DocuSlate Day 3

NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (NFMLA) presents its annual line-up DocuSlate documentary program, spotlighting documentary filmmakers and stories from around the world with a selection of features and short documentaries across seven programs, beginning on Thursday evening and concluding for a full day on Sunday.

Sunday’s DocuSlate programming day begins with the World Premiere of Moving Joy by Brittany Lee Sanders, a meditative exploration of the rich life of 88-year-old philosopher, educator, and tai chi master Chungliang Al Huang, featuring interviews from those his teachings have influenced, including Jane Goodall in her final filmed interview. “The film is a meditation on aging, connection, and the joy of being fully present,” says Sanders.

The afternoon continues with the West Coast Premiere of Adam Trunell’s debut feature documentary, The Row. This six-year-long project documents the lives of the filmmaker’s neighbors on Skid Row in Los Angeles from 2019, throughout its remarkable resilience during the pandemic, to present day. With access built on genuine relationships, this story offers intimate and insightful portrayals of an often overlooked community in Downtown Los Angeles.

Next, the line-up presents DocuSlate Shorts, a selection of compelling short documentaries highlighting important and urgent issues and those who contribute to their communities. These films capture stories about climate change, fighting food waste, building community spaces, expressing pain and healing through art, balancing the self and the collective, and the power of educational settings. This block includes the World Premiere of filmmaker Lu Ren’s NewNarratives Environmental Storytelling Grant-winning Why Is Climate Changing? and The Art of Sharing, Ric Serena’s NewNarratives-supported portrait of the fight against food insecurity.

The evening continues with Leland Nally’s debut film, Dwarf Neon Mayfield, in its Los Angeles Premiere. The film captures what, and who, remains of three rural Kentucky communities in the aftermath of multiple natural disasters, creating a haunting and contemplative sense of place that explores a region –and country – on the precipice. “Kentuckians and rural America writ large now stagger into the 21st century into new forms of alienation – a new kind of environmental violence and ecological collapse. All the contradictions of the American project that have flowed forth from this “dark and bloody ground” now gush forward, inescapably berserk. Kentucky (and the South) is continually used as a referent to America’s past, but it may be the site of the American future,” says Nally.

The night concludes with the Los Angeles premiere of documentarian Razi Jafri’s Uncommitted, an investigative documentary executive produced by W. Kamau Bell which explores the efforts and impact of the Uncommitted National Movement, with new updates expected following the November elections, as the story continues to unfold.

NFMLA showcases films by filmmakers of all backgrounds throughout the year, across both our general and InFocus programming. All filmmakers are welcome and encouraged to submit their projects for consideration for upcoming NFMLA Festivals, regardless of the schedule for InFocus programming, which celebrates representation by spotlighting various communities of filmmakers as part of the NFMLA Monthly Film Festival. This project is made possible in part by grant support from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA).

The South Park Center is an ADA compliant venue and is wheelchair accessible. We request captioned films from all filmmakers participating at our Festival. For any accessibility needs, please send a request to info@nfmla.org at least 72 hours prior to the event