Documentary Selection 2026
IN HER OWN WORDS
IN HER OWN WORDS
0:10:00
USA
Nicole Powers, Director & Producer
Elise Paschen, Key Cast
Before Scorsese’s film, before Grann’s book, there was a poem...
Elise Paschen: In Her Own Words is a documentary film which tells the intertwined stories of Osage poet Elise Paschen and her mother, New York City Ballet prima ballerina Maria Tallchief. It follows the Tallchief family from the Osage lands of Fairfax, Oklahoma to the world stage, from the Reign of Terror to the bestselling book and Oscar-nominated film Killers of the Flowers Moon — the title of which was inspired by a line in Paschen’s poem Wi’-gi-e. Through interview footage and archive photos, we trace Tallchief’s steps across the stage, and follow Paschen’s words as they dance across the page.
HOLDING COURT: Sapphic Voices
HOLDING COURT: Sapphic Voices
0:06:26
USA
Jen Cheng, Poet Laureate of West Hollywood, Director, Writer, Producer
Diana Yanez, Co-Producer
A documentary featuring poetry by award-winning sapphic poets.
(Sapphic poets are writers—ranging from ancient Greece to modern times—who explore themes of love, desire, intimacy, and relationships between women. Named after the ancient Greek poet Sappho of Lesbos,
c. 630–570 BC.)
FALL
The Climate Change Volumes
FALL
0:04:53
Hugo Sindelar, Director
Travis Truax, Writer
Andie Madsen, Editor
USA
The Climate Change Volumes are a series of four short poetic films that follow the changing seasons of the Mountain West. A collaboration between filmmakers Hugo Sindelar and Andie Madsen, and poet Travis Truax, the films ponder the transformations we are seeing in the mountains and their surrounding ecosystems as our climate warms. This film, Climate Change Volumes: Fall, ponders fall's delay as warmer summers extend and keep this transitory season from occurring during its normal time on our calendars.
Welcome to the Tenderloin
Welcome to The Tenderloin
0:04:21
USA
Paul Ghusar, Director
James Morehead, Writer, Producer
James Morehead, Key Cast
Welcome to the Tenderloin is a cinematic sestina, a poetry film that unravels the complex, resilient, and artistic soul of San Francisco's misunderstood Tenderloin district. Created by award-winning Filmmaker and San Francisco Bay Area Poet Laureate Emeritus James Morehead, the film challenges viewers to look beyond headlines, weaving historical and contemporary imagery to celebrate the spirit of the neighborhood and its people.
"Teslam Idek" Bless Your Hand
Teslem Idek (– Bless Your Hand)
0:04:21
Egypt
Teslem Idek (– Bless Your Hand) follows seven Londoners of third-culture backgrounds as they explore identity, home, and belonging — with their hands as both subject and author. Inspired by the Arabic phrase of gratitude, the film is a visually rich meditation on culture and expression, with the name Maryam threading through their stories and culminating in a dedication to a third Maryam killed while queuing for flour in Gaza.