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Documentary Block 1

  • Vinegar Hill Theatre 220 West Market Street Charlottesville, Virginia 22902 United States (map)

Film Titles

Wild Hogs & Saffron (19 min)

Iranian-American filmmaker Andy Sarjahani and his childhood friend Bubba Samuels go on a wild hog hunt in their native Ozarks where unexpected conversations unfold that have a lasting impact on their friendship.

Merman (11 min)

A 58 year-old black queer man speaks about his life as an emergency nurse, leather title holder and civil rights advocate.

Away for a While (12 min)

The descendant of a matron in the Native American Boarding Schools travels to the Southwest attempting to return Native artifacts collected a century earlier. After being away for awhile, will the objects be accepted in their communities?

More Than You Can Know (29 min)

While cleaning out the attic of her family home, Canadian-American writer Naomi Guttman discovers bundles of love letters written during her parents’ transatlantic courtship. With home-movie footage, letters, photographs, and surprisingly candid interviews about love, fidelity, and gender roles, Guttman weaves a poignant tale of a sixty-four-year marriage between two doctors whose love is tested by time and circumstance. Inspired by the films of Alan Berliner, Judith Helfand, and Sarah Polley, Guttman’s first film reveals a rare and intimate glimpse into the arc of a complex relationship.

Rustburg (19 min)

On the morning of November 18, 2023, film producer Alex Zhort woke to a series of concerning text messages. An hour later he arrived in Rustburg, VA to provide a wellness check on his "friend" and fellow filmmaker, Nick.

Before diving into Nick's mind, it was decided that the conversation should be documented on camera. Captured here is a man coming to terms with his anxieties about modern cinema and his place in the film world - while simultaneously struggling to make a compelling film about it.

Desperate for company, Nick had also placed an earlier call that morning to his landlord reporting a (supposedly) broken clothes dryer in hopes of triggering a house-call. It worked, and the camera continues rolling as the landlord interrupts their talk to work on the dryer.

Seeking a Homeland (10 min)

What does it mean to be a Tibetan, but living in Tibet is no longer an option?

Tenzing Norbu, a Tibetan born and raised in Sikkim, India, where his parents rooted after fleeing with the 14th Dalai Lama in the 1950s. He came to the States to build a family with his wife. Like any other Tibetan parents, they held dear to their culture, language, and religious belief - Tibetan Buddhism - the belief that bonds the dispersed community far away from their homeland. This film explored the Tibetan families in the DC area as they navigate the intersection of Tibetan heritage and the prevailing American cultural milieu.

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Film Block 4

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Black Expressions in Cinema Block