Neshoba: The Price of Freedom Director: Micki Dickoff (USA, 86 min., documentary)
Award-winning documentary about a Mississippi town still divided about the meaning of justice 40 years after the 1964 murders of young civil rights workers James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner. Compelling interviews with family members of those murdered and their accused murderer make this film a powerful cultural study of a tragedy that forced America’s attention on the struggle for equal rights in the south.
Our Last Stand Director: Jordan Allott (USA/IRAQ, 58 min. documentary)
One woman’s journey to discover how Christians are bravely defending their families, faith and land in Syria and Iraq.
Peak Phosphorus Director: Michael Mehring (Switzerland, 3 min., animation)
Before we run out of gas, we will have no more phosphorous for industrial agriculture. No fertilizer, no crops! And in 300 years meatware is history.
Pet Fooled Director: Kohl Harrington (USA, 70 min., documentary)
An investigative expose of the inner workings of the commercial pet food industry – largely unchallenged till now. Takes viewers on a journey with two Chicago veterinarians who help uncover the billion-dollar business.
Predator/Prey: The Fight for the Isle Royale Wolves Director: Brian Kauffman (USA, 37 min., documentary)
The fragile ecosystem of the Isle Royale National Park is dominated by the predator/prey relationship between wolves and moose. But on the biggest island in the biggest lake on Earth, things have unraveled…
Ribbons is an abstract dreamlike animation that uses ribbons as a focus for multiple meanings that could describe the human condition and more…
#SkinOutSpeakOut Director: Avery Kim (USA, 14 min.)
More than 750 students at Brooklyn Technical High School intentionally broke the dress code to protest antiquated regulations and unfair enforcement that perpetuates sexism, racism and rape culture.
St. Paul and Thecia Director: Alan Haley (USA, 4 min., religious animation)
About a young woman standing up for her beliefs, even though threatened with deadly punishments.
Summer Park Director: Michael Benko (China, 15 min., short)
Two teenagers test the boundaries of their relationship as they explore an abandoned castle on the outskirts of Beijing.
The Island Director: Eugenio Krumenaker (Chile, 15 min., documentary)
Five friends make a sea kayak expedition in dangerous Chilean waters – and find the area contaminated with trash from salmon hatcheries.
The Joy of Doing Director: Ryan Fitzgerald (USA, 4 min.)
80-year-old Joy Singer expresses her bohemian spirit in passions that run from collecting to beekeeping.
The Recursion Theorem Director: Ben Sledge (USA, 28 min.)
Imprisoned in an unfamiliar reality with strange new rules, Dan Everett struggles to find meaning and reason in this sci-fi noir short.
The Vultures Director: Sonia Rossier (Switzerland, 19 min., narrative short, film noir)
Siblings full of grudges, a disliked and envied stepmother, a father late to his own invitation. Dinner is served – but what if the true ingredients are treason, anger, selfishness sprinkled with a generous topping of hypocrisy?
When a high school kid finds film as his burning passion, he’ll stop at nothing to become a director…
Walk for me Director: Elegance Bratton USA, 12 min.
Hassan Kendricks is set to make his Femme Queen debut. But his worlds are about to collide when his mother discovers his secret life. (of GLBT interest.)
Written Off Director: Molly Herman (USA, 80 min.)
Grippingly honest personal journals reveal the secrets one man worked so hard to conceal as an innocent prescription for painkillers leads to a 10-year struggle to escape opiates and the stigma of addiction.
In a special FREE program, join Chris Haley, Utopia Festival director and nephew of Roots author Alex Haley, as he explores film clips and leads discussion of both the old and new Roots docudramas. Haley, who leads research into the history of slavery in Maryland at the Maryland State Archives, will speak honestly about his reactions to both the classic and reimagined Roots, and how their portrayals reflect their eras. A panel discussion will follow the screening, with audience participation invited. (Saturday, Oct. 22, 5pm-7pm.)
FREE Kids' Animations & Films
Artist George Kochell leads a Greenbelt class for young animators sponsored by the Greenbelt Association for the Visual Arts (GAVA) and Greenbelt Access Television (GATE). Enjoy a selection of his young artists' works, followed by shorts created by young filmmakers from across the country. Program includes a special screening of Greenbelt's 75th Anniversary Film. (Greenbelt Arts Center, Sunday, Oct. 23, 11am-12pm.)
FREE Docs in Progress program
Docs in Progress, a non-profit organization that assists documentary filmmakers with their films, invites you to join a FREE screening of a work in progress. You'll have a chance to critique the film and ask questions. Discussion will be led by Docs in Progress Executive Director Erica Ginsberg. (Greenbelt Arts Center Saturday, Oct. 22, 11am to 1pm.)
FREE screening of Mississippi cold case
During the 1964 search for three missing civil rights workers - later found murdered - two bodies of young African-American men were also discovered. In this powerful documentary, one of those young mens' brothers sets out to find justice for his sibling.
FREE Shorts program
Enjoy three short films selected by Utopia: Duo, Alarm Clock Kid and Fabrizio's Initiation. (see film list for descriptions - Greenbelt Theatre, Saturday, Oct. 22, 7pm.)
