Guaranteed in Gary Directed by Darryl Parham 11 minutes • USA Guaranteed in Gary follows a guaranteed income experiment in Gary, Indiana, where residents receive a gift of $500 per month for a year. The G.I.V.E. program is designed to reduce household stress and create the mental space to imagine new pathways to life goals. The experiment confirms that poverty isn’t a lack of character; it’s a lack of cash. One recipient, Augustine, is inspired to return to school at age 67 in this short documentary funded by Firelight/PBS’s Homegrown initiative.
The Dads Directed by Luchina Fisher 11 minutes • USA When five fathers of trans kids join Dennis Shepard, the father of slain gay college student Matthew Shepard, for a weekend fishing trip in rural Oklahoma, they find common purpose across races, generations and experiences.
Deciding Vote Directed by Jeremy Workman, Robert Lyons 20 minutes • USA Over 50 years ago, New York State assemblyman George Michaels cast a single vote that changed the course of American history but destroyed his political career in the process. For the first time, Deciding Vote shares the story of how Michaels defied his conservative constituents by casting the critical tie-breaking vote on a bill which legalized abortion in the state of New York, laying the groundwork for Roe v Wade. The film is a moving tribute to a now-forgotten act of political courage.
Sanctuary Directed by John Haley, Julia Szromba 16 minutes • USA In the first city to ban abortion in Ohio, a lifelong resident grapples with the transformation of her hometown.
Die Laughing Directed by JL Pomeroy, Tom Broecker 19 minutes • USA A documentary short that illuminates the power of comedy, and the lengths comedians will go to inspire laughter while expressing the truth—where freedom of expression is a literal fight for freedom. Centered in Cairo, the entertainment hub of the Middle East, DIE LAUGHING follows ‘Saturday Night Live Arabia’, which dared to deliver the kind of cultural humor the American version is known for, ‘Red Tomato’, a troupe of European and Egyptian street clowns, and ‘The Street Children’, who post satirical sketches to social media. Watch as these artists balance humor with caution, knowing every punchline and each performance could land them in jail.
Friday Night Blind Directed by Scott Krahn, Robb Fischer 14 minutes • USA It’s another Friday night at Burnham Bowl. Strikes, spares, gutter balls. With no shortage of trash talking and victory dancing. But the group that’s making all the noise isn’t just another bowling league. The Milwaukee Beer Barrels Blind Bowling League is an eclectic mix of visually impaired and sighted bowlers with a simple focus. Making friends, having fun, taking life one frame at a time. Friday Night Blind is the warm, quirky, inspiring story of three visually impaired bowling friends and the way they roll.
