103 min - color - DCP - Spoken languages: Japanese, English - Best of Fests

Black Box Diaries follows Japanese journalist Shiori Ito as she confronts a system stacked against rape survivors in Japan, where only four percent of cases reach the justice system. After being raped by a powerful journalist in 2015, Ito’s case is dismissed for “insufficient evidence,” and she faces institutional protection of her attacker. Her civil lawsuit, visual diary, and book document her fight and highlight the challenges faced by Japanese women, expected to remain passive. Ito’s resilience inspires a wave of support, making her a prominent figure in Japan's MeToo movement despite personal costs, including strained family ties and mental health struggles.

82 min - color / black and white - DCP - Spoken languages: Farsi - Best of Fests

It's a diary like documentary exploring her split life under Iran's restrictive regime. Born during the Islamic Revolution, Sharifi reveals her two identities, one public and constrained, one private and free, through personal and archival footage. The film also reflects on the impact of the 2022 "Women, Life, Freedom" movement on Iranian women, blending her story with those of others across generations.

80 min - color - DCP - Spoken languages: Italian - Best of Fests

Valentina centers on a young woman in rural Sicily, torn between her desire for independence and her duty to care for her aging parents. Living near a US military base with radiation emitting antennas, Valentina’s quiet routines like crafting, gardening, and caring for her father, are gently captured, alongside city visits from her sister and community protests against the base. Through intimate visuals, the film reflects her gradual steps toward personal freedom, underscored by an ambient soundscape that mirrors the persistent presence of radiation in her environment.

The White House Effect uses only archive footage to reveal that scientists had been warning about the greenhouse effect as early as the 1970s. Presidents Carter and later George H.W. Bush both prioritized climate concerns, with Bush stating in 1988 that environmental issues were nonpartisan. However, fossil fuel companies resisted, launching PR campaigns that cast doubt on climate science and painted environmentalists as “eco-imperialists.” The public turned against climate action, forcing the Bush administration to drop its goals. This shift turned climate change into

For generations, fishermen have called Tangier Island in the Chesapeake Bay home. Over the past 150 years, two-thirds of the island has vanished, and rising sea levels remain a pressing concern, along with the lack of sea wall reinforcement. Despite the threat of climate change, the community rooted in their church remains united. While islanders recognize the changing climate, they resist attributing it to human activity. A young preacher subtly shifts the conversation, suggesting that "science is a gift from God." Amidst this, children play, fishermen work, and sermons echo, highlighting the fragility of both the community and the natural world around them.

In the late 1970s, Science Report, a British TV documentary series, aired an episode about a supposed global conspiracy to colonize the Moon and Mars for a select group, as Earth was deemed unsustainable due to climate change. This mockumentary starts with a probe into the sudden disappearance of scientists and unusual space missions, along with the mysterious death of an astronomer who reportedly left a revealing tape. Originally set to air on April 1, 1977, the episode was postponed due to strikes, but its realistic style anchored by presenter Tim Brinton and real scientific references fooled some viewers into believing the hoax.

Victoria Verseau reflects on her journey as a trans woman in this poignant film, revisiting the Thai hotel room where she once stayed with Meril before and after their gender affirming surgeries. Years later, after Meril's tragic death, Verseau returns to the hotel, alongside Athena and Aamina, who are also navigating their transitions. Through intimate reflections, the film explores themes of femininity, loss, and resilience. With a mix of diary entries, home videos, and reenactments, the film captures the fluidity of memory and the ongoing transition of identity.

It’s nighttime in south Tel Aviv, where trans women gather around Hatnufa Street, offering sex for money. Director Yolande Zauberman is drawn by an old photograph to a captivating trans woman rumored to have walked from Gaza to Tel Aviv. As her story unfolds and shifts through various interviews, the search for this enigmatic figure fades into the background at times. The women Zauberman encounters speak openly, with humor and honesty, despite hints of danger, even in liberal Tel Aviv. In a striking opening scene, an older Arab trans woman recounts a passionate affair with an Orthodox rabbi. This film, emerging from Zauberman’s previous work on abuse within the Orthodox community, subtly probes the fractures within Israeli society.

An elegant film captures two South Korean women, Edhi and Alice, each navigating their own paths in transition. The story unfolds gently: the first part follows Edhi, a cheerful woman with hopes of feeling fully comfortable in her body post-surgery. In the second part, Alice, who is quieter and further along in her journey, becomes the focus. Alice also works as the film’s lighting technician, highlighting the production team's thoughtful approach to portraying the trans experience. The film delicately observes both Edhi’s and Alice’s struggles with family relationships, fears about public spaces, and societal pressures, underscoring the challenges of acceptance in South Korea.

The wolves always come at night - Gabrielle Brady

In Mongolia, climate change and desertification have forced many nomads to abandon their traditional lifestyles and relocate to urban areas. Davaasuren and his wife Otgonzaya, who herd animals in the Gobi Desert, face the same dilemma when a dust storm kills half of their livestock. They make the painful decision to move to the city, where Davaasuren takes a job at a quarry. For them, losing their animals means a loss of identity and a severed connection with nature, leaving them clinging to the hope of one day returning to their traditional way of life.

Toroboro - Manolo Sarmiento

In Toroboro: The Name of the Plants, director Manolo Sarmiento reconnects with the Waorani community of the Ecuadorian Amazon, alongside botanists who had originally collaborated with them in a groundbreaking ethno-botanical study at the turn of the century. This reunion aims to document and name thousands of plant species threatened by extinction, preserving both scientific and Waorani names.

The film captures more than just the study itself, it delves into the Waorani’s painful history of colonization and ongoing threats from oil and timber industries. Through the reflections of community members, including an interpreter from the original expedition, Sarmiento illuminates the resilience and cultural richness of a people fighting to protect their heritage.

Teaches of peaches - Philipp Fussenegger, Judy Landkammer

Peaches, known as the "grandmother of electroclash," celebrates the 20th anniversary of The Teaches of Peaches with a tour that embodies her signature mix of bold visuals and electro beats. Kicking off with quirky, provocative costumes—like her vulva hat and giant boob slippers—she sets the stage for a performance that joyfully and unapologetically celebrates sexual freedom. This documentary features interviews, rare archive footage, and powerful live shows, tracing her journey from Canadian kindergarten teacher Merrill Nisker to feminist icon and queer trailblazer. The film reveals her collaborations with artists like Feist and Chilly Gonzales, and her evolution through cult hits like Fuck the Pain Away, offering an intimate and electrifying look at Peaches’ artistic impact.

Grand theft hamlet - Pinny Grylls, Sam Crane

Out-of-work actors Sam Crane and Mark Oosterveen were inspired to create a unique production while playing Grand Theft Auto (GTA): staging Shakespeare’s Hamlet within GTA's virtual world, enlisting other gamers as actors. With online pseudonyms and creative freedom in the game’s violent landscape, they gather a mix of gamers and actors to bring this experiment to life. Amid constant game dangers, they learn to dodge threats and innovate, like staging scenes on an airborne airship. Grand Theft Hamlet unfolds entirely online, revealing how multiplayer gaming fosters friendship, creativity, and unexpected collaborations.

Grand theft hamlet - Pinny Grylls, Sam Crane

Out-of-work actors Sam Crane and Mark Oosterveen were inspired to create a unique production while playing Grand Theft Auto (GTA): staging Shakespeare’s Hamlet within GTA's virtual world, enlisting other gamers as actors. With online pseudonyms and creative freedom in the game’s violent landscape, they gather a mix of gamers and actors to bring this experiment to life. Amid constant game dangers, they learn to dodge threats and innovate, like staging scenes on an airborne airship. Grand Theft Hamlet unfolds entirely online, revealing how multiplayer gaming fosters friendship, creativity, and unexpected collaborations.

The Color of Pomegranates - Sergei Parajanov

The Color of Pomegranates (1969), directed by Sergei Parajanov, is a visually groundbreaking film that portrays the life of Armenian poet Sayat-Nova. Instead of a traditional biographical narrative, the film presents a series of symbolic and abstract visual tableaux, combining elements of history, folklore, poetry, and religion. Parajanov’s use of Armenian and Persian miniature-inspired scenes, full of vibrant color, texture, and movement, creates a unique cinematic experience. The film was rejected by Soviet censors for not being sufficiently "educational" but has since become a celebrated classic, renowned for its artistic innovation.