Hot Springs
Arkansas
Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival 2023
Arts and Entertainment
September 21, 2023
From: Hot Springs Documentary Film FestivalThe 32nd Annual Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival
Schedule :
October 6, 2023
7:00 PM : Opening Night Gala : Relentless Ride - Oaklawn Event Center
With more ups-and-downs than the stock market and 1,000 miles of terrain to cover, the Arkansas High Country Race is about as brutal as they come. Known to be one of the most challenging bike races in the U.S., the AHCR might be the ultimate mental and physical endurance test. In their thoroughly gripping documentary Relentless Ride, Arkansas-based filmmakers Adam Harbottle and Brian Hill follow a diverse group of determined riders attempting to complete the 2021 race as they battle through exhaustion, pain, driving rain and, most debilitating of all, self-doubt. The racers are all in pursuit of the same goal: to finish the race before it finishes them.
Along the way, the riders will discover new truths about themselves, the beautiful but sometimes cruel Arkansas landscape, and about how sometimes the most solitary of journeys can lead to powerful new bonds with those who are going through the same trials that you are. At turns dramatic, inspiring, and even absurdly funny, Relentless Ride is about a lot more than a bike race.
The Opening Night presentation of Relentless Ride dovetails with the 2023 Arkansas High Country Race, which kicks off in the City of Hot Springs on the morning of October 7th.
9:00 PM : Opening Night Party Hosted by Presenting Sponsor - Oaklawn Event Center
This year's Presenting Sponsor, Oaklawn, invites you to celebrate the opening night of the 32nd Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival at the Oaklawn Event Center following the screening of the opening night film, Relentless Ride.
October 7, 2023
9:00 AM : Wellness Series: Hike and Mountain Top Meditation - The Arlington Resort Hotel
Nature has the power to inspire, heal, and rejuvenate. Join us for a guided hike and mountain top meditation in the tranquil setting of Hot Springs National Park and find inspiration in nature, center yourself, and recharge for the rest of the festival.
Hike lead by Dominique Battles and meditation lead by Chana Caylor.
10:30 AM : Story & Pictures By - Cinema 1
The colorful, luminous world of children’s picture books takes center stage in this richly creative look at the past, present, and future of this uniquely specific and highly essential art form.
11:00 AM : Shorts Program: Flora & Fauna - Cinema 2
Back by popular demand! This captivating selection of shorts covers all things alive in the wild, whether plant-based or animal-centered. A broad range of creative approaches makes this program as beguiling as Mother Nature herself.
11:00 AM : Between Earth & Sky
Renowned ecologist Nalini Nadkarni pioneered climbing techniques to study "what grows back" after an ecological disturbance in the rainforest canopy. After surviving a life-threatening fall from a tree, she comes to understand what is needed for her own recovery process.
11:00 AM : Chicken Stories
Perched quaintly outside of Oakland, CA is a small start-up farm where various flocks of chickens take center stage while their new owners use Google to find answers.
11:00 AM : Echoes of the Rio
A past and present depiction of the starvation of the Rio Grande river, which is narrated by the spirit of the river herself as she remembers the many lives and paths taken in this fraught landscape.
11:00 AM : Puffling
Summer nights in coastal Iceland lead two teenagers to an unusual pastime — rescuing lost puffins who have been drawn inland by the city's lights.
11:00 AM : Slower Animals
While aimlessly following a winter goose migration across the American South, a professor slips in and out of childhood memories that all surround a forgotten trauma.
11:00 AM : The Crawfish Trap
Shot on luminous Super 8 film, an aging crawfish trapper reflects on his body of work as he faces the next phase of life — retirement.
1:00 PM : The Disappearance of Shere Hite - Cinema 1
Considered “a sexual revolution in 600 pages,” The Hite Report is one of the bestselling books in history. It spurred a cultural phenomenon upon release, but what became of its author, Shere Hite?
2:00 PM : Brother Horse - Cinema 2
Santi Serra is a horse whisperer, training his equine friends to perform in shows worldwide. But with the pandemic halting public performances, one rescued grey stallion proves to be an unexpected standout.
4:00 PM : Black Barbie: A Documentary - Cinema 1
4:30 PM : The People v. Profits - Cinema 2
Arkansas filmmaker Jack Porter Lofton's revelatory new documentary does something amazing: it gets you all fired up about… tort law. Go behind-the-scenes with the hotshot lawyers who are taking on some of the world’s biggest corporations and find out what’s at stake for all of us.
7:00 PM : Let the Canary Sing - Cinema 1
When Cyndi Lauper exploded onto the pop music scene in the 1980s, her distinctive voice and style became instantly recognizable. But there is so much
7:30 PM : Art For Everybody - Cinema 2
Thomas Kinkade’s landscape paintings made him the biggest-selling artist of his day. His idyllic images mirrored a public persona entrenched in faith and family. Yet, after his untimely death, a vault of private paintings shatters his detailed façade, revealing a complex man battling inner demons.
9:00 PM : Party at ESQ Realty Group - ESQ Realty Group
Join us for an evening of dancing, excitement, and delectable offerings provided by Sam’s Pizza at the newly transformed ESQ Realty Group building!
October 8, 2023
9:00 AM : Wellness Series: Yoga - The Arlington Resort Hotel
Grab your yoga mat (or towel) and join us for a complimentary yoga class led by Karen Reeves of The Yoga Place. The class will combine flowing movement and breath exercises to help reduce stress and bring relief to tight and stiff muscles and enhance clarity of the mind. All levels welcomed to join.
Click Here to Register in Wellness Series Yoga
10:30 AM : Shorts Program: On the Edge - Cinema 1
Life “on the edge” can mean many different things — taking personal risks, finding yourself on the outside looking in, or just doing your own thing. In this eclectic program, things get edgy.
10:30 AM : By Water
An unlikely hero's journey into his own memories becomes a vehicle for reconciliation and healing for himself and his family.
10:30 AM : Cash Crop
In southern Virginia, Cecil Shell and Black farming families like his face displacement and lost traditions in a changing economy led by the burgeoning solar energy industry.
10:30 AM : For The Record
In a small Texas Panhandle town — considered the second-most conservative county in the U.S. — the family-owned weekly newspaper, known for its liberal editorials and essential local coverage, faces an uphill battle to keep the presses running.
10:30 AM : Myth and The Art of Maintenance
In rural Rock Creek, Montana, a collection of voicemails sent from grandfather to grandson reveal a tender, deeply human portrait of aging, family, and personal healing.
10:30 AM : Waking Up in Silence
Children forced to flee their home country of Ukraine find unexpected refuge in an unexpected new place — the former military barracks of Nazi Germany.
11:00 AM : Your Fat Friend - Cinema 2
Don’t call her big boned. Aubrey Gordon is a writer, activist, and podcast host. And she’s fat. Aubrey started the Twitter account “Your Fat Friend” to bring awareness to anti-fat biases and advocate for equity. With its authentic and often humorous tone, "Your Fat Friend" becomes a phenomenon for the ages.
1:00 PM : 1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture - Cinema 1
Filmmaker Sharon "Rocky" Roggio explores the provocative thesis that when the word "homosexual" appeared in the 1946 Revised Standard Version of the Bible, it may have been a mistranslation of the original text. Winner, Audience Award, DOC NYC and Outfest LA.
1:30 PM : Shorts Program: The Natural State - Cinema 2
Our newest section! Join us on this journey into the “natural” state as we delve into a diverse landscape of topics focusing on he environment/outdoors, sports, and, of course, all things Arkansas.
1:30 PM : Baseball Behind Barbed Wire
Baseball Behind Barbed Wire tells the story of the WWII incarceration of Japanese Americans through the lens of America’s national pastime, focusing on life at all ten camps stretching from California to Arkansas.
1:30 PM : Big Buffalo Golden Gals
In the Buffalo River valley in Arkansas, generations of women have lived off the land and the river. In their twilight years, a group of cousins take a trip down the river, laughing, paddling, and reminiscing about their lives based around the Buffalo.
1:30 PM : In Exile
As a result of nuclear tests by the U.S. government in Bikini Atoll in 1946, the Marshallese people were forced to leave their home islands in Micronesia. Decades later, the Marshallese community in Arkansas gathers to revisit this trauma and tell their stories.
1:30 PM : Joe Barry Carroll
Born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, Joe Barry Carroll became an NBA All-Star. Now, a successful wealth advisor, philanthropist, author and artist, Carroll reflects back on his life — and on a special quilt that has traveled with him wherever he goes.
1:30 PM : The Bear Coast
A cast of animal scientists, former hunters, and Native Americans take us into the pristine Alaskan coastline that is home to the largest population of wild brown bears in the world.
1:30 PM : Well Worn Life with Dani Reyes-Acosta
Meet Dani Reyes-Acosta: Professional mountain athlete, visual storyteller, outside advocate, and all-around joy chaser as she enjoys the landscapes of Southwest Colorado while encouraging others to get outdoors and live life fully.
3:00 PM : A Town Called Victoria - Cinema 1
After a mosque is burned to the ground in a small Texas town, residents rally to support the local Muslim community. But is this an inspiring news story or something far more nuanced and complicated? This intricately woven, fascinating 3-part docuseries tells the full story.
4:30 PM : All of Our Heartbeats Are Connected Through Exploding Stars - Cinema 2
Weaving together ruminative natural history vignettes with striking scenes of recovery, All of Our Heartbeats Are Connected Through Exploding Stars is a meditation on humanity’s connection to loss after the 2011 Japanese tsunami.
7:00 PM : The Tuba Thieves - Cinema 2
This groundbreaking debut by d/Deaf filmmaker Alison O’Daniel follows an odd case of tubas being stolen from high schools across Southern California. O’Daniel deploys a fascinating form of captioning like you’ve never seen before, reorienting the viewer to sound in a thrilling new way.
7:30 PM : Between Life & Death - Cinema 1
A piercing, thoughtful re-examination of the complex story of Terri Schiavo, whose headline-grabbing right-to-die legal saga and media circus in the early 2000s electrified the nation, forcing Americans to confront the tangled intersection of personal faith and federal policy.
9:00 PM : Party at Deluca's Pizza - Deluca's Pizzeria
DeLuca’s Pizzeria Napoletana has become a region-wide destination for foodies. Each pie is handcrafted by owner Anthony Valinoti, with locally supplied organic ingredients. Experience Anthony’s authentic New York style pizza for yourself, alongside filmmakers and friends. Discover for yourself why the name DeLuca’s is fixed on everyone’s lips!
October 9, 2023
11:30 AM : The Gullspång Miracle - Cinema 1
Two pious sisters begin to unravel a long-held family secret when a divine sign leads them to purchase an apartment from a woman who looks identical to their deceased sister.
1:30 PM : Rather - Cinema 1
The life, work and legacy of broadcast journalist and news anchor Dan Rather is chronicled in this stirring portrait charting his rise to national prominence at CBS through to his stunning public downfall and surprising come back.
4:00 PM : Shorts Program: Comrades - Cinema 1
We all need comrades. These funny, delightful, and moving shorts crackle with the energy of human connection and run the gamut of what draws us close and keeps us together through thick and thin.
4:00 PM : Black Girl's Play: The Story of Hand Games
Return to childhood in this playful and informative short exploring the world of hand games played by young Black Girls and their significant and lasting impact on American culture.
4:00 PM : Camp Courage
The war in Ukraine forced Milana and her grandmother Olga to flee their home country. Now, given the rare opportunity to attend a special summer climbing camp in the Austrian Alps, the two find that the war and the scars left behind are not so easily forgotten.
4:00 PM : N?i Nai & Wài Pó (Grandma & Grandma)
In this hilariously charming tale of friendship, the filmmaker's two grandmothers live together, read together, and dance together.
4:00 PM : Really Good Friends
Set in a single hotel room, a woman in her 60s shares her story of frank sexual exploration and surprising human connection as she prepares to meet her flame for yet another rendezvous.
4:00 PM : The Right to Joy
After Izzy Sederbaum survives a rare mountain lion attack, he must overcome anxiety, severe physical injury, and a media frenzy that sparked a startling anti-trans backlash. In the process of recovery, Izzy strives to make cycling a more inclusive sport.
6:00 PM : Hollywoodgate - Cinema 2
Filmmaker Ibrahim Nash'at is granted terrifying access to document the high-ranking Taliban inner circle as they begin to take over a former US military base in Kabul in this chilling eye-witness account.
8:00 PM : Sky Hopinka Retrospective Shorts Program preceded by the 2023 Career Achievement Award Presentation - Cinema 1
Join us as we celebrate the singular artistic vision of Sky Hopinka, whose completely original way of seeing the world through film is reinventing the short documentary form.
Sunflower Siege Engine
Movements of resistance are collapsed and woven together, from reflections of one’s own body in the world today to documentation of Alcatraz, the reclamation of Cahokia, and the repatriation of the ancestors.
9:00 PM : Party at Superior Bathhouse Brewery - Superior Bathouse Brewery
Located on historic Bathhouse Row, Superior Bathhouse Brewery is the nation’s only craft brewery headquartered inside a National Park. Long time Festival supporter and head brewer, Rose Schweikhart, welcomes visiting filmmakers and festival guests to the only brewery in the world that uses thermal spring water as the main ingredient for craft beer.
October 10, 2023
9:00 AM : Student Screening: Going Varsity in Mariachi - Cinema 1
The wonders of regional Mexican folk-music are celebrated by a team of passionate high school musicians in South Texas who rehearse year-round to battle it out in the world of competitive scholastic mariachi
12:30 PM : Shorts Program: The Work of Art - Cinema 1
The possibilities for artistic expression are endless, but so are the potential uses of art. This program drops you into a creative diaspora where form meets function and function often comes out on top.
12:30 PM : Liturgy of Anti-Tank Obstacles
In Western Ukraine, the pressures of war impact every profession. This stirring cinematic film captures sculptors known for their religious works crafting large-scale anti-tank obstacles to thwart the Russian invasion.
12:30 PM : Love, Jamie
Jamie Diaz is a transgender artist currently incarcerated in Texas whose deep connection with a close friend and advocate helps bring her evocative art of liberation and pride to the world at large.
12:30 PM : Quilted Education
A historian uses her quilting skills to celebrate Black History and supplement the Texas educational system by creating imaginative and informative quilts detailing black narratives and black historical figures removed from her local schools' curriculums.
12:30 PM : SLICE
Jumping into a swimming pool is an art form in Memphis, Tennessee where a group of "slicers" cultivate friendship and Black swim culture through this unique sport.
12:30 PM : The Last Repair Shop
Academy Award-winning filmmaker Ben Proudfoot's (The Queen of Basketball) latest short is a moving portrait of the incredible craftsmen in a downtown Los Angeles warehouse who repair musical instruments for the school district paired with the indelible stories of the students whose lives they’ve changed.
12:30 PM : You Can't Shrink Love
An artist gives life to the memories of our most beloved companions.
3:30 PM : One with the Whale - Cinema 1
In this striking coming-of-age story, Chris Apassingok is a typical American teenager, except in one way: to feed his family and Indigenous Alaskan community, he must venture into the icy Bering Sea to hunt for whales.
6:00 PM : King Coal preceded by the 2023 Impact Award Presentation - Cinema 1
A sensitive portrait of a community and culture defined by industry, King Coal showcases the beauty of the coal region of Appalachia through the eyes of an inquisitive child.
8:00 PM : True Stories: A Live Storytelling Event - Cinema 2
We love true stories so much that this year we are expanding our programming offerings beyond the screen to include an exciting new event that we are calling, “True Stories.” A series of short, personal stories told by a diverse mix of visiting filmmakers and local legends, this program is designed to enthrall and entertain, amuse, surprise, and maybe even inspire you.
True Stories will be hosted by Kai Coggin (she/her) the inaugural Poet Laureate of the City of Hot Springs. Beverages and noshes to be provided.
9:00 PM : Party at Splash Wine Bar - Splash Wine Bar
Nestled in the heart of historic Hot Springs, Arkansas, Splash Wine Bar invites you to embark on a journey of wine and culinary delight. As a premier destination for both wine enthusiasts and those seeking a charming evening out, Splash Wine Bar is the perfect blend of sophistication and comfort.
October 11, 2023
9:00 AM : Student Screening: JessZilla - Cinema 1
Jesselyn “JessZilla” Silva, a three-time national junior boxing champion, is on the cusp of making the U.S. Olympic team. When life takes an unthinkable turn, she is forced to redefine what it means to fight.
11:00 AM : Emerging Filmmaker Program - Cinema 1
The Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival and Arkansas PBS are pleased to support and educate Arkansas student documentary filmmakers. We help students use filmmaking as a way to explore their world, examine history and express through film the issues important to them. Student workshops and screenings are designed to immerse young filmmakers in the art and craft of the documentary form.
Student filmmakers are invited to participate in screenings and sessions that support the creation of purposeful media and explore the power of investigation and expression in digital storytelling.
Open to middle school and high school students. FREE
11:30 PM : Lunch served on the Mezzanine of the Arlington Hotel
1:00 PM : Emerging Filmmakers Program Screening - Cinema 1
11:00 AM : Songs of Earth - Cinema 2
A film as gorgeously made as the breathtaking Norwegian landscape that it depicts, filmmaker Margreth Olin embraces the inescapable reality that the time she has left to spend with her beloved, aging parents is rapidly slipping away.
1:30 PM : Confessions of a Good Samaritan - Cinema 2
Acclaimed filmmaker Penny Lane ("Listening to Kenny G", "Our Nixon") captures her experience as an "altruistic" donor — a living person who donates a kidney to someone they don't know — to create an intimate portrait examining our donor system and the state of altruism in American society.
2:45 PM : The Pigeon Tunnel - Cinema 1
Academy Award winner Errol Morris delves into the life and career of former British spy David Cornwell — better known as John le Carré — author of such classic espionage novels as “The Spy Who Came in From the Cold” and “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”.
4:00 PM : Shorts Program: Talk the Talk, Walk the Walk - Cinema 2
In this eye-opening and wide-ranging selection of shorts, you will find people telling their own stories, speaking truth to power, taking action, or just plain talking (“The Arkansas Accent”).
4:00 PM : Boca Chica
At the mouth of the Rio Grande, Space X occupies a little-known stretch of beach. Although access is enshrined in the Texas constitution, local residents are often blocked from this place of deep personal history, indigenous spiritual significance and environmental uniqueness.
4:00 PM : Breaking Silence
A Deaf activist working with d/Deaf people in the prison system builds a new bond with his formerly incarcerated hearing daughter in this family portrait of evolution and advocacy.
4:00 PM : Merman
Meet Andre Chamber: A 58-year-old Black queer man and leather title holder who spends his days as an emergency nurse, civil rights advocate, and underwater merman.
4:00 PM : The Arkansas Accent Project
Is there an Arkansas accent? Through interviews with Native Arkansans and drawing on the latest scholarship, this film examines the various accents of the state and the people who claim Arkansas as their home.
4:00 PM : Under G-d
A Jewish mother in Indiana, a rabbi in Florida, and lawyers nationwide fight abortion bans that impede their religious freedoms, sparking debate on the Religious Freedom Restoration Acts (RFRAs) and whether they protect all religions equally.
5:00 PM : Secret Screening - Cinema 1
A bold new feature of this year’s HSDFF, this event features a secret screening of a documentary. That’s it. That’s all we can tell you.
7:00 PM : Hummingbirds - Cinema 2
Set in a sweltering Texan border town, two rebellious best friends, Beba and Silvia, fight passionately against the systems working to control their lives, bodies, and citizenship — all while enjoying the dog days of summer.
7:30 PM : Centerpiece Screening: The Mission - Cinema 1
In this gripping cinematic exploration, Emmy-winning filmmakers Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine (Boys State) revisit the story of John Chau, a young American missionary who, in 2018, contacted one of the world’s most isolated Indigenous peoples with tragic consequences.
9:00 PM : Party at Whittington Place - Whittington Place
Hot Springs just got hotter! Step inside this historic church to dance it up and enjoy a delicious spread. Flanked by breathtaking stained glass windows and a church organ of truly Biblical proportions!
October 12, 2023
11:00 AM : La Lucha - Cinema 1
Traversing the Andes on foot and in wheelchairs, a group of disabled activists make their way across Bolivia, on a quest to garner support from the government in the form of a pension.
11:30 AM : Between the Rains - Cinema 2
Kole is a teenage shepherd in a region of Northern Kenya plagued by years of drought. Supported by stunning landscape imagery, Between the Rains explores coming of age in the time of climate change.
1:30 PM : Smoke Sauna Sisterhood - Cinema 1
An intimate glimpse into the bathing rituals of a group of women in southern Estonia. Seeking refuge in a smoke sauna, the women can share their deepest secrets while finding strength and safety in the sanctity of female companionship.
2:00 PM : Silver Dollar Road - Cinema 2
In North Carolina, land developers exploit legal loopholes to claim family properties passed down for generations without a will. But when the Reels family refuses to relinquish the land, they’ve owned for over a century, it sparks a decades-long battle with a developer intent on acquiring their waterfront property. Silver Dollar Road, directed by Academy Award®-nominated director Raoul Peck (I'm Not Your Negro), is a biting exploration of a legal system turning a blind eye to predatory practices that have contributed significantly to Black Americans' rapid land loss and the resulting economic disparity.
4:00 PM : Razing Liberty Square - Cinema 1
When the effects of climate change threaten the affluent Miami Beach area, developers invest in Liberty City — a historically Black community outside the floodplains. Despite promising to bring the long-underserved community economic growth, investors’ vision of progress may result in residents' displacement and permanently alter the city’s culture.
5:00 PM : Open Heart - Cinema 2
New York Rangers’ star goalie Henrik Lundqvist had become so popular with New Yorkers that he was known simply as King Henrik. But when the King is diagnosed with a potentially fatal heart condition, he suddenly is forced to face his own mortality.
7:00 PM : A Song Film by Kishi Bashi: Omoiyari - Cinema 1
Crossing the American landscape in search of sites of former concentration camps, multi-talented musician Kishi Bashi undertakes a musical journey to explore the legacy of Japanese American incarceration during World War II, as well as his own identity.
7:30 PM : Bad Press - Cinema 2
When reporter Angel Ellis’ tribe, the Muscogee Nation, repeals free press protection in their media, she is spurred to action to protect the tenets of journalism.
9:00 PM : Party at the Rooftop at the Waters Hotel - The Rooftop at the Water's Hotel
More than 100 years after it was built, the Thompson Building has been renovated and reborn as the Waters Hotel. Join us at this unforgettable rooftop bar and take in the scenic view of bathhouse row as you enjoy some of the best this renown restaurant has to offer!
October 13, 2023
11:00 AM : Lebanese American filmmaker Jude Chehab’s - Cinema 2
Lebanese American filmmaker Jude Chehab’s evocative debut boldly turns her camera on her own mother — an enigmatic woman who has spent decades fervently devoted to a mysterious all-female religious order.
11:30 AM : Shorts Program: Ties that Bind - Cinema 1
Relationships can be complicated — and the source of compelling true drama. From intense family dynamics to deep connections to the land, what ties these shorts together is a clear artistic vision and search for truth.
11:30 AM : Black Ag
A Black scientist near the Delta region of Arkansas collaborates with Black farmers to withstand the effects of climate change in the Delta as both the Mississippi River and the state’s aquifers run dry at an unprecedented pace.
11:30 AM : Goodbye, Morganza
A matriarch signs away ownership of her family home to a trusted friend, only to be cruelly deceived and lose the property. 60 years later, they revisit a life long-forgotten and now boxed up in storage.
11:30 AM : Mothertown
The origin place of all Cherokee, the Kituwah mound, was thought lost for centuries until the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians finally took their "land back" primarily due to the efforts of the tribe's first woman chief, Joyce Dugan.
11:30 AM : Nina & Irena
After 80 years of silence, a grandmother shares her Holocaust survivor story — including the painful disappearance of her sister — with her grandson. A touching tale of loss, love, and hope that emphasizes personal narratives’ significance to our collective memory.
11:30 AM : Parker
What's in a name? For one Black family in Kansas City, choosing their last name becomes an act of liberation.
11:30 AM : Will You Look at Me
A young gay filmmaker in search of himself returns to his Chinese hometown to reflect on the aching, fractured relationship he has with his mother in this shimmering, heartbreaking self-portrait.
1:00 PM : Dusy & Stones - Cinema 1
Gazi “Dusty” Simelane and Linda “Stones” Msibi — cousins from the tiny African Kingdom of Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) — fall in love with country music, become a polished musical act, and end up making the journey all the way to Nashville and Texas to pursue their unlikely dreams.
2:00 PM : The Echo - Cinema 1
Tucked away in the rolling hills and pastures of Mexico, three close-knit rural farming families search for hope and contend with the land while living in an enigmatic village mysteriously named “The Echo.” Winner, Berlinale Documentary Film Award.
3:00 PM : Sex with Sue - Cinema 2
Sex With Sue is a fitting tribute to trailblazing Canadian radio and TV personality Sue Johanson, nurse turned sex educator. Her approachable persona and comedic attitude have demystified sex for millions.
4:30 PM : Nathan-ism - Cinema 1
For the past 70 years, artist Nathan Hilu has illustrated his experiences guarding Nazi war criminals during the Nuremberg trials. Now 90, his urgency to share his story and solidify his legacy increases, but can his waning memories be trusted?
5:00 PM : Stamped from the Beginning - Cinema 2
From Academy Award-winning director Roger Ross Williams ("Music by Prudence, "Life Animated"), Stamped From the Beginning is a thoughtful and candid examination of the origin, evolution, and continued impact of racist anti-Black narratives on American policy and culture.
7:30 PM : Southern Storytellers Screening and Panel - Cinema 1
This year’s Honorary Chair, Mary Steenburgen will be a key participant in the Southern Storytellers Screening and Panel. Moderated by Courtney Pledger, Executive Director & CEO, Arkansas PBS, Peabody Award-winning filmmaker Craig Renaud, will join Steenburgen for a screening and conversation of the new Arkansas PBS docuseries, Southern Storytellers, which traverses the South, from the mountains of Appalachia to the Gulf of Mexico, revealing a vivid patchwork of diverse American stories that celebrate the resilience and joy of Southern people — and the magnitude of gifts from the region’s writers.
9:00 PM : Party at The Gangster Museum of America - The Gangster Museum of America
Delve into the rich history of the gangsters, gamblers, and lawmen who defined this era and try your luck at blackjack, craps, and roulette alongside filmmakers and special guests!
October 14, 2023
9:00 AM : Wellness Series: Sound Bath Meditation - The Arlington Resort Hotel
Enter a world of serenity and inner exploration as you immerse yourself in the therapeutic and meditative experience known as a "Sound Bath." Experience the harmonious blend of sound, relaxation, and healing as the soothing sounds of various instruments wash over you.
Click Here to Register in Wellness Series: Sound Bath Meditation
10:30 AM : A Disturbance in the Force - Cinema 1
"The Star Wars Holiday Special" is the variety show George Lucas wishes never saw the light of day. This hilarious documentary exposes the making of the infamous Wookie-filled extravaganza.
11:00 AM : Its Only Life After All - Cinema 2
A heartwarming music doc celebrating the legacy of the Americana folk duo Indigo Girls. It's Only Life After All intertwines forty years of home movies, interviews, and performances to craft a charming look into a group that feels more like a movement than simply a band.
12:30 PM : The Hidden Power of Purpose - Cinema 1
It is the rare documentary that presents compelling personal stories and highly practicable information. Elliot Kotek’s inspiring film asks, “What does it mean to live a life driven by purpose?” Warning: you may leave the screening with a renewed sense of purpose yourself.
1:30 PM : Four Daughters - Cinema 2
Winner of the L'Oeil D’or prize at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, this fascinating hybrid weaves documentary and stylized fiction to explore the shocking story of a Tunisian matriarch whose two eldest daughters suddenly go missing.
3:00 PM : A Thousand Pines - Cinema 1
Trees are everywhere in Arkansas and so, too, are major tree planting operations. In this fascinating glimpse into a largely hidden world, we meet a group of Mexican workers, who, every year, uproot their lives to come north in the hopes of bettering their lives.
4:00 PM : Thank You Very Much - Cinema 2
Will the real Andy Kaufman please step forward? Peeling back the layers of this fascinating, brilliant, and often misunderstood comedian, filmmaker Alex Braverman shows us all over again why Andy Kaufman matters. Winner, Best Documentary, Venice International Film Festival.
7:00 PM : Closing Night Gala: Going To Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project - Cinema 1
On the cusp of her 80th birthday, celebrated American poet Nikki Giovanni reflects on her life and the social movements influencing her fifty-year career.
9:00 PM : Closing Night Party at the Arlington Resort Hotel Venetian Room - Venetian Room at the Arlington
Join us as we bid adieu to the 32nd Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival! Our Closing Night Party is set against the backdrop of elegance and history at the iconic Arlington Resort Hotel and Spa. This event is the culmination of a week filled with captivating films, engaging discussions, and a celebration of the power of documentary storytelling.
Date : October 6, 2023 - October 14, 2023
Location : Various Location
Click Here to View for More Information