Documentary

As an unprecedented wave of book bans—focused largely on race and LGBTQIA+ issues—spreads across Texas, Florida, and beyond, librarians find themselves on the front lines of a growing battle for intellectual freedom. In this powerful documentary, filmmaker Kim A. Snyder spotlights these unexpected heroes as they unite to defend democracy, the right to read, and the core principles of the First Amendment. An Official Selection of the 2025 Sundance, SXSW, and Full Frame Documentary Film Festivals.

VIVA VERDI! offers an intimate glimpse into the lives of celebrated opera singers and musicians living out their “third act” at Milan’s Casa Verdi—the unique retirement home built by composer Giuseppe Verdi in 1896. Among these remarkable residents, ages 77 to 107, are international singers, dancers, conductors, and composers whose stories are filled with music, magic, and passion. As they mentor young music students who live among them, VIVA VERDI! reveals why Verdi called this home his “best work” and how its spirit of creativity and care remains as visionary today as it was over a century ago. A Q&A with the filmmakers follows the film.

A Q&A with Tova Friedman and the filmmakers follows the screening. Behind Her Eyes is a 40-minute documentary short that tells the powerful journey of one of the youngest survivors of the Holocaust who uses the power of social media to bridge across generations. Born in Poland in 1938, Tova Friedman was one of the few Jewish children to survive the horrors of Auschwitz. Her early years were marked by unimaginable suffering—deportation, starvation, forced labor, and the loss of countless family members to Nazi cruelty. After liberation, she rebuilt her life, became a therapist and continues to be an unyielding advocate for education working against all forms of prejudice and bigotry.

A panel discussion led by Shane Killoran of Hit House Film will follow the screening. HERE. IS. BETTER. is a powerful and hopeful documentary exploring the mental health crisis facing millions of Americans living with PTSD. Veterans are up to three times more likely to experience PTSD, and the film follows four of them—each with different backgrounds and service experiences—as they undergo evidence-based trauma therapies. Featured individuals include former presidential candidate Jason Kander, a Vietnam Veteran still grappling with decades-old memories, and women Veterans whose stories are too often overlooked. With unprecedented access to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the film weaves together their journeys toward healing, offering insight and hope to millions.