In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to abolish affirmative action, this film thoughtfully looks back at the largest class of Black students at Yale in the 1990s, the dining table that bonded them, and how their story informs our future.

109 Below tells a tale of resilience and grit when rescue volunteers go to save the lives of strangers. An attempted rescue on Mount Washington in 1982 changed not only the course of two climbers’ lives, but the lives of the rescuers who attempted to save them — and the future of prosthetics, forever.

In 1971 John Francis, known the world over as ‘Planetwalker,’ witnessed an oil tanker collision in the San Francisco Bay. The sight of oiled birds on the shoreline caused him to give up motorized transport and rely solely on his own two feet. Months after that he took a vow of silence convinced that listening rather than adding fuel to any fire was the way ahead. He didn’t talk, but he kept on walking clear across the country and back again. During the next seventeen silent years he listened and studied the world around him. Over many miles his idea of environmentalism changed. At the core of his emerging belief were the people he met, talked to, and broke bread with.

After bringing some of the first and most striking visual evidence of our changing planet to the fore through the groundbreaking study of melting glaciers, photographer James Balog returns to Iceland to close the last chapter of his life’s work.

We humans are quite skilled at capturing the essence of groups of animals in the names we assign to them—a dazzle of zebra, a gaggle of geese, a skulk of foxes… It’s no surprise that we call a group of gorillas a “family,” since we share 98% of our DNA with these creatures and can’t help but see something beautifully human-like in them.

African safari guide Richard De Gouveia is deeply familiar with the primal draw we feel towards gorillas. “The Silverback” film follows Richard along his journey marked by tragedy and self-discovery, as he connects lessons learned while tracking wild gorillas to his own life, where he strives to be a loving father and partner in tandem with his rewarding career as a naturalist guide.

This primal allure is especially powerful for safari guide Richard De Gouveia, whose journey to becoming an Expedition Leader was shaped by tragedy. Watch Richard as he takes lessons learned in nature back to his family as he strives to both be a loving and present father/partner while also traveling to see some of Nature’s most amazing wildlife.

The Thinking Game chronicles the extraordinary life of visionary scientist Demis Hassabis and his relentless quest to solve the enigma of artificial general intelligence.

This year, our Local Spotlight is dedicated to exceptional female filmmakers and their captivating stories from the DMV area. Join us for an inspiring showcase of creativity and empowerment.

1001 Cuts & Can’t Retire From This will be screening in this block, Directors from both films will be attendance for a post screening Q&A!