2021 Online New England Film Festival Retrospective

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Holy Tortilla

Sep 2021

1998 | Directed by Lauren Ivy Chiong

A dash of magic realism, sprinkled with hope, and baked on faith. When a woman sees the face of Jesus in her tortilla, she begins a quest to prove that miracles really are possible in everyday life.

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The Blinking Madonna and Other Miracles

Sep 2021

1996 | Directed by Beth Harrington

Making ethnographic documentaries about her North End neighbors had allowed filmmaker Beth Harrington to keep her own background and beliefs at bay. But when she inadvertently videotapes a “miracle” with her camera, she has to wrestle with her past and what it means to believe and belong.

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The Commitment

Sep 2021

2012 | Directed by Albert M. Chan

Robert and Ethan are an interracial gay couple fulfilling their dream of adopting a newborn baby. After they meet the expectant Asian birthmother, however, they receive a surprise that threatens their own relationship.

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Repetition Compulsion

Sep 2021

1997 | Directed by Ellie Lee

An animated documentary about trauma & the cycles of abuse suffered by homeless women.

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FIBA Allow Hijab

Sep 2021

2017 | Directed by Jon Mercer and Tim O'Donnell

Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir is the all-time leading scorer in Massachusetts history for high school basketball (male or female). In 2010, she became the first NCAA Division I player to wear a hijab on the court. But today she is blocked from pursuing her professional basketball career due to a FIBA rule that bans headscarves in international competitions. Forced to sit out, Abdul-Qaadir is now leading the fight for Muslim women’s right to play.

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Celebration

Sep 2021

2002 | Directed by Daniel Stedman

An unexpected take on emerging from the closet with a deeper meaning about identity.

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My Father’s Story

Sep 2021

1998 | Directed by Mary Kocol

The story of what happened to the non-Jewish Poles during World War II is seldom heard. “My Father’s Story” is just one Polish voice -out of two and a half million people who were taken from their homes and placed into forced labor by the Nazis. This is the story of Romuald Kocol’s struggle, liberation by the Americans, and his emigration to the United States.

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Passive Aggressive Dads

Sep 2020

2019 | Directed by Jim Picariello

Two middle-aged dads just want to spend a quiet day with their daughters at the park. But when an obnoxious group of teens drive by, too fast and too loud, it spurs these aging, disgruntled dads into a self-righteous act of passive-aggression.

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Curls

Sep 2020

2019 | Directed by Sharon Contillo

A vulnerable little girl believes that her curly hair makes her ugly and that straight hair is ultimate beauty, must summon the courage to embrace her natural locks and accept her true self in order to be happy.

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Tea Time

Sep 2020

2020 | Directed by Tara Price

In this horror/comedy, featuring pro-wrestler Rob Van Dam (WWE Champion, ECW World Heavyweight Champion.), ​a little girl loses her temper and things get bloody during her tea party.