October 8, 2019

DESERT ONE

NYC PREMIERE Two-time Oscar-winner Barbara Kopple (Harlan County USA, American Dream) re-examines the story of Americans taken hostage by Iranian revolutionaries in 1979. Focusing on a rescue mission, the film plays like a thriller. Kopple draws upon never-before-heard audiotapes from inside the White House, as well as new interviews with hostages, rescuers, Iranians and even President […]

October 8, 2019

GHOSTS OF SUGAR LAND

A group of suburban Muslim friends trace the disappearance of their friend “Mark,” who is suspected of joining ISIS. Experiencing guilt, fear and sadness, they try to piece together what happened to their friend. Courtesy of Netflix.    

October 8, 2019

GOLDA

INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE In America, she is viewed as the respected grandmother of the state of Israel; in Israel, her legacy is far more complicated. This fascinating profile sheds light on Golda Meir, the first and only woman to be elected prime minister of Israel. The film centers around a remarkably candid interview, unseen until now, in […]

October 8, 2019

HEALING FROM HATE: BATTLE FOR THE SOUL OF A NATION

WORLD PREMIERE This timely film profiles Life After Hate, an organization founded by former skinheads and neo-Nazis that supports white nationalists seeking to break away from these radical movements. Given exclusive access, director Peter Hutchison follows group counselors as they attempt both to reform individuals and offer support to communities impacted by the recent rise of […]

October 8, 2019

HUNGRY TO LEARN

WORLD PREMIERE The cost of college is forcing students to make choices that put eating regular meals and their education at odds. Director Geeta Gandbhir and executive producer Soledad O’Brien’s poignant film follows four college students as they navigate food insecurity in their attempt to change their lives for the better. Homelessness, abandonment and mental […]

October 8, 2019

I AM NOT ALONE

2019 AUDIENCE AWARD WINNER US PREMIERE In 2018, Armenia experienced a peaceful revolution that’s inspiring to anyone challenging power. Nikol Pashinyan—a former journalist and political prisoner turned Member of Parliament—begins a march by himself to protest Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan trying to extend the reach of his power. The film observes how Pashinyan’s campaign slowly grows […]

October 8, 2019

IN THE ABSENCE

When the passenger ferry MV Sewol sank off the coast of South Korea in 2014, over three hundred people lost their lives, most of them schoolchildren. Years later, the victims’ families and survivors are still demanding justice from national authorities. Courtesy of Field of Vision.

October 8, 2019

JACKSON POLLOCK: BLUE POLES

The fulsome story of Jackson Pollock’s Blue Poles is put into an art historical context, explaining why it’s often discussed as one of the greatest paintings in history.

October 8, 2019

KNOCK DOWN THE HOUSE

Director Rachel Lears won the 2014 DOC NYC Audience Award for The Hand That Feeds. Now Lears captures Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as she conducts a surprise campaign for Congress while still working as a bartender. Lears also follows three other first-time female candidates, revealing that AOC’s effort wasn’t a fluke but part of a fervent grassroots […]

October 8, 2019

LOS ULTIMOS FRIKIS

WORLD PREMIERE Despite restrictions beginning under the regime of Fidel Castro, heavy metal band Zeus became icons of the Cuban music scene. Over the decades, the band and their front man, Diony Arce, have challenged the status quo under threat of government suppression. As the bandmates approach their 30th anniversary together in a shifting political […]