October 12–16, 2023
Films
A House Made of Splinters: Saturday Evening Showcase
DocumentaryA House Made of Splinters: Saturday Evening Showcase
DocumentarySaturday Evening Showcase Join us for a moving screening of A House Made of Splinters, an intimate documentary that captures life at a halfway home for children in Eastern Ukraine. Special gues...
Learn MoreAin’t No Mercy for Rabbits
ShortAin’t No Mercy for Rabbits
ShortWhen Gramma gets sick, 7-year old Roan must learn to survive on her own in a world without drinkable water. Impact // Filmmaker's Voice As a working-class, native Nebraskan who grew up...
Learn MoreAnother Country
ShortAnother Country
ShortBased on "Native Guard" by Pulitzer Prize Winner Natasha Trethewey, Another Country tells the story of an interracial couple raising their mixed race child in the racially polarizing times of 1956 Mis...
Learn MoreBack to the Sea
ShortBack to the Sea
ShortA profile of Aunofo Havea, a Tongan seafarer, who trail-blazes a place for women in the maritime industry and revolutionizes how the Tongan people interact with the whales that inhabit their waters. ...
Learn MoreChicken
ShortChicken
ShortIn a Bronx juvenile prison, a 16-year old boy faced with losing custody of his child must discover what it takes to be a father through the raising of a chicken. Impact // Filmmaker's Voi...
Learn MoreCool for You
ShortCool for You
ShortAn animated film based on the book of the same title, Cool for You explains global warming in a playful and accessible way, sharing positive, easy ways to improve our impact on the earth. *Will pla...
Learn MoreCrowdfunding Workshop!
Virtual WorkshopCrowdfunding Workshop!
Virtual WorkshopJoin festival alum and award-winning filmmaker Laura Somers (Avenida Productions) and learn how to launch and run a successful crowdfunding campaign for your next film. The workshop is free and wil...
Learn MoreDani’s Twins
ShortDani’s Twins
ShortDani’s Twins captures the high-risk pregnancy and dynamic early parenting journey of Dani Izzie, one of the world's few quadriplegics ever to give birth to twins. Impact // Filmmaker's ...
Learn MoreE.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Anniversary FilmE.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Anniversary FilmJoin us for the 40th celebration of this beloved film – come in costume, bring your Reese’s, and get ready to answer some trivia questions (and possibly win a prize!) E.T. tells the story of ...
Learn MoreEverybody Loves Jeanne
FeatureEverybody Loves Jeanne
FeatureEverybody has always loved Jeanne. These days, she hates herself. Up to her ears in debt, she has to go to Lisbon and sell her mother’s apartment, who passed away one year ago. At the airport, she r...
Learn MoreFight or Flight
ShortFight or Flight
ShortIn a story of self-resilience, Fight or Flight chronicles the journey of the only female pilot employed by Colorado Parks and Wildlife who overcame childhood trauma by taking to the sky. ...
Learn MoreFree to Care
ShortFree to Care
ShortLisa Creason, a reformed felon who dreams of becoming a nurse, fights an unjust law to provide for her family and create opportunities for thousands of others in her state. Impact // Film...
Learn MoreGeorge Mason University Student Showcase
Short Film ProgramGeorge Mason University Student Showcase
Short Film ProgramA collection of short films by outstanding FAVS (Film and Video Studies) students at our partner school, George Mason University. Includes: My Mother's Daughter, directed by Jennifer Vu T...
Learn MoreHeart Valley
ShortHeart Valley
ShortA loving portrait of Welsh shepherd Wilf Davies, who has never left his valley, eats the same meal every day, and works his farm alone, where his family of over 100 black-spotted sheep rely on him.
Learn MoreHocus Pocus: Outdoor Family Classic
Anniversary FilmHocus Pocus: Outdoor Family Classic
Anniversary FilmAs part of Art Day at Reston Town Center, and in partnership with the Reston Town Center Association, we will host a FREE outdoor, family friendly screening of the 1993 fall classic, Hocus Pocus. Join...
Learn MoreJanwaar
ShortJanwaar
ShortJanwaar celebrates a rambunctious group of kids whose lives are transformed when a skatepark is built in their small village in India, breaking down generations of caste and gender barriers in the pro...
Learn MoreJust in Case
ShortJust in Case
ShortWithin the ambiguous safety of a service station, a concerned father and his scared daughter take refuge. Rachel lives with bipolar disorder and the invisibility of her condition has become all too re...
Learn MoreKaepernick & America
DocumentaryKaepernick & America
DocumentaryA thoughtful exploration of Colin Kaepernick's decision to take a knee during the national anthem and the divisive reactions it spurred in the United States, revealing unique insights into America’s...
Learn MoreLittle Forest
ShortLittle Forest
ShortMizu discovers a small bud in the forest, everyday she goes back to water it. Over the years, Mizu and the small tree grow together. One day, the forest is flooded and the tree helps to save her life....
Learn MoreLocal Spotlight
Short Film ProgramLocal Spotlight
Short Film ProgramIn celebration of burgeoning local film talent, this showcase includes short films by and about people and communities in the greater DMV region. Filmmakers in attendance for Q&A. Includes: ...
Learn MoreLong Live My Happy Head
DocumentaryLong Live My Happy Head
DocumentaryA touching and unexpectedly uplifting love story about a Scottish comic book artists with a brain tumour, who uses his art to communicate his experience of cancer. Preceded by the short narrative, ...
Learn MoreNewtok
DocumentaryNewtok
DocumentaryTo keep their culture and community intact, Yup’ik residents of Newtok, Alaska must relocate their entire village to stable ground upriver, becoming some of America’s first climate change refugees...
Learn MoreOne Buck Won’t Hurt
ShortOne Buck Won’t Hurt
ShortThis coming-of-age story follows four black teenagers from adolescence to adulthood who tap dance for tips in New Orleans, showing the joys and pains of growing up fast in the incarceration capital of...
Learn MorePrecious Hair and Beauty
ShortPrecious Hair and Beauty
ShortAn ode to the mundanity and madness of the high street in London, told through the window of an African hair salon.
Learn MoreRed Horizon
ShortRed Horizon
ShortThe story of a group of pilots dedicated to keeping alive the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen while pursuing their dreams of becoming professional aviators and inspiring the black community to change th...
Learn MoreRefuge: Opening Night
DocumentaryRefuge: Opening Night
DocumentaryOpening Night Film Join us for a powerful opening night celebration, starting with the feature documentary, Refuge - a story of love and fear in the American south. Set in the most diverse square...
Learn MoreShark
ShortShark
ShortA wickedly dark comedy about a newly married couple whose quest to outdo each other with pranks leads to an unexpected and outrageous calamity. Followed by the feature narrative, Everybody Loves Je...
Learn MoreShorts Program One: The Beautiful Complexity of Who I Am
Short Film ProgramShorts Program One: The Beautiful Complexity of Who I Am
Short Film ProgramEven seemingly simple situations are layered with complexity. These shorts feature characters who explore and experiment with the complex nature of their identities -- pushing boundaries, challenging ...
Learn MoreShorts Program Three: And With Conviction, We Go
Short Film ProgramShorts Program Three: And With Conviction, We Go
Short Film ProgramTrailblazers, movers and shakers, characters with conviction -- these shorts provide a glimpse into the lives of people who are boldly challenging norms and expectations in the hopes of changing the n...
Learn MoreShorts Program Two: Wonder of Our World
Short Film ProgramShorts Program Two: Wonder of Our World
Short Film ProgramWhether through observation, advocacy, or intervention, there's always an element of wonder when engaging with the natural world. These shorts underscore the power of, and our dynamic relationship wit...
Learn MoreSilent Rhythm
ShortSilent Rhythm
ShortAn exploration of the relationship between dancers and music through the lens of the Gallaudet Dance Company, where every member is either deaf or hard of hearing. Impact // Filmmaker's V...
Learn MoreStreet Reporter
ShortStreet Reporter
ShortCentered on DC native Sheila White, Street Reporter is an intimate story about the power of community journalism and the courage to never stop searching for a place to call home. Impact /...
Learn MoreThe American Dream and Other Fairy Tales
DocumentaryThe American Dream and Other Fairy Tales
DocumentaryFilmmaker and philanthropist Abigail Disney grapples with America's profound inequality crisis, using her family's legacy as a case study to critically explore the intersection of racism, corporate po...
Learn MoreThe Hostage
ShortThe Hostage
ShortA bored middle-aged woman, desperate for an adrenaline rush, becomes entangled with a crew of dangerous diamond thieves.
Learn MoreThe Slow Hustle
DocumentaryThe Slow Hustle
DocumentaryAn HBO original documentary that chronicles the still unsolved death of Baltimore police detective Sean Suiter, fatally shot in 2017 while in the line of duty, and explores the ongoing speculation abo...
Learn MoreTouchline
ShortTouchline
ShortDuring the Israeli Occupation of Palestine in 1948, Ahmad, a 17-year-old Palestinian boy, faces the consequences of the war in his hometown that forces him to give up his dream of being a professional...
Learn MoreWarsha
ShortWarsha
ShortA Syrian migrant working as a crane operator in Beirut volunteers to cover a shift on one of the most dangerous cranes, where he is able to find his freedom.
Learn MoreWINN
ShortWINN
ShortAfter suffering a miscarriage in prison due to shackling, Pamela Winn becomes an inspiring activist, leading millions to support the Dignity Bill and her mission to end shackling and prison birth. ...
Learn MoreWood Hood
ShortWood Hood
ShortWood Hood follows DeVaughn, a 15-year old kid from New York City as he takes a weekend trip with Camping To Connect, a BIPOC-led mentorship program that teaches leadership, brotherhood, and inclusion ...
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