KDocsFF unveils documentary lineup for 10th anniversary social-justice fest, February 21 to 25
Under the theme of "Journeys in Solidarity”, fest screens 19 films on everything from homeless tent encampments to transgender comedians to the fight for freedom of speech in Russia
KDOCSFF HAS JUST announced the program for its 10th annual social-justice-minded film festival, running February 21 to 25 at VIFF Centre under the theme of “Journeys in Solidarity”.
The fest that began as a single movie night has grown, this year, to encompass 19 films from nine countries—14 of them created by female and nonbinary filmmakers. Canadian and Vancouver premieres include Patrick Forbes’s The Price of Truth, about freedom of speech in Russia; Afton Quast Saler’s personal ADHD doc Neurodivergent; and Is There Anybody Out There?, following filmmaker Ella Glendining’s search for someone who has the same rare disability as she does.
In a new initiative this year, each day of the series features a grouping of films organized around a different social-justice theme.
The opening day, February 21 (“Liberating the Body Politic”), features the Canadian premiere of Susan Sandler’s Julia Scotti: Funny That Way, about the titular transgender comedian and author, followed by a live standup performance by Scotti herself. Neurodivergent, Is There Anybody Out There? and Jeanie Finlay’s Your Fat Friend screen earlier in the day.
On February 22 (“Radical Humanity”), KDocsFF screens Henna Mann’s Rails, Jails & Trolleys, about farmers’ protests in India; Karl Malakunas’s Philippines-set Delikado; and Nisha Pahuja’s tale of a father standing up against his daughter’s sexual abusers in India, To Kill a Tiger.
February 23, under the theme “Decolonizing Power”, films about the resilience and activism of Indigenous Peoples screen, including The Klabona Keepers, Powerlands, and Twice Colonized.
February 24’s “Resisting Erasure” focuses on stories of cultural preservation and the importance of community, with films including Someone Lives Here by Zack Russell—documenting one man’s move to build “tiny houses” for the homeless people kicked out of Toronto’s tent encampments. Elsewhere, D. Smith’s Kokomo City explores the lives of four Black trans women and their experiences as sex workers in New York and Georgia, and Karen Cho’s Big Fight in Little Chinatown tracks neighborhoods, coast to coast, that are facing erasure.
February 25, “Preserving Democracy” is the theme, encompassing Amy Miller’s Manufacturing the Threat and the Canadian premiere of Patrick Forbes’s The Price of Truth, about Russian newspaper editor Dmitry Muratov, who continues to risk his life to speak out against Putin.
The festival also features an exhibitors’ hall where guests can connect with activists and organizations to find ways to get involved in the pressing social issues addressed in the films. Among this year's exhibitors are Amnesty International, BC Civil Liberties Association, Learning Disabilities Association, Moving Forward Family Services, Salal Sexual Violence Support Centre, the Network to Eliminate Violence in Relationships (NEVR), Women Transforming Cities, Hogan’s Alley Society, and others.
Tickets are on sale now. Find the full schedule here.
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