Vulcanizadora
Synopsis
Michigan-based filmmaker Joel Potrykus has built his career on chronicling the comedic routines and surprisingly complex inner lives of slacker dudes. And Vulcanizadora is no exception. The difference here is that Potrykus’ characters, like the filmmaker himself, are getting older. That means that, for Marty Jackitansky (Josh Burge) and Derek Skiba (Joel Potrykus), the consequences of their actions are getting harder to avoid.
The moment when eternal adolescence slams against the brick wall of mortality is the theme of Potrykus’ latest, a spiritual sequel to his film Buzzard (ChicagoIFF 2014). This is a movie that benefits from knowing as little as possible going in, so just take Potrykus’ word for it when he says that this is his “most personal” as well as his “bleakest” film to date.
Screenings & Events
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Film Credits
- Ashley Potrykus, Hannah Dweck, Theodore Schafer, Matt Grady
- Joel Potrykus
- Joel Potrykus
- Adam J. Minnick
- Joshua Burge, Joel Potrykus, Melissa Blanchard, Solo Potrykus
- Dweck Productions, Factory 25 Picture, Sob Noisse Movies
- https://www.factorytwentyfive.com/vulcanizadora
Sponsors
Co-presented with
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Zurawksi v Texas
Synopsis
Riveting, heartrending, and enraging, Zurawski v Texas is an inside account of the groundbreaking 2023 lawsuit in which several women came forward to sue the state of Texas over its draconian abortion laws. The film follows unwavering attorney Molly Duane as she mounts the case, along with three of her key plaintiffs: Amanda Zurawksi, who nearly died from septic shock; Samantha Casiano, who had no choice but to carry a fetus with a fatal condition to term; and Dr. Austin Dennard, an obstetrician who joined the lawsuit as a patient.
As these women find solidarity in their fight and strength in tentative legal victories, they also witness how a system of laws that are supposedly meant to protect their rights instead utterly fails them. Equal parts suspenseful courtroom thriller and powerful tale of injustice, the film profiles the brave individuals on the frontlines of the battle for women’s reproductive rights and their ongoing struggle. “We will not be silenced,” Zurawski says. “This isn’t over.”
Screenings & Events
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Film Credits
- Amy Flanagan, Siobhan Sinnerton, Blye Pagon Faust, Cori Shepherd, Maisie Crow, Abbie Perrault
- Austin Reedy
- Maisie Crow
- Osei Essed
- Hillary Clinton, Chelsea Clinton, Jennifer Lawrence, Justine Ciarrocchi, Bari Lurie, Johnny Webb, Linda Himelstein, Laurie Michaels, Amy Metzler Ritter
- HIddenlight, Story Force, Out of Nowhere
Sponsors
Documentary Program Partner
Documentary Program Patron
Cynthia Stone Raskin
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You can’t get what you want but you can get me [short film]
Samira Elagoz, Z WalshNetherlands, Finland, Germany, United States
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Save the Children (1973)
Synopsis
In 1972, during a period of political and racial unrest, Rev. Jesse Jackson and his organization Operation PUSH held a Black Exposition on Chicago’s South Side to celebrate Black excellence in business and culture. This new version of the film captures the epic five-day event — virtually unseen since its original release more than 50 years ago — with a glorious display of legendary musical performances, creating a jubilant and soul-stirring snapshot of the times.
The Temptations’ singing “Papa Was a Rolling Stone.” Bill Withers crooning “Lean on Me.” Gladys Knight & The Pips pounding out “I Heard it Through the Grapevine.” A show-stopping number from The Jackson 5 singing “I Want You Back.” These and many more rousing moments — from the Staples Sisters to Issac Hayes, Curtis Mayfield to Quincy Jones — keep on coming. There are also somber moments that evoke the contentious time period, from Sammy Davis, Jr.’s confessional “I’ve Gotta Be Me” to Marvin Gaye’s political ballad “What’s Going On.” Like Questlove’s Summer of Soul, director Stan Lathan has crafted and restored this transportive film, which is both a reclamation of forgotten Black history and a testament to the power of music.
Screenings & Events
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Film Credits
- Matt Robinson
- George Bowers, Paul Evans
- Charles Blackwell, Bob Fletcher, Robert Grant, Doug Harris, Rufus Hinton, Roy Lewis, Leroy Lucas, David Myers
- Clarence Avant
- 1973
Sponsors
Black Perspectives Program Sponsor
Documentary Program Partner
Documentary Program Patron
Cynthia Stone Raskin
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Separated
Synopsis
Veteran filmmaker Errol Morris makes his most powerful political documentary in years, combining the effective investigative stories of Standard Operating Procedure and The Thin Blue Line with the cautionary tales of American Dharma and The Fog of War. His target: the Trump administration’s controversial 2018 policy of separating immigrant children from their parents at the Mexico-US border.
The film lays out in detail how Stephen Miller, Jeff Sessions, and Kirstjen Nielsen pursued the program with little regard for human rights, morality, or constitutional law. It also introduces characters like Captain Jonathan White at the Office for Refugee Resettlement, who becomes the film’s central compelling figure thanks to his determination to intervene and protect the well-being of those in his care. Filled with sobering indignation and disturbing revelations, Separated offers a riveting exposé of the Trump administration’s unjust programs and the brave people on both sides of the political divide trying to hold them at bay.
Screenings & Events
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Film Credits
- Errol Morris, Robert Fernandez, Molly O'Brien, Steven Hathaway
- Steven Hathaway
- Igor Martinović
- Subject: Jonathan White, Cast: Gabriela Cartol, Diego Armando Lara Lagunes
- Paul Leonard-Morgan
- Liz Cole, Noah Oppenheim, Elizabeth Fischer, Jeff Skoll, Diane Weyermann, Jacob Soboroff
- NBC News Studios, Participant
Sponsors
Documentary Program Partner
Documentary Program Patron
Cynthia Stone Raskin
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The Brink of Dreams
Nada Riyadh & Ayman El AmirEgypt, France, Denmark, Qatar, Saudi Arabia
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Slice of Life: The American Dream. In Former Pizza Huts.
Synopsis
Many will recognize a pavilion-style roof and trapezoidal windows as the tell-tale signs of a family-style Pizza Hut. But what was once a fixture across America in the 1970s was transformed when the company, founded by two brothers in Wichita, Kansas, catapulted into the corporate age, and from dine-in to delivery.
In this charming documentary by Australian filmmakers Salleh and Tucker (Barbeque), we traverse America to meet the small business owners who have converted these buildings and made them their own. From a cannabis dispensary in rural Colorado to Big Ed’s BBQ in suburban Illinois to an LGBTQ+ church in Florida, Slice of Life offers a surprisingly stirring snapshot of a diverse swath of Americans from all walks of life, highlighting their shared sense of ingenuity, resourcefulness, and can-do spirit.
Screenings & Events
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Film Credits
- Rose Tucker
- Matthew Salleh, Rose Tucker
- Matthew Salleh
- Dan Carney, Dr. Jay M. Price, Eddie Nero, Susan Charron, Jesús Ochoa, Barb Hillaker, Isabella Macbeth
- Urtext Film Productions
- https://www.urtextfilms.com/sliceoflife/
Sponsors
Documentary Program Partner
Documentary Program Patron
Cynthia Stone Raskin
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The Brink of Dreams
Nada Riyadh & Ayman El AmirEgypt, France, Denmark, Qatar, Saudi Arabia
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