Power of the Dream (World Premiere)
Spotlight Documentary | Feature | United States | 133 MINUTES | English | Sports
The WNBA has always been underestimated. And that underestimation has always been met with a drive to rise beyond the challenge. Activism meets sports in this documentary that follows the story of the WNBA and how it forever changed the course of U.S. politics.
Director: Dawn Porter | Producer: Dawn Porter, Sue Bird, Nneka Ogwumike, Reni Calister, Jessica Robertson, Tracee Ellis Ross, Emma Schwartz, Brett Bouttier, Aaron Saidman, Eli Holzman | Cast: Sue Bird, Nneka Ogwumike, Raphael Warnock, Jemele Hill, Holly Rowe
Rebel Country (World Premiere)
Spotlight+ | Feature | United States, UK | 81 MINUTES | English | English subtitles | Documentary, LGBTQIA+, Music
Country music, as Richard Nixon said in his (in)famous address at the Grand Ole Opry in 1974, is a uniquely American genre, formed here and nowhere else. So why doesn’t the face of country reflect the diversity of the nation? That question is both asked and answered in this timely and urgent film. Rebel Country exposes the diverse roots of country music, reclaiming the contributions of Black and Mexican-American musicians and uncovering the history of segregation and censorship that has made so-called “bro country” the norm in Nashville.
Director: Francis Whately | Producer: Francis Whately | Cast: Blanco Brown, Jelly Roll, Breland, Lainey Wilson, Sam Williams, Lindsay Ell
Before the Premiere Screening: Short film Dynasty and Destiny
After the Premiere Screening: A special performance by platinum selling country music artist BRELAND.
Rent Free (World Premiere)
US Narrative Competition | Feature | United States | 93 MINUTES | English | New York, Comedy, Drama, LGBTQIA+, Narrative, Latinx/Latin American
Ben and Jordan, nomadic Gen Z best friends from Texas, are enjoying their scrappy days in New York City together and are quickly getting comfortable with the idea of permanently relocating there to pursue a life and career in the Big Apple. Those plans are quickly botched, however, when an outrageous indiscretion from Ben causes both of them to be kicked out of the friends’ apartment they were staying at — prompting them to fly back to Austin, where Jordan’s girlfriend Anna takes them in. Unfortunately for Ben and Jordan, Anna’s generosity is short-lived. One drunken evening, both friends make a pact: to treat this meandering “couch surfing” lifestyle as a social experiment and aim to take advantage of their friends’ hospitality to live an entire year without paying rent. Their quixotic plan, however, all too soon reveals itself to be a bit untenable…
Director: Fernando Andrés | Producer: Fernando Andrés, Jacob Roberts, Temple Baker | Cast: Jacob Roberts, David Treviño, Molly Edelman, Neal Mulani, Sarah J. Bartholomew, Zeke Goodman
Sabbath Queen (World Premiere)
Documentary Competition | Feature | United States | 105 MINUTES | English, Hebrew, Yiddish | English subtitles | New York, Animation, Documentary, LGBTQIA+, Politics, Biography
Filmed over 21 years, Sabbath Queen follows Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie’s journey as the heir of 38 generations of Orthodox rabbis who is torn between accepting his ancestral destiny or becoming a drag queen rebel. In addition to his drag persona, Lau-Lavie is a queer bio-dad and the founder of Lab/Shul: an everybody-friendly, God-optional, artist-driven, pop-up experimental congregation. With incredible access, award-winning director Sandi DuBowski (Trembling Before G_D, Sundance 2001) joins Rabbi Amichai on a life journey and cinematic quest to creatively and radically reinvent religion and ritual while challenging gender norms in a rapidly changing 21st century.––Dan Hunt
Director: Sandi DuBowski | Producer: Sandi DuBowski
S/He Is Still Her/e – The Official Genesis P-Orridge Documentary (World Premiere)
Spotlight Documentary | Feature | United States | 99 MINUTES | English | Documentary, LGBTQIA+
An introduction, conversation and perhaps goodbye to Genesis P-Orridge, who left an astounding and provocative legacy on the worlds of music, art, performance, religion and the occult. A larger-than-life personality that must be experienced to be grasped, Genesis opens up portals to a way of living that transforms and transcends.
Director: David Charles Rodrigues | Producer: David Charles Rodrigues, Bud Johnston | Cast: Genesis P-Orridge, David J (Bauhaus), Clarity Haynes, Genesse P-Orridge, Caresse P-Orridge, Paul “Bee” Hampshire, Alice Genese
Slave Play. Not A Movie. A Play. (World Premiere)
Spotlight Documentary | Feature | United States | 79 MINUTES | English | English subtitles | New York, Experimental, Documentary, Politics, Art
A self-portrait of playwright Jeremy O. Harris at work as he deconstructs his provocative and Tony-nominated play, Slave Play. This documentary is as bold and daring as Harris himself, offering an unflinching exploration of his creative process and the motivation behind his groundbreaking work.
Director: Jeremy O. Harris | Producer: Chris Moukarbel, Natalia-Leigh Brown | Cast: Amauta Firmino, Annie McNamara, Irene Sophia Lucio, Jonathan Higgenbotham, Devin Kawaoka, Stephen Ceflu, Jakeem Powell, Patricia Fa’ausa, Marie Botha, Antoinette Crowe-Legacy, Hudson James Oznowicz, Israel Erron Ford, Amauta Firmino, Jennifer Monaco, Denzel Gray, Sung Hyun Yoon, Amani Owusu, Vi Nguyen, William L Nixon, Jonah O’Hara-David, Hubert Mitchell, Phillipa Grenda, Dustin Damonte, Lydia Case, Anik Zarkos, Sidney Diaz, ShaQuanna Williams, Latonya Grant, Rebecca Codas, Natasha Walfall, Aaron Latta-Morissette, Athan Chekas, Peter Bowden, Kerstin Coco Quortrup, J.P. Maddock, Jahquale Mazyck, Malcolm Callender
