Film Schedule:

Thursday, November 2, 2023

7:00PM: DREAMING OF A FREE PRESS

A free and responsible press is the cornerstone of a strong and healthy democracy, but global declines in press freedom demonstrate that it remains a fragile institution. ‘Dreaming of a Free Press’ examines the state of journalism from the perspective of emerging Tunisian and American journalists, who represent the future of the field.

The collaborative project between U.S. and Tunisian journalism faculty and students aimed at strengthening press freedom in the aftermath of Tunisia's 2011 revolution. The project began in 2019, when students and professors from Western Washington University traveled to Tunisia to work with counterparts at the Institute for Press and Information Sciences. The students took part in discussions about the role of journalism in society and worked on reporting projects in the in the run-up to the 2019 Tunisian presidential elections. In 2022, the Tunisian delegation traveled to Detroit to participate in an international journalism and mass communication conference. While there, they interviewed scholars and professionals about the state of press freedom around the world.

7:00PM: AGAINST ALL ENEMIES

Why would US military veterans take up arms against the country they swore an oath to protect?

Against All Enemies explores the roots of political radicalization and its impact on democracy. Going deep inside violent extremist groups in America, with members of the Proud Boys, 3 Percenters and the Oath Keepers we learn that they are organized and led by highly-trained, highly-motivated military veterans – posing a great threat to the United States today. And while most veterans are successful in their transition to civilian life, after the longest wars in our nation’s history an increasingly radicalized element has been drawn into the insurrectionist movement. Against All Enemies is a powerful film that encourages us to consider our responsibility and how we can safeguard our democratic systems and prevent the spread of extremist ideologies.

Panel Discussion: Charlie Sadoff, Director; Ken Harbaugh, Producer

7PM: HOW LONG MUST WE WAIT

A historical documentary about the 72-year battle that women fought to achieve the right to vote in the United States, HOW LONG MUST WE WAIT focuses on the events in 1917 that led to the imprisonment and brutal treatment of suffragists in a prison in Lorton, Virginia. This was considered a turning point in the suffrage campaign, which helped turn public tide and ultimately led to the passage of the 19th amendment in 1920. While that was a huge victory, the film also focuses on the fact that there is still much work left to be done in the fight for women's equal rights.

Panel Discussion: Filmmaker Jaclyn O’Laughlin; Executive Director MA League of Women Voters, Patricia Comfort; President/CEO/Founding Member of MA Women of Color Coalition Inc., Celia Johnston Blue; and Sheila Ramirez, Director of Health Policy and Government Relations for Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts.

Firday, November 3, 2023

7:00PM: AM I NOT MY BROTHER'S KEEPER?

After a tough battle with the Russian army, a Ukrainian special forces soldier is rescued by a man of Bulgarian origin, but then faces serious resistance from the local community.

Awards: Best European Nar Short ~ Sweet Democracy Film Awards, Cannes/France; Best Music & Best Short ~ Bridge Film Festival, Bulgaria; Best Short Drama ~ IndieX Festival, CA/USA; Honorable Mention ~ World Indie Films Awards, Italy.

7:00PM: THE PALMNICKEN TRAGEDY

On the night of January 31, 1945, in the town of Palmnicken in East Prussia (now the settlement of Yantarny, Kaliningrad Region, Russia), Nazis shot on the seashore about 3,000 prisoners of the Stutthof concentration camp, mostly women and teenage girls. The advancing Soviet troops reached the execution site just one day after the execution.

Three main characters of the film – Martin Bergau who was a member of the Hitler Youth in February 1945; Gunter Nitsch, an American writer of German descent; and Simcha Koplowicz, a descendant of the surviving prisoner Sheva Koplowicz – are recalling this story before our eyes.

9:15pm: SHORTS 1

- LA MER
- THE MIRROR
- THE MIDNIGHT TRIP
- GUERNICA: THE LAST EXILE
- STAINS
- 3 KILOMETERS TO THE DESTINATION
- DISTANCIAS
- NIGHT OWLS

10:45PM: PATRICK AND THE WHALE

This film follows Patrick Dykstra’s personal journey and explores the psychology of a man who has sacrificed everything in his single-minded quest to connect with and understand one of the biggest creatures in the ocean. Devoting years to following these mammals, we share his experiences through his stunning underwater footage as he explores their nature, their intelligence, and their complexity.

Saturday, November 4, 2023

12:00 pm: VOICES OF OUR YOUTH

- MY SUPERPOWER
- 1700 LBS
- WATER LULLABY
- A LIFE WITHOUT COLOR
- ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD
- HOW WAS YOUR SUMMER?
- CE MOMENT
- FITTING IN
- PREJUICIO
- A LOST SENSE
- WELL-DYING
- THE POWER OF WATER
- BLINK OF AN EYE
- GEMMA, ORLANDO, AND THE MULTIVERSE
- BEAUTY MARK
- THE MESSENGER
- TEARS OF A FORGOTTEN MEMORY
- ABRIL
- BETSY
- COLOR BLIND
- UN SABOR MÁGICO/A MAGICAL TASTE
- THE NOTEBOOK

2:45PM: THE SEQUER24/SQUARE 24

Having spent his youth in a war-torn city, a 70-year-old taxi driver is suffering from Alzheimer's disease. He wants to prepare himself for the coming days when his illness becomes more severe.

2:45PM: DEAR MEMORIES

A journey with the legendary German Magnum photographer, Thomas Hoepker, one of the most important living photographers worldwide; his pictures became icons of photojournalism. After a 2017 diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, he embarks on his last one big dream - a road trip through the USA with his wife Christine. Hoepker, the man whose art has become part of the collective memory is now losing his own memories, all the while he continues to see life through his unique eyes and captures his visions on film for us to see.

4:40 pm: SHORTS 2

- LIFEQUEST
- HOW TO BE A HUMAN BEING
- (DE)VICE GRIP
- HE’S DEAD NOW
- ON SLAUSON
- SPHINX
- HEDGEHOG
- ROYA
- GIULI – IT WAS A DREAM

7:15 PM: ESTRELLAS DEL DESIERTO / DESERT LIGHTS

In the middle of Atacama Desert, Antay who is 12-years old sees his town disappearing due to the drought. Alongside his friends and their football team, they will try to hang on to the last sunrays, their childhood fragments and the ties with those who still resist.

7:15 PM: TO WHICH WE BELONG

Years of industrialized agriculture have been a major contributor to climate change. TO WHICH WE BELONG follows a new generation of farmers and ranchers who seek to rebuild their businesses and their planet by embracing the interconnectedness of living things. On land long depleted by mono-cultured crops, Trey Hill fills the fields with colorful tangles of plant life, revivifying the soil and bringing new richness to the harvest. In Chihuahua, Mexico ranchers like Alejandro Carrillo practice revolutionary techniques in cattle herding, carving out space for wildlife to thrive again. And off the coast of Connecticut, Bren Smith re-seeds the ocean with kelp, mussels, oysters, and scallops, restoring ecosystems ravaged by commercial fishing. Despite their difference in culture and location, these farmers and ranchers are rooted in the same belief: that to work with nature, not against it, is the answer. Science is showing that if we draw down enough carbon from the sky back into the soil through regenerative agricultural practices, we can actually reverse climate change bringing carbon dioxide down to pre-industrial revolution levels. So, now it’s our turn: to bring awareness and support to the ranchers and farmers doing the work to renew the earth through these simple, yet profound practices. TO WHICH WE BELONG tells the stories of nine farms and ranches going against the grain to bravely leave behind practices that are no longer profitable or sustainable. These unsung heroes just might save their livelihoods – and our world itself. And in this time of turmoil, it might be the best news you receive all year. A compelling argument that ALL IS NOT LOST AT THE MOMENT, and this Titanic of a problem can be steered toward the right path. Presenting real, common-sense conclusions that both benefit the environment and a starving global population in miraculous ways.

Sunday, November 5, 2023

12:00 pm: SHORTS 3

- RESISTANCE, ANCESTRAL SPIRIT
- LA SOMBRA DE LOS CUERVOS / THE SHADOW OF THE CROWS
- L'INNU du FUTURE/The Future Innu
- WHEN I GET GROWN – REFLECTIONS OF A FREEDOM RIDER
- SEEDS OF CHANGE

3:15 pm: ANIMATION

- HOLY HOLOCAUST
- HISTOIRE POUR 2 TROMPETTES / A STORY FOR 2 TRUMPETS
- PHONORAMA
- STAR MARKET
- WHERE THE WINDS DIE
- A GUERRA FINITA / ONCE WAR IS OVER
- CIRANDA FEITICEIRA
- DISCUSSIONS ANIMEES ENTRE ENTENDEURS DE VOIX ANIMATED DISCUSSIONS BETWEEN VOICE HEARERS

2:00 PM: POWERING PUERTO RICO

Puerto Rico, 2017: It all started with a storm and a car battery. Eugene Smotkin, a Northeastern University professor, was home in San Juan for the summer when Hurricane Maria slammed into Puerto Rico leaving 3 million+ people without electricity. Back on campus, Smotkin had an idea and set about to test an experiment with his class, giving back electricity to a neglected energy populace at a fraction of the current cost. This is a film about Puerto Rico’s resilience through hardship—and one man’s ingenuity in bringing power to the masses.

4:45 PM: BURROS

In southern Arizona, twenty miles from the Mexico border, a young Indigenous girl discovers a Latina migrant her age who has been separated from her father while traveling through the Tohono O’odham Nation into the United States.

4:45 PM: WAITING TO CONTINUE: THE VENEZUELAN ASYLUM SEEKERS ON MARTHA’S VINEYARD

Given false promises of work and housing, 48 Venezuelan migrants were flown from San Antonio, Texas, to Martha’s Vineyard last September. This film documents their three-day experience on the Island, before they were transported to Joint Base Cape Cod for further assistance by state and federal agencies. Featuring interviews with the Venezuelans, and with Vineyard residents who supported them, this is a captivating local retelling of the manufactured crisis.

6:00PM: WOOD

Fest Date: November 2 -5, 2023

Location: Arlington Capitol Theatre - 204 Massachusetts Avenue Arlington, MA 02474

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