SCREENING NIGHT 1
Interception: Jayne Kennedy, American Sportscaster, Directed by Safiya Songhai
A bronze-skin bombshell rocks the world of Sunday Morning Football. Millions tune in —but few know the tumultuous story of Jayne Kennedy, the first African-American woman who boldly ran interception on the racial lines of American sportscasting.
Hop Heel Drop, Directed by Sania Bhatia
Tap dancer, Sydney Barnas, shares her story and passion for the art of dance.
State of the Game, Directed by Robert Daniel Martin
A desperate-to-please young player on a high school hockey team discovers he does not fall in line with his new team’s warrior code for the sake of victory when he must remain silent and participate in a rite of passage that will expose his secret crush without her consent in the game he has caught himself in.
Fool’s Mate, Directed by Jason Adam Maselle
Quincy is trying his best to get better at chess. When an unlikely opponent takes interest in the game he’s having with himself, Quincy must decide if he’s ready to open himself up to the challenge. When he eventually accepts, he gets more than he’s bargained for – but also maybe exactly what he needs.
The 2023 Professional Football Hall of Fame Knocks on the Door, Directed by Eric Welshenbaugh
Since 2014, former Hall of Fame President David Baker started the famous “Knock on the Door” for the elected Hall of Famers who waited anxiously in their hotel rooms after an all-day selection meeting. What made this kernel turn in to a cornfield is the pure emotion pouring out of these great men and their families. This is the social media viral moment where the true testament to the hard work and dedication is recognized and clearly paid off, with the comfort of knowing that their legacy will be eternally held in the hallowed halls of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. In the nearly 10 years after this rich tradition has started, the official selection meeting has been moved up earlier in January so that the Hall of Fame can pick fellow Hall of Famers (those who have a connection to the newly elected men) and plan a route to go to the newest Hall of Famer’s house alongside the team from the NFL Network. The rest is…well, football history, preserved forever at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Chin Up, Dude!, Directed by Florian Moses Bayer [Austria]
Gery makes the leap from the youth soccer team to the testosterone-overloaded combat team. He is pushed from all sides into desired futures – he tries to match all of them without knowing what he actually wants himself.
SCREENING NIGHT 2
And of the Son: The Legacy of David and Jackie Robinson, Directed by Alrick Brown
AND OF THE SON tells the story of David Robinson, the youngest child of the civil rights hero and baseball icon Jackie Robinson. David exchanged his life in the U.S. for a life submerged into Africa culture where he spent the better part of the last 35 years assimilating entirely into African tribal culture and discovered the world’s second valuable natural resource; the coffee bean. This discovery and unlikely resource became the fuel to spur his mission for social change.
Jayro, Directed by Wojciech Lorenc
When a seven-year-old Texas boxer steps into the ring to face his next opponent, the pressure of the fight is not the only thing on his mind. The film is constructed as an allegory for the challenges faced by people of color and immigrants in the US.
Fút, Directed by Eric Zhang
A teenage boy struggles with his desire for better soccer gear.
The Show, Directed by Jesse Gi
A high school student desperately looks to join his school baseball team by any means necessary.
Jumptown, Directed by Jesse Handsher, Edited by Kyle Sykes
A documentary film about two legendary northeast Portland high school basketball teams and the African American community that houses them, as it struggles with gentrification.
The Opponent (L’avversario), Directed by Federico Russotto [Italy]
Aureliano e Simone seem to belong to different planets. They don’t speak much, their common language is fencing. With each lunge they will test their talent and loyalty.