2021 Festival Highlights
Footsteps on the Wind
2021 Winner
Animation | 07:00 | United Kingdom
Directed by Gustavo Leal, Faga Melo, Maya Sanbar
Footsteps in the Wind pays tribute to the dedication of all those who have stood by people forced to flee when they needed support the most: refugees, returnees, internally displaced, and stateless people, as well as the communities who generously host them. Produced by filmmaker Maya Sanbar as a gift to the U.N. Refugee Agency.
2021 Award Ceremony
Chapters:
1. WCU President Chris Fiorentino
2. Karen Curry Intro
3. 2021 Official Sizzle Reel
4. WCU Students Reading Frederick Douglass Quotes
5. Kenneth Morris Interview
6. Paul Oakley Stovall
7. Dr. Anita Foeman, Ph.D. – FDI
Chapters:
1. 2021 Free Speech Award Winning Film
2. Pre-recorded interview with Maya Sanbar
3. Maya Sanbar Live Via Zoom
4. Close Out Event
2021 Official Selections
In Your Eyes
2021 Official Selection
Documentary | 56:00 | Israel
Directed by Barak Heymann
In Your Eyes follows the less-known aspects of the lives of four “web stars” – Israeli YouTubers: Moti Taka, one of the busiest singers in Israel today; Suzi Boum, a successful, well-known drag queen; Chen Halfon, one of the few orthodox YouTubers in Israel; Hannah Ziad, an Arab YouTuber with about half a million followers.
Deep Breath
2021 Official Selection
Experimental | 08:20 | United States
Directed by Rachel McIntosh
Deep Breath is an Anti-racist, Art-as-Activism Film Project centered around an epic, 8-minute poem by Dr. Nia Nunn. Filmed in Ithaca, NY last summer, Deep Breath brought diverse dancers together to feel her words, and dance to custom-composed music
The Wikipedia Promise
2021 Official Selection
Documentary | 52:00 | Germany
Directed by Lorenza Castella, Jascha Hannover
Wikipedia begins with a promise: knowledge production, which for millennia was in the hands of elites, is to be radically democratized. Anyone can contribute, regardless of education level or background. Is the online project a utopia come true?
Days Before The Dawn:
The History of Protest in Hong Kong
2021 Official Selection
Documentary | 34:43 | United States
Directed by Trevor Klein
Days Before the Dawn is a documentary about the history of dissent in Hong Kong. Britain handed Hong Kong over to China in 1997 without ever consulting the people of Hong Kong. Ever since Hongkongers have resisted mainland Chinese rule. The protests evolved from lawful marches to non-violent civil disobedience to militant uprisings.
Jano & Shiro, a Brothers’ Journey
2021 Official Selection
Experimental | 34:06 | Netherlands
Directed by Eefje Blankevoort, Els van Driel
The brothers Jano and Shiro are inseparable. When war breaks out in Syria, they flee together in search of a better life for themselves and their family. The boys are 18 and 15 when they set off on foot, heading for the Netherlands.