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FEATURES
CLICK ON THE FEATURE STILL TO PURCHASE INDIVIDUAL TICKETS FOR SPECIFIC FILM STARTING ON MAY 10th
SPOTLIGHT FEATURE
SIERRA SPIRIT AWARD:
Marlee Matlin
Screening of Children of a Lesser God
Followed with Award ceremony and Q&A
Marlee Matlin made history 40 years ago, at the beginning of a stellar career, becoming the first deaf actress to receive an Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal in Children of a Lesser God. This year she joins us at our opening night for a presentation of that touching film. Following the screening you are invited to stay for a Q&A with Marlee Matlin and the presentation of the Sierra Spirit Award.
Event Runtime - 2 1/2 hours
OPENING NIGHT
Wed. May 20 @6:30pm
USFS
MEMORY OF PRINCESS MUMBI (Kenya, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia)
INTERNATIONAL NARRATIVE FEATURE
Directed by Damien Hauser
– Swiss-Kenyan director Damien Hauser takes us into Africa like you’ve never seen it before: in 2093, filmmaker Kuve visits Umata to document life after a war banned modern tech. Local filmmaker Mumbi challenges him to create without AI, leading him to discover beauty in life's simple moments.
English Subtitles
Run Time 79 min
Thurs. May 21 @2:00pm
Sierra Center Screening Room
MONO 222 (USA)
N. AMERICAN NARRATIVE FEATURE
Directed by Quinton Dominguez
World Premiere
Screens with Short GOBBLEDYGOOK
A gorgeously colorful, kaleidoscopic, semi-documentary look at the world of curious and creative multi-cultural 20ish-year olds, loving, fighting and lighting up the night in Los Angeles. A snapshot of a generation learning, losing, and longing in the restless heart of the city
Run Time 80 min
Thurs. May 21 @5:30pm
Sierra Center Screening Room
DANNY IS MY BOYFRIEND (USA)
N. AMERICAN NARRATIVE FEATURE
Directed by Lucy Sandler & Mechi Lakatos
When her new boyfriend Danny asks her to dog sit while he’s out of town helping his sister prepare for her baby’s non-denominational circumcision party, it feels like a major milestone: proof that her relationship (and life) is on track. But the illusion shatters when a stranger on the street recognizes the dog… as HER boyfriend Danny’s dog.
Run Time 100 min
Thurs. May 21 @8:00pm
USFS
WELDED TOGETHER (Belarus)
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Directed by Anastasiya Miroshnichenko
West Coast Premiere
A strikingly intimate and poetic verité look at 18-year-old Katya, whose life as a welder is full of daily struggles. As she strives to weld together the broken pieces of her past, she is faced with a harsh reality — trying to protect her little sister from her alcoholic mother and child protective services, hoping for a better future for the both of them.
English Subtitles
Run Time 96 min
Fri. May 22 @1:30pm
Sierra Center Screening Room
SPRING CAME ON LAUGHING (Egypt)
INTERNATIONAL NARRATIVE FEATURE
Directed by Noha Adel
N. American Premiere
This black comedy anthology presents four tales and a captivating finale. From a chaotic brunch-turned-marriage-proposal to a raging birthday bash, misunderstandings and chaos escalate. Accusations of theft shake a hair salon, while a wedding day turns into a nightmare. As the seasons shift, the autumn finale brings hope for rejuvenation.
English Subtitles
Run Time 97 min
Fri. May 22 @ 4:00pm
Sierra Center Screening Room
THE MOTHS & THE FLAME (USA)
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Directed by Kevin Contento
N. American Premiere
A touching observational documentary about young, playful, caring Black fathers in Florida experiencing the inevitable life changes around starting a family. It subverts stereotypes about young Black men, using a rigorous visual aesthetic, exploring the vulnerability and humor of its subjects.
Run Time 97 min
Fri. May 22 @ 6:30pm
Sierra Center Screening Room
TEN WILL (USA)
N. AMERICAN NARRATIVE FEATURE
Directed by Max DeFalco
Screens With Short BLINKS IN MIMI'S SINGING VOICE
One of the boldest films of this year, Ten Will is a comedy-drama that follows a newly-released sex offender as he tries to survive on the streets of Los Angeles, rejected even by other homeless people, and proposes to a woman who wrote to him in prison. DeFalco has a unique style involving dynamic zooms, high-stakes scenes with characters talking over each other and a comedic sensibility that lands somewhere between Harmony Korine and John Waters.
Run Time 70 min
Fri. May 22 @ 8:30pm
USFS
TORONTO APARTMENT (Canada)
N. AMERICAN NARRATIVE FEATURE
Directed by Tristan Wheller
World Premiere
Screens With Short
I KILLED OSAMA!?
A madcap low-fi comedy anchored by a spectacular lead performance from writer-director Tristan Wheeler; an absurdist, satirical take on the struggle to survive in the big city — reminiscent of Boots Riley's sensibility and classic Jim Carrey comedies.
Run Time 70 min
Sat. May 23 @ 12:30pm
USFS
NOIR (Turkey)
INTERNATIONAL NARRATIVE FEATURE
Directed by Ragip Ergun
International Premiere
A dark, bold and wryly funny portrait of a violent, matriarchal Turkish family whose suspicions about an outsider escalate in the wake of the death of a family member. A true auteur film with stunning, innovative visuals and searing performances.
English Subtitles
Run Time 70 min
Sat. May 23 @ 12:30pm
USFS
INBORN (USA)
SPOTLIGHT NARRATIVE FEATURE
Directed by Joey Hirsh
World Premiere
Simple, shocking, darkly beautiful imagery and an extreme performance dramatize the psyche of a man deeply disappointed with his childhood, who seeks to recreate it by any means possible.
Run Time 77 min
Sat May 23 @ 2:45pm
Sierra Center Screening Room
SUGARFLY (USA)
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Directed by Max Schoenfeld
World Premiere
A shockingly intimate and revealing portrait of two Native American drug addicts living in Seattle — both of them highly creative and intelligent old souls. A palpable emotional bond between the two men and the filmmaker allows us to witness the beauty of their spirits and the depth of their struggles with inner demons with great empathy, employing an unsettlingly stark visual approach.
Run Time 89 min
Sat. May 23 @ 5:00pm
USFS
DEBT TO THE DEAD (Mexico)
N. AMERICAN NARRATIVE FEATURE
Directed by Daniel Castro Zimbrón
International Premiere
A thrilling, deeply human and wildly stylish black and white neo-noir. Cipriano Zuzunaga (Gerardo Trejo Luna) is a worn-out policeman whose best days are behind him. When Juan Perea—the son of a prominent congressman—is kidnapped, Zuzunaga is assigned to carry out a solitary investigation in a city neighborhood teeming with suspects.
English Subtitles
Run Time 100 min
Sat. May 23 @ 7:30pm
USFS
MOUNTAINS OF THE MOON (USA)
SPOTLIGHT DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Directed by Chris Benchetler
World Premiere
The unseen connections between sport, life, music, and the living earth are set to the timeless tunes of the Grateful Dead. Captured almost entirely at night using cutting-edge cinematography, the film takes viewers on a surreal journey through ocean, river, and mountain landscapes. Featuring some of the world’s greatest athletes, adventurers and thinkers
Run Time 88 min
Sat. May 23 @7:30pm
Wind Drift Studio
DREAMING OF LIONS (Brazil, Portugal, Spain)
INTERNATIONAL NARRATIVE FEATURE
Directed by Paolo Marinou-Blanco
West Coast Premiere
A raw, touching, surreal and hilarious story of a Brazilian woman (Denise Fraga) with terminal cancer who seeks to die with dignity and connects with a much younger kindred spirit as she becomes involved with a dubious clandestine euthanasia organization.
Run Time 88 min
Sun. May 24 @12:30am
Sierra Center Screening Room
I GOT BOMBED AT HARVEY'S (USA)
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Directed by Amy Bandlien Storkel and Bryan Storkel
West Coast Premiere
In 1980, a 1,000-pound dynamite bomb is wheeled into Harvey's Wagon Wheel Casino in Lake Tahoe with a $3 million ransom note demanding payment in 24 hours. As the bomb squad works to disarm it, FBI rushes to catch the extortionists.
Run Time 93 min
Sun. May 24 @2:45pm
USFS
TONY ODYSSEY (Brazil)
INTERNATIONAL NARRATIVE FEATURE
Directed by Thales Banzai
Tony and his best friend Ivy plan to rob the bar where he’s trapped in servitude, stealing a reality-altering drug that launches them into a psychedelic odyssey. As they navigate extravagant, surreal visions and shattered memories, Tony searches for answers and the power to rewrite his fate—facing his past and confronting God himself.
English Subtitles
Run Time 80 min
Sun. May 25 @ 2:45pm
Sierra Center Screening Room
ONE IN A MILLION (USA, UK, Germany)
SPOTLIGHT DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Directed by Itab Azzam and Jack Macinnes
A sweeping epic shot over ten years, about a Syrian girl's journey to Germany and back, as she and her family face the challenges of war and life as refugees, and experience culture shock — particularly around women’s role in society.
English Subtitles
Run Time 140 min
Sun. May 24 @ 5:00pm
Sierra Center Screening Room
NUISANCE BEAR (Canada, USA, UK)
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Directed by Jack Weisman and Gabriela Osio Vanden
A polar bear's traditional migration path leads it into populated areas, sparking conflict between human interests and wild nature as the animal struggles to survive in a changing world.
Run Time 90 min
Sun. May 25 @ 7:00pm
USFS
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