Updates
CCFF x The Robin Present: Growth Vol. 3 with Jahshua Smith and Friends
*FREE EVENT* The soulful variety show returns to The Robin Theatre starring poet and hip-hop educator Jahshua Smith along with a cast of talented friends.
Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano
In the aftermath of the catastrophic explosion from August 4th 2020 in Beirut, a film crew is facing a serious dilemma: should they defy the chaos and move forward with the shooting of their film or surrender to the multiple crises that are spreading all over the country? Dancing on the Edge of the Volcano captures their relentless battle to keep making cinema in a shattered city.
Sneak Preview: The Invisible Mammal
Against the backdrop of the sixth mass extinction, an all-woman team of biologists set out to save bats from a deadly fungal disease, but when the COVID-19 pandemic interrupts their work, they are sent down a path of discovery that illuminates the connections between bat conservation and the spread of infectious disease. Screens with the short film Kiko.
The Accidental Spy
*FILMMAKER IN ATTENDANCE* 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. Screens with the short film Crossing Lake Erie.
The Palestine Exception
*MICHIGAN PREMIERE // FILMMAKER IN ATTENDANCE* The documentary unfolds as a story of college campuses as sites of both rebellion and repression, places where personal and collective histories converge in unexpected ways. Featuring professors and students as they join calls for a ceasefire and divestment from companies that do business with Israel and face waves of crackdown from administrators, the media, the police and politicians. Screens with the short film Mawtini (My Homeland).
Your Tomorrow
With an historic public park set to close for redevelopment, an eccentric yet lovable group of park regulars and staff members live out its final year open to the public while confronting its controversial transformation into a private spa and waterpark. Screens with the short film Don’t Cry For Me All You Drag Queens.
True Believer
As Roe is overturned and abortion bans become routine, TRUE BELIEVER is a call for reckoning for every American, but especially those within the religious subculture that threatens our very Democracy. Screens with the short film Reincarnate.
Bring Them Home
*MICHIGAN PREMIERE // FILMMAKERS IN ATTENDANCE* 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. Screens with the short film Sacred Waters: Anishinaabeg Naagdawenmaanaanig Giigoonhkewin (The First People Taking Care of the Fishery)
Closing Night Feature: Firebreak
*MIDWEST PREMIERE // FILMMAKERS IN ATTENDANCE* Brandon and Royal are among a small group of firefighters in California who were trained while incarcerated and managed to break through and become professional firefighters post-release, but that’s not the story for most of their peers. After securing their own careers, they decided to take matters into their own hands and start their own nonprofit and fire department. Screens with the short film A Clean Slate.
Can I Get A Witness?
*MICHIGAN PREMIERE* In the not-too-distant future, we’ve solved all the world’s problems: mitigated climate change, eradicated poverty, achieved true trans-species equality. There’s just one catch… humans have to end life at 50 and teenage artists have to document it. It’s Kiah’s first day on the job. Starring Sandra Oh. Screens with the short film Lost & Found