Prophet Town (United States) by Dan Howlett

This documentary follows the extraordinary political awakening of Hildale, Utah, a town long dominated by the imprisoned fundamentalist prophet Warren Jeffs, whose influence continues to shape every aspect of life through religious control, land ownership, and fear. At the heart of the film is Donia Jessop, a former member of Jeffs’ church who returns to her hometown to run in its first-ever democratic mayoral election. Her campaign becomes a catalyst for reckoning with a century-long system of polygamy, indoctrination, and systemic abuse that fractured families, exiled young men, and normalized the exploitation of women and children.

Interweaving the history of the Short Creek community with the unfolding election, the film reveals how a theocratic dictatorship was built—and how it begins to unravel. While Jeffs’ crimes form the backdrop, the focus remains firmly on the present: the resistance Donia faces, the entrenched misogyny she challenges, and the personal cost of confronting a belief system she once held dear.

Crucially, the documentary also gives voice to those who remain loyal to Jeffs. Through unprecedented access to current FLDS members, the film presents a nuanced portrait of a divided town, where faith, fear, and identity collide as returning apostates and long-time followers battle for the future of their community. Rather than a sensational account of one man’s crimes, the film is a political and human story about power, belief, and the possibility of change. It is the final chapter in a long struggle—and a rare portrait of democracy taking root in one of the most controlled communities in America.

Running time: 01:28:27

Seconds Away (United States) by Benjamin Kegan

Seconds Away follows Belgian-American runner Peter Callahan and his longtime coach, Patrick McHugh, as they chase a qualifying time fast enough to make the Olympic Games—a dream made more urgent by the coach’s recent cancer diagnosis. 

Running time: 01:24:00

Not everything is visible at once (Finland) by Anna-Leena Vilhunen

When the bucket of an excavator and an artist’s paintbrush move, something is found and something is covered. My film Kaikki ei näy ainakaan heti / Not everything is visible at once contains observations of digging in a number of overlapping meanings. I want to give space to realisation.

Running time: 00:07:00

Anchor Points (Canada) by Victor Quijada, Samuel Greffe

Anchor Points is a documentary-style art film by Rubberband that retraces the trajectory of Victor Quijada from street dancer to contemporary choreographer. Through archival footage and visual effects, it examines his personal and artistic evolution and introduces the foundational Rubberband Method as described by company members. The film blends documentary elements with experimental visuals to offer insight into Quijada’s creative journey and the development of his influential choreographic practice.

Running time: 00:25:13

Nothing to See Here:  Watts (United States) by Michael Soene

What happens when an outsider rides with police officers through Watts, a 2.1 square mile neighborhood in South Los Angeles, long known as one of the most violent and divided communities in the country?  That night, he witnessed shootings, murders, and heartbreak. He went home, just five miles away, waiting to see the story on the news.  There was nothing. No coverage. No mention. 

Shocked by the silence, looking for answers, he asked more than 200 people to film their lives, using nothing but the iPhones he gave them; 20 said yes.  Among them were rival gang members, police officers, community activists, victims, and survivors.  For the next three years, they opened their world to the camera, sharing their community as never before, and in the process, the incredible happened.

Running time: 01:30:00

Charlotte Salomon’s Letter (United States) by Dana Plays

Charlotte Salomon’s Letter is a non-fiction film about the German Jewish Artist Charlotte Salomon who created her magnum opus 'Life? or Theater?' as a catharsis experience to prevent herself from suicide after finding out she was the sole survivor in her maternal family line of suicides while living in exile and under duress  in the Côte d'Azur, France during WWII. Censored for more than 60 years was Salomon's 35-page painted letter confessing to fatally poisoning her grandfather with an omelet laced with opium and veronal, in 1943, during the German occupation in the Côte d'Azur and her appreciation of her benefactor and protector, the filmmaker's great aunt, heiress Ottilie Moore, on the estate where she was sheltered and created a large part of Life or Theater, and to whom 'Life? or Theater?' is dedicated. The film interweaves the visual paintings and written narratives by Salomon from her Life? or Theater series, with her censored letter read on screen by the late Austrian actor Birgit Doll  (1956-2015) in German and filmmaker Dana Plays echoing from Life? or Theater? and expository narration in English, with personal archive of photographs, paintings and movies. Salomon was arrested and murdered at Auschwitz five months pregnant by her husband refugee Alexander, Ottilie Moore’s former lover also sheltered by Moore. 

Running time: 00:60:16

What is a Fragment? (United States) by Vazira Zamindar

A museum catalogue of colonial plunder is photocopied and bound in a Karachi bazaar, so that the copy can be severed into fragments to expose the wound the original has concealed.

Running time: 00:10:55

Matahari — The Sun of Tiganderket (Indonesia) by Bagoes Kresnawan

When an elephant dies, its ivory remains, when a man dies, his name remains. Behind Masri Singarimbun’s name lies an inspiring colorful history and rich legacy. Masri Singarimbun was an avant-garde intellectual legend,  a prolific author, a rigorous researcher, a brilliant observer, a softhearted artist, a committed teacher, and a sympathetic mentor. Above all, he was a truly thinking man who was always concerned about his fellow human beings and their real problems. He was the splendid sun from the Karo land.

Running time: 00:42:37