*Ballots for ranking the films will be distributed and collected after each screening. Audience favorites will be announced after the festival.*
Download a PDF schedule below:Opening Night
Thursday, April 3rd, 7:00pm A light reception will take place at theater around 6pm. There will be coffee from Cafe Steam and cookies (sponsored by Brian Lesher and Ana Gonzalez Guerrico) and popcorn (sponsored by Judy and Jim Sloan). Additional concessions will be available for purchase from Pop's Art Theatre.
*The film this evening is sponsored by John and Virginia Woodruff
"DJ AHMET"Ahmet is a teenage shepherd from North Macedonia, a young man who loves music and is frustrated by his father’s short-sightedness and community’s limitations. Falling hard for Aya, a girl in the village, he discovers her dance troupe is performing in the village festival. With his younger brother’s help, our hero transforms into DJ Ahmet, in Georgi M. Unkovski’s magical feature debut.
With its young cast, colorful cinematography and infectious music, DJ Ahmet is a celebration, a film that both honors the past and embraces the present, and this crowd pleaser won a Special Jury Prize and an Audience Award at 2025 Sundance. Release Year: 2025 Runtime: 99 min Country/Region: North Macedonia, Czechia, Serbia, Croatia Language: Macedonian, Turkish Director: Georgi M. Unkovski Producer: Ivan Unkovski, Ivana Shekutkoska Cinematographer: Naum Doksevski Screenwriter: Georgi M. Unkovsk Editor: Michal Reich Composer: Alen Sinkauz, Nenad Sinkauz Principal Cast: Arif Jakup, Agush Agushev, Dora Akan Zlatanova, Aksel Mehmet Friday, April 4th, 7:00 PM*Sponsored by Judy and Alan Hoffman
"WHERE THE WIND COMES FROM"Alyssa is an outgoing 19-year-old; Mehdi is a 23-year-old introvert and art prodigy. Life in Tunis is weighing them down, so when Alyssa hears of an art contest in a neighboring town, she secretly enrolls her friend in the hopes that the prize–a trip to Germany–will help them realize their dreams.
Director Amel Guellaty’s debut feature is a patient and lovely character study, revealing a post Arab Spring Tunisia rarely seen in cinema. Coaxing winning performances from Eya Bellagha and Slim Baccar, as Alyssa and Mehdi respectively, and with a wonderful score made up of indie bands from Tunis, Guellaty’s film is sure to be a festival favorite, as it was at Sundance. Release Year:2025 Runtime:99 min Country/Region: Tunisia, France, Qatar Language: Arabic Director: Amel Guellaty Producer: Asma Chiboub, Karim Aitouna Cinematographer: Frida Marzouk Screenwriter: Amel Guellaty Editor: Amel Guellaty Principal Cast: Eya Bellagha, Slim Baccar Saturday, April 5th, 2:45 PM
"THE LEGEND OF THE VAGABOND QUEEN OF LAGOS"Jawu lives with her son in a waterfront community in Lagos dubiously scheduled for demolition. When she chances on a hidden fortune, she uses the money to fight to save her home. Based on true events of forced eviction, The Legend of the Vagabond Queen of Lagos is a harrowing yet rapturous film from Nigeria’s Agbajowo Collective giving viewers a Lagos they’ve never seen before.
Temi Ami-Williams puts in a stunning performance as Jawu, a single mother trying to keep her and her son afloat, literally, figuratively and especially financially. Living in a floating slum in Lagos’ vast lagoon, Jawu discovers a cache of money hidden by a corrupt politician, and so she sets aside using the money for herself and works to battle for her community. Shot over the course of seven years, The Legend of the Vagabond Queen of Lagos is a furious cinematic achievement from the Agbajowo Collective, a group of filmmakers from around the world and young storytellers from slums across Lagos, exposing the brutality and injustice of forced evictions of urban poor communities. Release Year: 2024 Runtime: 100 min Country/Region: Nigeria, Germany, South Africa, USA Language: Nigerian Pidgin, English, Yoruba Director: James Tayler, Mathew Cerf, Temitope Ogungbamila, Samuel Okechukwu, Tina Edukpo, Elijah Segun Atinkpo, Bisola Akinmuyiwa Producer: Akinmuyiwa Bisola, Andrew Maki, James Tayler, Mathew Cerf, Megan Chapman, Mohammed Zanna, Mustapha Emmanuel, Michael Henrichs Cinematographer: Leo Purman Screenwriter: James Tayler, Mathew Cerf, Temitope Ogungbamila, Samuel Okechukwu, Tina Edukpo, Elijah Segun Atinkpo, Bisola Akinmuyiwa Editor: Yiqing Yu, Mathew Cerf, Khalid Shamis Composer: Michael "Truth" Ogunlade Principal Cast: Temi Ami-Williams, Debo Adedayo, Gerard Avlessi, Kachi Okechukwu, Teniola Adelesi, Adosu Segun "Eskim" Segara, Agunto Noray Saturday, April 5th, 5:00 PM
"Blue Road - The Edna O'Brien Story"With her debut novel, The Country Girls, Edna O’Brien emerged as one of Ireland’s most brilliant and controversial writers. Director Sinéad O’Shea’s sweeping documentary examines the writer and the woman, featuring take-no-prisoners interviews with O’Brien herself, whose diamond-clear intelligence and cutting wit make her one of the most fascinating people you will ever meet.
Published when she was 30, The Country Girls met with intense critical backlash and was banned in Ireland for exposing the country’s sexual taboos. But it was an international hit, and she was quickly a part of Ireland’s literary firmament. Blue Road, featuring interviews with O’Brien and her sons, among others, paints a cinematic portrait of one of the greatest artists–novelist, diarist, screenwriter and bon vivant–of the 20th and 21st Centuries. Divorced in a country where this was frowned upon, O’Brien was a provocative person, who entertained celebrities, had numerous affairs, and faced life on her terms, and her terms only. Even if you’ve never read an O’Brien novel, time with her is time well spent. Release Year: 2024 Runtime: 99 min Country/Region: Ireland, United Kingdom Language: English Director: Sinead O’Shea Executive Producer: Barbara Broccoli, Katie Holly Producer: Claire McCabe, Sinead O’Shea, Eleanor Emptage Cinematographer: Eoin Mcloughlin, Richard Kendrick Screenwriter: Sinéad O’Shea Editor: Gretta Ohle Composer: Richard Skelton, George Brennan, Gareth Averill Principal Cast:Jessie Buckley Saturday, April 5th, 7:15 PM
"ODD FISH"Emilia Perez isn’t the only film where a trans woman aces both male and female roles. Channeling something of a Will and Harper vibe, Odd Fish is an endearing dramedy that follows childhood friends Hjalti (Björn Jörundur) and Björn (newcomer Arna Magnea Danks), who run a seafood restaurant in their hometown in the scenic Westfjords during the summer. The pair are polar opposites. Front of house Hjalti is a confident family man and a big fish in town, who also heads the maritime museum, whereas cook Björn is a reserved, single guy who has always lived in his parents’ house. When the pair suddenly get an opportunity to keep their fish restaurant going all year round, Björn comes out as a trans woman and will be known as Birna from now on. These changes test their friendship, and both must face life with a new perspective to preserve what matters most.
Release Year: 2024 Runtime: 104 min Country/Region: Iceland, Finland, Czechia Language: Icelandic Director: Snævar Sölvason Producer: Júlíus Kemp, Ingvar Þórðarson Cinematographer: Birgit Gudjonsdottir Screenwriter: Snævar Sölvason Editor: Bjartur Sigurdsson Composer: Magnús Jóhann Principal Cast: Björn Jörundur, Arna Magnea Danks Sunday, April 6th, 2:00 PM*Sponsored by Gerrard Corporation
A Q&A with Director/Writer/Actor Erik Jensen will immediately follow the screening. 
"BROOKLYN, MINNESOTA"Teenage Maise is a punk-loving girl who takes after her late mother, Carolyn. She lives in Brooklyn with her artist-dad Kurt, where they’ve created a comforting life for themselves. But when Kurt’s father dies it’s a surprise to Maise, since he told her that his old man was already dead as a promise to Carolyn, who hated his abusive dad. With this news, the pair embark on a journey to rural Minnesota.
In this small lake town, Maise meets her extended family for the first time. But once the pleasantries have ended, Kurt is eager to return to Brooklyn and the life they’ve left behind. Problem is, Maise has bonded with a local girl, her grandmother Gail wants to spend more time with her, and her aunt Emma reminds her of Carolyn, so now she wants to stay. Directors Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen’s warmhearted film stars Jensen and their daughter Sadie Jensen-Blank, and was filmed in the Twin Cities and around Lake Minnetonka. Release Year: 2024 Runtime: 96 min Country/Region: USA Language: English Director: Jessica Blank, Erik Jensen Executive Producer: Bob Balaban, Michael & Zelene Fowler, Steven Silverstein, Cathy Raduns Producer: Michael Cuomo, Lillian LaSalle, Jessica Blank, Han Shan Cinematographer: Joel Weber Screenwriter: Jessica Blank, Erik Jensen, Han Shan Editor: Gordon Grinberg, Danny Ward Composer: Alex Rosenbloom Principal Cast: Amy Madigan, Sadie Jensen-Blank, Erik Jensen, Cullen Moss, Jacob Moran, Heather Reddick, Ines Mojica, Joel Marsh Garland, Tom Kopache Sunday, April 6th, 4:30 PM
"THE WOLVES ALWAYS COME AT NIGHT"After a devastating sandstorm wrecks their ability to herd sheep, a Mongolian family must now move into Ulaanbaatar to find work, upending their family and their spiritual connection to the land. Gabrielle Brady’s film fuses searing documentary with re-creations that deepen the story.
Daava and Zaya raise their four children in the Gobi desert, where life is tough, but infused with meaning. Generations of shepherds before them have carried on this tradition, which they share with their children in the form of stories, and the work itself. But when a catastrophic sandstorm wipes out their herd, and faced with the inevitable, the family relocates to Mongolia’s largest city. There, life becomes complicated and alienating, as the family lives in temporary shelters on the outskirts of the city. Director Gabrielle Brady visited the family after their lives had been upended, and recreated their life before the storm, with devastating results. Release Year: 2024 Runtime: 96 min Country/Region: Mongolia, Australia, Germany Language: Mongolian Director: Gabrielle Brady Producer: Julia Niethammer, Ariunaa Tserenpil, Rita Walsh Cinematographer: Michael Latham Screenwriter: Davaasuren Dagvasuren, Otgonzaya Dashzeveg, Gabrielle Brady Editor: Katharina Fiedler Composer: Aaron Cupples Principal Cast: Davaasuren Dagvasuren, Otgonzaya Dashzeveg Closing Night Film
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