Documentary Shorts

A short documentary about a young man diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. His battle rages on until he is faced with his destiny or what seems to be left of it.

At the age of 13, my father left his homeland, Laos, seeking a brighter future in the United States. Throughout the years, he devoted himself to supporting his family, seldom sharing the details of his past. This film intimately explores the experiences that shaped my father’s understanding of love.

THE PERSIAN EMPIRE, KNOWN FOR ITS KINDNESS, TOLERANCE, AND RESPECT FOR WOMEN, LED FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS BY A MONARCHY, WAS OVERTHROWN BY AN ISLAMIC REVOLUTION IN 1979. THE NEW REGIME STARTED IMPOSING STRICT LAWS UPON THE IRANIAN PEOPLE, VIOLATING THEIR BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS. FOR MORE THAN FOUR DECADES THE IRANIAN PEOPLE HAVE FOUGHT AGAINST THIS REGIME AND THIER BRUTAL ABUSE OF POWER. ON SEPTEMBER 16 OF 2022, MAHSA ZHEENA AMINI WAS KILLED BY THE “MORALITY POLICE” OF TEHRAN FOR WEARING HER HIJAB IN A LOOSE MANNER. HER DEATH IGNITED AN INTERNATIONAL MOVEMENT AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT OF IRAN. THIS MOVEMENT, TITLED WOMAN LIFE FREEDOM, BECAME THE BIGGEST PROTEST AGAINST THE IRANIAN REGIME SINCE THE 1979 REVOLUTION. THE IRANIAN REGIME FOUGHT BACK AGAINST THE WOMAN LIFE FREEDOM MOVEMENT, AND KILLED ITS OWN PEOPLE, WITH ZERO HESITATION. THE IRANIAN GOVERNMENT HAS ADMITTED TO KILLING MORE THAN 550 PEOPLE, BUT THE REPORTED NUMBER IS IN THE THOUSANDS. THIS PIECE IS DEDICATED TO THE FALLEN, AND THEIR FAMILIES. WE MUST NEVER FORGET.

After a tragic accident, an amateur MMA fighter continues his brother’s legacy both in and out of the cage.

Redistricting isn’t about lines. Redistricting is about power. Who controls that power? That’s up to you. “Power Lines,” created with the support of The Carter Center, is a non-partisan blueprint for a more perfect democracy. In 2018, Michiganders voted to amend the state constitution, ending a system where redistricting was controlled behind closed doors. The amendment created the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission, made up of 13 citizens, which took power away from legislators and made the process fully public. The commission drew the 2022 maps, receiving over 30,000 comments, and produced some of the fairest maps in the country, reflecting the state’s electorate for the first time in a generation. “Power Lines” traces this journey from the amendment’s passage through its challenges in the Michigan Supreme Court.

A short film exploring the US nuclear legacy in the Pacific through the lens of members of the Marshallese community in Arkansas. Moved from their islands by the US for a series of nuclear tests in Bikini Atoll commencing in 1946, these Pacific Islanders remain in exile 78 years later.

Open Captions available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese “Don’t Cry For Me All You Drag Queens” pays homage to the legendary Mother Cavallucci by weaving together the present and past to provide a striking portrait of belonging and memory. Joseph “Josie” Cavallucci (aka Mother Cavallucci) is a legendary New Hope drag queen that would host annual wedding celebrations in the 70s and 80s that served as fundraisers and a community party. Poetically merging archival photographs and present day footage from a community drag show, the film sparks conversation about the modern day issues Mother Cavallucci revolutionized. ESP: Don’t Cry For Me All You Drag Queens rinde homenaje a la legendaria Madre Cavallucci entretejiendo el presente y el pasado para ofrecer un impactante retrato de pertenencia y memoria. Combinando poéticamente fotografías de archivo y metraje actual de un espectáculo drag comunitario, la película genera una conversación sobre los temas modernos que revolucionó la Madre Cavallucci. PORT: “Don’t Cry For Me All You Drag Queens” homenageia a lendária Mother Cavallucci, entrelaçando passado e presente para oferecer um retrato profundo de pertencimento e memória. Joseph “Josie” Cavallucci, ou Mother Cavallucci, foi uma drag queen icônica de New Hope, conhecida por organizar casamentos anuais nas décadas de 70 e 80, que funcionavam como eventos beneficentes e celebrações comunitárias. Combinando fotos de arquivo e cenas de shows drag contemporâneos, o filme provoca uma reflexão sobre os desafios modernos que Mother Cavallucci ajudou a transformar.

The Nevele Grand Resort in Ellenville, NY sits abandoned on 500+ acres near the foot of the Catskill Mountains of New York. What used to be a point of pride for Ulster County is now a painful, crumbling relic – with many stories to tell. For All-American Ruins creator Blake Pfeil, it is also a dreamscape, an artistic playground to reflect on questions about American history, culture, community folklore, economics, the environment, and mental health; and for the viewer, it’s an invitation to activate their imagination as a tool for healing.

Acid mine drainage is a pervasive problem, poisoning streams and killing wildlife, in American Appalachia. The technology and funding to remove these pollutants and bring life back to streams just didn’t exist, that is until fine art painter, John Sabraw rallied a team to address the issue in their local stream and develop a breakthrough process to upcycle pollutants into pigments. It’s amazing what humans are capable of when their actions are relentlessly committed, creative and cooperative.