A Man Who Takes Pictures of Flowers
Jung Myung Kim, a photographer who has dedicated over 40 years to capturing wildflowers in Korea, shares his story of pursuing his passion for capturing flowers.
A Mystical Ornithology
On his South Carolina farm, ornithologist and poet Drew Lanham tends land as sanctuary for birds—reckoning with loss while nurturing a fragile, wild hope.
A Short Documentary About a Giant Pencil
Two Minneapolis homeowners and a chainsaw sculptor shape meaning (and a 20-foot-tall pencil) from the twisted trunk of a fallen oak tree. But this pencil isn’t meant to last. Every year, thousands gather to sacrifice a part of the pencil in a sharpening ceremony, and in the process renew the collective promise to “do something.”
Cindy Tran: From Here to Here
From family estrangement to New York City’s overlooked restaurants, Cindy Tran’s poems capture what’s hidden, honest, and beautiful about being human. She invites us into the in-between, where we embrace difficult experiences and reimagine the possibilities of poetry.
Daily Worker
Digitizing union newspapers in the quiet of a dark room, a filmmaker reflects on their relationship to labor.
Densho
Electronic artist Shigeto explores his family’s history and the lasting effects of WWII internment, weaving together personal reflections, archival footage, and music. Through conversations with his mother and grandmother, he uncovers how their shared past and cultural heritage have shaped his identity, resilience, and artistry.
Documentary Shorts 2026: Program 1
RiverRun is an Academy Award-qualifying festival in the category of Documentary Shorts. This is one of two shorts blocks in competition, of which the winner may submit for Academy Awards consideration.
Documentary Shorts 2026: Program 2
RiverRun is an Academy Award-qualifying festival in the category of Documentary Shorts. This is one of two shorts blocks in competition, of which the winner may submit for Academy Awards consideration.
Documentary Shorts 2026: Program 3: Artist Portraits
This shorts block features films highlighting talented artists in a wide variety of disciplines.
Free Joan Little
Free Joan Little tells the story of the 1975 groundbreaking case of Joan Little, who was the first woman in U.S. history to be acquitted for using deadly force to resist sexual assault.
Gatorville
In Colorado’s forgotten valley, two siblings face alligators and the ache of leaving youth behind.
I Got My Brother
Two brothers reflect on their candid and often humorous memories of surviving the foster care system and prison, realizing along the way that their path to healing has always been each other.
Ibuka, Justice
Valentine and Jean-Claude form a new couple at the start of the 1994 genocide and civil war in Rwanda. They make repeated attempts to flee the killings with their newborn son.
Into the Dark
Darkness brings an artist into confrontation with everything he can’t control.
Kinder Conversations (Big Stories, Small Scribbles)
Will you grow up to be a monster? Is the Easter Bunny really made of smoke? Kinder Conversations is a playful doc that brings kids’ drawings and stories to life, exploring how siblings make sense of the world through big questions and quirky logic.