Directors: Lucas Guilkey When a young man mysteriously dies in a Bay Area jail, his mother begins a determined quest to find out what happened to him, but quickly runs into the opaque and powerful position of American sheriffs. This intimate, fast-paced documentary follows the first six months of Barbara Doss’ search to discover the details of her son’s mysterious death in Santa Rita jail. In the summer of 2018, 23-year-old Dujuan Armstrong was serving weekends for a burglary conviction, but one weekend he never came home. Thus began Barbara’s journey for truth and justice.
Directors: Defne and Kaya Ceyhan Paul Robeson was a singer, actor, scholar, and athlete. He was one of the first world renowned black artists and used his stature to speak for the rights of others, combining his artistic achievements with political activism. His activism was a precursor to the modern civil rights movement. Shunned but never silenced, Robeson spent his life breaking racial barriers and fighting for the oppressed members of society in America and around the world.
Directors: Molly E. Smith Feminism is a dirty word. At least that is how some women see it. It has been weaponized, becoming closely associated with political ties and radical behavior. The media paints this picture of polarization between generations particularly regarding feminism, but these few loud opinions do not make up the whole. In this film, we take a closer look at the evolution of feminism through the generations, reveling a surprising similarity. Are we really different in our ideas of feminism, or is this just a perception? With Generation Z on track to being “most diverse, best-educated generation yet” according to the 2018 study by the Pew Research Center and having access to smart phones since their time of birth, there is no question that Generation Z will forever impact the feminist movement. This film is a culmination of a year long research study to determine the
Directors: Mohammed Saffouri Abrar, a young Muslim American woman running for a school board seat in Fairfax County, Virginia, faces many obstacles during her electoral journey that make her stronger and push her closer to achieve her goal.
Directors: Debbie Africa, Mike Africa Sr. Mike and Debbie Africa joined the MOVE Organization in 1974 with relatively light demonstrations against the city of Philadelphia in the interest to confront some societal ills. Their beliefs and activism put them in the cross hairs of the Philadelphia police and officials. By Your Side highlights how they maintained their relationship through the hardship of the Rizzo era, the 40 years they both spent in prison separated from each other, their children, families, and freedom. Mike and Debbie want to tell the story of their young lives, their hopes, dreams and fears- the story of their determination and commitment to never giving up.
Directors: Sarah D. Collins, Zoe Chiriseri Ramushu Aaliyah, 18, soars on aerial silks. Her cousin Bre, 16, twirls on lyra hoops. The girls dream of escaping the violence that has marred their young lives, and their possible ticket out is Trenton Circus Squad. Now that COVID-19 has changed everything, will the circus and girls’ dreams survive?
Directors: Yucong Chen In 2014, 24-year-old USC graduate student, Xinran Ji, was beaten to death by four teens when returning home from a study session. The case shook the Chinese community to its core, both in Los Angeles and back home in China, as many demanded for justice. A lawyer, Rose Tsai, took it upon herself to tirelessly advocate on his behalf and represent his parents, as they attempt to understand the senseless tragedy together.
Directors: Nana Adwoa Frimpong In a world where Black women are expected to be invulnerable to pain, five Black women confront their personal struggles and explore healing through art.
Directors: Sanjna Selva Two days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Lesya Verba, a Brooklyn-based artist and performer, gets through to her older sister in Odessa, Ukraine via FaceTime. Through the frame of this first FaceTime conversation since the day everything changed, Call Anytime, I’m Not Leaving the House is a film about love, memory, national identity, and the (im)permanence of home, as the sisters cling to a call that could be their last.
