Wild salmon are on the verge of extinction despite a herculean effort by government agencies, big business, and tax payer-funded schemes. While it was originally thought that farm-raised salmon were the cure, it turns out that a myriad of issues (including weakened genetic makeup and aggressive farm-raised fish who battle and overtake their naturally-raised brethren for territory) have been a bigger disruption to the ecosystem than ever imagined. Now the alarm is being raised by environmentalists, tribal elders, and fishermen: the issues and frustrations facing fishing communities worldwide can no longer be ignored, and action must be taken before it's too late. As a town that is also confronting issues of watershed restoration, the topics tackled here are alarmingly relevant to Traverse City's own waterways.

The highest-grossing Middle Eastern film of all time, which earned both an Oscar nomination and a 15-minute standing ovation at Cannes (fifth-longest in the history of the festival, our founder holds the #2 spot), has now come to TCFF. This immensely powerful story opens with Zain, a 12-year-old boy serving a five-year sentence in a Beirut prison for stabbing someone. Zain has decided to sue his parents, and when a judge asks him to explain why, he says, “Because I was born.” Then in flashback, Zain’s stunning tale unfolds, showing his life of neglect in the Beirut slums, and his failed attempts to save his young sister from being given away in marriage to a much older man. Capernaum, which translates to “chaos” in Arabic, is not the easiest watch, but it is a captivating and unforgettable one, moving audiences to tears and applause all over the world.

All families have secrets, but as this endearingly sweet and wonderfully funny documentary proves, the Masons have a secret that is a little more shocking than most. Karen and Barry are an adorable, straight-as-an-arrow married couple raising three children, taking them to the synagogue on Sundays, and managing a small business known as Circus of Books. Thing is, their quaint bookstore just so happens to be one of the biggest distributors of gay porn in the country. Told through the loving but honest perspective of their daughter Rachel, the film unabashedly explores the evolution of not just the business, which began as a small venture and grew to become an LA epicenter for gay culture, but also of her parents themselves. Striving to compartmentalize her faith with her growing involvement in the LGBTQ community, Karen is a complex and often hilarious subject as she nonchalantly sorts through boxes of adult toys and intimate apparel. Capturing the bittersweet emotional strife and contr

As any good detective knows, when you go to solve a mystery you usually end up uncovering more questions than answers, which is exactly the case for Danish journalist and filmmaker Mads Brügger in this fascinating and provocative documentary. The subject of his investigation is the mysterious 1961 plane crash carrying United Nations Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld, a landmark event that has been dogged by conspiracy theories ever since. Intent on finding the truth, the charismatic Brügger manages to dig up compelling evidence, from witnesses to photographs, that point to a far-reaching assassination plot directed at a man who advocated for the Congo’s independence against the wishes of powerful Western governments. A deviously intriguing and sometimes disturbing trip down a rabbit hole, it will have you questioning the truth until the very last frame.

Could systemic poverty be one reason for the uneven survival rates of people affected by natural disasters? What if we addressed poverty as a preemptive check on the effects of such a disaster? That’s the central idea explored in this explosive exposé of the disaster relief industry and the people in charge of it. Using the 1995 Chicago heat wave (wherein 738 mostly urban, elderly, and poor residents were killed over five days in July), as a jumping-off point, and addressing other catastrophic events like Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy—as well as the inevitable environmental disasters to come, due to the effects of climate change—filmmaker Judith Helfand explains how we could and should be addressing the most preventable aspect of natural disasters before they ever even happen.

Iconic 1960s supermodel Benedetta—muse to the likes of Wahrol, Dali, and Avedon— spent her life in front of the camera. But now, at the age of 75, she wants nothing more than to disappear; the radical feminist has become fed up with all the roles and descriptions that were forced upon her. But her son Beniamino has other ideas in mind, wanting to make a movie about his mother despite his unwilling subject. Perhaps as a misguided act of love and affection, perhaps as an attempt at liberation, he continues to film his reluctant and poignantly relatable protagonist to tumultuous and revealing results. Engrossing and perplexing, this tender and poetic look at a mother and son gives us a complex portrait of a woman staring down, with unflinching resolve, the oppression of the male gaze.

An astonishing look into motherhood and the female experience of war, this is one of those movies we promise will change you forever. For five years Waad al-Kateab kept her camera on, documenting her life and those around her as activists in Aleppo. Part diary, part love letter to her daughter, this poignant film follows al-Kateab’s beginnings as a hopeful student protester, to her falling in love, getting married, and having her first child, all while conflict rises around her. Capturing extraordinarily heroic and devastatingly gut-wrenching moments, it’s an on-the-ground experience that's jury and audience awards for Best Doc at SXSW, were just the beginning of its many accolades. We know it will win your heart, too, just as sure as it will break it. In Person: Waad al-Kateab.

For decades, Hollywood proved unable to turn the crazy saga of John DeLorean into a movie. But it turns out the best way to get it to the big screen was as a documentary, just with a movie star in the lead role. That’s right, in this unique blending of interviews and reenactments, Alec Baldwin stars as John DeLorean, the superstar businessman who embodied the dark side of the American Dream in the 1980s. Fresh off huge success with GM (remember when nothing was cooler than a GTO?), DeLorean boldly set out to run his own car company before an epic fall from grace involving shady financial dealings and an infamous FBI drug bust brought his visionary automotive dream to a screeching halt. It’s one of the ultimate stranger-than-fiction stories, somehow evoking Steve Jobs, James Bond, and Elizabeth Holmes all in one larger-than-life figure—and it’s perfectly captured by this clever film that will expand your notions of what documentaries can be.

Two of TCFF’s favorite storytellers, Jeff Daniels and Timothy Busfield, have come together to create this engaging and smart film about the beauty and peril of being an artist. Jaded Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Joseph Harris (Jeff Daniels) has a career that’s tanked so badly the only paying gig his agent can find is a new commissioned work for a small town theater in Michigan. It’s there that the alcoholic has-been meets his biggest fan—aspiring playwright Kenneth Waters (Thomas Macias) who still believes in the magic of the page and the stage—and the clash between bitter experience and idealistic dreaming ensues. Pairing Daniels' fiery screenplay (adapted from his own stage play) with Busfield’s dynamic directing, the film brilliantly weaves together humor and drama, darkness and light, wisdom and innocence. A true labor of love for family and home, the film is produced by Melissa Gilbert, another TCFF favorite, with stunning cinematography by Willy Busfield and music by Ben Dan

A riveting, hybrid docu-narrative that personalizes the struggles faced by the undocumented in this country, The Infiltrators is an unlikely blend of activism and suspense that makes a compelling case for the abolishment of ICE. Instead of fleeing in the other direction, members of the National Immigrant Youth Alliance purposely get themselves detained. Once inside a for-profit transitional center in Florida they work to help others, and document injustice while never losing sight of the human suffering caused by an inhumane system that separates families and imprisons people without trials. This hyper-captivating film keeps you on your toes, highlighting the courage and tenacity of young adults and reminding us the immigration issues that plague our country pre-date the current president and speak to the indelible stain of racism that infects our history and policy. Scheduled to Appear: Directors Cristina Ibarra, Alex Rivera.

This chilling thriller based on real events is a dark submersion into the depths of toxic masculinity and the horrors of war. Based on his award-winning doc of the same name, filmmaker Dan Krauss returns to the Maywand District murders, in which a unit of US soldiers murdered Afghan civilians and staged their corpses to look like insurgents. The story centers on Staff Sergeant Deeks, a charismatic sociopath (played with eerie perfection by Alexander Skarsgård) who orchestrates the murders as it were a game of capture the flag, and Private Andrew Briggman (Nat Wolff), a soldier torn between numbing himself into complacency and being brave enough to report what's happening. It’s a riveting and provocative look at how soldiers are pushed to dehumanize the enemy. In Person: Director Dan Krauss.

If you want to see what true perseverance looks like check out this inspiring, edge-of-your-seat adventure story that has all the makings of a Hollywood movie but is actually 100% true. Tracy Edwards grew up dreaming about working on sailboats, but the reality of the male-dominated sailing world in the 1980s was no one would hire her on deck except as a cook. Determined to prove she could do anything, she set her sights on assembling the first all-female crew to enter the Whitbread Round the World Race in 1989. Laughed at by professionals, seen by the media as a puff story (some yachting press even took bets on how quickly they’d fail), and deemed too much of a risk by potential sponsors (how would it look if they died?), Edwards and the crew of Maiden faced just as much adversity on land as they did on sea, but nevertheless they persisted. This expertly crafted documentary combines firsthand footage shot from the race, along with interviews with the women (and even some of jeering me

In both his narrative films and his documentaries, legendary filmmaker Werner Herzog has always focused on people that live abnormal, often dangerous lives, be it volcanologists, Antarctic researchers, or 16th century conquistadors. Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, now 87, might not initially seem like one of these figures but, really, what job could be more dangerous than attempting to end the Cold War? As always, Herzog digs deep into the psychology of his subject, and over the course of three interviews, he figures out what makes Gorbachev tick. Given all that’s happening in the world, 2019 might seem like an odd time to spotlight a long-retired Russian leader. But in this engrossing, humanistic portrait, Herzog illuminates why Gorbachev—who led his people away from fascism and toward peaceful resolutions—is worthy of study now more than ever.

This taut psychological drama steeped in the lush 1960s world of suburbia delivers a refreshing new twist on the Hitchcockian-style thriller. Alice and Celine aren’t just neighbors: they’re best friends, sharing their joys and sorrows as well as a lovely villa that’s been turned into a duplex. Their lives are inseparable and perfect: their hard-working husbands get along swimmingly and even their little boys are best friends. But when tragedy befalls one of the children, the notion of love thy neighbor as thyself gets put to a grim test, as paranoia and guilt threatens both families. With exquisite production design, gorgeous costumes, and impeccable casting, this electrifying exploration of motherhood and friendship will have you on the edge of your seat, and possibly side-eyeing your neighbor.

Sometimes the largest cities are also the most difficult places to make genuine human connections, and this is especially true in Mumbai, where class divisions seemingly dictate everything. Enter Rafi, a poor street photographer whose chance meeting with the lonely, curious Miloni comes at the perfect time. For the sake of an impending visit from his frail grandmother, Rafi asks Miloni to pretend they’re in a relationship. She agrees to play along, intrigued for the opportunity to escape her own sense of isolation. But will this coupling remain a temporary ruse, or evolve into something more? Writer/director Ritesh Batra, whose film The Lunchbox was a 2014 TCFF favorite, returns to the festival with this beautiful, patient look at how love and connection can bloom in the most unexpected of situations, and bridge the space between us.

“Less, but better” is the mantra of Dieter Rams, the iconic German product designer that you probably haven’t heard of by name but no doubt you've interacted with one of his designs. Ever use an Oral-B toothbrush or a Braun coffeemaker? That’s Rams. And not only has his eye for design and working philosophy influenced designers and companies for the past sixty years, his success has caused him to call into question the very nature of product design itself. Directed by Gary Hustwit (Helvetica, TCFF 2008), Rams offers a rare inside look at one of the people most influential to our daily lives, told with the same minimalism Rams himself championed.

This could be the most powerful and effecting film you will see all year. In this raw and unflinching personal narrative, director Sasha Joseph Neulinger explores the vile and vicious cycle of childhood abuse that has plagued his family for generations. Through remarkable home video footage taken by his camera obsessed father and later Sasha himself, we see for ourselves, with all too heartbreaking clarity, as Sasha goes from a freckled, vivacious little boy who loved everyone and everything, to an angry and withdrawn young man, and the mystery behind his suffering unravels . This uncommonly brave film is a moving exploration of how deeply abuse affects children and reframes their world. And there's also the heroism in Sasha's story—and his ongoing work to improve how the criminal justice system handles abuse cases —that offers us an unforgettable portrait of healing. In Person: Sasha Joseph Neulinger.

Out of Toronto's scandal over Rob Ford's megalomania mayorship run amok (a haunting prelude of the things to come in the States, perhaps?), comes this whip-smart, rapid-fire, political sizzler that delivers all the Aaron Sorkin vibes you want. Bram (Ben Platt, Pitch Perfect) is eager to prove himself a journalist. He's just landed a dream job, but he's stuck writing clickbaity listicles... that is until he stumbles upon the lurid truth of the mayor’s shady personal life. Following both Bram's efforts to chase down the story and the young bright minds in Ford's office actually running things—including Kamal (Mena Massoud, who you might’ve caught as the star in Disney's Aladdin), an immigrant who's worked tirelessly to claim a position of power in the administration—this tense and ambitious journalistic thriller features a rock solid cast (Damian Lewis, Jennifer Ehle, and Scott Speedman to name a few), dark comedic notes, timely themes, and relevant questions.

In 1956, before the Berlin Wall was built, and passage between East and West Germany was less restrictive, two East Berlin teens decide to catch a movie on the other side of the city. When they see a western newsreel that has a decidedly different take on the Hungarian Revolution than the coverage on their state-sanctioned news agencies, it leads them to organize a moment of silence among their classmates as a tribute to those brutally put down by the Soviet regime. What they couldn’t know though was this act of teenage defiance has far-reaching consequences both inside and outside their classroom, empowering and endangering nearly everyone they know. Based on true events, this powerful film helps explain how every act (especially in a totalitarian society) is an inherently political one. And that courage is perhaps the greatest lesson of all.

Maybe the defining ethical quagmire of our time is the refugee crisis, and the question of what we, as humans, owe in terms of aid and resources to those attempting to flee dangerous circumstances. These issues are powerfully explored in Styx, which is ominously titled after the mythical river that separates us from hell. It begins with Rike, a German doctor enjoying a solo sailing holiday off the Spanish coast. When she encounters a slowly sinking boat packed with African refugees, she immediately calls the Coast Guard, who assure her they’ll handle it and forbid her from interfering. But they don’t show, and Rike’s Hippocratic Oath is compelling her to help even though there are more refugees than could possibly fit on her sailboat. What should she do? There are no easy answers in Styx, which will haunt you long after its aching conclusion.

A hapless production assistant turned unexpected writer for his uncle’s Palestinian soap opera (the titular Tel Aviv on Fire, set during the Six Day War), Salam finds himself in an awkward situation when a border guard at a checkpoint he crosses daily learns of his profession and begins to not-so-subtley demand some pro-Israeli storyline changes be implemented to improve the show. With Salam caught in the middle between the show's Palestinian financiers and his unwanted new writing partner, what could possibly go wrong? Winning the Audience Award at the Seattle International Film Festival, this hilariously biting yet breezy satire from Palestinian director Sameh Zoabi, challenges our ideas about where comedy comes from and with its insight into the young Palestinian mindset, gives us more hope for peace that perhaps any Oslo Accord ever could.

“Don’t you know who I am?” It’s a cliche line of dialogue in countless movies, but for the victims of powerful Hollywood abuser Harvey Weinstein it was a chilling threat that still acts as a trigger. This arresting and hard-hitting documentary gives ample voice to many of those victims, as well as interviews with former colleagues, painting the most complete portrait to date of a man who represents a toxic system still being dismantled. Following his rising career championing independent and foreign films, filmmaker Ursula Macfarlane traces how Weinstein became so “untouchable,” explores how others were complicit in hiding his horrendous acts, and, most affectingly, highlights the remarkable women who bravely reported the truth, helping to galvanize the #MeToo movement. The sad truth is that the work is nowhere near done, but this impressive film helps to shed some light on why we must topple the Harvey Weinsteins of the world.

After the passing of his wife and collaborator Jean-Claude, inimitable environmental artist Christo (he of The Gates in Central Park) finally commences work on a long-gestating project that will invite visitors to Italy's picturesque Lake Iseo to experience the sensation of walking on water. An epic undertaking that involves building floating walkways spanning over 1.9 miles, the process of bringing this magnificent vision to life is chronicled in director Andrey Paounov's documentary that delightfully reveals an irascible genius at work—tantrums and all. Taking you behind the scenes of this daunting feat of logistics and planning, you'll enjoy a taste of what it was like to see this impermanent artwork in person—to not only behold the surreal and transfixing beauty of this remarkable achievement, but to also feel a bit of the joy. And it is the joy that will most stay with you—the joy of creation, of artistic expression, and of a dream realized.

This poignant vérité-style documentary goes beyond the clickbait headlines to reveal an intimate look at Chelsea Manning, the former soldier who in 2010 uploaded thousands of documents to WikiLeaks, disclosing to the world that war crime atrocities were occurring in Iraq. The film picks up Manning's story just as she’s been pardoned by President Obama, having served seven of her thirty-five year prison sentence. Considering her roles as whistleblower, trans woman, and activist, the film follows her for two years, unravelling her complicated and sometimes harrowing history and wondering what's next in her uncertain future. As layered as the person it examines, this fascinating doc delivers a tense and emotional perspective of a public figure who has been revered, reviled, and most especially misunderstood.

This collection of shorts shines a light on young people who are on their way to changing the world. In Lowland Kids, the last two teenagers on a drowning island off the coast of Louisiana hope their story will wake others up to the imminent dangers of climate change. Sweetheart Dancers is the story of a Two-Spirit couple determined to erase the underlying homophobia still present in Native American culture by being the first gay couple to participate in a nationwide “Sweetheart Dance." Female sumo wrestling champion Hiyori attempts to change the sport forever by simply beating men at their own game in Little Miss Sumo. Learning To Skateboard In A Warzone (If You’re A Girl) is a story of young Afghan girls learning to read, write, and skateboard in a part of the world where many young women are not allowed outside. Follow the teen journalists at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas school newspaper as they battle their grief while writing a memorial issue in the weeks after a mass shooting in