Interest: Politics + Civic Engagement

Bad Press

Assaults on press freedom and independence make reporting challenging worldwide but for First Nations journalists, reporting the news is wildly complicated. Transparency and fact finding…
King Coal

Documentarian Elaine McMillion Sheldon grew up a coal miner’s daughter, identifying with Loretta Lynn’s classic country tune. As she distills this unique version of Americana,…
Home Is a Hotel

“You gotta build your whole life in a room,” says one of the protagonists of this memorable documentary focused on residents of San Francisco SROs…
Milisuthando

Using striking archival and vérité footage of her family along with deeply personal interviews, Milisuthando Bongela bravely constructs this personal essay about what it meant…
Rally

Rooth Tang unpacks and holds up to the light the work of Rose Pak, who worked tirelessly to bring Chinese-American issues to the forefront of…
Persistence of Vision Award: Mark Cousins + “The March on Rome”

Mark Cousins is a prolific writer and filmmaker whose documentaries display his wit and vast knowledge of film. The POV presentation will include Mark Cousins…
Invisible Beauty

Bethann Hardison is the fashion icon and cultural force you didn’t realize you already revered. As one of the first Black supermodels and an outspoken…
Joan Baez I Am a Noise

In her 20s, Joan Baez was the undisputed queen of folk music, one of the first people to recognize Bob Dylan’s talent and record his…
Mel Novikoff Award: Firelight Media + “The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution”

The 2023 Mel Novikoff Award celebrates Firelight Media, a nonprofit that supports filmmakers of color. Join us a for a conversation with founders Stanley Nelson…
Întregalde

Wryly funny and suspenseful, this Cannes hit portrays a trio of Romanian aid workers whose SUV gets stuck on a logging road in remote Transylvania.
Costa Brava, Lebanon

Set in the near future but reflecting on current crises in present-day Lebanon, this tense debut portrays three generations of the Badri family, who have…
I Didn’t See You There

Oakland resident, filmmaker, and disability activist Reid Davenport reflects on matters of visibility, family, and the freak show in his latest personal documentary, winner of…