Robert Mapplethorpe emerged from the vibrant 1970s New York art scene where he bonded with Patti Smith and partnered with art collector Sam Wagstaff. Mapplethorpe’s photography spanned explicit gay sadomasochistic sex, but also stunning pictures of flowers. In 1989, the year he died of AIDS, he was denounced in Congress by Senator Jesse Helms. Filmmakers […]
Two years after American photojournalist James Foley went missing in Syria, the graphic video of his public execution served as the shocking introduction of ISIS to the world. Unwilling to allow his childhood friend to be remembered only by his death, Brian Oakes celebrates Foley’s life through intimate, revealing interviews with family members and friends. […]
Winner of the Berlin Film Festival’s top prize, the Golden Bear, Fire at Sea takes an observational look at the waves of refugees landing on the tiny Italian island of Lampedusa. Renowned filmmaker Gianfranco Rosi has long been celebrated in Europe (winning the Venice Film Festival for his film Sacro GRA) and his reputation is […]
NYC PREMIERE Where We Stand is the BAFTA-nominated short documentary on a controversial group of Mormon feminists fighting for women’s ordination in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Stories about women and their work. In Bedside Manner (USA, 18 min., Corinne Botz) a neurologist plays multiple roles to teach medical students. A controversial group of Mormon feminists fights for their rights in Where We Stand (USA, 20 min., Kristine Stolakis). Teriano (Canada, 20 min., Leora Eisen) defies expectations, moving from a remote Kenyan […]
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE A documentary that tells the story of the Flint Water Crisis from the perspectives of those who have experienced this tragedy first hand and from activists on the ground working through grass-root organizations to make a difference. While the national news media has been covering this event through the governmental point of […]
NYC PREMIERE Walk Good is an unflinching short documentary about a grieving mother who lost all three of her children to gun violence in three separate and unrelated incidents.
Seeking justice. Grassroots organizations and activists ignored by national news take center stage in From Flint: Voices of a Poisoned City (USA, 23 min., Elise Conklin). Andy Goes In (USA, 16 min., Josh Polon) to uncover animal abuse at America’s top farms. Mass Swell (USA, 12 min., Patricia Silva) lends a powerful counterpoint to media […]
US PREMIERE He’s a $10/hr farmhand with Tyson and McDonald’s in his crosshairs. And his name isn’t Andy.
WORLD PREMIERE A historical marker with moments of poetic domesticity, Mass Swell counteracts dominant media narratives surrounding Ferguson protestors. Mass Swell shows the centrality of black women in organizing Ferguson direct actions, the role that local clergy and ministry played in supporting the Ferguson movement, and the on-going political and social power of eyewitness media. […]