Official Selections 2025

Director 

Charles Lago

Runtime - 60 minutes

Food for Thought takes viewers on a heartfelt journey into the operations of the Rancho Cordova Food Locker, an essential resource for a community battling food insecurity. The documentary tells the history of the Food Locker, founded as a humble outreach project by a local church to feed struggling families. Through archival photos, interviews, and personal stories.

MAR, 7 - 7:30 PM

VENUE: CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS, AMERICAN RIVER ROOM

Director

Matthew Brady

Runtime - 91 minutes

Meryl Streep takes us on a journey as global wildlife experts race to save Earth's most beloved animals from mass extinction and environmental collapse - armed with a radical new approach to conservation called ‘rewilding’ that restores entire ecosystems, from the cloud forests of Rwanda to the California coast

MAR, 8 - 11:00 AM

VENUE: CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS

Director

Thomas A Hoebbel

Runtime - 72 minutes

Compassionate Exploration of Contemporary Migration

MAR, 8 - 11:00 AM

VENUE: AMERICAN RIVER ROOM

Director

Star2

Runtime - 11 minutes

Refugee Rapper Star2 from San Diego, California was born in a Thai refugee camp - his people fleeing the Burmese Army who destroyed their village and attacked them in the middle of the night. 

MAR, 8 - 11:00 PM (BLOCK 1)

VENUE: YOUTH CENTER

Directors

Joseph Litzinger, Mia Grimes

Runtime - 16 minutes

After a member of the "freestyle canoe dancing" community suffers a tragic accident and unimaginable loss, his fellow canoe enthusiasts work in tandem to help him through his emotional and physical trauma to recover and get back in his canoe

MAR, 8 - 11:00 PM (BLOCK 1)

VENUE: YOUTH CENTER

Director 

Zahra Mojahed

Runtime - 15 minutes

Zahra is a female refugee filmmaker who has been living in Germany since 2022. She arrived in Greece in 2019 and started her career from there. Zahra participated as a storyteller in the 1000 dreams project.

MAR, 8 - 11:00 PM (BLOCK 1)

VENUE: YOUTH CENTER

Directors

Rin Jung, Richard Rivera

Runtime - 15 minutes

“Why do we live?” “What is freedom?” The filmmaker follows a formerly-incarcerated scholar, educator, and activist telling his story to seek answers to the philosophical questions on human being that are brought upon by the encounter with carceral system. This short personal documentary creates a filmic dialogue on the experiential and existential, yet poetic narratives of carcerality, becoming free, and desire for life.

MAR, 8 - 11:00 PM (BLOCK 1)

VENUE: YOUTH CENTER

Director 

Jezer Serafica

Runtime - 8 minutes

Steven Dunn is a local Sacramento musician who specializes in a niche genre, Nintendocore; a fusion of heavy metal rock with chiptune or video game style music. 

MAR, 8 - 11:00 PM (BLOCK 1)

VENUE: YOUTH CENTER

Director 

Johnny Howorth

Runtime - 97 minutes

Days after 9/11, Blerim Skoro was recruited from a Manhattan prison by the CIA. For over a decade, he was America’s infidel mole, roaming the Middle East as a spy deep inside al-Qaeda. 

Blerim lived in constant danger amongst terrorists, leaking intelligence to the US government in the desperate hope of getting a Green Card and a ticket back to his family in Brooklyn.

MAR, 8 - 12:40 PM

VENUE: CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS 

Director 

April Jones

Runtime - 50 minutes

A 7-year bureaucratic battle to save a renegade skatepark leaves the local skateboarders at the mercy of the law. The community fights for a reopening but navigating Los Angeles red tape proves to be a more complex task than ever imagined.

MAR, 8 - 12:30 PM

VENUE: AMERICAN RIVER ROOM

Director 

Nic C. Thorson

Runtime - 27 minutes

Documentary following the story of a young professional wrestler challenging his mentor for the promotion's top prize.

MAR, 8 - 12:15 PM (BLOCK 2)

VENUE: YOUTH CENTER

Director 

Sheila M. Sofian

Runtime - 13 minutes

"Disabled" is an animated documentary that explores the relationship and struggles of Terry, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, and her husband Jon, who has cared for her since her diagnosis.

MAR, 8 - 12:15 PM (BLOCK 2)

VENUE: YOUTH CENTER

Director 

Chris Stanley

Runtime - 16 minutes

Documenting the challenges of attending the smallest Pride parade in America.

MAR, 8 - 12:15 PM (BLOCK 2)

VENUE: YOUTH CENTER

Directors 

Max Duncan,

Xinyan Yu

Runtime - 90 minutes

When a massive Chinese factory complex attempts a high-stakes expansion in rural Ethiopia, three women in search of prosperity have their faith in industrialization tested to the limit.

MAR, 8 - 2:30 PM 

VENUE: CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS

Director

Davide Fiore

Runtime - 81 minutes

Before banks in the U.S. had a branch on every corner, they were an exclusive service for the wealthy. For the poor, working, and immigrant class, saving money was as unreliable as stashing it under a mattress. 

MAR, 8 - 1:45 PM 

VENUE: AMERICAN RIVER ROOM

Director

Xuru Yang

Runtime - 15 minutes

Xuru Yang, softball player from Beijing, played softball with her teammates for ten years. In 2020, she went to volunteer at the Qiangbang Angels Charity Baseball Team, where she met Daer Wuer and Nvzi Ayu. From the age of 11 to 14, Daer Wuer studied and played baseball at the charity and was brought back to her hometown at the end of 2022.

MAR, 8 - 1:15 PM (BLOCK 3)

VENUE: YOUTH CENTER

Director

Muhammad Ali Ijaz

Runtime - 14 minutes

The film highlights the tragic story of the demise of Hawaiian snails and the impact on Hawaiian culture and traditions. The little-known indigenous snails of Hawaiʻi also known as kāhuli’ are a lesser known but iconic symbol of biodiversity loss on the Hawaiian Islands. 

MAR, 8 - 1:15 PM (BLOCK 3)

VENUE: YOUTH CENTER

Director

Daniel Keel Flesher

Runtime - 17 minutes

This is the greatest natural disaster in California no one is talking about.

In Los Angeles County hundreds of sewage spills each year silently flow into our oceans, killing ecosystems and endangering human health. But it's not just spills. Legal sewage discharge is causing California's oceans to acidify at twice the global average. This film uncovers the hidden devastation wrought by our failing sewage infrastructure and the urgent need for action.

MAR, 8 - 1:15 PM (BLOCK 3)

VENUE: YOUTH CENTER

Directors

Ravit Markus, Dan Katzir

Runtime - 94 minutes

American Pot Story: Oaksterdam is a documentary about how change transpires in America. The account of "a small group of concerned committed citizens" (to quote Margaret Mead) who took a huge risk in order to bring about a massive shift in public perception.

MAR, 8 - 4:10 PM

VENUE: CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS 

Director

Colin C. Hughes

Runtime - 77 minutes

A suburban firefighter’s labor union finds itself under a different kind of fire when the Village Mayor announces he’s privatizing their department to save money. What results is a five year long legal battle with the potential to change labor law for the entire country.

MAR, 8 - 3:00 PM

VENUE: AMERICAN RIVER ROOM

Director

Mariia Ponomarova

Runtime - 8 minutes

Three windows on south west and a balcony on south east are what you can see of Mariia’s apartment on the facade. In three conversations, Mariia reflects on her experiences related to the place of her upbringing in Kyiv and attempts to reclaim the image of her home back.

MAR, 8 - 2:10 PM (BLOCK 4)

VENUE: YOUTH CENTER

Director

Nicholas Tenaglia

Runtime - 13 minutes

Katelyn Tenaglia, 26 years of age, has dealt with health issues such as Nonverbal Learning Disorder, Muscle Hypotonia, and Developmental Delay her entire life after complications during birth.

MAR, 8 - 2:10 PM (BLOCK 4)

VENUE: YOUTH CENTER

Director

Maria Fe Picar

Runtime - 24 minutes

Stefanie Hoffman's story about her daughter's attempt to murder her and then realizing she had Borderline Personality Disorder

MAR, 8 - 2:10 PM (BLOCK 4)

VENUE: YOUTH CENTER

Director

Lauren Speeth

Runtime - 4 minutes

The extraordinary and touching story of the Irish-American mathematician John Riordan, author of major early works in combinatorics, particularly Introduction to Combinatorial Analysis and Combinatorial Identities, and how life in an orphanage shaped his thinking.

MAR, 8 - 2:10 PM (BLOCK 4)

VENUE: YOUTH CENTER

Director

Kathy Kasic

Runtime - 56 minutes

THE MEMORY OF DARKNESS, LIGHT, AND ICE is a 56-minute documentary film about the startling discovery of a long-lost sediment core pulled from the depths of a Cold War-era secret military base.

MAR, 8 - 6:15 PM

VENUE: CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS 

Directors

Yuri Williams, Nathan Cribari

Runtime - 94 minutes

In this participatory documentary, join Yuri and Rodney on a heartfelt mission as they, dressed as Santa's helpers, traverse the diverse landscapes of every US state during the holidays. 

MAR, 8 - 4:30 PM

VENUE: AMERICAN RIVER ROOM

Director

Marc Casas Casteis

Runtime - 19 minutes

A Nature documentary trailer based on the conflict between the most dangerous viper in Central America, the Fer-de-lance, and the rural people around Costa Rica. 
Through a series of testimonials, a review of the conflict and an attempt is made to make the spectator to re-reflect.

MAR, 8 - 3:10 PM (BLOCK 5)

VENUE: YOUTH CENTER

Director

Jaan AlBalushi

Runtime - 10 minutes

A heartfelt documentary that explores a community in Balochistan province grappling with their homes being engulfed by sand. The film delves into the everyday struggles of the residents as they navigate life in a challenging, sandy landscape. It captures their personal narratives, the obstacles they overcome, and their unique living conditions. 

MAR, 8 - 3:10 PM (BLOCK 5)

VENUE: YOUTH CENTER

Directors

Anastasia Shubina, Timofey Glinin

Runtime - 38 minutes

On the Arctic Ocean coast of Chukotka live a people cut off from the world. Their life revolves around hunting walruses and whales and protecting villages from bears coming from the tundra. This theme turns the film into a reflection on death

MAR, 8 - 3:10 PM (BLOCK 5)

VENUE: YOUTH CENTER

Directors

Juan Pablo Reinoso

Runtime - 89 minutes

Tom Biolchini, an avid movie prop collector, knew why he loved collecting props from his favourite films. But like any collector, everyone is different. Curious to meet and see other collectors and their collections, Tom decided to journey across the globe and find out what it was about movies that led others to seek out and own some of the greatest pieces of movie history.

MAR, 8 - 4:45 PM

VENUE: YOUTH CENTER

Directors

Keely Brazil Covello, Michaela Brazil Gillies

Runtime - 49 minutes

An immigrant family in California’s Central Valley faces the loss of their land and way of life. One of the few remaining ranchers in the Bay Area watches urban sprawl creep in from every direction.

MAR, 8 - 7:15 PM 

VENUE: CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS

Director

Nikolay Vasilev

Runtime - 100 minutes

"Vaklush" is a documentary, filmed during the period of 1998 until 2022 and contains unseen archival footage from the life of the famous spiritual leader and Teacher Vaklush Tolev. The film is dedicated to the 100th anniversary of his birth and is a story about the life path and ideas of one of the most enigmatic personalities of Bulgaria.

MAR, 8 - 6:15 PM

VENUE: AMERICAN RIVER ROOM

Director

Davoud Abdolmaleki

Runtime - 95 minutes

Are we responsible for our destiny? Do we have the ability to change the circumstances of our lives? The students of a Girls High school have lived the answers to these questions.

MAR, 8 - 6:25 PM

VENUE: YOUTH CENTER

Director

Charles Lago

Runtime - 65 minutes

Symphony Serenade explores the origin and growth of Symphony d’Oro Rancho Cordova. It follows the symphony as they prepare and perform an original movement about the city, composed by Carlos McMillan-Fuentes.Learn about the musicians and their connection to music, and see how the symphony brings the community together through music.

MAR, 9 - 11:00 AM

VENUE: CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS 

Directors

Tony & James Pinto

Runtime - 75 minutes

From prestigious museums and universities, to blockbuster films, amusement park rides, video games, and toys--dinosaurs have always fascinated us. But, why?

MAR, 9 - 11:00 AM

VENUE: AMERICAN RIVER ROOM

Director

Anja Christie-Johnson

Runtime - 35 minutes

A reunion story about group home counselors who wondered what happened to the teen girls they worked with years before. They pushed through their fears to find them.

MAR, 9 - 11:15 AM 

VENUE: YOUTH CENTER

Directors

Anna Moot-Levin, Laura Green

Runtime - 55 minutes

Matter of Mind: My Alzheimer’s explores how three families confront the challenges of Alzheimer’s, focusing on how the disease transforms identities and relationships.

MAR, 9 - 12:00 PM 

VENUE: YOUTH CENTER

Director

Francisco Guijarro

Runtime - 127 minutes

In San Francisco, a man enduring homelessness for two decades connects with passersby to be seen among the invisible—a skill he learned from a promising music career cut short in the '70s, and one that will ultimately transform his life.

MAR, 9 - 12:30 PM

VENUE: CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS 

Director

Francine Strickwerda

Runtime - 52 minutes

In ULTIMATE CITIZENS, Jamshid is an Iranian who came to study in 1970’s America, and due to the Revolution, never went “home.” As a guidance counselor in Seattle Public Schools, Jamshid’s best work takes place out of the building and on a playing field with “his kids,” the children of refugees and immigrants. 

MAR, 9 - 12:30 PM

VENUE: AMERICAN RIVER ROOM

Director

Area Erina

Runtime - 70 minutes

Aurora and Area, close women from totally different worlds and with a great age difference between them, establish a strong relationship of intimacy, trust and deep conversations linked to death, family, war and women role.

MAR, 9 - 1:10 PM 

VENUE: YOUTH CENTER

Director

Rishiraj Agarwal

Runtime - 49 minutes

The film explores the subject of organ donation through the lens of transplant coordinators, highlighting their role in the process of organ donation, retrieval and transplantation. 

MAR, 9 - 1:45 PM

VENUE: AMERICAN RIVER ROOM

Director

Naomi Garcia Pasmanick

Runtime - 30 minutes

After years of visiting her grandmother's fisherman village in Galicia and hearing bits of stories deemed too traumatic to talk about, Naomi decides to document the oral histories of her elders during a visit to Spain with her 93 year old grandmother.

MAR, 9 - 2:30 PM 

VENUE: YOUTH CENTER