October 21, 2017

Somewhere Between tells the intimate stories of four teenaged girls. They live in different parts of the US, in different kinds of families and are united by one thing: all four were adopted from China because all four had birth parents who could not keep them, due to personal circumstances colliding with China's "One Child Policy". These strong young women allow us to grasp what it is like to come-of-age in today's America as trans-racial adoptees. At the same time, we see them as typical American teenagers doing what teenagers everywhere do...struggling to make sense of their lives. Through these young women, and their explorations of who they are, we ourselves pause to consider who we are - both as individuals and as a nation of immigrants. Identity, racism, and gender...these far-reaching issues are explored in the documentary. And with great honesty and courage, these four girls open their hearts to experience love, compassion, and self-acceptance. Linda Goldstein Knowlton, Director. Length: 94 minutes. Movie trailer

November 18, 2017 

Swim Team In New Jersey, the parents of a boy on the autism spectrum take matters into their own hands. They form a competitive swim team, recruiting diverse teens on the spectrum and training them with high expectations and zero pity. SWIM TEAM chronicles the extraordinary rise of the Jersey Hammerheads, capturing a moving quest for inclusion, independence and a life that feels winning. Lara Stolman, Producer-Director. Length: 90 minutes. Movie trailer

January 20, 2018 

A Stray Trying to outrun his bad luck, a young Muslim refugee in Minneapolis seems like he just might make it, until he crosses paths with a stray dog. Musa Syeed, Director. Length: 82 minutes. Movie trailer

February 17, 2018 

Off and Running An intimate and earnest examination of race, gender identity, and the definition of "family," this sociological documentary chronicle filters said themes through the eyes of Avery Klein-Cloud, an intelligent and generally well-adjusted teenager from Brooklyn with decidedly unusual circumstances. Though African-American herself, Avery grew up with two Jewish lesbian foster mothers, who also adopted two boys, one Korean and the other of mixed ethnicity. Encouraged by both mothers to get in touch with her biological mom for the first time, Avery writes a letter to the woman, but this decision sparks a profound identity crisis in Avery and contributes to increasingly disturbing behavior. As she questions who she is, she also begins spending lengthy periods of time away from home, drops out of school, and suffers from feelings of isolation and abandonment--and her plan to attend university on a track-and-field scholarship seems increasingly unlikely. What therefore commences as a meaningful journey of self-enlightenment regresses into a far more dangerous personal crisis for the young woman. Nicole Opper, Director. Length: 76 minutes. Movie trailer

 

March 17, 2018

Mi Vida Dentro A controversial court case involving an illegal immigrant and the death of a young child is examined in this documentary by filmmaker Lucia Gaja. Rosa Estela Olvera was born and raised in Ecatepec, a suburb of Mexico City, and in 1999, when she was just seventeen years old, Rosa decided to quit school and cross the border into the United States in search of work. Rosa ended up in Austin, Texas, where she met Fidel Juarez; Rosa and Fidel fell in love and were soon married. After having a baby, Rosa began picking up work as a babysitter, and soon had a number of regular customers who appreciated her gentle and considerate handling of children. However, after looking after Bryan Gutierrez, a boy less than two years old, Rose was charged with murder when the child was found dead with a lump of paper towel stuck in its throat. Rosa was found guilty and sentenced to 99 years in prison, but in Mi Vida Dentro (aka My Life Inside), Gaja examines the evidence and suggests that Rosa's race and immigration status may have a great deal to do with the verdict and than an innocent woman has been convicted of a crime she did not commit. Lucia Gaja, Director. Length: 120 minutes. Movie trailer

 

April 21, 2018

Out in America The stories of prominent LGBT figures are mixed with those of ordinary people from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities. Included: Bravo's Andy Cohen; author Armistead Maupin ("Tales of the City"); country singer Chely Wright; humorist Kate Clinton; LGBT activists James Hormel and Urvashi Vaid; and psychologist Patricia Hawkins. Also: a Muslim lesbian; a gay rancher; a Latino rapper; a former Army captain; a drag queen; and a great-grandmother. Andrew Goldberg, Director. Length: 56 minutes. Movie trailer