During an annual cabin retreat, a dying man must confront past mistakes after learning he may not know his friends as well as he may think. MILES FROM NOWHERE examines the shifting nature of relationships, the price of silence and secrets, and the confusion, not clarity, that can overcome a person faced with the reality of their own death.
Saturday, July 27 through
Saturday, August 3, 2024
Saturday, August 3, 2024
Midday Black Midnight Blue
Living alone in a house on the edge of Puget Sound, Ian grapples with long-held grief and shame over the loss of Liv, a woman he loved dearly who died nearly two decades ago. As he moves though the world he’s created with visions and fantasies of their life together, he’s pulled further and further away from the present. Liv’s sister Beth, a woman with ghosts of her own, is the first to see how far Ian has slipped away from reality. Their chance run-in begins a spiral which ultimately forces Ian to choose… lose himself completely or turn towards healing.
Maybe Someday
In the midst of separating from her wife, Jay, a non-binary 40-something photographer, attempts to move across the country to start her life over again. Along the way, she takes a detour to stay with her high school best friend who she used to be secretly in love with, and befriends a charismatic gay man who has long given up on love. Struggling to move forward with the next chapter of her life, Jay grapples with the inevitable cycles of love, loss, and letting go.
MAU
Over the span of his career, creative dark horse Bruce Mau has completed the transformation from world-class graphic designer to designer of the world. From advising global brands like Coca Cola and Disney, to rethinking a 1000-year plan for Mecca, Islam’s holiest site. From working with the greatest living architects (Rem Koolhaas & Frank Gehry) on books and museums to rebranding nations such as Guatemala and Denmark. Bruce Mau is a pioneer of transformation design and the belief that design can be used to create positive change in our world.
Master of Light
George Anthony Morton is a classical painter who spent ten years in federal prison for dealing drugs. While incarcerated, he nurtured his craft and unique artistic ability. Since his release, he is doing everything he can to defy society”s unlevel playing field and tackle the white-dominant art world.
Homebody w/ The Man of My Dreams
Nothing is quite as special as a child”s relationship with their babysitter, and nine-year-old, gender-queer Johnny is obsessed with theirs – so much so that they”ve meditated their spirit right into her body! Part ”Freaky Friday” and part ”Being John Malkovitch,” HOMEBODY is a charming, crowd-pleasing, cringe comedy for the gender-fluid era.
Girl Talk
Set in the cutthroat, male-dominated world of high school debate, where tomorrow’s leaders are groomed, five girls on a top-ranked Massachusetts high school debate team strive to become the best debaters in the US. As the Newton South girls remain steadfast in their determination to overcome the odds, they remind us that equal rights and freedom of expression are worth fighting for, both within debate and beyond.
From the Hood to the Holler
Running in the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate seat held by Mitch McConnell, Charles Booker attempts one of the biggest upsets in political history by challenging establishment- backed candidate Amy McGrath. Booker’s campaign across Kentucky, from the most urban to the most rural settings, with Booker and his team rewrites the campaign playbook. Instead of exploiting divisions, they lean into the idea that average Kentuckians have common bonds, united by their shared day-to-day fight to survive. Booker works to represent Kentuckians, both Black and White, who feel entirely left out of the political process. His message is simple: Whether you are from the city “hood” — like Booker — or the Appalachian “holler,” you are not invisible.
Free Renty: Lanier v. Harvard
Tamara Lanier, is an African-American woman determined to force Harvard University to cede ownership of daguerreotypes of her great-great-great grandfather, an enslaved man named Renty. The images are emblematic of the inhumanity of slavery, the racist science that supported it, and the white supremacy that continues to infect our society today. The film focuses on Lanier, following her lawsuit and the growing activism around it, and features Attorney Benjamin Crump and author Ta-Nehisi Coates. Following the screening Tamara Lanier, Attorney Preston Tisdale, Dr. David Harris (former Managing Director of the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice at Harvard Law School) and Jill Abramson (Senior Lecturer, Department of English, Harvard University) will discuss the the film and the implications of the decision issued recently by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.
Fire of Love
Katia and Maurice Krafft loved two things — each other and volcanoes. For two decades, the daring French volcanologist couple roamed the planet, chasing eruptions, documenting their discoveries. Ultimately, they lost their lives in a 1991 volcanic explosion, leaving a legacy that forever enriched our knowledge of the natural world. Director Sara Dosa and the filmmaking team fashion a lyrical celebration of the intrepid scientists’ spirit of adventure, drawing from the Kraffts’ spectacular archive. Fire of Love tells a story of primordial creation & destruction, following two bold explorers as they venture into the unknown, all for the sake of love.
Fashion Reimagined
Fashion designer Amy Powney of cult label Mother of Pearl is a rising star in the London fashion scene. Raised off-the-grid in rural England by activist parents, Amy has always felt uneasy about the devastating environmental impact of her industry. When she wins the coveted Vogue award for the Best Young Designer of the Year, which comes with a big cash prize, Amy decides to use the money to create a sustainable collection from field to finished garment, and transform her entire business. Over the following three years, her own personal revolution becomes the precursor of a much bigger, societal change.
Fair Play
The unequal gendered division of labor in the home has long existed, with modern living only exacerbating the stress-filled dynamic between parenthood and work. With the global pandemic forcing millions of women out of the workforce, Fair Play follows four different families on their journey to better balance care work at home, illustrating how we aren’t really fighting about dishes in the sink, but much bigger societal problems. Ultimately, Fair Play makes visible the invisible care work historically held by women and inspires a more balanced and equitable future for all.
Following the screening Olivia Morgan will moderate a discussion with Jen Newsom and Lucia Small (Girl Talk). Sponsored by Women and Film and Video New England.
Exposure
Against all odds and polar advice, a Muslim chaplain, a French biologist, a Qatari princess and eight other women from the Arab World and the West attempt to ski across the melting Arctic sea ice to the North Pole. These boundary-breaking adventurers, led by veteran polar explorer Felicity Aston, navigate everything from frostbite and polar bear threats, to sexism and self-doubt in an intimate story of resilience, survival and global citizenry. These audacious women are also, to date, the last ever to ski over the ice to the North Pole.
Dear Zoe
Adapted from the heartbreaking and inspirational novel of the same name, “Dear Zoe” is a powerful story of resilience told from the point of view of a 16-year-old girl; a coming-of-age drama in which teenage Tess enlists her biological father – a lovable slacker – and the charming juvenile delinquent next door to help her come to grips with the death of her little sister.
Come Find Me
A beautiful, uplifting Latinx story about a mother and daughter facing major life changes and how their love challenges and inspires them. Veteran TV actors Sol Miranda and Victoria Cartagena shine in their first lead feature roles giving two tour de force performances in their portrayals of a mother and daughter striving to connect, belong, and search for meaning.
Bonnie Blue: James Cotton’s Life in the Blues
Born in 1935 on Bonnie Blue plantation in Tunica, MS, apprenticing with Sonny Boy Williamson II and Howlin’ Wolf, and schooled by Muddy Waters, James ‘Super Harp’ Cotton became a mentor to harp players around the globe as he brought the delta blues into mainstream rock ‘n roll. Orphaned at nine, Cotton’s journey tracks America’s history and his story is one of empowerment during a time when the weight of racial inequity made the journey seem impossible. Bonnie Blue – James Cotton’s Life in the Blues is a unique portrait of an era and its impact today. Cotton’s music made history; his musical voice was unique, and the blues were never the same.
After Antarctica
A journey across both poles, After Antarctica follows legendary polar explorer Will Steger’s lifelong journey as an eyewitness to the greatest changes to the polar regions of our planet. Now, thirty years after his historic coast-to-coast expedition across the coldest continent on Earth, Steger heads out on the ice once again, at a time when he is not only known for being the first in history to complete these historic feats – he is also the last.
A Woman on the Outside
Kristal Bush grew up in Philadelphia watching nearly every man in her life disappear to prison. She channeled that struggle into keeping families connected as a social worker and through her van service that transports riders – mostly women – to visit partners, fathers and sons in faraway prisons. But when Kristal’s father and brother come home after decades behind bars, she confronts what it means to piece her own family back together, and create a different future for her young nephew, Nyvae. Weaving intimate vérité scenes with Kristal’s own videos, A WOMAN ON THE OUTSIDE is a tender portrait of one family striving to love in the face of a system built to break them.
