Festivals have a contagious energy which enhances the pleasure of watching thoughtful work. Experience the following Cinereach-supported films amongst audiences at these upcoming events, or pass along these recommended titles to your friends in Maine, Tokyo and beyond. Check the links below for screening details:

The Boy Mir
Winter 2010 Grantee

Directed by Phil Grabsky, The Boy Mir tracks the irrepressible and lovable Mir over not just one year but ten. This decade of coverage reflects not only Mir’s journey into early adulthood in one of the toughest places on earth, but it also serves as a film that is unmatched in mirroring and unveiling the vitally important story of modern Afghanistan.

The Boy Mir will be shown at:

Santa Barbara International Film Festival
Santa Barbara, California
January 27th – February 6th
US Premiere

And it was shown at:

IDFA
Amsterdam, Netherlands
November 17th – 28th
World Premiere

Summer Pasture
Winter 2008 Grantee

Filmed in the high grasslands of eastern Tibet by Lynn True, Nelson Walker and Tsering Perlo, Summer Pasture is a rare and intimate glimpse into the life of a young couple and their infant daughter during a time of great transition. As traditional nomadic life confronts rapid modernization, the family is at a crossroads, and Summer Pasture ultimately reveals the profound sacrifice they will make to ensure their daughter’s future.

Summer Pasture will be shown at:

Big Sky Documentary Film Festival
Missoula, Montana

And it was shown at:

Tokyo International Film Festival
Tokyo, Japan
October 23rd – 31st

Dok Leipzig
Leipzig, Germany
October 18th – 24th

Hawaii International Film Festival
Honolulu, Hawaii
October 14th – 24th

Black Bear Film Festival
Milford, Pennsylvania
October 8th – 9th

Camden International Film Festival
Camden, Maine
September 30th – October 3rd

Togetherness Supreme
Winter 2008 Grantee

Directed by Nathan Collett, Togetherness Supreme is a feature length narrative made by, with and for the community of Kibera, east Africa’s largest slum. Its story follows three young people and the tensions that complicate the quest to change their community. After the 2007 Kenya presidential elections, Kibera is torn apart by conflicting tribal loyalties- so are these three characters.

Togetherness Supreme will be shown at:

Santa Barbara International Film Festival
Santa Barbara, California
January 27th – February 6th
US Premiere

And it was shown at:

Africa in the Picture
Amsterdam, Netherlands
November 2nd – 7th

Africa in Motion Film Festival
Edinburgh, Scotland
October 21st – November 5th

Vancouver International Film Festival
Vancouver, Canada
September 30th – October 5th
International Premiere

Burma Soldier
Winter 2010 Grantee

This documentary by Annie Sundberg, Ricki Stern and Nic Dunlop, provides a rare glimpse of a brutal dictatorship seen through the eyes of Myo Mint, a former soldier who swapped sides to join Aung San Suu Kyi’s struggle for a democratic Burma.

Burma Soldier was shown at:

IDFA
Amsterdam, Netherlands
November 17th – 28th

Sheffield Doc/Fest
Sheffield, UK
November 3rd – 7th
World Premiere

Donor Unknown
Winter 2010 Grantee

A twenty-first century tale of identity and genetic inheritance, and perhaps the family of the future. This documentary by Jerry Rothwell follows members of a generation of children born through artificial insemination who are now old enough to search for their biological father.

Donor Unknown was shown at:

IDFA
Amsterdam, Netherlands
November 17th – 28th

Sheffield Doc/Fest
Sheffield, UK
November 3rd – 7th
World Premiere

Pushing the Elephant
Summer 2008 Grantee

Directed by Beth Davenport and Elizabeth Mandel, this documentary chronicles the story of Rose Mapendo and how she escaped from the ethnic violence of the Democratic Republic of Congo to become a vital voice to help mend her divided country. She has assisted dozens of survivors to rebuild their lives, but there is still one person Rose must teach to forgive–her daughter Nangabire. Pushing The Elephant counters the horrors of genocidal violence with the moral fortitude and grace of one woman’s mission for peace.

Pushing the Elephant was shown at:

IDFA
Amsterdam, Netherlands
November 17th – 28th

Trenton Foreign Film Festival
Trenton, New Jersey
November 5th – 7th

Two Gates of Sleep
Winter 2009 Grantee

In this narrative feature by Alistair Banks Griffin, the Conroy family live on the edge of society, deep in the rural south, surviving off the land around them. When Jack discovers his mother dead at the edge of a field, he and his brother set out on an arduous journey to carry out her last wishes.

Two Gates of Sleep was shown at:

AFI Film Festival
Los Angeles, California
November 4th – 11th
US Premiere

Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival
Taipei, Taiwan
November 3rd – 20th

Tokyo International Film Festival
Tokyo, Japan
October 23rd – 31st

American Film Festival
Worclaw, Poland
October 20th – 24th

BFI London Film Festival
London, UK
October 13th -28th

OK, Enough, Goodbye (Tayeb, Khalas, Yalla)
Summer 2010 Grantee

Directed by Rania Attieh and Daniel Garcia, this narrative feature follows the chain of events that unfold when a forty year-old man living with his elderly mother in Tripoli, Lebanon is suddenly abandoned by her.

Recently awarded a Cinereach grant towards its remaining post-production costs, OK, Enough, Goodbye had its world premiere at:

Abu Dhabi Film Festival
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
October 14th – 23rd

At the festival, OK, Enough Goodbye was awarded Best Narrative Film by a New Director from the Arab World!

War Don Don
2010 Cinereach Award

A feature documentary by Rebecca Richman Cohen that goes to the capital of Sierra Leone, where the United Nations soldiers guard a heavily fortified building known as the “special court.” Inside, Issa Sesay awaits his trial. With unprecedented access to prosecutors, defense attorneys, victims, and, from behind bars, Sesay himself, War Don Don puts international justice on trial for the world to see — finding that in some cases the past is not just painful, it is also opaque.

War Don Don was included in these festivals:

Bahamas International Film Festival
Nassau, Bahamas
December 1st – 5th

Amnesty International Film Festival
Vancouver, Canada
November 18th – 21st

Camden International Film Festival
Camden, Maine
September 30th – October 3rd

Rio International Film Festival
Rio, Brazil
September 23rd – October 7th

Also, visit the websites for the documentaries A Small Act, a Cinereach grantee in Summer 2009, and Gasland, supported through The Cinereach Project at Sundance Institute, to check for additional screenings throughout the US and beyond.