The incredible story of how Frank Kinney Holbrook, the University of Iowa’s first African-American football player and among the first in the nation, paved the way for every African-American athlete that would follow him.

Actor Gerard Butler embarks on a life-changing journey to see how his mother’s favorite non-profit organization, Mary’s Meals, transforms the lives of children in some of the world’s poorest countries.

Against the Current chronicles the journey of South African endurance swimmer Sarah Ferguson, as she attempts to become the first person ever to swim around Easter Island (Rapa Nui) non-stop. With a global team united in trying to make Sarah’s 40-mile challenge a success, and in trying to raise awareness about the issue of plastic pollution, the film documents Sarah’s daunting swim through strong currents, powerful winds and other hurdles along the way.

After legendary South African surfer Chris Bertish wins the world’s most prestigious big wave surfing title at Mavericks, he sets his sights on a new record: to be the first person to stand up paddle board across the Atlantic, from Africa to North America, completely solo and unsupported, traveling more than 4000 miles over 93 days. Friends and family think he’s crazy, but Bertish’s mantra is that nothing is impossible. Last Known Coordinates is an intimate account of Bertish’s epic journey as he battles storms, equipment failures, shark, leaks, and loneliness to test the limits of what is truly possible.

In 1966, Gary Duncan, a Black teenager from Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, was arrested for trying to break up an argument between white and Black teenagers outside a newly integrated school. With the help of a young Jewish attorney, Richard Sobol, who left his prestigious D.C. law firm to volunteer in New Orleans, Duncan bravely stands up to a racist legal system powered by a white supremacist boss to challenge his unfair arrest. Duncan and Sobol’s fight goes all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, and a lifelong friendship is forged.

Five Years North is the coming-of-age story of Luis, an undocumented boy in New York City desperate to bring the American Dream back home to Guatemala. Alone, he struggles to work, study, and evade Judy—the Cuban-American ICE agent who patrols his neighborhood. The film is intimate and observational — following Luis, Judy, and Luis’ family back in Guatemala for more than three years to provide a fresh and valuable entry point to understanding America’s immigration system and its human cost on all sides.

Closing Night Film

Preceded by short film, Alone Together

Consisting largely of never-before-seen footage, Mission: Joy explores the remarkable friendship between Archbishop Desmond Tutu and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Inspired by New York Times bestseller The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World, the film showcases the endearing relationship between two Nobel Peace Prize winners, as they recount stories from their lives, each having lived through periods of incredible difficulty and strife. With affection, playfulness, and mutual respect, these unlikely friends impart lessons on how to live with joy in the face of all of life’s challenges from the extraordinary to the mundane.

At the inspirational center of Oh Mercy is Catholic Sister Norma Pimentel, one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2020. Sister Norma spends several days a week, each and every week, visiting with the people of Matamoros, Mexico and Brownsville, Texas– the children, the migrants, the NGO workers, the ICE and CBP officers– listening to their stories, acknowledging and embracing the reality of their lives, and affirming their humanity.

“Oh Mercy” is the first in a three-part series titled “Running to Stand Still” that focuses on global forced migration. The other two films will highlight migration from North Africa into Europe and the displacement of the Rohingya people from Myanmar to Bangladesh.

Lazarus is a short documentary following Lazarus Chigwandali, a street musician with Albinism from Malawi as he teams up with a London-based music producer to record his debut album.

Join us for a compelling conversation for free following the screening of his short film with Academy Award®-nominated and Emmy Award®-winning director, cinematographer, and film editor, David Darg.

100% of ticket sales from each screening will be donated to Kids in the Spotlight.

The subjects of these films push past boundaries that have been placed upon them by culture, society, or even their own human bodies.

Filmmakers will participate in a Q&A following each screening.

100% of ticket sales from each screening will be donated to Kids in the Spotlight.