This selection of work told through the medium of film allows us to see interpretations of the world we live in through the creative lens of a filmmaker. These programs are meant to spark discussion about social issues while learning about the beauty, power and influence of digital storytelling.

THEME #1: The Black Experience on Film - BLM (67 minutes)

1. ONE SMALL STEP (United States): A nine-year-old girl attempts to juggle the responsibilities of school and her younger siblings after her mother goes missing.

2. ICE BREAKERS (Canada): Josh Crooks is a young, gifted African-Canadian hockey player in an overwhelmingly white sport. In its intimate story of transgenerational identity, Ice Breakers reveals the buried history of how Black athletes helped pioneer modern hockey, as Crooks discovers that his passion is tied to a remarkable heritage.

3. WE CAN’T BREATHE (United States): A young couple clashes in the wake of a racially charged murder committed by a police officer.

4. BE(LIE)F (United States): A newly promoted detective is assigned a murder case involving the death of a young black man, but he soon realizes his own personal beliefs may obstruct his devotion to justice.

5. MAHALIA MELTS IN THE RAIN (Canada): Mahalia, a timid nine-year-old black girl, feels different from the other girls in her ballet class. Hoping to boost her confidence, her mother brings her to the hair salon to get her hair straightened for the very first time.

SPEAKER SERIES: DRIFF director of programming, Kirk Cooper, interviews Quentin Lee Murphy, writer and lead actor of the film Be(lie)f. Quentin was trained at the New York Film Academy and the Stella Adler conservatory acting program.

THEME #2: The Environment and Sustainable Food (86 minutes)

1. SAVING GRAYLING (United States): The centennial valley in Montana holds one of the last endemic populations of Arctic Grayling in the lower 48. After 100 years of decline, and the looming threat of endangered status, Federal, State, and Non-Profit Agencies put their differences aside, embarking on an innovative scientific project to save the species.

2. SOCKEYE SALMON. RED FISH (Russia): Sockeye, a species of wild salmon, is born in Kamchatkan waters and spends its entire life in the Pacific Ocean. Only once does it return to fresh waters -- to give offspring, start the circle of life, and die. It is an inexhaustible resource that feeds billions of people on the planet, restored every year! But soon, we may find ourselves facing the unimaginable: humans exhausting the inexhaustible!

3. THIS GARDEN IS YOURS (Canada): Two urban farmers bring together their neighbours in an effort to construct a community greenhouse from scratch in "This Garden is Yours," a dreamy mixed-medium portrait exploring sustainability and safe spaces in cities.

4. THE FOOD WE EAT (United States): Trinidad -- home to the world's largest concentration of nesting leatherback turtles -- is where NY chef Trevor Kunk meets with local fishermen and conservationists to learn about the problem of sea turtle bycatch and to seek sustainable seafood solutions.

SPEAKER SERIES: Corinne Van Dusen interviews Carol Vandersanden and Michelle Perry the visonary figures responsible for the success of the community garden project featured in the film This Garden is Yours. They are also the sustaining forces behind the organization We Grow Food.

THEME #3: Isolation and Coping Strategies (89 minutes)

1. BEHIND THE HANDLE (Canada): Take a personal look into the lives of four social media influencers, and find out what it really takes to go viral. Influencers share their strategies and the highs and lows of what it means to be considered a social media “celebrity.”

2. THE GREAT DISCONNECT (Cayman Island): Despite Western advances in technology, living conditions, education and healthcare, we, as a society, are isolating ourselves from one another, and because of this, facing a health crisis that affects all ages, genders, races, and cultures.

3. I HOPE THEY REMEMBER MY NAME (Canada): Struggling with depression, a famous vlogger travels to Asia and documents his search for dopamine.

SPEAKER SERIES: Corinne Van Dusen interviews Patrick Weiers, talented writer, director, producer, editor and lead actor in the film, I Hope They Remember My Name, which is receiving international recognition.

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