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The Immigrant Experience

This program offers an intimate look at life between worlds, at the journeys, sacrifices, and hopes that define the search for home. Through powerful personal stories, these films reflect on what it means to leave one place, arrive in another, and build a sense of belonging along the way.

Human Ties, International Spotlight, Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition, Race In America: The Black Experience, Robert French and French-Language Focus, The Immigrant Experience

Alaska

Film Alaska Directed by Ilan Cohen The plan is simple: Léo hides inside the suitcase, which Jo drops into the bus luggage hold -…
Animation Spotlight, Fine Arts Spotlight, Human Ties, International Spotlight, Robert French and French-Language Focus, The Immigrant Experience, Women In Film Spotlight

Ana, en passant

Film Ana, en passant Directed by Fernanda Salgado After the death of her grandmother, Ana, a young black French woman, finds herself adrift in the city…
American Indie Spotlight, Human Rights Spotlight, 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…
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…
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…
Cinema For Students Program, Human Rights Spotlight, Human Ties, International Spotlight, Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition, Robert French and French-Language Focus, The Immigrant Experience, Women In Film Spotlight

Four wise monkeys

Film Four wise monkeys Directed by Xin Wang A nearsighted neighbor, silent policemen, a wary Chinese family... A drama inspired by a true story, where a…
Human Ties, International Spotlight, Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition, The Immigrant Experience

Hai Davai

Film Hai Davai Directed by Vlad Gradescu On the cusp of leaving her rural Moldovan village for a new life abroad, Nina is stopped, quite…
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,…
Human Rights Spotlight, 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…
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.…
Human Ties, International Spotlight, Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition, The Immigrant Experience

Katya

Film Katya Directed by Timofey Pozhitkov A homesick immigrant mother makes the difficult decision to return to Russia with her young daughter, concealing plans…
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…
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…
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 Rights Spotlight, Human Ties, Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition, The Immigrant Experience, Women In Film Spotlight

Notes on Courtwatch

Film Notes on Courtwatch Directed by Kate Levy In early summer of 2025, when ICE officials began detaining asylum seekers at their hearings, an ad-hoc network…
Cinema For Students Program, Human Ties, International Spotlight, Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition, The Immigrant Experience

Princessy

Film Princessy Directed by Franciszek Korolczuk Diana, a 22-year-old mother, is awaiting her partner’s return so they can move to England together. However, their…
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…
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…
American Indie Spotlight, Human Rights Spotlight, Human Ties, International Spotlight, Leon & Mary Strauss Documentary Spotlight, The Immigrant Experience

Stay Forte

Film Stay Forte Directed by Doron Eran Stay Forte is a haunting story of survival, resilience, and the fragile bonds that hold us together when…
American Indie Spotlight, Animation Spotlight, Cinema For Students Program, Human Rights Spotlight, Human Ties, International Spotlight, Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition, The Immigrant Experience

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, 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 Ties, J. Kim & Sharon Tucci Italian Focus, Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition, The Immigrant Experience, 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…
American Indie Spotlight, Cinema For Students Program, Human Rights Spotlight, Human Ties, Oscar-Qualifying Shorts Competition, The Immigrant Experience, Women In Film Spotlight

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…
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…
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,…