Welcome to Thin Line Virtual Fest!
Punta Sacra (100 min)
At the edge of Rome, at the mouth of the Tiber, the small district of Idroscalo di Ostia juts right out over the sea. The women who live there, such as Franca and her daughters, bear its stories, with the natural force of the site, between wild realism and popular imagination. This sacred point becomes a theatre for the resistance of a community that expresses its right to live there.
Proof (72 min)
Byrd Williams the Fourth is on a hero’s journey to preserve the past, bequeathed to him in the form of 400,000 photographs, cameras, letters and journals by his father, grandfather, great grandfather, and now by him. Four hundred years from now these images will need only to be held to the light to understand how we lived and died.
Operation Wolf Patrol (86 min)
"OPERATION WOLF PATROL," is a feature length documentary about eco-activist, Rod Coronado, and his attempt to end wolf hunting in the United States.
Over the course of three years we watch Rod work to redefine his activism in an era– post 9/11, where some have called him an “eco-terrorist.” The film comes to a climax when Coronado's "Wolf Patrol" is met with a tightening of "hunter harassment" laws that prohibit photography on public lands. Now Coronado has to ask himself is he willing to go back to prison to fight a law that some are calling "unconstitutional."
O Reflexo do Lago (Amazon Mirror) (79 min)
O REFLEXO DO LAGO (AMAZON MIRROR) reflects the societal impact of major industry, presenting a gentle exploration of the lives of the residents of Tucuruí, a beautiful region alongside the Amazon that has nonetheless been severely impacted by the building of a hydroelectric dam. In the polluted waters, the remains of dead trees serve as a bleak reminder of whole ecosystems long since lost. And yet, the river still flows on, as workers and their families invite Director Segtowick into their livelihoods and homes with warmth and generosity. The film is a patient testimony to resistance, as well as a sensational document of an environment in crisis.
My Darling Supermarket (80 min)
In the confined space of a supermarket, and in the midst of daily repetitive tasks, employees find ways of coping with the drudgeries of low-wage labor. They express their doubts and fears, and explore profound existential questions. Humor, drama, mystery, romance and quantum physics coexist alongside milk cartons, baked goods, bar codes and security cameras.
Mu and The Vanishing World (86 min)
Mu, a young Kayan woman from Myanmar, lives as a refugee and tourist attraction in Thailand. Determined to pursue freedom for herself and her baby, Mu ruptures ties with her tribe to resettle to the USA where she meets the challenges but begins to wonder where her world truly lies.
Missing in Brooks County (81 min)
Just 70 miles north of the Mexican-US border is a land haunted by ghosts. Brooks County, Texas is a barren landscape designed as a deterrent to illegal crossings, but people continue to attempt to cross, and many die trying. The municipality lacks the resources to properly deal with this sad reality, and the numbers keep rising. Multiple locals proffer contrasting opinions as two families search for their loved ones, and the toll of an unsustainable immigration policy is laid bare.
Kombinat (76 min)
Magnitogorsk is an industrial town, in the heart of Russia that lives in the shadow of its gigantic combine’s rusting smokestacks. Lena, a young mother, daughter of steel workers, teaches salsa, one of the many activities organized by the Kombinat. Sasha found a way to escape from the daily pressure in the steel plant. His Brother, Guenia, and his wife have decided to leave the town and its permanent pollution, the cause of their daughter’s mental handicap.
Help Is On The Way (90 min)
HELP IS ON THE WAY brings to the screen a busy training center in Indonesia preparing women to work overseas as domestic workers. Every year, hundreds of women like Sukma, Meri, Muji and Tari are recruited by local agents who are remunerated after successfully seeing their recruits enrolled and placed abroad. They are among the many women from rural areas aspiring to work in countries like Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore. It is at times an emotional journey, but also funny, enlightening and a little competitive, offering a unique insight into a lifestyle not often seen on screen.
program
When Brigade Sarbati and his orchestra perform, it’s a blast of pure passion as they fuel their Congolese rumba with infectious Cuban rhythms, and African vocals and dancing. This nocturnal partying might seem casually improvised, but there’s hard work going on behind the scenes.
RUMBA RULES, NEW GENEALOGIES, offers an enjoyable, rough-edged glimpse into the music scene of Kinshasa, with impromptu shots drawing the viewer into jam sessions on plastic chairs, and the quest for perfection at the studio. Shout outs are added to new numbers, in honor of the departed, family members, or sponsors—but which names should you choose? And the important thing isn’t whether the drummer is working up a sweat, it’s whether he understands the rhythm well enough.
When Brigade Sarbati and his orchestra perform, it’s a blast of pure passion as they fuel their Congolese rumba with infectious Cuban rhythms, and African vocals and dancing. This nocturnal partying might seem casually improvised, but there’s hard work going on behind the scenes.
RUMBA RULES, NEW GENEALOGIES, offers an enjoyable, rough-edged glimpse into the music scene of Kinshasa, with impromptu shots drawing the viewer into jam sessions on plastic chairs, and the quest for perfection at the studio. Shout outs are added to new numbers, in honor of the departed, family members, or sponsors—but which names should you choose? And the important thing isn’t whether the drummer is working up a sweat, it’s whether he understands the rhythm well enough.
PAIRED WITH SHORT FILM, Blackfeet Boxing: Not Invisible SANDANCE! is an independent 60” documentary covering the age-old dance culture of Africa’s San (Bushman) peoples. Filmed in Namibia and Botswana, SANDANCE! immerses viewers in the trance healing dance at the heart of San culture, and follows dancers from remote Kalahari villages to electrifying performances at the Kuru Dance Festival.
PAIRED WITH SHORT FILM, Blackfeet Boxing: Not Invisible SANDANCE! is an independent 60” documentary covering the age-old dance culture of Africa’s San (Bushman) peoples. Filmed in Namibia and Botswana, SANDANCE! immerses viewers in the trance healing dance at the heart of San culture, and follows dancers from remote Kalahari villages to electrifying performances at the Kuru Dance Festival.
Aniya Wingate is a radiant and talented African American dancer in high school in Houston, who was displaced from her home for half a year by Hurricane Harvey. SHOULDERS DEEP translates her experience of displacement through dance, poetry, and performance. This film screens as part of the shorts program, "Music and Movement," which begins at the dates and times listed here.
Aniya Wingate is a radiant and talented African American dancer in high school in Houston, who was displaced from her home for half a year by Hurricane Harvey. SHOULDERS DEEP translates her experience of displacement through dance, poetry, and performance. This film screens as part of the shorts program, "Music and Movement," which begins at the dates and times listed here.
In 1993, Washington State voters passed the three-strikes law and sent children to prison for life without parole. We feared these children as irredeemable superpredators. Our fear was wrong, but in 2020, sixteen states continue to keep children in prison for life. SINCE I BEEN DOWN shows the power of these children, now adults nearly forty years later, creating a true path to justice and healing from inside their prison walls.
“We dare say that a lot of the answers society is searching for (today) will be found in prison” -- Touré Zimbabwe.
In 1993, Washington State voters passed the three-strikes law and sent children to prison for life without parole. We feared these children as irredeemable superpredators. Our fear was wrong, but in 2020, sixteen states continue to keep children in prison for life. SINCE I BEEN DOWN shows the power of these children, now adults nearly forty years later, creating a true path to justice and healing from inside their prison walls.
“We dare say that a lot of the answers society is searching for (today) will be found in prison” -- Touré Zimbabwe.
SKATE IN TOKYO is a short documentary film about skateboarding & its scene in Tokyo. An exploration of the nature of skateboarding, and what its inclusion in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics means for the sport. Told through the stories of a collection of local Japanese skaters. This film screens as part of the shorts program, "Fun and Family Friendly," which begins at the dates and times listed here.
SKATE IN TOKYO is a short documentary film about skateboarding & its scene in Tokyo. An exploration of the nature of skateboarding, and what its inclusion in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics means for the sport. Told through the stories of a collection of local Japanese skaters. This film screens as part of the shorts program, "Fun and Family Friendly," which begins at the dates and times listed here.
SKIP is a North Texas raised artist, musician, writer, and producer. He fronts the blues-rock band SKIP & THE BAD HOMBRES, and dabbles in all genres and disciplines. Among other things, he has been an actor, director, photographer, painter, video editor, animator, web game designer, novelist, and award-winning playwright.
SKIP is a North Texas raised artist, musician, writer, and producer. He fronts the blues-rock band SKIP & THE BAD HOMBRES, and dabbles in all genres and disciplines. Among other things, he has been an actor, director, photographer, painter, video editor, animator, web game designer, novelist, and award-winning playwright.
Snowy, a four-inch-long pet turtle, has lived an isolated life in the family basement. With help from a team of experts and his caretaker, Uncle Larry, we ask: Can Snowy be happy, and what would it take? This film screens as part of the shorts program, "Fun and Family Friendly," which begins at the dates and times listed here.
Snowy, a four-inch-long pet turtle, has lived an isolated life in the family basement. With help from a team of experts and his caretaker, Uncle Larry, we ask: Can Snowy be happy, and what would it take? This film screens as part of the shorts program, "Fun and Family Friendly," which begins at the dates and times listed here.
"just in Mexico City" - As part of a legal strategy, three couples from Jalisco traveled to the capital of the country to get married, with the aim of returning and fighting for legal and social recognition, as a new Mexican family. For them, marriage was a strategy to expand the right to equal marriage to the rest of the country. They never imagined being a legal marriage, nor all the institutional struggle that would mean.
"just in Mexico City" - As part of a legal strategy, three couples from Jalisco traveled to the capital of the country to get married, with the aim of returning and fighting for legal and social recognition, as a new Mexican family. For them, marriage was a strategy to expand the right to equal marriage to the rest of the country. They never imagined being a legal marriage, nor all the institutional struggle that would mean.
The right to vote has come under attack in the United States. Every vote may count but just who is able to exercise that right has been systematically and effectively targeted. TAKE A VOTE follows communities and individuals as they work to dismantle some of the nation's strictest and oldest forms of voter suppression. This film screens as part of the shorts program, "Activist Portraits," which begins at the dates and times listed here.
The right to vote has come under attack in the United States. Every vote may count but just who is able to exercise that right has been systematically and effectively targeted. TAKE A VOTE follows communities and individuals as they work to dismantle some of the nation's strictest and oldest forms of voter suppression. This film screens as part of the shorts program, "Activist Portraits," which begins at the dates and times listed here.