Documentary Shorts – Program One

SYNOPSIS:

Almeda

Directed by: Paul Hairston
On September 8th, 2020 the Almeda Fire tore through Southern Oregon and burned more than 2,800 structures. Many belonged to tightly knit immigrant mobile home communities, some generations old.
14 min / USA / 2021 / English & Spanish
Rating: MT

Last Days of August

Directed by: Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck & Robert Machoian
Using the photo book aesthetic, this experimental documentary explores prairie towns in Nebraska meditating on the longing for permanence, on the blurred lines between still photography and cinema and asking the question: do miracles really happen?
13 min / USA / 2022 / English
Rating: MT

Memory Lanes

Directed by: Brian Gersten
A short, archival documentary about the history of bowling in America and the history of America in bowling. The film interweaves our established perception of this innocuous all-American game with the pervasiveness of cultural racism, sexism, and violence by showcasing nearly 100 years of archival bowling footage from newsreels, instructional films, commercials, home movies, and mainstream films & television.
12 min / USA / 2021 / English
Rating: MT

Nuisance Bear

Directed by: Gabriela Osio Vanden & Jack Weisman
Churchill, Manitoba is famous as an international destination for photographing polar bears. We’ve seen the majestic images and classic wildlife series captured here – but what do these bears see of us? Through a shift in perspective Nuisance Bear reveals an obstacle course of tourist paparazzi and wildlife officers whom bears must navigate during their annual migration.
14 min / Canada / 2021 / n/a
Rating: MT

Panola Project, The

Directed by: Rachael DeCruz & Jeremy S. Levine
This uplifting short film highlights the heroic efforts of Dorothy Oliver to keep her small town of Panola, Alabama safe from COVID-19. A chronicle of how an often-overlooked rural Black community came together in creative ways to survive.
17 min / USA / 2022 / English
Rating: MT

Stranger at the Gate

Directed by: Joshua Seftel
U.S. Marine Richard “Mac” McKinney had planned to return home to Muncie, Indiana as a hero – in an American flag-draped coffin. But that didn’t happen. Instead, after 25 years of service, he returns alive and filled with an all-consuming rage. Still fueled by his desire to die for his country, he plans to bomb the local mosque. But when he comes face to face with the community of Afghan refugees and others of Muslim faith that he seeks to kill, his plan takes an unexpected turn.
29 min / USA / 2022 / English
Rating: MT

ᎤᏕᏲᏅ (What They’ve Been Taught)

Directed by: Brit Hensel
Filmed on the Qualla Boundary and Cherokee Nation, ᎤᏕᏲᏅ (What They’ve Been Taught) explores expressions of reciprocity in the Cherokee world, brought to life through a story told by an elder and first language speaker. ᎤᏕᏲᏅ circles the intersection of tradition, language, land, and a commitment to maintaining balance. This film was created in collaboration with independent artists from both Cherokee Nation and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
9 min / USA / 2022 / English
Rating: MT
*program total runtime 108 min

Showtimes

In-person


3:30 PM — Reynolds Place Theatre

Virtual


12:00 AM — Virtual