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2021 Films & Directors
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3 Day Eviction
When new owners take over an apartment building in South Central, Los Angles, in dire need of a remodel, its long-time manager must decide whether or not to evict his neighbors, whom he cares deeply for, or face eviction himself.
—Dir. Brian L. Tan
(2020, 13:46, Narrative, USA)
—Dir. Brian L. Tan
(2020, 13:46, Narrative, USA)

A Better Way
This documentary follows a devoted son who seeks answers to the untimely death of his mother. Amidst the ongoing opioid crisis, he travels around the country to interview medical experts, political figures and ordinary people in order to uncover the conspiracy behind America's drug-obsessed healthcare system.
—Dir. Clay Vaughn
(2020, 01:34:13, Documentary, USA)
—Dir. Clay Vaughn
(2020, 01:34:13, Documentary, USA)

Augustus
Augustus is a literate escaped slave masquerading as a free man in Massachusetts in 1841. He is haunted by nightmares of his son's death and envisions a future that resembles the struggles of his own life. Shaken to his core, Augustus realizes the horrors of slavery and racial inequalities will continue if he remains silent.
—Dir. Jon Alston
(2020, 14:59, Narrative, USA)
—Dir. Jon Alston
(2020, 14:59, Narrative, USA)

Bayt Jadeed: Seeking Home
The search for belonging for these refugees is priceless as they find suitable communities in Germany and in the U.S.
—Dir. Danica Simonet and Mackenzie Kuhl
(2019, 29:40, USA/Germany)
—Dir. Danica Simonet and Mackenzie Kuhl
(2019, 29:40, USA/Germany)

Book By Its Cover
Three inmates at the Baltimore County Detention Center share their experiences of being separated from their families and how a local program that allows them to have contact visits and read to their children is making a difference in their lives.
Dir. Renee Fisher
(2020, 39:58, Documentary, USA)
Dir. Renee Fisher
(2020, 39:58, Documentary, USA)

Conviction
At 16 years old, Jeffrey Deskovic was convicted of the rape and murder of his classmate Angela Correa. His perseverance to fight for his innocence sheds light on the numerous shortcomings of the American justice system.
Dir. Jia Wertz
(2019, 21:05, Documentary, USA)
Dir. Jia Wertz
(2019, 21:05, Documentary, USA)

Cooked: Survival By Zip Code
Chicago suffered the worst heat disaster in U.S history in 1995, when 739 residents—mostly elderly and black — died over the course of one week. This documentary explains how structural racism and classism were the reasons, while exploring one of our nation's biggest growth industries—Disaster Preparedness.
—Dir. Judith Helfand
(2018, 01:22:00, Documentary, USA)
—Dir. Judith Helfand
(2018, 01:22:00, Documentary, USA)

Don't Forget Them
This documentary shows the heartache, war and restoration of refugees living in camps in Kurdistan.
—Dir. Kamaran Karym
(2020, 51:46, Documentary, USA/Iraq)
—Dir. Kamaran Karym
(2020, 51:46, Documentary, USA/Iraq)

Face It
The Chicago Police Department has joined over 600+ known agencies across the country that deploy the Artificial Intelligence facial recognition app known as Clearview in hopes of solving crime by selling policing algorithms.
—Dir. Mia Neumann
(2020, 5:44, Documentary, USA)
—Dir. Mia Neumann
(2020, 5:44, Documentary, USA)

First Rainbow Coalition
This documentary charts the history and legacy of a groundbreaking multi-ethnic coalition that rocked Chicago in the 1960s. Comprised of activists from the Black Panthers, the Young Patriots (southern whites), and the Young Lords (a former Puerto Rican street gang), Chicago’s Rainbow Coalition united them all to openly challenge police brutality and other systemic issues.
Dir. Ray Santisteban
(2019, 53:40, Documentary, USA)
Dir. Ray Santisteban
(2019, 53:40, Documentary, USA)

First Year Out
This documentary follows three men recently released from prison after spending years behind bars. It explores the physical and psychological imprint of incarceration and the challenges that arise upon their release from prison.
—Dir. Valerie Manns
(2019, 01:11:00, Documentary, France)
—Dir. Valerie Manns
(2019, 01:11:00, Documentary, France)

Geographies Of Racial Capitalism
This documentary explores the brilliant research and praxis of Dr. Ruth Wilson Gilmore by unpacking the topics of racial capitalism, the prison industrial complex, abolition geography, and place-based struggle.
—Dir. Kenton Card
(2020, 16:19, Documentary, USA/Portugal)
—Dir. Kenton Card
(2020, 16:19, Documentary, USA/Portugal)

Gets Good Light
In future America, the word “citizen” has come to define a narrower portion of the population and elite corruption goes unchecked. By day, a luxury condo in Brooklyn is staged for an open house to lure wealthy buyers, but by night becomes a brief refuge for a family targeted by immigration enforcement.
Dir. Alejandra Parody
(2019, 16:00, Narrative, USA)
Dir. Alejandra Parody
(2019, 16:00, Narrative, USA)

Get Vocal: A Day of Action For Bail Reform
Activists protest in Albany, New York, as they fight to prevent Governor Cuomo and the State Senate from rolling back bail reform.
—Dir. Kristina Teschner
(2020, 54:08, Documentary, USA)
—Dir. Kristina Teschner
(2020, 54:08, Documentary, USA)

Get Woke Philly
This documentary examines how “Operation Save Our City,” a grassroots organization in Philadelphia tackles its high murder rates and high dropout rates, while dealing with the worst opioid crisis in America.
—Dir. Gilberto Gonzalez
(12:57, Documentary, USA)
—Dir. Gilberto Gonzalez
(12:57, Documentary, USA)

Homeboy Joy Ride
This documentary looks at the miracle factory, “Home Boy Industries,” whose work has transformed the gang, drug, and violence-ridden barrios of East L.A.
—Dir. Paul Steinbroner
(2020, 29:50, Documentary, USA)
—Dir. Paul Steinbroner
(2020, 29:50, Documentary, USA)

Illegal
Illegal is a feature-length documentary about the miraculous journey of Salvadoran immigrant Laz Ayala’s path to U.S. citizenship, the challenges other immigrants face and his powerful mission to reform immigration.
—Dir. Nick Alexander
(2019, 01:19:00, Documentary, USA/El Salvador/Mexico)
—Dir. Nick Alexander
(2019, 01:19:00, Documentary, USA/El Salvador/Mexico)

In Their Shoes: Unheard Stories of Reentry and Recovery
This documentary follows a year in the lives of four men whose stories intersect in “Writers Without Margins,” a prison reentry and addiction recovery creative writing program. In these complex portrayals of both hope and heartache, we learn what led each person to commit their crimes.
—Dir. Taylor Katanis
(2019, 01:11:00, USA)
—Dir. Taylor Katanis
(2019, 01:11:00, USA)

No More Hashtags
This film is a campaign to bring awareness to police brutality and systemic racism.
—Dir. Whitney Cusack
(2020, 0:30, Animated Narrative, USA)
—Dir. Whitney Cusack
(2020, 0:30, Animated Narrative, USA)

Prison Circle
Follow four young men serving time in a Japanese prison who take a two-year soul-searching journey to find out how they got there and how they come out with a new outlook on life.
—Dir. Kaori Sakagami
(2019, 02:00:00, Documentary, Japan)
—Dir. Kaori Sakagami
(2019, 02:00:00, Documentary, Japan)

Raided
This documentary examines the consequences of a new era of precision and community policing in New York City. Combining personal stories, archival footage and interviews with experts, Raided shows harmful policing practices, which disproportionally affects people of color.
Dir. Simon Davis-Cohen
(2020, 35:31, Documentary, USA)
Dir. Simon Davis-Cohen
(2020, 35:31, Documentary, USA)

Shattered Pieces
A couple appears to have it all, but there is a dark secret that could change everything. Shattered Pieces is based on real events and taken from excerpts of the book Restored, authored by the film’s director Kerry Ann Frazier.
—Dir. Kerry Ann Frazier and Chris Sanders
(2020, 55:11, Narrative, USA)
—Dir. Kerry Ann Frazier and Chris Sanders
(2020, 55:11, Narrative, USA)

Thin Blue Variety Show
On a day in the life behind your television, five personified cop costumes attempt to guard the line of justice under rising pressures.
Dir.Gretta Wilson
(2019, 03:30, Animated Narrative, USA)
Dir.Gretta Wilson
(2019, 03:30, Animated Narrative, USA)

Trapped
This documentary offers an intimate look at the people incarcerated plagued by the laws surrounding money bail and the activists and attorneys fighting against the justice system and special interest groups who want to maintain the status quo.
—Dir. Garrett Hubbard and Chris L. Jenkins
(2019, 52:00, Documentary, USA)
—Dir. Garrett Hubbard and Chris L. Jenkins
(2019, 52:00, Documentary, USA)

Wake
This 3D animated short film explores the impact of police brutality, discrimination, and racial injustice on a young African-American woman. She tries to escape racial injustice in her world by falling into a dream which reflects the realities of the world she tried to escape.
Dir. Breeana Hinton
(2020, 04:38, Animated Narrative, USA)
Dir. Breeana Hinton
(2020, 04:38, Animated Narrative, USA)

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