Jon Alpert (DCTV) and Sheila Nevins (HBO Documentary Films) present the world premiere of a new documentary short, followed by a keynote conversation and reception co-presented by HBO Documentary Films. In Alpert’s new film, Mariela Castro’s March: Cuba’s LGBT Revolution, Cuban Congresswoman Mariela Castro – daughter of Raúl and niece of Fidel Castro – confronts decades of cultural and institutional homophobia to serve as a tireless champion of […]
NYC PREMIERE This timely look at US-Cuba relations focuses on the younger Cubans and Cuban Americans who are seeking to bridge the conflicts of their parents’ generation. Covering a span of ten years, the film looks at the buildup to and aftermath of the 2009 Peace Without Borders concert in Havana that assembled some of […]
City life. A union man on a mission uses a giant inflatable rat to raise awareness in Lenny and the Rat (USA, 8 min., Jason Hutt). S – The Musical Shuttle (USA, 40 min., Alina Abouelenin, Benjamin Bergmann) shows why the S train is the most lucrative for NYC’s buskers. Mac Premo – stuffmaker (USA, […]
Experiences in the melting pot. Satellite Baby (USA, 9 min., Jenny Schweitzer) uncovers the consequences of a Chinese immigrant daycare alternative. A Resident Alien (USA/Spain, 18 min., Naiara Eizaguirre-Paulos) evaded Honduran drug cartels but may be forced back home. The Absentees (UAE, 10 min, Tanya Daud) are stuck in a no-man’s land. A Romanian Olympian […]
2014 SHORT DOCUMENTARY WINNER In August 2010, Stephen Kim, a brilliant State Department intelligence analyst, was indicted under the Espionage Act for jeopardizing national security by allegedly divulging classified information to a reporter; The Surrender intimately documents Stephen Kim’s struggle to understand the events leading up to his prosecution as well as his last free […]
WORLD PREMIERE Lenny and the Rat captures a day in the life of union organizer Lenny Anselmo and the 20-foot inflatable rat he places at non-union construction sites around New York City
US PREMIERE Now a yoga teacher in the US, Ella Cojocaru, a former Olympian gymnast, recalls her defection from Bucharest on the eve of the Romanian revolution.
WORLD PREMIERE A Lost Boy of Sudan works three jobs in a tireless effort to achieve the American Dream and return home.
US PREMIERE Demolishing stereotypes while avoiding wrecking their cars, the Speed Sisters are the Middle East’s first all-female race-car team. Demonstrating high-octane talent, and the marketing savvy to draw attention to their camera-friendly lineup, this diverse, engaging group competes in Palestine’s makeshift motor sports circuit across the West Bank, overcoming Israeli checkpoints and restrictive societal […]
2015 AUDIENCE AWARD WINNER NYC PREMIERE Left on Purpose began as a portrait of the life of Mayer Vishner, an antiwar Yippie activist. In the midst of filming, the aging radical informs director Justin Schein that, having had his fill of solitude and depression, he intends instead to make the project about his death – […]