Studio owner Cheryl Bellamy takes her dance team from Durham’s inner city to suburban Smithfield, North Carolina where they compete at the first competition of the year—the Showdown.
2018
Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart
Filmmaker Tracy Heather Strain delivers a moving account of the life of black playwright, communist, feminist, lesbian, and outspoken trailblazer Lorraine Hansberry (1930-1965), a pivotal voice among black intellectuals of her time. In Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart, Tracy Heather Strain unveils the woman behind the words, revealing what it meant to be young, gifted and black in Hansberry’s world and remembering a light lost way too soon.
Social Media and Branding For Filmmakers
Social media is a key component in crowdfunding but it also plays a vital role in a film’s promotion. This panel brings together social media experts to introduce filmmakers to the latest tools and strategies integral to a creating a successful campaign.
Soufra
Soufra follows the unlikely and wildly inspirational story of social entrepreneur and refugee, Mariam Shaar – a stateless refugee who has spent her entire life in a Lebanese refugee camp. The film follows Mariam as she sets out to launch a successful catering company, Soufra, and then expand it into a food-truck business with a diverse group of women from Syria, Iraq, and Palestine—who also call the camp home.
Spotlight on Women and STEM
Following the screening of Bombshell, the Hedy Lamarr Story, this panel of illustrious filmmakers will focus on the stories of powerful women in STEM fields and discuss the challenges of bringing these rich, and sometimes complicated scientific stories to life on the big screen.
Susanne Bartsch: On Top
Susanne Bartsch moved to the United States and reinvented herself as a legendary “Queen of the Night” at the height of New York’s 1980s club scene. ” The doyenne of NYC nightlife for decades, and still at it, she stirs together the art, fashion, and gay dance-club worlds to create extravagant spectacles. The film follows Bartsch’s life as she plans a showstopping party and takes stock of her life.
Te Ata
This inspiring film is based on the true story of Mary Thompson Fisher, who became one of the greatest Native American performers of all time.
Testimony
Testimony shares the stories of five survivors of sexual assault and their journey to healing. Its goal is to inspire those who have been silenced to speak out, while building courage amongst survivors.
The Breadwinner
The Breadwinner is the story of Parvana, a young girl living under the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, who must disguise herself as a boy to become the breadwinner of the family when her father is unfairly imprisoned. A story of self-empowerment and imagination in the face of oppression, The Breadwinner celebrates the culture, history, and beauty of Afghanistan.
The Divine Order
Political and religious leaders in Switzerland cited “Divine Order” as the reason why women still did not have to right to vote as late as 1970. Director Petra Volpe introduces us to Nora, an apolitical housewife, who becomes the unflinching suffragette leader of the village and helps shepherd equality to this European nation.
The Fan {New York Premiere}
The rural elderly woman’s TV antenna is ruined, and she only has a few hours until the national soccer tournament will begin. Will she be able to travel to town and back in time for the big game?
The Post {Closing Night Film}
In this drama, the Washington Post’s Katharine Graham, the first female publisher of a major American newspaper and Post editor Ben Bradlee race to catch up with The New York Times’ publication of the Pentagon Papers.
