October 5, 2020

THE BIG SCARY “S” WORD

With debates on income inequality and healthcare becoming increasingly prevalent, and figures like Senator Bernie Sanders rising to prominence, socialism has found a new relevance. As Americans confront 21st century issues, the allure of the economic system attracts politicians and everyday citizens alike to its cause. Through a comprehensive history and expert interviews, Yael Bridge’s […]

October 5, 2020

TELEVISION EVENT

WORLD PREMIERE  | On November 20, 1983, ABC-TV broadcast The Day After, a chilling fictional account of the aftermath of a nuclear war on a small Kansas town. More than 100 million viewers turned in, making it the highest-rated made-for-TV film in history. This came after weeks of buildup and, behind-the-scenes, intense controversy extending all the […]

October 5, 2020

SUMMERWAR (SOMMERKRIEG)

US PREMIERE  | Ukraine has been at war with Russia since 2014. In response, its ultranationalists have organized paramilitary summer camps to prepare children to one day take up arms to defend their homeland. This film follows two campers over a session as uber-patriotic teen Jasmin revels in the military-style maneuvers and gun training, while younger […]

October 5, 2020

PARIS CALLIGRAMMES

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE | An epic self-portrait of Ulrike Ottinger, one of Germany’s most prominent contemporary avant-garde artists, known for her paintings, photographs, and, above all, her films. An impressive and extensive archive of sensorial memories, historical photographs, and documentary footage traces the early influences of Ottinger’s life in Paris in the 1960s. This was […]

October 5, 2020

ONCE UPON A TIME IN VENEZUELA

At the edge of Venezuela’s Lake Maracaibo is the small floating village of Congo Mirador. Now sinking into sediment, this once-prosperous fishing community is unraveling after years of criminal pollution and government neglect. Focusing on two fierce, independent women who epitomize opposing sides of this vulnerable community, Anabel Rodríguez Ríos’s film is a stunning microcosm […]

October 5, 2020

NEITHER CONFIRM NOR DENY

WORLD PREMIERE | At the height of the Cold War, the CIA is tasked with an audacious covert mission: recovering a sunken Soviet nuclear submarine from the bottom of the ocean. The mission hangs in the balance as the agency and its activities are caught in a power play between the press and the White […]

October 5, 2020

MAYOR

David Osit’s compelling film offers a portrait of Musa Hadid, the affable mayor of Ramallah, the historically Christian city that serves as the administrative center of Palestine. Hadid has day-to-day concerns to handle, from increasing tourism to planning the annual Christmas celebrations, but the darker realities of life under occupation are never too far away. […]

October 5, 2020

LOS HERMANOS/THE BROTHERS

Brothers and gifted musicians, pianist Aldo and violinist Ilmar were separated during childhood after Ilmar left their native Cuba to study abroad, beginning a lifetime of being physically apart, yet alway connected by music. Brief windows of open US/Cuban relations allow the brothers’ joyous reunions where they revel in each others’ company and create beautiful […]

October 5, 2020

KINGS OF CAPITOL HILL

INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE | Filmmaker Mor Loushy (Censored Voices) examines the powerful pro-Israeli lobby AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee), known for bipartisan loyalty in Washington, DC. Throughout its 60-year history, AIPAC has thrived on maintaining order in its ranks, but Loushy gains interviews with disaffected insiders who have deep-seated reservations about the policy-making under Prime Minister […]

October 5, 2020

HAMTRAMCK, USA

Formerly a solid Polish Catholic town, Hamtramck, MI is America’s first majority Muslim city. During one election cycle, popular incumbent Karen Majewski faces Muslim challenger Mohammed Hassan for mayor, and the typically harmonious, culturally commingling community begins to split along ethnic lines. Going behind the scenes of small-town politics to explore the beauty and challenges […]