2020 Festival Highlights
Boxed
2020 Winner
Thriller | 6:09 | United States | 2019
Directed by Wanjiru Njendu
A fictionalized short film based on the true story of the terrifying daring escape of Henry “Box” Brown, an enslaved man who used creativity to escape from slavery in 1849 by mailing himself to freedom.
About the Director
Wanjiru Njendu is an award-winning Kenyan-American filmmaker based in Los Angeles and a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (2020). Her creative imagination earned her the nickname ‘Magic’ at a young age. Her African and American upbringing influences her approach as a writer and director for film and television enabling her to have a versatile voice in both African stories and Western stories. This versatility led to her being chosen as a fellow in the Producer’s Guild of America Diversity workshop.
2020 Official Selections
Activized
2020 Official Selection
Documentary | 38:00 | United States | 2020
Directed by Eric Stange
Activized follows the stories of seven ordinary Americans who, for the first time in their lives, have left their comfort zones and become involved in gun violence prevention, voting rights and immigrants’ rights.
UnRepresented
2020 Official Selection
Documentary | 56:43 | United States | 2019
Directed by Daniel Falconer
UnRepresented reveals the opportunities and challenges as committed public servants, non-partisan activists, and everyday Americans build unprecedented movements to fix the broken system before it’s too late.
In Orbit
2020 Official Selection
Drama | 17:02 | Ireland | 2019
Directed by Katie McNeice
There was once an invisible optician, trapped in a strange and lonely world. Her story starts with a broken lens and the woman who taught her to see things differently.
Reclaiming the Negative
2020 Official Selection
Documentary | 12:32 | United Kingdom | 2020
Directed by Mike Beech
Since the end of the Korean War in 1953, roughly 31,000 North Koreans have defected from their home country to South Korea. In 2018, photographer Tim Franco began shooting a series of large format portraits using an unusual technique for a book detailing some of their experiences.
Sweet Poison
2020 Official Selection
Documentary | 16:00 | Brazil | 2020
Directed by Waleska Santiago
Sweet Poison (Doce Veneno) is a documentary film that elucidates the consequences of pesticide usage in Northeast Brazil. Limoeiro Do Norte is a city of 60,000 where the repercussions of pesticide poisoning have devastated communities.
Means of Expression
2020 Official Selection
Documentary | 20:25 | United States | 2020
Directed by Vida Lercari
Means of Expression is a film that explores illegal public art in Cuba through the eyes of street artist Yulier P. As of December 2018, President Díaz-Canel signed Decree 349, which prohibits any art form from being made or performed without written permission from the Ministry of Culture.