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A couple of months ago, when I learned about AMFA’s upcoming exhibit “A Month of Sundays: Art and the Persistence of Time,” I knew that we simply had to screen Sara’s new documentary, which ties together elements of time, memory, family, and landscape into a beautiful cinematic package.
Women walk in skis on glacier. (credit: Archival Materials Courtesy of Andri Snær Magnason)
Now that I have seen both the film and the exhibit, the screening indeed seems like a perfect fit.
What I love about Nat Geo Doc Films is the variety, depth, beauty, and quality of the films that they distribute. From the Oscar-winning Free Solo (one of my personal doc favorites) to the emotionally wrenching Sugarcane and last year’s stirring portrait of pathbreaking astronaut Sally Ride, Sally, you can always count on Nat Geo Doc Films to educate, enthrall and inspire you.
The same can be said of the filmmaker Sara Dosa. Her sublime Oscar-nominated 2022 documentary Fire of Love, featuring ravishing footage of exploding volcanoes and oozing lava flows, showcased the life’s work of the volcanologist couple Katia and Maurice Krafft. Prior to Fire of Love, Sara’s delightful and quirky 2019 documentary The Seer and the Unseen followed an Icelandic grandmother and "seer" who communicates with elves to protect nature from destruction. (You read that right, an Icelandic grandmother who communicates with elves...)
In Time and Water, Sara returns to Iceland; this time in collaboration with the Icelandic writer, poet, and filmmaker Andri Snær Magnason.
Little Andri stands by rocks on a grassy slope. (credit: Archival Materials Courtesy of Andri Snær Magnason)
The film is a moving multi-generational story that tracks the relationship between Icelanders, including Andri’s family, and the unique landscape of this magical country, in particular, its glaciers.
A glacial tongue behind a waterfall. (credit: National Geographic)
As climate change continues to wreak havoc, one of its casualties is the seemingly timeless glacier. These rivers of ice take hundreds of thousands of years to form but are now threatened with extinction. In fact, as one of the country’s most prominent poets, Andri is tapped to write a memorial for one such glacier that is about to disappear forever.
The film screens at 6:30 PM, but I highly recommend that you arrive early to take in AMFA’s thoroughly engaging exhibit. Strolling from one work of art to another, I was struck by how each of the various sections — “Slow Time,” “For the Duration,” “Aging and Erosion,” “Marking Time,” and “A Sense of Pause” — not only offered a unifying theme for the different works of art, but also conveyed a compelling subtext to the museum goer: stop, pay attention and reflect. After all, nothing lasts forever, not even the glaciers of Iceland.
My 2026 Sundance journey ended where it began… on my computer. As it has every year since the pandemic, Sundance has screened at least some of its films on an online platform. Typically, I will see as many films in person at the festival as I can that are not available online and then gorge myself on the remainder of the competition films online. This means creating a marathon film festival for myself that runs from morning to night that invariably turns into a blur of different stories and creative styles. By the last day, my Sundance experience — which begins on my computer with a carefully plotted out screening schedule — more closely resembles a fever dream than a film festival.
Ken in Park City
One of the very last films that I watched online this year, in the World Cinema Documentary Competition section, was a film called KIKUYU LAND directed by Andrew H. Brown and journalist Bea Wangondu. Set in Nairobi, Kenya, the story tracks Bea’s investigation into land agreements between locals and multinational corporations that raises some serious ethical questions.
In the end, her search leads back to her own family and her grandfather’s involvement in some potentially troubling business relationships. As I was struggling to keep focus during the end of my fever dream screening marathon, I suddenly was awestruck by something Bea said. When she brings up the matter before her uncles, they pretty much shut her down. Through her voice over narration, Bea shares her very conflicted thoughts on the whole matter. This is what she says:
“When I started this journey, I believed stories were the most powerful thing in the world. But now I’m not so sure. What I’ve seen is that oftentimes the story doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is the storyteller and how loud their voice is. But I’ve learned that the real story is the one that is often told with a whisper.”
The Park City Scene
By the time the film ends, it’s clear that she’s not going to get to the bottom of her grandfather’s story at least for now; her uncles have made it clear that they don’t wish her to pursue the matter beyond a certain point. The whispers that carry the truth of this particular family drama may never be heard.
As Bea uttered those words, I couldn’t help but reflect back on Sundance itself and the mission of its main founder, Robert Redford who died last year. Sundance’s goal has always been to nourish the independent artists who don’t have the loudest voices, but whose whispers carry a creative vision that can bring light to the world. But even here, at Sundance, where story is king, this particular filmmaker is telling us that stories are not necessarily the most powerful thing. Always questioning, forever re-inventing. That is why I love Sundance so damn much.
Thurs. Jan. 22: Sundance Day 1 – I Am Not Elijah Wood
After arriving at the gorgeous Salt Lake City airport, I pick up a ride hailing service to take me the roughly 45 minutes up the mountain to Park City. The first question the driver asks me is: “Why are all these people going to Park City?!” When I tell her that it is for the Sundance Film Festival, she remarks that she hadn’t realized that the festival was going on but is excited because even though she doesn’t watch movies much, she loves the glitz and glamor of the festival (and the business). She then tells me that her most high profile fare was LORD OF THE RINGS star Elijah Wood (and his bodyguard) from a few years ago. “He was so small!” Later, her husband had admonished her: “You should have gotten a selfie!” I wait for her to pull out her phone, but, alas, no selfie is requested.
Once we climb the mountain and get close to Park City it’s clear that while there is some snow on the ground, this is the driest Sundance in recent memory. And while I won’t miss dodging giant slushy piles of snow, ice and water as I make my way to screenings, I will long for the gentle snowfalls that make Sundance/Park City such a magical combination of event and place.
After picking up my badge and finding my way to what will be home for the next six days — a three bedroom condo which will house five of us — I scamper to my first movie, a public screening of THE HISTORY OF CONCRETE directed by John Wilson.
A brief aside here about public screenings vs. P&I screenings: besides the numerous venues scattered about Park City and Salt Lake City for public screenings, Sundance offers one site, the Holiday Village multiplex, where those with press or industry passes can line up with their badges to watch films. These are no frills events, with no filmmakers or film participants/cast member present, minimal fanfare, and at most a smattering of applause at the end. Needless to say, this is not what countless filmmakers have spent their whole lives dreaming about. Those are places like the legendary Egyptian Theater on Main Street, Eccles, Library, Yarrow, and The Ray. (Other than the Egyptian, these are all theaters that the Sundance tech team has modified/created from scratch and just plain willed into being over the years). Sadly, the Egyptian theater was not available to be used as a venue this year, so I was not able to get a final selfie with the iconic “Sundance Film Festival” lettering on the marquee.)
This being my first night and a long travel day, I may have nodded off for a moment or two during THE HISTORY OF CONCRETE. I’m definitely out of shape when it comes to my viewing stamina. I will need to work on that for these next few days.
Friday, Jan. 23: Day 2 – The Amazing Ava and Barbara Show
The morning of Day 2 I rouse myself and get out of the condo in time to trudge up Park Avenue and over to Main Street to the Sundance Filmmaker Lodge, where the legendary doc filmmaker Barbara Kopple (winner of two Academy Awards) is being paired with the amazing Ava DuVernay in a conversation about Barbara’s career. While Sundance always features a few retrospective screenings from its 42 year history, this year, because it is the last in PC/SLC and because of the passing in Redford, the festival is leaning into a series that it is calling the Park City Legacy program with numerous guests in attendance. Films include LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, SAW, MYSTERIOUS SKIN, and Kopple’s AMERICAN DREAM in a new 4K digital restoration.
The conversation turns out to be the perfect kickoff to my first full day at Sundance. The two filmmakers, who clearly have a huge amount of admiration for each other, take turns answering questions and interviewing each other. The audience, filled with up-and-coming filmmakers hungry for tidbits of advice and wisdom, couldn’t be more enraptured. The convo ends with the touching gesture of Barbara removing a necklace from her neck and gifting it to Ava, who is clearly touched. Robert Redford is no doubt smiling at all this.
Filmmakers Ava DuVernay and Barbara Kopple in conversation at the Filmmaker Lodge
After that, it is time to catch a bunch of P&I screenings and make a stop at my first party. Now a word about parties: Just because I said there was no snow doesn’t mean it wasn’t freakin’ cold for the first few days of the festival. Nowhere is one more aware of how cold it is than waiting in an interminable line to get into a party. This being the party sponsored by the Sundance Documentary Film Program, I know that “my people” will be there; lots of doc filmmakers and folks in the doc community. So, waiting online, I chat with a filmmaker from South America who has a new film that is about to hit the festival circuit, and we exchange cards. I’m looking forward to her submitting the film to Hot Springs.
Inside, I am shocked by two things: one there is actual food on hand (salmon kebabs!) and there is also room to move around without having to bash one’s way through a phalanx of chattering partygoers like an NFL running back. I chat with filmmaker Lance Kramer, whose latest film, HOLDING LIAT screened at HSDFF this past October and has been honored by being named to the Oscar Shortlist.
After a few more quick chats (eye always on the clock…), I zip back over to the Holiday to catch a screening of THE LAST FIRST: WINTER K2. Mountain climbing docs are a personal favorite of mine, so being able to catch this screening (not available online!) on the big screen is a real thrill.
Still courtesy of THE LAST FIRST: WINTER K2
One of the big questions at Sundance is what will the market be like? Will there be any bidding wars as in years’ past or will the buyers sit on their hands as they mostly have recently? Soon enough, we will find that the market is not very active this year. But THE LAST FIRST will be one of the few docs to break through. After the fest, Apple Original Films announces that they have acquired the film for theatrical release.
Saturday, Jan. 24: Day 3 – Morning/Mourning in America
Like all of America, we awake to the shocking-but-not-shocking news that Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, has been shot to death by Customs and Border Patrol officers in Minneapolis. In theory, Sundance is a bubble, a place to escape the horrors of the world for a few days to immerse oneself in the communal experience of film, and the community experience of being with those who make, support and love film. But the reality is that Sundance is not a bubble, and we all know that. Turning off your phone during a screening doesn’t turn off the world. And now the community is hurting.
For the remainder of that day, and for days after, two of my roommates are in a dark place. Both are based in Minneapolis and are deeply affected by the news. One of them went to high school a block or two away from where Pretti was killed. They stay connected to folks back home who share their grief and anger. This is no time to be in Park City, but that is where they are, and they will stay here, try to let the distraction of Sundance be their focus, and make the best of it.
Sunday, Jan. 25: Day 4 – In Public
The highlight of day three is no doubt the public screening of Alex Gibney’s new documentary KNIFE: THE ATTEMPTED MURDER OF SALMAN RUSHDIE, which is based on Rushdie’s book about being attacked at a book reading, his life threatening injuries, and his long recovery process.
(By the way, if you are starting to get the sense that I only watch documentaries at Sundance, you are absolutely correct. In the 11 years that I have been coming to Sundance since 2013 – 2 years were interrupted by Covid – I have seen a grand total of one fiction film. It’s not that I don’t like fiction films (I do), but when I am at Sundance, I live, breathe and party documentaries. As Hunter S. Thompson used to say, “Buy the ticket, take the ride.” Or, in my case, “Get the pass, go to the documentary.”)
The screening is at the Ray Theater and, like most Sundance screenings, is packed. The audience is so on edge (apologies for the knife analogy) that the person next to me can’t help herself from telling me to turn off my phone the second the first Sundance promo starts. Granted, there are about 3 or 4 of these trailers before each film…)
Gibney’s film is everything you could ask for: intimate, detailed, graphic, emotional, gripping, and thoughtful. On top of that it’s a love story, too. Of course, all of us are watching the film with one thought in mind: what does Salman think, and what’s the Q&A with him and his wife Rachel Eliza Griffiths going to be like. When the film ends and Alex, followed by Salman and Rachel, are brought on stage, the audience rises as one in a standing ovation. This is about as surprising as encountering a long line to get inside a Sundance party, but, nonetheless, the electricity in the room is real and the emotion hard earned and genuine.
Rachel Eliza Griffiths, Salman Rushdie and filmmaker Alex Gibney at the Q&A for “Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie”
In this moment, we know what our job is: it is to convey our deepfelt gratitude, respect and admiration for these people who have suffered and given so much. In a film that is about the power of love, Salman and Rachel and Alex are feeling the love, and, for a moment at least, we all feel good. Of course, moments like this call for a bit of humor and Salman obliges, coming out with a great comeback in reference to the film “Jerry Maguire”. We all laugh. The guy’s still got it.
Monday, Jan. 26: Day 5 — Give Me the Ball!
Nothing gets me more fired up than a great sports documentary, and over the years nobody has created more compelling stories around sports than ESPN’S 30 FOR 30. Thankfully, I’m able to score tickets to two more public screenings on my last two days. The world premieres of GIVE ME THE BALL! directed by Liz Garbus and Elizabeth Wolff and THE BRITTNEY GRINER STORY directed by Alexandria Stapleton, both produced for 30 For 30. GIVE ME THE BALL! is the definitive biography of tennis legend Billie Jean King and her fight for equality for women’s sports. As a lifelong tennis and BJK fan, I’m perfectly happy to take off my documentary hat and just enjoy the ride. But, in Liz and Elizabeth’s hands, the filmmaking proves to be every bit as engaging as BJK’s story. And who doesn’t love seeing BJK kick Bobby Riggs’ ass one more time? (But to geek out for a moment, what’s brilliant here is the way she beat him, and these directors do a masterful job of drawing out and illustrating her strategy and its execution).
As with KNIFE from the day before, the moment we have all been waiting for is here. Billie Jean climbs on stage. Eccles is the festival’s largest venue and with every one of the over 1,000 seats filled, this place is rocking. Immediately, I am brought back to a screening in this same venue eight long years ago. It was the world premiere of Betsy West and Julie Cohen’s documentary RGB about the late Supreme Court justice. I happened to be sitting in the row right behind the Justice, and I’ll never forget the tears on her face as she watched images of her beloved husband Martin on the big screen. Sundance does that to you.
After the Q&A, Billie Jean King got out her racket…
At the end of the Q&A, BJK announces that she is going to do something that she does at all her events. Someone then comes over with a tennis racket and hands BJK a ball. She turns to the audience and hits an BJK-autographed ball into the crowd. Here’s where the plot thickens… I’m taking pictures on my phone for a future Sundance Diary blog that I may or may not write, when BJK winds up to hit another ball. A moment later, as I’m holding up the phone, I feel a “thud” against my elbow. I jerk the camera and look down, just in time to see the ball bouncing next to my leg, only to be scooped up by the person sitting next to me. She jumps up and down; I feel like an idiot. Just a moment before, during the Q&A, BJK had talked about the importance of being present in the moment, and here I am, focusing so much on capturing the moment with my camera that I get smacked in the arm. “Give Me the Ball!” indeed! (See blurry photo of the exact moment the ball hits me. I didn’t even get the photo!)
“Ouch!”
Tues. Jan. 27: Day 6 – You Can’t See ‘Em All
The next day, my last at Sundance, I begin the day by having brunch with three amazing producers (Caryn Capotosto, Susan Margolin and Jen Rainin) and, as always, in such gatherings, the questions are the same: “What did you see?” and “What did you like?” Because you can’t possibly see everything, it’s always a great way to compare notes — and experience a bit of FOMO.
“Filmmakers Ashley York, Caryn Capotosto, Gentry Kirby and me”
From there, it’s on to another screening and another opportunity to geek out on documentary: the world premiere of Mark Cousins’ soon-to-be-epic 16-hour documentary “The Story of Documentary Film.” (Of course, it’s a great place to run into more documentary friends. See photo.) I love Mark’s approach to documentary, which is aways the result of exhaustive research but also deeply personal. He constantly challenges the canon while, at the same time, brings new perspectives on why some films deserve to be classics and other hidden gems should be given their just due. We only get to see part one of the film, which is still in process. I utter a silent prayer that the entire magnum opus will be completed by October…
Tuesday Night: A Slam Dunk and the Last Dance
Tuesday afternoon I catch the second of the two 30 For 30 docs, THE BRITTNEY GRINER STORY, which tells the story of Brittney’s rise as one of the premier basketball players in the world and her harrowing detainment and imprisonment in Russia. As with KNIFE and GIVE ME THE BALL!, the Q&A is the pièce de resistance; the love between Britney and her wife, and their close relationship with the director, shines through and fills the building with good feeling.
Feeling the love: Brittney Griner, Cherelle Griner and filmmaker Alexandria Stapleton
Did I mention that the thing about Sundance parties is that they usually suck? However, thanks to our good friends at Nat Geo Doc Films, I was invited to a smaller reception in honor of Sara Dosa’s new documentary TIME AND WATER. This is another one of her films set in Iceland, and, while different in many respects, is just as sublime as her recent Oscar nominee FIRE OF LOVE. Another opportunity to play the “What have you seen?” “What have you liked game?” and to say “Hi” and congratulations to Sara.
Ok, so one more party to mention. The ESPN 30 For 30 party. Now, this was a party! Just the right size, not packed in sardine-wise, tasty cocktails, and a great mix of people. All is right with the world, except for one minor detail: once again, I missed out on my Billie Jean King moment. I’m told: “She was just here. Did you see her?!” No, I didn’t. Arghh!
Nonetheless, feeling good (I told you about the cocktails, right?), I decide to walk down the hill one final time. I walk out of the party, cross over to Main St., which, given that it is still not late, is surprisingly devoid of people. Rather than walk down Park Avenue, the main artery out of town, I stay to the right to take the Poison Creek Trail instead. This is my true happy place at Sundance. The creek to one side, the sleepy village to the other, with the mountains and ski lifts rising above. It is always quiet and peaceful here. Somehow, in this one spot, there is plenty of snow around. I have the trail completely to myself.
My Happy Place
Soon enough, Sundance 2026 will be over, and all thoughts will turn to Boulder. How will it measure up? Who’s to say? For now, I am truly living in the moment, and that’s all that matters.
Hot Springs, AR (February 2, 2026) – The Hot Springs Documentary Film Institute (HSDFI) announced the appointment of several distinguished individuals to the institute’s Board of Directors, as it gears up to celebrate the 35th edition of the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival (HSDFF) (October 9-17, 2026). The list includes: Justin Acri, Beau Durbin, Carolyn Kennedy, Gentry Kirby, André Robert Lee, and Jen Rainin. LaTricia (LT) Hill-Chandler, an HSDFI Board Director since 2024, is HSDFI’s new Board Chair. The longest-running documentary film festival in North America and the only Oscar®-qualifying festival in Arkansas, the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, was included in MovieMaker Magazine’s 2025 “50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee”.
“We are excited to welcome our new Board members to the Hot Springs Documentary Film Institute,” said HSDFI Board Chair LaTricia (LT) Hill-Chandler. “Their leadership, diverse perspectives, and commitment to storytelling will strengthen our mission and help guide HSDFI’s continued growth and impact within the Hot Springs community and beyond.”
Joining the HSDFI Board of Directors are six new members, whose business acumen and community engagement will be instrumental in expanding the reach and impact of the festival. With a total of nineteen members, the board remains focused on fostering continued growth, diversity, outreach, and organizational strength, all while championing the art of nonfiction
storytelling.
HSDFI 2026 Board Chair:
LaTricia (LT) Hill-Chandler is Founder and Principal Consultant of The Dadden Group, with nearly 30 years of leadership across corporate, nonprofit, higher education, and CDFI sectors. A former Chief DEI Officer, she helps mission-driven organizations align culture, talent, and strategy to drive inclusive, sustainable impact.
HSDFI 2026 Incoming Board Members:
Justin Acri is an award-winning broadcaster and media executive with over 20 years in Arkansas sports media. As Program Director and General Manager of 103.7 The Buzz, he hosts The Zone and serves as play-by-play announcer for University of Central Arkansas athletics, earning recognition for professionalism and community engagement.
Beau Durbin
Beau Durbin is co-founder and principal broker of ESQ. Realty Group and a practicing real estate attorney and partner at Crow & Durbin in Hot Springs, Arkansas. With two decades of experience in real estate and law, he specializes in transactional work and strategic problem-solving. He also maintains a real estate investment portfolio of commercial properties and short-term rentals. Beau lives in Hot Springs with his wife, Sharay, and their two sons.
Carolyn Kennedy
Carolyn Kennedy, CTP has over 25 years of banking experience and currently serves as Executive Director of Treasury Management & Payment Solutions at Arvest Bank, headquartered in Fayetteville, AR. Carolyn holds a B.A. in Economics and Finance from Sweet Briar College in Sweet Briar, Virginia. She is also a Certified Treasury Professional.
Gentry Kirby
Gentry Kirby is a Senior Director and Producer for ESPN Films where he has produced multiple documentaries for the “30 For 30” series including Be Water and the ESPN Films
series, The Last Dance. He has also directed three 30 for 30s – This Magic Moment, Tommy and The Great Heisman Race of 1997.
André Robert Lee
André Robert Lee is founder of Many Things Productions and director of award-winning documentaries that sit at the intersection of storytelling, social impact, and community engagement. His films include the NAACP Image Awards nominated Freeman Vines, and the autobiographical documentary The Prep School Negro, which aired nationally on PBS. He’s
directed for CNN and Sundance films, and serves as head of the Film Department at Sessions University.
Jen Rainin
Jen Rainin is a filmmaker and co-founder of Frankly Speaking Films, telling bold stories about queer women. With Rivkah Beth Medow, she produced acclaimed feature documentary Ahead of the Curve (Netflix) and the Oscar®-shortlisted short documentary Holding Moses (The New Yorker). She also co-founded The Curve Foundation to amplify LGBTQ+ women’s stories.
The 2026 HSDFI Board Officers:
Board Chair LaTricia Hill-Chandler, Co-Vice Chair Kerri Jackson, Co-Vice Chair Chris Ho, Treasurer John Horner, Secretary Matthew Rogers.
The 2026 HSDFI Board of Directors:
Justin Acri, Brad Burleson, Caryn Capotosto, Kai Coggin, Beau Durbin, Ra A. Hearne, Dr. Chris Jones, Carolyn Kennedy, CTP, Gentry Kirby, André Robert Lee, Margaret McLarty, Jen Rainin, Clint Schaff, Ben Walters, Angie Wilson.
The Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival celebrates the six alumni films that earned nominations for the 98th Academy Awards®, announced January 22, 2026. This exceptional slate showcases HSDFF’s role as a major Oscars®-qualifying festival.
Documentary Short Film Nominees:
ALL THE EMPTY ROOMS
Joshua Seftel and Conall Jones, producers
ARMED ONLY WITH A CAMERA: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF BRENT RENAUD
Craig Renaud and Juan Arredondo, producers
THE DEVIL IS BUSY
Christalyn Hampton and Geeta Gandbhir, producers
Documentary Feature Nominees:
COME SEE ME IN THE GOOD LIGHT
Ryan White, Jessica Hargrave, Tig Notaro, and Stef Willen, producers
THE PERFECT NEIGHBOR
Geeta Gandbhir, Alisa Payne, Nikon Kwantu, and Sam Bisbee, producers
CUTTING THROUGH ROCKS
Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni, producers
These nominations reflect Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival’s commitment to urgent and innovative documentary filmmaking. We’re honored to have been a part of the journeys of these special films.
The 98th Academy Awards® ceremony will take place on Sunday, March 15, 2026.
The Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival celebrates the 14 alumni films that have earned spots on the 2026 Academy Awards® shortlist.
Announced December 16, 2025, the list includes nine documentary features and five documentary shorts that screened at HSDFF before capturing the attention of Academy voters. Voting ends on January 16, 2026, and nominees will be announced January 22, 2026.
HSDFF Shortlisted Documentary Features:
APOCALYPSE IN THE TROPICS
COME SEE ME IN THE GOOD LIGHT
COVER-UP
CUTTING THROUGH ROCKS
HOLDING LIAT
MISTRESS DISPELLER
THE PERFECT NEIGHBOR
SEEDS
YANUNI
HSDFF Shortlisted Documentary Shorts:
ALL THE EMPTY ROOMS
ARMED ONLY WITH A CAMERA: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF BRENT RENAUD
BAD HOSTAGE
THE DEVIL IS BUSY
LAST DAYS ON LAKE TRINITY
The link to the complete Oscars® Shortlist is here.
Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival strives every year to be a premier showcase for
high-caliber documentary and we’re proud of these phenomenal examples.
Congratulations to all the films and filmmakers.
The 98th Academy Awards® ceremony will take place on March 2, 2026.
Thomas Winston’s LOST WOLVES OF YELLOWSTONE opens, André Hörmann’s THE COWBOY is the Centerpiece selection, and Elegance Bratton’s MOVE YA BODY: THE BIRTH OF HOUSE gets the closing slot Jon Alpert will receive the HSDFF Brent Renaud Career Achievement Award, and Geeta Gandbhir will be the recipient of this year’s Impact Award.
The critically acclaimed Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival announced the lineup of films and honorees for its 34 th edition, taking place October 10 -18. Screenings will kick off at Oaklawn’s Event Center with the Opening Night presentation of Thomas Winston’s Lost Wolves of Yellowstone, followed by the North American premiere of Centerpiece Selection, André Hörmann’s The Cowboy, and Elegance Bratton’s Move Ya Body: The Birth of House screening on Closing Night. Other premieres include the North American premiere of Sheffield DocFest Grand Jury Award winner Welded Together, the U.S. premiere of John Dower’s The Balloonists, and the U.S. premiere of Jo Seyoung’s K-Number.
Jon Alpert will receive the HSDFF Brent Renaud Career Achievement Award, and Geeta Gandbhir will be the recipient of this year’s Impact Award.
HSDFF Executive Director, Ken Jacobson, said, “In a world that seems, at times, on the verge of spinning out of control, I marvel at the fact that something as simple as a gathering of people to watch documentary films on a big screen can feel as miraculous and urgent as it does this year. For 34 years, the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival has brought the best in non-fiction filmmaking to Hot Springs. Our community has responded by welcoming filmmakers and other guests here to join with us in celebrating this remarkable art form. This year, I am struck by the sheer quality and dynamism of the filmmaking, the courage of those willing to share their lives with the filmmakers, and the emotional depths explored through these incredibly diverse stories. If this year’s festival lineup tells us anything, it’s that creativity and truth-telling still remain as vital as ever. From our Opening to our Closing Night and everything in between, I know that our audiences are in for a very special and unique experience.”
THE GALAS AND SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
Thomas Winston’s Lost Wolves Of Yellowstone will open HSDFF on Friday, October 10 at the Oaklawn Event Center. The film follows the audacious plan and journey to reintroduce wolves to Yellowstone as well as profiles the courageous story of Mollie Beattie, director of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, who led the way. Winston will attend and participate in a post-screening Q&A.
André Hörmann’s The Cowboy will make its North American premiere as the Centerpiece selection on Wednesday, October 15 at the Arlington Hotel & Spa. Focusing on the idea of the American Cowboy, the film introduces us to 11-year-old Crowley McCuistion, as he’s riding horses and learning how to rope on a Colorado ranch, and then takes us on a remarkable 10-year journey, witnessing his dream of being an American cowboy prove as elusive as a runaway bull. Hörmann will attend and participate in a post-screening Q&A. Elegance Bratton’s Move Ya Body: The Birth Of House will be the Closing Night selection, screening on Saturday, October 18 at the Oaklawn Event Center. The film traces the roots of house music that exploded out of Chicago’s underground music scene in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. Bratton and producer Chester Algernal Gordon will attend and participate in a post screening Q&A.
HSDFF HONOREES
Jon Alpert will be in attendance for the Brent Renaud Career Achievement Award presentation, which follows a special work-in-progress screening of Jon’s new documentary short The Raging Rabbi on Tuesday, October 14 at 4:30 PM at the Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa. Winner of a staggering 17 National Emmy Awards, Jon Alpert has been making extraordinary documentaries on a wide range of topics for six decades. Nominated for two Academy Awards, Jon has won four DuPont-Columbia Awards, a Peabody Award, and was the first Inductee in the National Emmy Awards Golden Circle (Hall of Fame). Whether shooting films in war zones or capturing intimate and largely overlooked stories at home, Jon has demonstrated documentary filmmaking’s unlimited potential to educate, engage, and enlighten. Besides his unparalleled career as a documentary filmmaker, Jon has also had an immeasurable impact on the field, as a mentor to up-and-coming filmmakers (including Brent and Craig Renaud) and as co-founder of Downtown Community Television Center, one of America’s oldest and most honored community media centers. Immediately following the Career Achievement Award presentation, we will screen Craig Renaud’s new documentary short, Armed Only With A Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud.
Geeta Gandbhir will be in attendance for the Impact Award presentation, which follows the screening of The Perfect Neighbor (Netflix) on Sunday, October 12 at 4:45 PM at the Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa. Geeta Gandbhir is an award-winning filmmaker who began her career in narrative film under the mentorship of Spike Lee and Sam Pollard. After more than a decade in scripted film, collaborating with masters such as the Coen Brothers and Robert Altman, she transitioned to documentary filmmaking. Geeta directed Katrina: Come Hell and High Water (Netflix, 2025) alongside Spike Lee and Samantha Knowles, a three-part series revisiting post-Katrina New Orleans. Her current documentary The Perfect Neighbor won the directing award in the U.S. documentary category at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival and will premiere on Netflix later this year. Other directing credits include The Devil Is Busy (HBO) — which screens at this year’s HSDFF — How We Get Free (Oscar-shortlisted, HBO), Born in Synanon (Paramount), Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power (Emmy Award Winner, 2023).
ADDITIONAL EVENTS Following a screening of his powerful new Netflix documentary short All the Empty Rooms, Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winning filmmaker Joshua Seftel (Stranger at the Gate) participates in a live podcast conversation with Michael Merrill and HSDFF Executive Director Ken Jacobson, hosts of the “Top Docs: Award-Winning Documentary Filmmakers” podcast. In 1985, the Chicago Bears dominated the NFL and embodied everything that encapsulated that memorable decade: flash, chaos and a get-out-of-my-way attitude. Their Super Bowl winning season had it all — the birth of Buddy Ryan’s 46 Defense, the “Super Bowl Shuffle” and a colorful group of misfits who became the toast of football. ESPN Films’ 30 for 30 released The ’85 Bears documentary in 2016. Join us for this special event celebrating the 40th anniversary of one of the greatest teams in NFL history. In addition to showing clips from the film, members of the 30 for 30 team will be in conversation with one of the team’s defensive stars, Pro Football Hall of Famer and Razorback great, Dan Hampton. The event will be moderated by ESPN Films Senior Producer Gentry Kirby with Hampton (Chicago Bears, 1979 – 90, University of Arkansas, 1975 – 78) and ESPN Films Senior Producer Marquis Daisy.
Three years after Little Rock-raised filmmaker Brent Renaud was tragically killed while covering the invasion of Ukraine, his brother Craig Renaud has completed an extraordinary and deeply personal portrait of Brent’s life, career and legacy, Armed Only With A Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud. The film honors Brent’s unwavering dedication to his craft and sheds light on the dangerous realities faced by journalists working in conflict zones. Following a screening of the short film, Jon Alpert, HSDFF’s 2025 Brent Renaud Career Achievement Award recipient and mentor to Brent and Craig, will moderate a conversation with Craig and photojournalist/ filmmaker Juan Arredondo, who was with Brent at the time and also sustained a gunshot wound. The special screening and presentation will be co-presented by the Clinton Presidential Center.
This year’s festival features a stellar lineup of extraordinary documentaries that celebrate Native and Indigenous stories and storytellers. Marking Indigenous Peoples’ Day on Monday, October 13th, the festival will screen the features Powwow People, a joyful new film by HSDFF’s 2023 Career Achievement Award winner Sky Hopinka; Remaining Native, directed by Paige Bethmann, which chronicles the story of an inspiring young athlete who honors his great-grandfather’s legacy; Colleen Thurston’s captivating Drowned Land, which follows a diverse group of allies who come together to protect the Kiamichi River in southeastern
Oklahoma; and Richard Ladkani’s riveting and panoramic Yanuni, which focuses on the courageous leadership of Indigenous chief Juma Xipaia as she fights to save her peoples’ tribal lands in the Brazilian rainforest.
Additional special presentations include Rebecca Miller’s Mr. Scorsese – Part 1: Stranger in A Strange Land And Part 2: All This Filming Isn’t Healthy, which goes deep inside the life, art, and career of legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese, with revelatory introspection from the master himself. Only Parts 1 and 2 (from the 5-part series) will be shown and will be screened back-to-back. HSDFF’s always popular Secret Screening will return for the third year in a row.
Also back by popular demand is our uniquely Hot Springs live storytelling event — “True Stories.” This series of short, personal stories told by a diverse mix of visiting filmmakers and local legends, held in front of a faux roaring fire, is designed to enthrall, entertain, surprise, & inspire. Hosted by author Kai Coggin (she/her), the inaugural Poet Laureate of the City of Hot Springs.
National Park College and Hot Springs Village Shorts Programs For the first time, HSDFF is expanding its program to the National Park College in Hot Springs
for a specially curated package of short films intended to build connections between the festival and the NPC community. For the second year in a row, HSDFF brings its documentary programming to nearby Hot Springs Village for a curated shorts program.
The Emerging Filmmakers Program, a long-standing partnership between HSDFF and Arkansas PBS, is one of HSDFF’s most cherished educational initiatives. This full-day experience welcomes middle and high school students from throughout the region to engage in thought-provoking screenings, interactive Q&A sessions, and hands-on workshops. Designed to immerse young storytellers in the craft of documentary filmmaking, the program features guidance from award-winning filmmakers and top industry professionals. Since its inception, the program has welcomed hundreds of students from more than 30 schools.
The Brent Renaud Mentorship Program, is presented in partnership with Arkansas PBS. Working filmmakers join Peabody Award-winner Craig Renaud to offer a behind-the-scenes look at their creative processes and share practical guidance for building a sustainable career in filmmaking. This unique opportunity allows participants to gain an insider’s perspective on the art and craft of documentary filmmaking.
THE FILMMAKER FORUM
Now in its third year, the HSDFF Filmmaker Forum is a three-day filmmaker/industry conference and convening to be held October 12 – 14 during this year’s Festival. In this unprecedented year, in which federal government funding has been stripped from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and public media, there is no more urgent time for filmmakers and industry leaders to meet, discuss and raise critical questions about where the documentary field stands and where to go from here. The Forum offers dynamic programming focused on the art, craft and business of documentary storytelling with a focus on public media, and a wider lens on the nonfiction ecosystem as a whole. The Filmmaker Forum is sponsored by CPB, Wyncote Foundation, MacArthur Foundation and Video Consortium.
Additional film highlights include Ryan White’s 2025 Sundance award winner, Come See Me In The Good Light about Colorado Poet Laureate Andrea Gibson. Diagnosed with terminal cancer, they responded by weaving verse into a profound response to mortality. With their wife and fellow poet, Megan Falley, by their side, Andrea prepares for one final, unforgettable performance while reflecting on the life, love, and community that sustained them. Mark Obenhaus and Laura Poitras’ Cover-Up catch up with arguably the most important investigative reporter of our time, the dogged truth seeker and reluctant participant Seymour Hersh, who broke the My Lai massacre story and many others. The enigmatic Werner Herzog’s Ghost Elephants joins Dr. Steve Boyes in his search for rare elephants in this fascinating documentary about the awe and mystery of the natural world. Morgan Neville’s Man On The Run profiles the post-Beatles Paul McCartney.
Paige Bethmann’s multiple award-winning coming-of-age documentary, Remaining Native follows 17-year-old Ku Stevens, a runner training alone on the Yerington Paiute reservation in Northwest Nevada, chasing his dream of competing for the University of Oregon. Brandon Kramer’s emotionally wrenching Holding Liat, winner of the Berlinale Best Documentary prize, follows the story of Liat Beinin Atzili and her husband who were kidnapped during the Hamas
attack on Israel, leaving their family shattered and desperate for answers. Brittany Shyne’s 2025 Sundance U.S. Grand Jury Prize winner, Seeds looks at black farmers in the American South, following multigenerational families determined to preserve their heritage despite mounting obstacles — navigating lawsuits, shifting federal promises, and the changing landscape of modern agriculture. In their intimate and unsparing Love+War, Academy Award winners Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin (Free Solo) follow legendary photojournalist Lynsey Addario as she navigates the joys and responsibilities of family and the dangers inherent in her work that often brings her right in the middle of conflict zones. Anastasiya Miroshnichenko’s inspired portrait Welded Together makes its North American premiere at HSDFF. The 2025 Sheffield DocFest Grand Jury Award winner follows a young woman determined to save her younger sister from the trauma of her own childhood. Having built a life for herself as a welder, Katya is prepared to do what it takes to help her family. However, her efforts to build a better life for her sister are complicated when she is forced to make a life-changing decision.
Annual convening brings sharp focus to regional filmmaking and spotlights changing role of public media.
Now in its 34 th year, the 2025 Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival (October 10 – 18, 2025) will host its 3 rd annual Filmmaker Forum connecting filmmakers and industry leaders on October 12 – 14 in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Supported by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the Filmmaker Forum was created to offer a vital resource for filmmakers in the region and has grown into a major convening of documentary filmmakers and industry leaders from the South/Mid-South and across the nation. A key element is the participation of public television stations.
This year, the Forum takes place after the elimination of federal funding for public media, which only amplifies the need for the forum, said Hot Springs Documentary Film Institute Executive Director Ken Jacobson. “With the loss of key sources of federal funding, filmmakers are in need of information about funding, distribution, and new ways of reaching audiences. In addition, this is a prime opportunity for those who are a part of or connected to the public media ecosystem to gather, strengthen connections, and explore where to go from here. We look forward to a deeply inquisitive and open environment for sharing perspectives and exploring ideas for the future.”
A new initiative at this year’s Forum is a partnership with Video Consortium, a local-first, global nonprofit that supports nonfiction video creators to inform and inspire audiences everywhere. The Forum will host Press Play Hot Springs, an important stop along the Press Play tour, which is one of VC’s newest initiatives and designed to turn innovative ideas into action, by and for local media across the country; Press Play Hot Springs will feature a variety of cross-sector conversations and solutions-focused panel discussions.
Video Consortium Founder and Executive Director Sky Dylan-Robbins says, “We’re so thrilled to partner with the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, which has so excellently and caringly nurtured creative talent across the South for decades. During this tenuous moment for both the media and the world, now is the time for innovation, for collaborative thought partnership, and for dreaming up new systems together — and we cannot wait to do that during Press Play Hot Springs, and throughout the festival, with the immense talent that will be attending.”
A partial list of media organizations confirmed to participate includes American Documentary/POV, American Public Television, Black Public Media, Center for Asian American Media, ESPN 30 for 30, Firelight Media, Indie Media Arts South, Kartemquin Films, Latino Public Broadcasting, PBS, Reel South, Southern Documentary Fund, Video Consortium, and Vision Maker Media, as well as numerous public television stations including Austin PBS, Louisiana Public Broadcasting, Maryland Public Television, Mississippi Public Broadcasting, Nashville PBS, South Carolina ETV and WXXI Public Media (Rochester).
The Filmmaker Forum will offer dynamic programming on the business, art, and craft of documentary storytelling and take a wider-lens approach to the nonfiction ecosystem. The gathering will include presentations, panels, breakout groups, and roundtable meetings, with a multitude of opportunities for filmmakers to engage with industry leaders and network with their colleagues in the creative nonfiction community.
Intended for filmmakers at all stages of their careers, the Forum is open to directors, producers, editors, and cinematographers who have a major credit on at least one completed film (short or feature). Registration is free for Arkansas-based filmmakers and filmmakers who have submitted their films to HSDFF, with a nominal fee for others. Information and registration for the Forum can be found HERE.
The Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival has long been a space where filmmakers and audiences come together to celebrate the power of documentary film, but due to federal budget cuts, HSDFF is facing significant funding challenges as we look ahead to the 24th Annual Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival this October. These are challenges that could impact the very programs that make HSDFF so special.
Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival Fundraising Campaign
We’ve launched our STAND WITH DOCS fundraising campaign to help supplement our May Matching Fundraiser and give our community the chance to show support for the HSDFF programs that are most in jeopardy. This ongoing fundraiser will continue until we reach sustainable funding levels for 2025. We need your help to get there!
Maisie Crow and Abbie Perrault’s ZURAWSKI V TEXAS doubles up with both the Jury Prize and the Audience Award for Best Southern Feature or Episodic.
Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, and Hamdan Ballal’s NO OTHER LAND wins the Critics Prize.
Brendan Bellomo and Slava Leontyev’s PORCELAIN WAR takes the Audience Award for Best Feature.
The 2024 Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival Presented by Oaklawn announced the award-winning films and filmmakers at the conclusion of this year’s 33rd edition of the festival. Maisie Crow and Abbie Perrault’s ZURAWSKI V TEXAS was a two-time winner, taking both the jury prize and the Matt DeCample Audience Choice Award for Best Southern Feature or Episodic. Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, and Hamdan Ballal’s NO OTHER LAND won the Critics Prize. Brendan Bellomo and Slava Leontyev’s PORCELAIN WAR won the Hot Springs Matt DeCample Audience Choice Award for Best Feature.
PORCELAIN WAR
The 33rd Edition continued HSDFF’s growth through several innovative new programs and initiatives that came to the forefront last year, including the second edition of the heavily attended HSDFF Filmmaker Forum sponsored by the Corporation of Public Broadcasting, PBS, and Reel South, a brand new salute to the art of the mockumentary, launched with a screening of the 70’s classic THE LEGEND OF BOGGY CREEK, the presentation of new works in progress by filmmakers Sam Green (spotlighted in a special two-day event “Sam Green in Process: From 32 SOUNDS to TREES”) and Nathan Willis, Politics on Film Day, which spotlighted four documentaries about presidential elections and their repercussions, and included a retrospective screening of the classic Drew Associates documentary CRISIS: BEHIND A PRESIDENTIAL COMMITMENT and featured a post-screening panel discussion co-presented with the Clinton Presidential Center. HSDFF also celebrated the 15th anniversary of ESPN’s 30 for 30 with a special panel featuring ESPN producers and filmmakers. The film festival also rolled out a new festival partnership with Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and the National Park Service, bringing CB’s Mobile Art Lab to Hot Springs, and a free HSDFF presentation by researcher Hollis Duncan on “The Arlington Hotel: Birth and Rebirth, 1864 – 1924,” presented with the Garland County Historical Society and Garland County Library. HSDFF also highlighted its partnership with Low Key Arts, a Hot Springs-based arts organization, on its highly successful Inception to Projection (I2P) program, a hands-on filmmaking program, hosting the world premieres of six new films recently completed as part of I2P’s 8-week summer documentary filmmaking workshop.
Acclaimed filmmaker Steve James was honored with the HSDFF Brent Renaud Career Achievement Award, and Maisie Crow and Abbie Perrault received this year’s Impact Award.
“In addition to featuring an extraordinary array of the best documentary films from around the world, the 33rd Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival also marked an exuberant celebration of the art, craft, and practice of non-fiction storytelling,” said Executive Director Ken Jacobson. From the locally produced short films in our Documentary Workshop Showcase to works in progress presentations by filmmakers Sam Green and Nathan Willis, and the Showcase of New Works by Southern Filmmakers presented at our 2nd Filmmaker Forum, this year’s festival highlighted the dynamic creative process unique to documentary filmmaking. The electrifying World Premiere screenings of AMERICAN COUP: WILMINGTON 1898 and LOUDER THAN GUNS underlined the power of documentary film to shine a light on historical events and critical contemporary issues in ways that profoundly reached our audiences. In all respects, the festival was a genuine coming together of filmmakers, special guests and audiences to engage in meaningful conversations and to share a common love of documentary film. My deepest thanks to our audiences, supporters, filmmakers, staff, volunteers, and board of directors for making this such a special year.”
Regarding their selection of Crow and Perrault’s ZURAWSKI V TEXAS for the Best Feature, the jury said, “This urgent film sheds light on the inhumane and devastating consequences of Texas’s restrictive abortion laws. By following the legal battles and intimate personal stories of several women denied essential healthcare, it powerfully and movingly highlights the vital importance of protecting women’s autonomy, reproductive rights, and bodily integrity.” The Jury also presented a special mention to Mati Diop’s DAHOMEY, saying, “This filmmaker has crafted a singular, poetic work exploring enduring questions of identity, displacement and belonging in a world shaped and scarred by colonialism. By giving voice to a variety of perspectives, including those of inanimate objects, they ask us to consider the weight the past still bears on the present, and, inevitably, on the future.”
The Critics Jury Prize went to Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, and Hamdan Ballal’s NO OTHER LAND, “a film that offers a compelling ground-level view of everyday existence in the occupied West Bank, expertly underlining how grave injustices have persisted there for years. But now, in this politically urgent moment, this powerful documentary about friendship and a community’s mass expulsion has the potential to open eyes and change minds.” A special mention was awarded to Elizabeth Lo’s MISTRESS DISPELLER, described as “a provocative, empathetically crafted documentary – a Rashōmon-inspired, complex examination of love in the 21st century. Lo’s strikingly intimate access gives audiences a rare glimpse into Chinese bourgeois society.”
Best Short Documentary Film went to Ben Proudfoot’s THE FINAL COPY OF ILON SPECHT. The jury said the film was an “intimate portrait of a trailblazing woman whose four-word tag line ‘Because I’m worth it’ became a feminist manifesto and changed advertising forever. Even from her deathbed, Specht’s unvarnished candor and fiery spirit illuminate a remarkable life, revealing not just the story behind an iconic slogan, but the enduring power of believing in one’s own worth.”
A special jury mention went to Haley Watson’s MOTORCYCLE MARY. The Hot Springs Matt DeCample Audience Choice Award for Best Short Film went to Emily Sheskin’s LIVESTREAMS WITH GRANDMAPUZZLES. The award is named after the former festival Communications Director, who was one of the film festival’s most passionate supporters until he passed in 2020.
The 2024 Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival Award Winners:
FEATURE FILMS
Best Documentary Feature Film ZURAWSKI V TEXAS
Directors: Maisie Crow, Abbie Perrault
Special Mention DAHOMEY
Director: Mati Diop
HSDFF Critics Prize NO OTHER LAND
Directors: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Special Mention MISTRESS DISPELLER
Director: Elizabeth Lo
SHORT FILMS
Best Short Documentary Film THE FINALCOPY OF ILON SPECHT
Director: Ben Proudfoot
Special Jury Mention MOTORCYCLE MARY
Director: Haley Watson
MATT DECAMPLE AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARDS
Audience Choice Award for Best Feature PORCELAIN WAR
Directors: Brendan Bellomo, Slava Leontyev
Audience Choice Award for Best Short LIVESTREAMS WITH GRANDMAPUZZLES
Director: Emily Sheskin
Audience Choice Award for Best Southern Feature or Episodic ZURAWSKI V TEXAS
Directors: Maisie Crow, Abbie Perrault
Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival 2024 Jury Members
FEATURES Penelope Bartlett, Film Programmer Darius Clark Monroe, Filmmaker, DALLAS, 2019 Jamie Shor, President PR Collaborative, Co-Founder, DC/DOX
SHORTS Lisa Cole, Filmmaker, BIENVENIDOS A LOS ANGELES Maggie Li, Filmmaker, MISTRESS DISPELLER Michael Lumpkin, Documentary Film Consultant
ABOUT HOT SPRINGS DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL
Each year, with the help of a small staff and over 100 dedicated volunteers, Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival attracts thousands of visitors to the 9-day multicultural and intergenerational event. Now in its 33rd year as the oldest all-documentary festival in North America and one of the longest running non-fiction festivals in the world, the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival remains a prominent champion and protector of the documentary film genre.
PRESS CONTACT
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Wildworks PR
FilmsGoneWild.com
jswildman@hotmail.com
323.600.3165
