In the woods outside of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Camp ALEC is a sleepaway camp for kids who are non-speaking. Despite being smart, capable individuals, disabilities like autism, cerebral palsy, and verbal apraxia have made it impossible for these campers to vocalize their thoughts. To express themselves, kids instead use augmentative and alternative communication devices that translate their composed messages into audible speech.

Tina Moreno (Subject) and Mateo Moreno (Subject) will participate in a Q&A following the screening.

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

In a gentrifying New Orleans, Demond participates in a secret culture known as Mardi Gras Indians, where African-American men from the city’s roughest neighborhoods sew feathered suits and compete over who’s “the prettiest.”

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

This film tells the story of young Afghan girls learning to read, write – and skateboard – in Kabul. After years of conflict, and with Afghanistan still dubbed ‘one of the worst places to be born a girl’, an organization called Skateistan recruits kids from poor neighborhoods and teaches them skills so they can return to public school and get a start in life.

For girls, the chance to skateboard presents a unique experience – to compete, to play, to learn their strength and to gain courage. We follow a class of girls at Skateistan growing through the joy of skating and the warmth of the women who teach them.

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

From a very early age women are made to believe that their relevance has an expiration date. Showing us the power of resilience, defiance, and the wisdom of experience, the Beyond Sixty Project will challenge the way we think about aging and the value of our own stories. The original voice of Siri, the Madam CJ Walker biographer, and the sculptor of Lady Gaga’s Fame perfume carriage are among the inspirational stories revealed in this compelling documentary.

Melissa Davey (Director, Executive Producer) and James Madison (Producer) will participate in a Q&A following the screening.

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

For students today, schools are no longer sanctuaries. It’s not fair—and they know it. And now, the Parkland generation is demanding change—most visibly at the 2018 March for Our Lives. Thankfully, there are people like Phil and Theresa Sturm to help host the revolution, just like Phil’s mother did half a century ago. Today, the D.C. couple honor this legacy by opening their home and hearts to dozens of out-of-town protestors. In the Trump era, time and again, Phil and Terry inflate mattresses and tell their new friends to “just bring pillows.” Very literally, they make room for change.

Kelly Ramundo (Director & Producer), Dave Cooper (Director of Photography), Phil and Theresa Sturm (Cast) will participate in a Q&A following each screening.

My Dead Dad’s Porno Tapes is as provocative an examination of life as it sounds. Prompted by his father’s death, director Charlie Tyrell pursues a deeper understanding of his emotionally-distant father in this documentary short by starting with what he left behind: a rather kitsch collection of pornography on vhs videotapes. Narrated by director David Wain (Wet Hot American Summer) and told through a hybrid of stop-motion animation, home movies, and recorded phone calls, Tyrell presents an indiscriminate look into one’s material possessions as a way of understanding the complex nature of family relationships and their challenges.

Through an unconventional sequence of events, artist Robert Townsend discovers his Kodachrome muse and embarks on an ambitious and inspirational project that will take more than a decade to complete.

Mingle, network, and be merry at our reception following the screening. Light appetizers and drinks will be available.

Jennifer Serena (Director), Robert Townsend (Cast), and Cheryl Berea (Cast) will participate in a Q&A following the screening.

In a country torn apart by political and economic upheaval, a team of young women finds refuge in a sport that rises above their personal poverty and gendered social status. But when this new soccer team goes undefeated in all of South America, these women find themselves in position to win Venezuela’s first World Cup and gain a new acceptance and voice in their home country.

JC Hall is a social worker in the South Bronx who has been given the opportunity to create a music studio in the old storage room of a “second chance” high school. When one of the students who helped him build the studio is murdered in front of the school, JC and his after-school program decide to hold a show in the student’s honor. The film follows the group for over a year as they prepare for the show, all while processing their grief, overcoming individual obstacles and working toward graduating high school in a district where 49% of kids live below the poverty line.

Kyle Morrison (Director) will participate in a Q&A following each screening.

Characters make decisions that have a profound impact on the world around them.

Friday Screening: If you purchase a ticket to Shorts Program: Choices on Friday, you’ll receive a complimentary drink during Happy Hour.

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