Thursday - 6:00 Short Films
Five short films by three filmmakers
Repetition Compulsion by Ellie Lee
An animated documentary about trauma & the cycles of abuse suffered by homeless women.
“Extraordinary... making full use of animation’s power to convey a nightmare, Repetition Compulsion burrows intimately into the world of battered women. Lee’s film is more enlightening in its seven minutes than a stack of documentaries or dramas.” -- The Boston Globe
The Attic by Linda Goetz
A mysterious tale of finding unexpected things in an attic
Friday, 6:00 pm
Rebel – directed by Maria Agui Carter
Shrouded in mystery and long the subject of debate, the amazing story of Loreta Velazquez is one of the Civil War’s most gripping forgotten narratives. While the U.S. military may have recently lifted the ban on women in combat, Loreta Janeta Velazquez, a Cuban immigrant from New Orleans, was fighting in battle 150 years ago — one of an estimated 1,000 women who secretly served as soldiers during the American Civil War. Who was she? Why did she fight? And what made her so dangerous she has been virtually erased from history?
“Rebel starts out interesting and gets event better” – NY Daily News
“Rebel continues where Ken Burns Civil War left off … a must-see detective film about a woman, a myth, and the politics of national memory” – Latin Heat Entertainment
Saturday, 7:00 pm
Bonnie Blue: James Cotton’s Life in the Blues – directed by Bestor Cram
Born in 1935 on Bonnie Blue plantation in Tunica, Mississippi, apprenticing with Sonny Boy Williamson II and Howlin’ Wolf, and schooled by Muddy Waters, James ‘Super Harp’ Cotton became a mentor to harp players around the globe as he brought the delta blues into mainstream rock ‘n roll. Orphaned at nine, Cotton’s journey tracks America’s history and his story is one of empowerment during a time when the weight of racial inequity made the journey seem impossible. Bonnie Blue – James Cotton’s Life in the Blues is a unique portrait of an era and its impact today. Cotton’s music made history; his musical voice was unique, and the blues were never the same
“A bracing, engrossing, toe-tapping documentary about James Cotton” – Boston Globe
Dog Days by Ellie Lee
When a war-torn, suburban family struggles to survive in a dystopic future, they learn how little distinguishes humans from man’s best friend.
Seduction Theory directed by Steve Ascher
SEDUCTION THEORY is a darkly comic coming of age story of a boy, his psychiatrist father and the girl he can’t get out of his mind.
“A little gem. Funny, mysterious, painful, intelligent — and ultimately very rewarding. I highly recommend this to anyone who was ever a kid.” – Whit Rummel
“The film is wonderful. An adroit mixture of wit, seriousness and invention! Really terrific.”
Friday, 7:45 pm
Out of Sight – directed by David Sutherland
Diane Starin, the thirty-four-year-old blind woman who is the star of Out of Sight, is no goody two-shoes. But she is a strong, independent, and complex woman who breaks horses, hearts, and stereotypes. Her story is a complicated one-part western romance, part soap opera, and part the tale of a thoroughly modern single woman struggling to win financial independence.
"Sutherland straps us in for a ride through the surreal soap opera ... few Hollywood movies these days give as good a ride." -Betsy Sherman, BOSTON GLOBE
"OUT OF SIGHT is an uncompromised, unexpected take on a blind woman, but what a blind woman! Put away all your politically correct assumptions...Starin is a hellion out of a 1940's Hollywood film noir." -THE IMPROPER BOSTONIAN
"Twin Peakish non-fiction story of a blind cowgirl who loves independence and sex." - Michael Blowen, BOSTON GLOBE
Sunday, 1:30 pm -Double Feature
Wild Innovators: Rooted in Justice – Maria Agui Carter
Rooted in Justice is the final episode of the Wild Innovators series
In the heart of Chicago’s industrialized South Side, a group of activists is planting urban gardens, empowering farmers of color, and bringing healthy produce to communities living in a food desert. They’ve even turned an audacious dream into reality by building a $30 million facility that turns organic waste into rich compost and clean energy—and reinvests the profits from the sale of both back to the community that owns it.
A Reckoning In Boston – directed by James Rutenbeck
What happens when you discover that your assumptions are flawed?
Kafi Dixon and Carl Chandler enrolled in a rigorous night course in the humanities at a community center in their Boston neighborhood of Dorchester. Kafi, 44, sharp, witty and restless, dropped out of school at 15. She had her first baby a year later and two more soon after.
Carl, 65, who lives on a small pension and disability payment in one of Boston's most dangerous neighborhoods, began the class with a keen interest in learning but little faith in educational institutions.
A white filmmaker starts his inquiry by documenting adult students Kafi and Carl at the Clemente Course in Boston. Over time, he comes to terms with his own complicity in racism. Alongside the students, a unique filmmaking collaboration forms to explore Boston’s history of racism and gentrification.
“An absolute must-see” – Boston Globe
“Reckoning in Boston lands like dynamite” – Arts Fuse
Exit Interview– by Linda Goetz
Being “let go” is never easy
Thursday, 7:45 pm
Much So Fast – directed by Steven Ascher & Jeanne Jordan
A man suffering from ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) and his brother becomes obsessed with finding a cure. A cliffhanger of romance and cutting-edge science by Oscar nominees Ascher and Jordan.
It is harrowing, heartbreaking, cheering and unforgettable – Ty Burr, Boston Globe
Saturday, 1:00 pm
The Gate of Heavenly Peace – directed by Carma Hinto, Richard Gordon
During the spring of 1989, nightly news accounts filmed in Tiananmen Square enthralled viewers worldwide as they watched the largest popular demonstration in modern Chinese history unfold. This riveting and explosive documentary revisits these events and explores the complex political process that led to the protests and eventual Beijing massacre of June 4th
“Deep, powerful, and rivetingly complex” – Newsweek
“Remarkable & paralyzingly suspenseful” – Time Out, New York
“The most incendiary film of the year” – Village Voice
Sunday, 4;00 pm - Double Feature
A Father’s Kaddish – directed by Jen Kaplan
A story of love, loss, art and ritual. A Father's Kaddish tells the story of how Steven Branfman used the art of pottery to help him work through his grief after the death of his 23-year old son. The film is a potent and moving journey through the universal experience of loss, mourning and rebuilding a life.
“Whether or not you have lost someone special, this film weaves its spell around you and leaves you breathless.” – Toronto JFF
“A beautiful story of love – love that can shine through our deepest pain.”
Why we dance – directed by Michal Goldman
Sneak Preview (42 minutes)
Some people live to dance. We dance to live. A film about women moving into old age, seeking empowerment and connection as we go. At the heart of the film is dance teacher Ketty Rosenfeld, who radiates joy.