USA • 44 minutes Directed by Frederick DeShon Murphy
Film director, Sidewalk alum and mental health therapist Frederick DeShon Murphy brings together families of both the enslavers and enslaved connected to the Forks of Cypress plantation in Florence, AL, to share their deeply personal histories and to create an opportunity for community and reconciliation.
When an Ohio man builds a fake Facebook profile mocking his local police department, the joke lands him in real legal trouble, escalating to the Supreme Court. To his rescue comes The Onion, a group familiar with parody, resulting in a legal brief so ridiculous that it became a legend.
For centuries, Stan Rennie’s family has worked the same stretch of coastline in northeast England. When a tide of poisoned crabs and lobsters washes up like a biblical plague, all signs point to an industrial development along the River Tees that empties into the once-teeming waters. Stan becomes a reluctant spokesman for his community, with a cool head and a heart of rage.
Documentaries about those who have worked and fought to gain, preserve, and practice their rights and freedom.
Sea Song Directed by An-Phuong Ly 17:58 • USA • Alabama Premiere LIFE & LIBERTY, WOMEN IN FILM Finding solace in the shared experience of their youth, the last remaining South Vietnamese naval officers trained by the US during the Vietnam War reconnect with the few people in the world who understand the complexities that shaped them.
Honor Song Directed by Ryan Begay 19:35 • USA LIFE & LIBERTY Celebrating the long history and service of Native Americans in the United States military, veterans of the Southwest share personal stories and perspectives of their military service and their cultural experience.
60 Years of Selma Directed by Jori Parson 16:04 • USA • Alabama Premiere LIFE & LIBERTY, ALABAMA, BLACK LENS, WOMEN IN FILM Sixty years after the 1965 Voting Rights Act was signed into law, civil rights activists and historians gather to reflect on the movement in Selma, Alabama, that led to revolutionary change.
The Other Roe Directed by Wendy Eley Jackson 14:47 • USA • Southern US Premiere LIFE & LIBERTY, BLACK LENS, WOMEN IN FILM Learn the untold story of attorney Margie Pitts Hames whose Supreme Court victory in Doe v. Bolton - the companion case to Roe v. Wade - reshaped reproductive rights in America.
Projecting Protest Directed by Thomas Clement 22:07 • USA • Southern US Premiere LIFE & LIBERTY Over the past decade, activists across the political spectrum have been deploying a new protest tactic: guerrilla light projection. Projection devices have become cheap, powerful, and can be smaller than a toaster. They are also, for the most part, wildly unregulated by American law.
That Night Directed by Hoda Sobhani 11:00 • USA LIFE & LIBERTY, WOMEN IN FILM In October 2022, Evin Prison in Iran burned. Inside was women's rights activist Neda Naji. This is her story of that night of chaos, fear, and violence.
Correspondence Directed by Paul K. Oh 5:40 • USA • Alabama Premiere LIFE & LIBERTY A filmmaker conducts a mediated interview with the man convicted of murdering his grandmother and tries to reconcile the person sitting across from him with the act that shattered his family.
Investigator Directed by Jennifer Grausman 16:40 • USA • Southern US Premiere WOMEN IN FILM Amidst the foggy evergreen forests of Washington State's Olympic Peninsula, private investigator Leigh Hearon explores the criminal underbelly of a small town and investigates a case of attempted matricide while also examining her own motivations and place in the criminal justice system.
Sites of Memory Directed by Antonio Tarrell, Castel V Sweet, Michael Fagans 24:20 • USA • Alabama Premiere BLACK LENS, LIFE & LIBERTY, WOMEN IN FILM, ALABAMA As U.S. history becomes controversial to teach in some states, one group of people comes to terms with our past and present in Sumner, Mississippi and Montgomery, Alabama.
Free Joan Little Directed by Yoruba Richen 24:20 • USA • Alabama Premiere BLACK LENS, LIFE & LIBERTY, WOMEN IN FILM In 1975, Joan Little became the first woman in US history to be acquitted of using deadly force to resist sexual assault. As a Black incarcerated woman in North Carolina who killed her white prison guard who was trying to rape her, Little's murder trial sparked a nationwide discussion on sexual assault.
USA • 1 hour 37 minutes Directed by Kelsey Ianuzzi
When an Alabama court jeopardizes access to IVF and her own embryos, artist Abbey Crain refuses to surrender her creative power. In this triumphant tour de force, Crain and a group of fertility patients reckon with the threats to their family future, unearthing hope from an unsettled legal landscape.
WARLA is a crime-drama based on the true story of the Warla Gang, a group of transgender women who kidnap foreigners for ransom money to fund their gender-affirming surgeries. The film examines the struggles and treatment of marginalized individuals searching for acceptance.
A sharp take on AI’s dark side—where eugenics fears and human worth clash in a tech-driven world. It dares us to ask: What happens to people’s value when those who build AI decide who matters? The risks of AI go far beyond what most expect.
FRA • 1 hour 11 minutes Directed by Jean-Jacques Cunnac
A lost New York artist visits Selma, Alabama searching for himself and inspiration. He explains his experiences, explorations, and the history to his son while he visits the town for the Jubilee highlighting the contrasts of the city’s past and history to current daily life.
USA • 1 hour 45 minutes Directed by Caron Creighton
Award-winning director Caron Creighton gives an inspiring look into Oakland, California’s largest unhoused encampment. The film follows John and LaMonté, two of the encampment’s residents, as they work to organize their neighbors against the state and local governments’ efforts to displace their community.
USA • 1 hour 35 minutes Directed by Viacheslav Rakovskyi and Jeremy Chilnick
A film that shows love and kindness in action for animals displaced by the Ukrainian War with Russia. It starts with one soldier heading to war asking his friends to take in his 37 goats. They do and their home quickly becomes a refuge for hundreds of animals in need. Their home opens up to include cows, sheep, pigs, peacocks, even a crocodile and a sweet donkey.
The Marion County Record in Marion, Kansas was raided by the police in 2023 for very dubious reasons. "Seized" examines the events of that day along with the fallout, including personal tragedy. It's a story of small town politics resulting in an international look at press freedom and journalistic ethics.
USA • 1 hour 35 minutes Directed by Bowie Alexander and Matthew Syrett
Tender, urgent, and hopeful, Admission Possible follows seven New York City high school seniors applying to college as first generation students. Guided by their determined and caring college admissions counselor, they grapple with the complex cultural, social, and political factors influencing higher education today. Debates over testing, legacies, and family loyalty muddy the waters of their decisions.
Documentaries that remind us all voices deserve to be heard.
From Fields to Flight Directed By Ipshita Bhattacharyya 11:10 • India INTERNATIONAL, LIFE & LIBERTY, WOMEN IN FILM In a world ruled by patriarchy, one woman from India's hinterlands finds the courage to challenge gender norms to achieve her dream of becoming a drone pilot.
Faithful Defenders Directed By Barbara Jean Hall 17:15 • United States WOMEN IN FILM In a challenging and inspirational approach, "Faithful Defenders" suggests that Christianity and reproductive rights can co-exist.
White Nine Directed By Nilou Safinya 29:15 • United States • Southern US Premiere WOMEN IN FILM Meet Joe, Christos, and Charlie, three teenagers whose lives were forever changed by devastating spinal cord injuries in the 1960s. Bound by survival, friendship, and a shared refusal to be marginalized, they became leaders in Massachusetts’ independent living movement and helped fight for the civil rights of people with disabilities.
Oceanbone Directed By Lani Cupchoy 09:16 • United States • Alabama Premiere WOMEN IN FILM Stolen ancestors lie in museum vaults, waiting to return home. "Oceanbone" is a poetic reckoning with history, confronting the colonial theft of Indigenous remains and the urgent fight to bring them back.
HER BABY DIDN'T BLOCK HER JUMP SHOT Directed By Emily M Lobsenz 25:00 • United States • World Premiere WOMEN IN FILM In 1969, high school freshman Jane led her basketball team to a state tournament. In 1970, she scored over 40 points a game. In 1971, when she gives birth, state rules make her ineligible to play. In 1972, with the backing of her coach and friends, she continued to play and began a landmark challenge to a rule that allowed boys involved in a pregnancy to continue playing while refusing the same privilege to girls.
A story about what freedom could look like--beyond the vote. 145 relational organizers mobilize millions of Black voters in Eastern North Carolina, reclaiming "woke" as a call to action to build lasting community power.
CAN • 1 hour 30 minutes Directed by Kenya-Jade Pinto
One journalist. One man seeking a better life. One tragedy. Experience the hidden connections between surveillance technology and migration, greedy corporations and corrupt governments exploiting the lives of vulnerable people. These events reflect a wider pattern of exploitation and tragedy in a system focused on profit rather than on protecting asylum seekers. As borders tighten and technology becomes more invasive, human rights are eroded, and compassion fades. This film aims to expose this profit-driven system, but a question remains: What will it take for the world to see migrants' humanity?
