinema For Students Program, Human Rights Spotlight, Human Ties, International Spotlight, Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition, Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition, Women In Film Spotlight

Who Trains My Hands To War

Film Who Trains My Hands To War Directed by Caroline Gaio Founding a social Muay Thai project in the North Zone of Rio de Janeiro, Mestre BG and his…
Human Rights Spotlight, Human Ties, Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight, Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition, The Immigrant Experience

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,…
Human Rights Spotlight, Human Ties, International Spotlight, Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition, Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition

Worldless

Film Worldless Directed by Amin Nakhi Worldless tells the personal story of an Iranian filmmaker whose search for a better life becomes a difficult…
American Indie Spotlight, Human Ties, Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight, Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition, Women In Film Spotlight

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…