Accidental Spy, The
The Accidental Spy is the story of how one man became tangled in a complex geo-political web, how he risked everything to protect his family, and how he was cruelly betrayed by the country he strived to defend.
Directors: Anthony Wonke
Producers: Johnny Howorth, Ivan Mactaggart
Always Looking: Titus Brooks Heagins
Humanizing, reverent, and confrontational, Titus’ photographs document the overlooked: people who, usually through some intersection of poverty, race or gender/sexual identity, exist as outsiders. He describes his work as “confront[ing] viewers in their personal spaces to move the position of “otherness” closer to a normative construction of self.”
Directors: Olympia Stone
Producers: Olympia Stone, Jody Becker
Ambassador of Remembrance
In September 1943, 17-year-old Stanisław Zalewski was arrested in Warsaw as a member of a Polish resistance group and taken to the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp for labour service. From there, he was sent to Mauthausen and finally to the Gusen camp, where the prisoners were forced to work for the German armaments industry under inhumane conditions.
Directors: Magdalena Zelasko
Producers: Magdalena Zelasko
BETWEEN HEAVEN & EARTH – Tears in the Sand
In the Gobi, during the birthing season, the desert is transformed into a windy stage for the spectacle of life and death. The nomads organise 24-hour vigils to fetch the baby camels, which are sometimes rejected by their mothers. During this crucial period, they use a secret ritual involving violins, songs and sounds to encourage the camels to accept the rejected babies.
Directors: Hamid Sardar
Producers: Vivien Lemaignan
Beyond the Gaze: Jule Campbell’s Swimsuit Issue
In the 1960s, Jule Campbell shattered glass ceilings, transforming a struggling magazine into a media empire: the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. The documentary chronicles her 32-year reign, where she championed intelligence and empowered supermodels like Christie Brinkley.
Directors: Jill Campbell
Producers: Jill Audrey Campbell, Jonathon Gray, Robert J Lyons
Black Outside
A phrase that infuriated Gary Wilkerson, Jr. as a young, Black kid asking to do outdoorsy things, like camping. He wasn’t old enough to understand that it was a warning, passed down from generations of Black Americans who weren’t permitted to explore the outdoors for fear of being killed.
Directors: Gary Wilkerson, Jr, Mary Jeanes
Producers: Whitney Clinkscales, Brian A. Loschiavo
Bright Spark: The Reconciliation of Trevor Southey
“Bright Spark” is the story of Trevor Southey, a gay Mormon artist from Rhodesia who dreamed of becoming a modern-day Michelangelo for the Mormon Church. In the 1960s he came to America and founded a movement with a group of young artists that challenged the bland conformity of Mormon art.
Directors: Matt Black, Nathan Florence
Producers: Geralyn Dreyfous
Bring Them Home
Bring Them Home tells the story of a small group of Blackfoot people and their mission to establish the first wild buffalo herd on their ancestral territory since the species’ near-extinction a century ago, an act that would restore the land, re-enliven traditional culture and bring much needed healing to their community.
Directors: Ivan MacDonald, Ivy MacDonald, Daniel Glick
Producers: Sarah Clarke, Ivan MacDonald, Daniel Glick
Cigarette Surfboard, The
An impassioned surfer, Taylor Lane, creates a functional surfboard with 10,000 littered cigarette butts collected from California beaches. The Cigarette Surfboard becomes a platform to learn from professional surfers who are working to protect and restore the health of the ocean, and the symbol of a grassroots campaign to hold Big Tobacco accountable for their toxic, plastic waste. Surfing is the medium, but the message is universal.
Directors: Ben Judkins
Producers: Ben Judkins, Taylor Lane
Cyborg: A Documentary
Colourblind artist Neil Harbisson is the world’s first formally recognized cyborg, with an antenna permanently implanted in his head allowing him to hear color. He is on a mission to convince the world to adopt his credo: Design Yourself.
Directors: Carey Born
Producers: Carey Born
Disposable Humanity
A family’s investigation into the history and memory of the Nazi Aktion T4 program which targeted over 300,000 disabled people and catalyzed the Holocaust.
Director: Cameron S. Mitchell
Producers: Cameron S. Mitchell, David T. Mitchell
FOR THE LIVING
When 250 cyclists mount their bikes outside the universal symbol of absolute evil (Auschwitz-Birkenau) and pedal a WWII liberation path across the Polish countryside, every mile reveals that our entire species too has spent centuries on its own liberation path from Dehumanization towards Empathy and–in 2024–we may be traveling down the most dangerous stretch of all.
Directors: Marc Bennett, Tim Roper
Producers: Lisa Effress, Marc Bennett
I Shall Not Hate
From Gaza’s Jabaliya refugee camp, to the University of Toronto and the Supreme Court of Israel, I Shall Not Hate follows the uncharted path of Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish, The first Palestinian doctor that worked in an Israeli hospital delivering babies, whose ethos of forgiveness and reconciliation is put to the ultimate test when an Israeli tank bombs his house, killing his three daughters.
Directors: Tal Barda
Producers: Paul Cadieux, Isabelle Gripon, Tal Barda
INHERITANCE
INHERITANCE explores the underlying causes of the opioid epidemic in America through the life of one boy and five generations of his extended family over 11 years. Curtis, a bright and hopeful 12 year-old, grows up surrounded by love and struggle while every adult in his family – parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins – battle addiction.
Directors: Matt Moyer, Amy Toensing
Producers: Amy Toensing, Matt Moyer
ISKY
ISKY is a film about Ed Iskenderian. An esteemed innovator and exceptional individual, Isky has led a truly extraordinary life. At the remarkable age of 103, he stands as a living legend in the world of motorsports. Edward achieved widespread recognition for his groundbreaking invention, the fifth cycle racing cam, which revolutionized the performance of engines in the world of NASCAR and drag racing.
Directors: Cheyanne Kane
Producers: Kerry Ann Enright, Cheyanne Kane
LABOR PAINS
After separating from her violent partner, Liron finds herself pregnant by him – with triplets. The film follows her through her first year of single parenthood as she struggles with exhaustion, poverty, and a boundless love for her babies. Her ex-partner, now in prison, pressures her through his constant phone calls to get back together with him, once he is released. Liron is torn between her fear of his violence and her longing for a normal family life.
Directors: Nahar Cohen
Producers: Nahar Cohen
Life that Matters
The documentary delves into the remarkable journey of Ben Lesser surviving the Holocaust, sharing profound insights gained from his harrowing experiences and the loss of his family. Through his resilient spirit, he imparts invaluable life lessons on living with purpose. Additionally, the documentary highlights the profound impact Ben has had on others, showcasing their reflections on his wisdom and his profound outlook on living a meaningful life.
Directors: Ann Raskin, Lane Palmer
Producers: Picture it Palmer, Scriff Studios
LOOKING UP
Eitan Armon, a young man facing encroaching blindness, decides to let go of everything he can’t control and climb Yosemite’s most epic granite wall, El Capitan.
Directors: Elena Neuman
Producers: Elena Neuman
Long Way From Heaven, A
“A Long Way From Heaven” tells the story of BYU’s queer underground, demanding their place in the sunlight. It focuses on the students who lit the school’s iconic “Y” in rainbow colors, and the resulting fallout of this event.
Directors: David Sant
Producers: Tayler Pace
MISTY
A film about Erroll Garner, one of the great jazz legends, a pianist of genius, whose life blended tremendous public success with a complex private world. Looking at Erroll Garner‘s life through his all-dominant manager, the women in his life, his musicians, his daughter Kim, who was cast out at the age of seven, means living the post-war decades of the USA between the consumer boom and the Vietnam War.
Directors: Georges Gachot
Producers: Georges Gachot, Harry Flöter, Pierre-Olivier Bardet, Jamila Wenske
MOSES. 13 Steps.
“MOSES – 13 Steps” is a powerful exploration of the life and legacy of Edwin Moses, an unparalleled athlete and visionary, whose triumphs on and off the track catalyzed significant social and scientific change, inspiring generations to hurdle over barriers of all kinds.
Directors: Michael Wech
Producers: Leopold Hoesch
One in Five Hundred
One in Five Hundred is a documentary film that explores the scientific causes and sociological effects of the catastrophic floods that tore through Yellowstone National Park and its surrounding gateway communities in June of 2022. Using film to capture the lived experience of the flood and its effects provides an impactful perspective on how we understand recovery, economic hardship, and interrupted livelihoods in the wake of natural disasters.
Directors: Hugo Sindelar
Producers: Hugo Sindelar, Ashley Lobao
Opener, The
THE OPENER is a feel-great story about a street performer who wrote 30 songs in 30 days to process his grief and isolation during the pandemic, and found that his music spoke to millions. When it reached the ears of one of his heroes, Grammy-winner Jason Mraz, he was invited on his very first tour and given a chance to prove himself on the big stage.
Directors: Jeff Toye
Producers: Sunya Mara
Path of the Plume
Nuclear weapons are instruments of mass destruction that exact a devastating toll on human life. In the heart of rural Utah, the Lovell family recounts the harrowing tale of nuclear testing’s shadowy legacy and impact on innocent civilians. Witness the intimate and haunting journey through captivating cinematography and shocking archival footage, delving deep into the world of Downwinders Syndrome, a silent scourge born of secrecy and suffering.
Directors: Talon Earley
Producers: Zealand Despain
Piece of Peace
Connecting tourists and locals of Japan through peace.
Directors: Claire Timothy
Producers: Claire Timothy
Pink Belt
When Aparna Rajawat was a young girl, her brother told her that girls weren’t allowed to fly kites. When she asked where the laws were written for girls, he slapped her so hard it knocked her down. She learned firsthand about the violence perpetrated against the women of India on a daily basis.
Directors: John McCrite
Producers: Dana Jackson, Andrew Carlberg, Aditya Patwardhan, John McCrite
POL POT DANCING
Directors: Enrique Sanchez Lansch
Producers: Arne Birkenstock
Red Fever
“Red Fever is a witty and entertaining feature documentary about the profound — yet hidden — Indigenous influence on Western culture and identity.
The film follows Cree co-director Neil Diamond as he asks, “Why do they love us so much?!” and sets out on a journey to find out why the world is so fascinated with the stereotypical imagery of Native people that is all over pop culture.
Directors: Neil Diamond, Catherine Bainbridge
Producers: Lisa M. Roth
She is a Shaman
An Ayahuasca shaman balances hallucinatory rituals and her unusual daily life in this meditative documentary that explores the difference between the idolized shamanic figure and who they really are.
Directors: Victoria Lynn Carroll
Producers: Victoria Lynn Carroll, Cedric Larvoire, Sam Clearing
Silent Fallout
The U.S. government dropped 101 atomic bombs on the American continent as an experiment, resulting in radioactive contamination of the continent. As a result, in the 1960s, milk was contaminated with radiation and children were exposed to radiation. Women stood up and proved that their children were exposed to radiation. As a result, President Kennedy declared a halt to atmospheric nuclear testing. Radiation contamination seemed to be over.
Directors: HIDEAKI ITO
Producers: HIDEAKI ITO
Turtle Walker
In the late 1970s, Satish Bhaskar embarked on an epic journey along India’s coastlines and the spectacular Andaman and Nicobar islands, where he uncovered the vital nesting beaches of sea turtles. During his death-defying quest, he unravels mysteries surrounding these enigmatic ocean creatures – and sets out to save them from extinction. After a devastating tsunami strikes in 2004, Bhaskar grapples with a pressing question: What happens to sea turtles when their nesting beaches disappear?
Directors: Taira Malaney
Producers: Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti, Angad Dev Singh, Taira Malaney, Vikram Malaney
What Happens In Vegas
Water levels shifts within a local reservoir reveal cloaked Las Vegas mob secrets, cracking open a once dormant murder case in an unexpected tourist location.
Directors: Sulli
Producers: Nandhu Ramkumar, Sulli
You Just Can’t See Them From The Road
An immigrant family in California’s Central Valley faces the loss of their land and way of life. One of the few remaining ranchers in the Bay Area watches urban sprawl creep in from every direction. Cowboys work in the shadow of the historic Hearst Castle. One of the largest Black landowners in the state discovers Native American artifacts on his ranch. You Just Can’t See Them From the Road is a documentary portrait of modern West Coast ranchers—invisible to and misunderstood by the rapidly modernizing society they sustain.
Directors: Keely Brazil Covello, Michaela Brazil Gillies
Producers: Michael Delbar, Alyssa Rolen, Karla Miller, Keely Brazil Covello, Michaela Brazil Gillies
