“The Last Guest of the Holloway Motel” Looks at Fear’s Impact on Connection
The Last Guest of the Holloway Motel is a thoughtfully intimate documentary about life’s ebbs and flows, and the metaphorical boat we build to weather these highs and lows.
Tribeca: “Spin Wars” is Spinning Out
Like the Beanie Babies and Cabbage Patch Kids documentaries, Spin Wars is about an industry that makes little sense from the outside, but for those who found spiritual awakening in a sweaty spin studio, it was everything.
DC/DOX: “School for Defectors” Teaches a Way Forward
School for Defectors is an act of love for the kids who finally have the opportunity to fall in love with life and their parents who risked death for a chance at a brighter future. Perhaps it’s best to let one of the students sum up the film: “Love has a way of turning fear into courage.”
DC/DOX: “The Second Life of Freddie Nole” is a Life-Changing Ride
The Second Life of Freddie Nole is much like the man himself. No frills, empathetic, and light-hearted. A verité look at one man’s mission to use his newfound freedom to encourage others to use their lives for similar pursuits.
DC/DOX: “baby/girls” is an Empathetic Look at Teen Pregnancy
baby/girls is profoundly vulnerable. It’s an act of bravery to share such deeply personal moments with the rest of the world in the hope of capturing their reality to ask for change.
DC/DOX: “Hell’s Army” Captures Investigative Journalism’s Power
Hell’s Army is difficult to watch, but it needs to be recognized and amplified.
DC/DOX: “The Siege of Paradise” Asks What Kind of Tourist We Should Be
The Siege of Paradise may only focus on Cinque Terre, but this is happening all over the world. The documentary is not only a carefully constructed critique of what it means to be a tourist, but also a deeply compelling character study of humans in the summertime.
Tribeca: “4000 Days” Finds Resilience and Lasting Change in Loss
4000 Days is a vital piece of filmmaking that highlights resilience in the time of a profound loss that no one should ever experience.
Tribeca: “Death Boom” Empathetically Reflects on Mortality
Death Boom has an empathetic and sometimes gently comedic look at death, which is perhaps how all of us should start thinking about the end of the road.
Tribeca: “Harvest” Reaps and Sows Love
Harvest is perseverance, rebirth, and for the dreamers.
Tribeca: “Micronations” Proves Tiny Can Be Mighty
Whatever it may be, Micronations captures this world and the people who celebrate what micronations have the possibility to be.
Tribeca: “Stealing Magic” is Stranger Than Any Illusion
Stealing Magic may focus on pirating in the world of illusions, but speaks to the larger issue of art being stolen for a quick buck.
Tribeca: “American Zoo” Holds Decades of Secrets
American Zoo is a searing look at how something as seemingly disconnected as a zoo can actually be a tool for the rise of fascism.
“Song Silenced: Coming Out in Christian Music” Makes a Joyful Noise
Song Silenced: Coming Out in Christian Music is beautiful truth that is far louder than those who try to take the music away.
“This is Not a Drill” is a Call for Community Action
This Is Not a Drill is timely, urgent, and a reminder that we may have inherited these problems, but we can also find solutions.
“The Python Hunt” Slithers to Something Deeper
The Python Hunt is thrilling and weird, but what remains is a reminder of how easily we humans can carelessly and devastatingly alter the world around us.
“Backside” Captures Humanity’s Connection to Horses
It’s a film about the fastest two minutes in sports, but Backside is lovingly languid in its approach to the unseen world of horse racing.
SXSW ’26:“One Another” Celebrates the Ebbs & Flows of Friends
One Another is a fight against those fear-based actions that lead us to isolation rather than connection.
Slamdance ’26: “Kings of Venice” Reigns Supreme
Kings of Venice is a snapshot of this quest for paddle tennis preservation. The nobility of that is up for debate, but the passion is not.
Slamdance ’26: “Brailled It” Rewrites Filmmaking Perspectives
Brailled It is many things, but above all, it’s a testament to the ability of film to be adapted and changed to allow more perspectives to be shared.