Official Selections 2025
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
USA - Feature
**Opening Night Film
MAR, 7 - 7:30 PM
VENUE: CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS, AMERICAN RIVER ROOM
Runtime - 60 minutes
Director
Charles Lago
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.
MADE IN ETHIOPIA
China - Feature
MAR, 8 - 11:00 AM
VENUE: CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS
Runtime - 90 minutes
Directors
Max Duncan,
Xinyan Yu
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.
RETURN TO KAWTHOOLEI: A REFUGEE RAPPER’S JOURNEY TO HIS HOMELAND IN BURMA
USA - Short
MAR, 8 - 11:00 AM (Block 1 Shorts)
VENUE: YOUTH CENTER
Runtime - 11 minutes
Director
Star2
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.
LIFE IN TANDEM
USA - Feature
**Winner of Cindependent 2023
MAR, 8 - 11:00 AM (Block 1 Shorts)
VENUE: YOUTH CENTER
Runtime - 16 minutes
Directors
Joseph Litzinger, Mia Grimes
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
CONDEMNED TO BE FREE
USA - Short
MAR, 8 - 11:00 AM (Block 1 Shorts)
VENUE: YOUTH CENTER
Runtime - 15 minutes
Directors
Rin Jung, Richard Rivera
“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.
THE ACCIDENTAL SPY
USA - Feature
**Winner of Montreal Independent Film Festival 2024, Seoul whistler film festival 2024
MAR, 8 - 12:40 PM
VENUE: CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS
Runtime - 97 minutes
Director
Johnny Howorth
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.
CONCRETE LAW
USA - Feature
MAR, 8 - 12:30 PM
VENUE: AMERICAN RIVER ROOM
Runtime - 50 minutes
Director
April Jones
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.
DISABLED: A LOVE STORY
USA - Short
**Winner Thomas Edison Film Festival 2024
MAR, 8 - 12:15 PM (Block 2 Shorts)
VENUE: YOUTH CENTER
Runtime - 13 minutes
Director
Sheila M. Sofian
"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.
FINISH LINE
Iran, Islamic Republic of - Short
MAR, 8 - 12:15 PM (Block 2 Shorts)
VENUE: YOUTH CENTER
Runtime - 12 minutes
Director
Saeed Mayahy
Story of a woman athletic from Iran who is trying to get back in fields from her accident and also faces deprivation because she does not agree to compete with hijab in international events and she must confronts its aftermath..
MOUNTAIN BALLAD
China - Short
MAR, 8 - 1:15 PM (Block 3 Shorts)
VENUE: YOUTH CENTER
Runtime - 15 minutes
Director
Xuru Yang
A softball player from Beijing, I've played softball with my teammates for ten years. In 2020, I went to volunteer at the Qiangbang Angels Charity Baseball Team, where I met Daer Wuer and Nvzi Ayu.
YOU’RE SWIMMING IN SEWAGE
USA - Short
MAR, 8 - 1:15 PM (Block 3 Shorts)
VENUE: YOUTH CENTER
Runtime - 17 minutes
Director
Daniel Keel Flesher
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.
THE SALMON PEOPLE'S STRUGGLE TO SURVIVE TO SURVIVE
USA - Short
MAR, 8 - 1:30 PM (Block 6 Shorts)
VENUE: AMERICAN RIVER ROOM
Runtime - 24 minutes
Director
Chris McGann
Salmon have always been central to the physical and spiritual lives of the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe. Though the people and the fish have been pushed to the brink – they continue to rely on one another to survive.
HASAMI (SCISSORS)
USA - Short
**Winner Rome Independent Cinema Festival
MAR, 8 - 1:30 PM (Block 6 Shorts)
VENUE: AMERICAN RIVER ROOM
Runtime - 20 minutes
Director
Toyoko Matsuo Saindon
In 2015, my mother, Eiko, lost her younger sister Akiko to cancer. Akiko’s final wish was not to be interred in the family plot in Hasami, refusing to rest eternally beside her abusers—her siblings and other family members. To honor her sister's wish, Eiko keeps Akiko’s ashes close, still seeking a peaceful place for her to rest.
PIBLOKTO
USA - Short
**Winner of International Documentary Festival of Ierapetra 2024, Cinéma du Réel 2024
MAR, 8 - 1:30 PM (Block 6 Shorts)
VENUE: AMERICAN RIVER ROOM
Runtime - 38 minutes
Directors
Anastasia Shubina, Timofey Glinin
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.
MATTER OF MIND: MY ALZHEIMER’S
USA - Feature
MAR, 8 - 2:30 PM
VENUE: CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS
Runtime - 55 minutes
Directors
Anna Moot-Levin, Laura Green
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.
**NOT AVAILABLE VIRTUALLY
FIRE DEPARTMENT, INC.
USA - Feature
MAR, 8 - 3:00 PM
VENUE: AMERICAN RIVER ROOM
Runtime - 77 minutes
Director
Colin C. Hughes
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.
THREE WINDOWS ON SOUTH WEST
Ukraine - Short
MAR, 8 - 2:10 PM (Block 4 Shorts)
VENUE: YOUTH CENTER
Runtime - 8 minutes
Director
Mariia Ponomarova
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.
I LIKE TO BE CALLED KATE
USA - Short
MAR, 8 - 2:10 PM (Block 4 Shorts)
VENUE: YOUTH CENTER
Runtime - 13 minutes
Director
Nicholas Tenaglia
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.
JOHN RIORDAN, MATAMAITICEOIR
USA - Short
MAR, 8 - 2:10 PM (Block 4 Shorts)
VENUE: YOUTH CENTER
Runtime - 4 minutes
Director
Lauren Speeth
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. Told in the Irish Language (with English subtitles) by his American granddaughter, Lauren Speeth.
**NOT AVAILABLE VIRTUALLY
RANCHO QUEMADO
Spain - Short
MAR, 8 - 3:10 PM (Block 5 Shorts)
VENUE: YOUTH CENTER
Runtime - 19 minutes
Director
Marc Casas Casteis
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.
UNDER THE SAND
Bahrain - Short
**Winner of TISFF
MAR, 8 - 3:10 PM (Block 5 Shorts)
VENUE: YOUTH CENTER
Runtime - 10 minutes
Director
Jaan AlBalushi
"Under the Sand" is 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.
PIBLOKTO
USA - Short
**Winner of International Documentary Festival of Ierapetra 2024, Cinéma du Réel 2024
MAR, 8 - 3:10 PM (Block 5 Shorts)
VENUE: YOUTH CENTER
Runtime - 38 minutes
Directors
Anastasia Shubina, Timofey Glinin
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.
YOU JUST CAN'T SEE THEM FROM THE ROAD
USA - Feature
**Winner of Crown Point International Film Festival 2024
MAR, 8 - 4:10 PM
VENUE: CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS
Runtime - 49 minutes
Directors
Keely Brazil Covello, Michaela Brazil Gillies
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. Cowboys work in the shadow of the historic Hearst Castle.
HOPE FOR THE HOLIDAYS
USA - Feature
**Winner of Impact Docs 2024
MAR, 8 - 4:30 PM
VENUE: AMERICAN RIVER ROOM
Runtime - 94 minutes
Directors
Yuri Williams, Nathan Cribari
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.
THE MEMORY OF DARKNESS, LIGHT, AND ICE
USA - Feature
MAR, 8 - 5:25 PM
VENUE: CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS
Runtime - 60 minutes
Director
Kathy Kasic
THE MEMORY OF DARKNESS, LIGHT, AND ICE discovers a long-lost sediment core pulled from the depths of a Cold War-era secret military base. The sediment record holds the key to adding to crucial science around the melting Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) and the future of sea level rise across the globe.
VAKLUSH
Bulgaria - Feature
MAR, 8 - 6:15 PM
VENUE: AMERICAN RIVER ROOM
Runtime - 100 minutes
Director
Nikolay Vasilev
"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.
FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE
Iran - Feature
MAR, 8 - 6:25 PM
VENUE: YOUTH CENTER
Runtime - 95 minutes
Director
Davoud Abdolmaleki
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.
AMERICAN POT STORY: OAKSTERDAM
USA - Feature
**Winner of Slam Dance 2023
MAR, 8 - 7:00 PM
VENUE: CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS
Runtime - 94 minutes
Directors
Ravit Markus, Dan Katzir
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. It all happened at Oaksterdam University in Oakland , California - a magical place where cannabis history was made, falling right in place with Oakland’s rich history of civil resistance
MEMORIES OF SALT
Spain - Short
MAR, 8 - 8:15 PM
VENUE: AMERICAN RIVER ROOM
Runtime - 30 minutes
Director
Naomi Garcia Pasmanick
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.
SYMPHONY SERENADE
USA - Feature
**World Premiere
MAR, 9 - 11:00 AM
VENUE: CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS
Runtime - 65 minutes
Director
Charles Lago
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.
GROUP HOME GRADZ
USA - Short
MAR, 9 - 11:00 AM
VENUE: YOUTH CENTER
Runtime - 35 minutes
Director
Anja Christie-Johnson
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.
**NOT AVAILABLE VIRTUALLY
WHY DINOSAURS?
USA - Feature
MAR, 9 - 11:00 AM
VENUE: AMERICAN RIVER ROOM
Runtime - 75 minutes
Directors
Tony & James Pinto
From prestigious museums and universities, to blockbuster films, amusement park rides, video games, and toys--dinosaurs have always fascinated us. But, why?
WHY DINOSAURS follows dino-obsessed youth James Pinto and his filmmaker father on a journey around the world.
MOSES
USA - Feature
**Winner of Jaipur International Film Festival
MAR, 9 - 12:30 PM
VENUE: CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS
Runtime - 127 minutes
Director
Francisco Guijarro
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.
ESCAPE FROM EXTINCTION REWILDING
**Winner of Doc LA 2024, International Film Festival The Hague
MAR, 9 - 12:00
VENUE: YOUTH CENTER
Runtime - 91 minutes
Director
Matthew Brady
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
ULTIMATE CITIZENS
USA - Feature
MAR, 9 - 12:30 PM
VENUE: AMERICAN RIVER ROOM
Runtime - 52 minutes
Director
Francine Strickwerda
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.
AURORA
Spain - Feature
MAR, 9 - 1:45 PM
VENUE: YOUTH CENTER
Runtime - 70 minutes
Director
Area Erina
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.
GOD VULTURE AND
HUMAN - A HERO'S DICHOTOMY
India - Feature
MAR, 9 - 1:45 PM
VENUE: AMERICAN RIVER ROOM
Runtime - 49 minutes
Director
Rishiraj Agarwal
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. Through the lives of 4 transplant coordinators, the film deals with the intensities of life and death, and an attempt to humanise the coordinators.
GAMAN
USA - Short
MAR, 9 - 3:05 PM
VENUE: CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS
Runtime - 36 minutes
Director
Bill George
The human tragedy of the arrest and incarceration of Japanese Americans is well-known and documented. But the political and social causes of the arrests is seldom discussed. “Gaman” traces more than 100 years of the Japanese American experience and explores the forces behind this American tragedy and some powerful people behind this classic injustice.