Risks To Female Athletes Heightened Under New Regime Italian documentarian and journalist Stefano Liberti made the news last after helping 3 members of a women’s soccer club in Afghanistan, their families and coach find refuge in Italy. The filmmaker/journalist was able help the group after ex-team captain Susan Bastan contacted him via facebook Bastan was […]
Documentarian Helps Afghan Women’s Soccer Club Flee to Italy Read More »
SDFF 2020 Selection Gives Insight Into Increasing Restrictions on Women’s Bodily Autonomy, Self-Determination, Citizenship The recent Texas abortion ban granting private citizens the right to report/penalize anyone aiding or abetting a woman seeking an abortion after just 6 weeks of pregnancy, and the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to let the law stand, are the most
D-WORD JOINS WITH AFGHAN RESOURCES PROJECT, REQUIRES URGENT FUNDING After several weeks working to help move Afghani colleagues and associates out of harms’ way, longtime SDFF compatriot, the D-Word online community has combined efforts with the Afghan Resources Project, a coalition of predominantly BIPOC and/or queer lawyers and Afghan organizers. The partnership is a way of ensuring that the hard
How Documentary Community Can Help Afghan Refugees Seeking Aid & Asylum Read More »
Life of Lesbian Luminary & Gender Studies Pioneer Celebrated On Sept. 30, the SF Commonwealth Club will hold a special tribute to lesbian feminist activist, writer and professor Sally Gearhart, who passed away earlier this year. SDFF audiences know Sally from her show-stopping appearance as a part of the 2019 selection A Great Ride (Deborah Craig, 2018),
Michelle Meow/SF Commonwealth Club to Host a Tribute to Sally Gearhart Read More »
SDFF 2019 Selection Gives Context, Human Stakes to Heated Public Discourse The recent withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan has triggered intense public discourse about the fate of translators and other contractors who helped the U.S. military effort and are now at-risk in their own country. The situation and its fevered politicization echo the U.S. departure
Plight Of Afghan Translators Echoes 2019’s “From Baghdad To The Bay” Read More »
In early July, the UAE announced it had selected 28 year-old mechanical engineer Nora al-Matrooshi to train as an astronaut for its expanding space program, and will be joining NASA;s 2021 Astronaut Candidate Class in the U.S., making her the first Arab woman to ascend to that position and, eventually, to the cosmos as well. At the
Abortion Helpline, This is Lisa by SDFF alums Barbara and Mike Attie and Janet Goldwater won the AFI Docs 2020 Grand Jury Short Award and is shortlisted in IDA’s Best Short category. This documents an abortion helpline in Philadelphia, through which counselors field urgent calls from who people seek to end a pregnancy, but can’t afford
The fight to halt a mining project in the Alaskan Tundra, which would destroy the largest existing natural sockeye salmon habitat, has likely come to an end. According to this Nov. 25 New York Times piece, the mining project, which sought to extract large copper and gold ore deposits, has been dealt a likely “death blow.” This issue came
While SDFF 2020 Official Selection, Bellingcat: Truth in a Post-Truth World (Hans Pool, 2018) won an Emmy in 2019, it’s now up for a second one, along with collaborator Newsy, for its groundbreaking approaches to reporting the news. Bellingcat, the independent, international collective of researchers, investigators and citizen journalists, and the topic of SDFF 2020 Official
As we sat down for a Q&A with director Mark Titus in late July 2020 to discuss The Wild, the threats to Bristol Bay’s environment, bio-diversity and culture, which his film depicts as “a race against time,” appear to be accelerating under the current industry-friendly administration, as detailed in this recent NY Times piece. The film tracks efforts
The Wild Director Weighs in on New Developments in Bristol Bay Mining Threat Read More »
