In the city of Qom, the most restricted city in Iran, there are many restrictions on human rights such as mandatory hijab to assure sexual safety; Hossein (M, 30) grew up in this environment and experienced multiple sexual assaults by men, despite these measures. Due to stereotypes around masculi...

THE HAPPINESS SHOP is more than just a retail shop in the streets of Vietnam - it’s a beacon of empowerment and inclusivity. Founded with a unique mission to provide meaningful employment opportunities for women with disabilities. Through their work crafting souvenirs from recycled materials, the...

While navigating a myriad of life challenges, Anjelica turned to the outdoors to improve her mental health only to discover a noticeable lack of other plus-size women of color on trail. By posting a simple flyer looking for more women to hike with, Anjelica created a community she never could hav...

In the heart of Los Angeles, two members of an innovative Street Medicine team devote their livelihood to helping their unhoused patients receive care, hope, and connection.

Director(s): Reed Martin
2023 | 22 minutes
United States |
Language(s): English
Subtitles: English

FILMMAKER Q&A:
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Garment worker Veasna bets big on her husband’s barber shop, providing her family’s land title as collateral to obtain a microfinance loan and finance his business. Soon after opening, the business goes bust and her husband runs off with his mistress, leaving her alone to face credit officers. Ph...

In their new album, the Catalan group Xiula delves into death and mourning. As both musicians and therapists and educators, they decide to spend a weekend in the countryside with families who have lost loved ones and are willing to share their experiences to collectively create a song. This poign...

26 years older than his wife, Nasar has started a family late in life. Afraid that he won't be around to see his children grow up, he decides to be cryogenically frozen upon death in the hope of coming back to life. As his family grapples with what it means for their lives, and whether they shoul...

Since 1988, Ocean’s Harbor House in New Jersey has offered refuge, aid, and intervention for vulnerable youth and families. Through their transitional living program, one determined young woman found solace, leading to a transformative journey from hardship to newfound strength. Her experience ig...

Set in the Kono district of Sierra Leone, this documentary film captures the beauty of blackness through the lens of the youth coming of age amid a skin-bleaching epidemic.

Director: Adisa Septuri, Ebony Gilbert
Producer: Adisa Septuri, Ebony Gilbert

2022 | 30 min

Sierra Leone

Languages: Sier...

The life of legendary AIDS activist Ruth Brinker and her legacy of healing people through meals with love in San Francisco.

Director: Apo Bazidi
Producer: Burn A Light Productions

2022 | 23 min

USA

Languages: English

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Paperboy Love Prince is a far cry from your typical New York City mayoral candidate. They can often be found in Washington Square Park standing on top of a bedazzled school bus rapping about social issues. When they announced their run for mayor, many laughed them off as a joke candidate.

Howeve...

During the largest food crisis in a century, a group of college students step up to help those facing hunger. Their small local effort inspires hope nationally and motivates 600+ students to drop everything to feed millions of families.

Within months, the project scales larger than anyone could ...

In The Dream of Karabakh, refugee and mother-of-five Shushan is living in Armenia after losing her home in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region during a war with Azerbaijan. She is grieving a double loss: her husband died in a car accident six months prior to the conflict.

Shushan reminisces abo...

[Trigger Warning] Utapata Mwingine (You Will Get Another One) is a documentary about the impact of stigma and silence surrounding Pregnancy and Infant Child Loss (PAIL) in Kenya. The film follows the founder of Empower Mama, Vivian Gaiko, a young Kenyan woman who lost her two-week old daughter af...

Mas Prep (Moko Jumbies) is a captivating and immersive journey into the vibrant and under-appreciated world of traditional mas makers in Trinidad and Tobago and the wider Caribbean. This docu-series offers viewers a rare opportunity to witness the intricate process of creating breathtaking mas co...

Life and survival is incredibly difficult in the bleak Cerro Rico mining district in Potosi, Bolivia. This is true for the men risking their lives going down into the mine shafts looking for silver ore, but especially so for the women, who are viewed by the men as fair game.

This powerful and br...

A single mother with a passion for nursing, Lisa Creason wanted the freedom to pursue her dreams. When an unjust law prohibited her from doing so, she took the fight into her own hands and ended up opening doorways for thousands like her.

Director: Chris Temple
Producers: Jenna Kelly & Jo Jensen...

When Bill Babbitt realizes his brother Manny has committed a crime he agonizes over his decision- should he call the police? Last Day of Freedom, a richly animated personal narrative, tells the story of Bill’s decision to stand by his brother in the face of war, crime and capital punishment. The ...

Youth turn to Side by Side when others have given up on them. Facing a variety of challenges in their lives–whether gang violence, emotional disabilities, or aging out of the foster care system–each program tailors their approach to address every client’s specific needs. Three youth find themselv...

Anaben Pawar is an elderly tribal woman accused of witchcraft in rural India. Through Ana's story, we delve into a deep-rooted culture of patriarchy and examine one of the most monstrous attacks on women's bodies in modern India: the witch-hunt.

Director: Sachin Dheeraj Mudigonda

Producers: Jan...

This film features the trials, learnings and victories of the four generation Breitkreutz family from Stoney Creek Farm transitioning from conventional farming to regenerative agriculture in Redwood Falls, Minnesota. Using conventional methods they saw their soils degrade and their input costs ri...

Sean uses the Piano to navigate life on the Autistic Spectrum. As he is drawn into new musical collaborations he must learn to balance his enthusiasm and compulsive energy with understanding and compromise, redefining his perspective in the process.

Director: Austen McCowan & Will Hewitt
17 min ...

This documentary focuses on the Hamar Tribe, a semi nomadic and rural people who live along the Omo River in Southwestern Ethiopia. Preserving the traditions of their ancestors is essential to defining Hamar life. One of the most venerated of the Hamar’s ancient traditions involves the transition...

The first installment of Invisible Thread, an ongoing Early Light Media passion project series, Throw, presented by YoYoExpert.com tells the story of an outsider from East Baltimore, an area challenged by gang violence and poverty. Often misunderstood, Coffin Nachtmahr found acceptance among a su...