An Anthology of the Best New Music from Burundi, Part III: East African Express

Our last dispatch from the musical scene of Burundi, where genocide survivors, Christian youth ministers, and rural dwellers make fantastic music you know you want to dance to

Country: Burundi, Rwanda|

A Mesmerizing Walk through Chinookan Heritage and the Forests of the Pacific Northwest—‘maɬni—towards the ocean, towards the shore,’ dir. Sky Hopinka, 2020

An enchanting nonfiction exploration of Chinuk Wawa language, identity, and family that weaves together myth and personal experience from an innovative indigenous artist and filmmaker

Country: Chinook Nation, Ho-Chunk Nation, Native American tribes, Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians, USA, Water|

From Beslan hostage to hip-hop artist—Indi, ‘Perviy’, 2019

A survivor of the Beslan school siege and chronic illness creates soulful hip-hop about love, faith, and perseverance, blending Moscow moodiness with Caucasus mountains flair

Country: North Ossetia, Russia|

Documenting the Growing Pains of Gay Parenthood Over the Decade—‘Fatherhood Dreams’, 2007, and ‘My Dads, My Moms and Me‘, 2019, dir. Julia Ivanova

Soon after Canada legalized same-sex marriages, Julia Ivanova filmed four gay fathers realizing their liberties. She returned a decade later to see how the dads, their co-parents and kids were doing

The Exhausting Reality of Being on the Vanguard in the Fight for Trans and Sex Worker Rights in Brazil—‘Indianara’, dir. Marcelo Barbosa & Aude Chevalier-Beaumel, 2019

A consummate portrait of Brazilian organizer Indianara follows her through joy and pain, rites of passages, and a tense fight for the respect, inclusion, and protection of which her community is constantly robbed

The Voices of Women Reclaim Algerian History Through Colonization, Wars, and Personal Infractions—Assia Djebar, ’Fantasia: An Algerian Cavalcade,’ 1985, trans. Dorothy S. Blair

A linguistically ornate exercise exploring postcolonial history and identity, Assia Djebar’s account of her homeland is a monument to the country’s women and their heroic lives

Cy Gavin’s Incendiary Paintings Shed the Neon Light on the Dark Spots of Bermudian and American Histories

Excavating the past and applying creative scrutiny, this exciting young artist creates electric landscapes that give power to those hidden in the colonial reading of history

One Candidate’s Race for Office and Against the Disenfranchisement of Arab-Americans—‘Brooklyn Inshallah’, dir. Ahmed Mansour, 2018

A chronicle of a city council nomination campaign reveals complex truths about diversity, belonging and 9/11's traumatic heritage in Bay Ridge, one of NYC's most prominent Arab-American enclaves

A Parable For Humanity Plays Out Amidst Balkan Beehives in ‘Honeyland,’ dir. Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov, 2019

A luminous documentary about a female beekeeper, who seems to have found harmony with nature, becomes an allegory for humanity when extraneous forces threaten the fragile ecosystem

The Fierce and Tender Drag Legend of Lucha Libre—‘Cassandro, the Exótico!’, dir. Marie Losier, 2018

Glitter and queerness are not what most people expect from Mexican wrestling, yet they're what Cassandro dabbles in: meet him and the ghosts that haunt him in this breathtaking documentary

Cy Gavin’s Incendiary Paintings Shed the Neon Light on the Dark Spots of Bermudian and American Histories

Excavating the past and applying creative scrutiny, this exciting young artist creates electric landscapes that give power to those hidden in the colonial reading of history

The Little Old Lady Killer: Senior Citizen Against Chinatown Mob—‘Lucky Grandma’, dir. Sasie Sealy, 2019

Country: China, USA|

Packed with dark humor, visual delights, and action, this film is a diaspora gem with an incomparable heroine who defies all conventions you might have about cinematic portrayals of advanced age

Four Women Dance Innocence and Experience to the Choreography of Isadora Duncan’s Grief—‘Isadora’s Children’, dir. Damien Manivel, 2019

Country: France, South Korea|

A triptych in which different women reinterpret legendary dancer Isadora Duncan’s choreography she created after the death of her two small children

Women Who Contain Multitudes: An Intimate Look Into Living With Split Personalities—‘Busy Inside‘, dir. Olga Lvoff, 2019

Country: Russia, USA|

The mindblowing documentary showcases Dissociative Identity Disorder through the eyes of vulnerable young woman Marshay, therapist Karen Marshall, herself juggling 17 personalities, and others

Furries, Terraforming and a Drop of Romance in Mexican Artist’s Dark Sci-Fi—Geladaa, “Yiffing in Hell: Secret Reunion in Carfax Lodge”, 2015 and “Yiffing in Hell: (Not) Freak Squeal”, 2018

Country: Mexico|

Choose your own adventure in the surreal, fantastic fantasy world of the art comic books where dystopian scenes and curated soundtracks offer an unmatched immersive experience

The Exhausting Reality of Being on the Vanguard in the Fight for Trans and Sex Worker Rights in Brazil—‘Indianara’, dir. Marcelo Barbosa & Aude Chevalier-Beaumel, 2019

Country: Brazil|

A consummate portrait of Brazilian organizer Indianara follows her through joy and pain, rites of passages, and a tense fight for the respect, inclusion, and protection of which her community is constantly robbed

AFRICA

In Postwar Chad, Vengeance Is Served With Freshly Baked Bread, by a Boy With a Gun—‘Dry Season’, Dir. Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, 2006

Country: Austria, Belgium, Chad, France|

In the aftermath of the Chadian war, a young man looks to avenge his father's death but instead finds a father figure in this stunning parable about the humanity hiding beneath the scar tissue

A Senegalese Village, Swiss Drama and a Masterful Critique of Globalization From Senegal’s Finest Filmmaker—’Hyenas’, dir. Djibril Diop Mambéty, 1992

Country: France, Italy, Netherlands, Senegal, Switzerland, United Kingdom|

An anti-neocolonialist gem from legendary Mambéty: human nature and capitalist indoctrination are under scrutiny when a billionaire agrees to give money to her struggling hometown—on her terms

Fighting for Change, Against the Odds and with Each Other, a Look Into the DRC Protest Movement—‘Kinshasa Makambo’, dir. Dieudo Hamadi, 2018

Country: DR Congo, France, Germany, Norway, Qatar, Switzerland|

An incendiary documentary about three brave men at the forefront of the uprising against Joseph Kabila’s rule shows just how much the protest movements across the world have in common

Great Art Stays With You Even After You Die—The Fantasy Coffins of Ghanaian Legend Paa Joe

Country: Ga-Adangbe People, Ghana|

Rooted in the tradition of his Ga people, Paa Joe’s coffins are whimsical, yet concise impressions of their owners—and a staggering reimagining of what art and death really mean to us

ASIA

How a Cultural Appropriation Dispute Among ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Obsessed Artists Lead to a Celebration of the Many Indigenous Cultures of the Ex-Soviet Territories

Country: Azerbaijan, Bashkortostan, Belarus, Chuvashia, Crimean Karaites, Georgia, Hutsul People, Kalmykia, Kamchadals, Karelia, Kazakhstan, Komi, Kuban Cossacks, Kyrgyzstan, Mari El, Moldova, Mordovia, Nivkh People, Pontic Greeks, Roma, Russia, Sakha, Selkup People, Tatarstan, Tuva, Udmurtia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan|

In a wholesome display of Twitter de-escalation, Kazakh artists used the hashtag #AvatarSNG to shed light on the many cultures of CIS-countries and beyond

Small Business Owner Against the City Authorities in Pre-Epidemic Wuhan—‘City Dream’, dir. Weijun Chen, 2019

Country: China|

A close look at the law enforcement systems in the Chinese city of Wuhan through the story of a street vendor who decides to battle gentrification in a very flamboyant fashion

Worker Exploitation and Misogyny: Where the Real Looting Happens in the Retail Industry—’Made in Bangladesh’, dir. Rubaiyat Hossain, 2019

Country: Bangladesh, Denmark, France, Portugal|

A sizzling drama about a feminist uprising and union organizing at a garment factory in Dhaka puts the necessary spotlight on the exploitation of labor of which many consumers remain oblivious

Manga Bears, Latex Pigs and Tireless Activism in Japan’s Struggle for Equality and Queer Acceptance—‘Queer Japan’, dir. Graham Kolbeins, 2019

Country: Canada, Japan, USA|

A head-spinning tour of the many ways in which queerness manifests itself in Japan, from art-forms to infrastructure, from communities to mass media, made with affection for every featured voice

EUROPE

Four Women Dance Innocence and Experience to the Choreography of Isadora Duncan’s Grief—‘Isadora’s Children’, dir. Damien Manivel, 2019

Country: France, South Korea|

A triptych in which different women reinterpret legendary dancer Isadora Duncan’s choreography she created after the death of her two small children

A Long Distance Art Practice Is Here to Heal a World Where Families Are Split Apart By the Pandemic —‘Sister Octopi’, Natalya Konforti & Justine Formentelli

Country: France, Italy, UAE, United Kingdom, USA|

Two cousins separated by time zones and oceans create together to overcome shared trauma, lack of concrete roots and keep the family close-knit despite the distance

A Vulnerable Portrait of Girlhood Between Two Cultures Is a Searing Indictment of the Commercialization of Budding Sexuality— ‘Cuties,’ dir. Maïmouna Doucouré, 2020

Country: France, Senegal|

In a much-discussed coming-of-age comedy-drama, French filmmaker of Senegalese origin does not pull any punches while shedding light on the way cultural excesses harm those caught between them

A Searing, Claustrophobic Portrait of Family Homelessness in Ireland—’Rosie’, dir. Paddy Breathnach, 2018

Country: Ireland|

Based on a screenplay by Roddy Doyle, this film is as relevant as ever in the times of COVID economy and focuses on the hidden homelessness where families with kids are left without shelter

NORTH AMERICA

Furries, Terraforming and a Drop of Romance in Mexican Artist’s Dark Sci-Fi—Geladaa, “Yiffing in Hell: Secret Reunion in Carfax Lodge”, 2015 and “Yiffing in Hell: (Not) Freak Squeal”, 2018

Country: Mexico|

Choose your own adventure in the surreal, fantastic fantasy world of the art comic books where dystopian scenes and curated soundtracks offer an unmatched immersive experience

The Exhausting Reality of Being on the Vanguard in the Fight for Trans and Sex Worker Rights in Brazil—‘Indianara’, dir. Marcelo Barbosa & Aude Chevalier-Beaumel, 2019

Country: Brazil|

A consummate portrait of Brazilian organizer Indianara follows her through joy and pain, rites of passages, and a tense fight for the respect, inclusion, and protection of which her community is constantly robbed

The Transformative Power of Native American Art—‘Love and Fury’, dir. Sterlin Harjo, 2020

Country: Arapaho Nation, Arikara People, Cherokee Nation, Cheyenne Nation, Chicano People, Chickasaw Nation, Choctaw Nation, Colville Tribes, Crow People, Delaware Tribe of Indians, Diné Nation, Hidatsa People, Iñupiat People, Kānaka Maoli, Kiowa People, Lakota People, Mandan People, Muscogee People, Nez Perce People, Ojibwe People, Osage Nation, Pawnee People, Seminole Nation, Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate, Swinomish People, Tlingit People, White Mountain Apache Tribe, Yup’ik People|

A documentary collage of indigenous artists from various nations and tribes in North America offers a deeply personal look into their creative processes and the barriers they’ve faced throughout their careers

An Enlightening Journey to the Heart of Mezcal and Tequila Production—‘Agave: The Spirit of a Nation’, dir. Nick Kovacic & Matthew Riggieri, 2018

Country: Mexico, USA|

Through portraits of three distillers and a thorough exploration of their process, this gorgeous documentary shows the role of mezca in Mexico’s economy, society, and environmental landscape

OCEANIA

The Glitz and Gravity of Australian Indigenous Drag—‘Black Divaz’, dir. Adrian Russell Wills, 2018

Country: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, Australia, Biripi People, Dunghutti People, Iwaidja People, Malak Malak People, Tiwi Islands, Torres Strait Islands|

A dazzling, empathic film follows six drag queens competing in Australia's inaugural Miss First Nations contest, as they find empowerment and share vulnerabilities

Carved Bamboo Canes as Ritual Objects and a Form of Writing in Kanak Artist’s Revival of Melanesian Heritage

Country: Kanak People, Melanesian People, New Caledonia|

Bamboo canes with intricate designs had been made by the Indigenous New Caledonians for generations. Micheline Néporon is adapting the technique to link the heritage of her ancestors to the future

There Are No Bad Kids, Just Bad Approaches to Them—‘In My Blood It Runs’, dir. Maya Newell, 2019

Country: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, Arrernte, Australia, Garrwa People|

A stunning documentary about a gifted unruly child decries the imperialist methods of education and punitive discipline in place in Australia. Its subject matter, however, is ubiquitous

Film: Judas Collar, dir. Alison James, 2018

Country: Australia|

Look at the consequences of human interference with the camel populations of Australia in this powerful women-made narrative short that is currently contending for the Oscars' shorts nomination

SOUTH AMERICA

Disaffected Youth, Colonization and the Spirit-Ridden Forrests of the Amazon—‘The Dead and the Others’, dir. João Salaviza & Renée Nader Messora, 2018

Country: Brazil, Ge people, Indigenous Peoples of the Americas, Kraho people, Portugal|

A coming-of-age story set in a Krahô people reservation shows the double bind of alienation that an indigenous young man has to grapple with as he becomes the man of the house

Trans Body as a Weapon: The Personal and the Political In Gender Insurgency—‘Bixa Travesty/Tranny Fag’, dir. Claudia Priscilla & Kiko Goifman, 2018

Country: Brazil|

A riveting showcase of Linn da Quebrada, an Afro-Brazilian trans rap star from the favela, who dismantles racism, the binary and the patriarchy with her militant music, performances, and life

Brilliance, Blackness, and Brutality of Brazilian Revolutionary Hero—The ‘Marighella,’ dir. Wagner Moura, 2019

Country: Brazil|

A powerful portrait of a man who tried to take down the Brazilian Military Dictatorship is necessary viewing on the question of violent resistance

A Shy Girl, Her Shy Dad, and the Tempests That Rage Within— ‘Alba’, dir. Ana Cristina Barragán, 2016

Country: Ecuador, Greece, Mexico|

A debut feature offers an incomparable exploration of the growing pains of femininity in a searing story about a pre-adolescent girl who is sent to live with her estranged—and very strange father

Abkhazia	Congo-Brazzaville	Indonesia	New Zealand	Spain
Afghanistan	Costa Rica	Iran	Nicaragua	Sri Lanka
Albania	Côte d’Ivoire	Iraq	Niger	Sudan
Algeria	Croatia	Ireland	Nigeria	Suriname
Andorra	Cuba	Israel	Niue	Sweden
Angola	Cyprus	Italy	North Korea	Switzerland
Antigua-and-Barbuda	Czech Republic	Iwaidja People	North Ossetia	Syria
Argentina	Dagestan	Jamaica	Norway	Taiwan
Armenia	Denmark	Japan	Oman	Tajikistan
Arrernte	Dominica	Jordan	Pakistan	Tamil Nadu
Aruba	Dominican Republic	Kanak People	Palestine	Tanzania
Australia	DR Congo	Karelia	Panama	Tatarstan
Austria	Dunghutti People	Kashmir	Papua New Guinea	Thailand
Azerbaijan	Ecuador	Kazakhstan	Paraguay	Tibet
Bahamas	Eelam Tamil	Kenya	Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians	Timor-Leste
Bahrain	Egypt	Kosovo	Peru	Tiwi Islands
Balochistan	El Salvador	Kurdistan	Philippines	Togo
Bangladesh	Estonia	Kyrgyzstan	Poland	Tonga
Barbados	Eswatini	Laos	Portugal	Torres Strait Islands
Bashkortostan	Ethiopia	Latvia	Puerto Rico	Transnistria
Belarus	Faroe Islands	Lebanon	Qatar	Trinidad and Tobago
Belgium	Fiji	Liberia	Rapa Nui	Tunisia
Belize	Finland	Libya	Reunion	Turkey
Benin	France	Lithuania	Roma	Turkmenistan
Bermuda	French Guiana	Luxembourg	Romania	Tuvalu
Bhutan	Gabon	Macedonia	Russia	Uganda
Biripi People	Gambia	Madagascar	Rwanda	Ukraine
Bolivia	Garifuna Nation	Malak Malak People	Saint Kitts and Nevis	United Kingdom
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Garrwa People	Malawi	Saint Lucia	Uruguay
Botswana	Georgia	Malaysia	Saint Vincent and The Grenadines	USA
Brazil	Germany	Mali	Samoa	Uyghur Nation
Brunei	Ghana	Malta	San Marino	Uzbekistan
Bulgaria	Golan Heights	Māori	Sao Tome and Principe	Vanuatu
Burkina Faso	Greece	Martinique	Saudi Arabia	Venezuela
Burundi	Greenland	Mauritania	Scotland	Vietnam
Buryatia	Grenada	Mauritius	Senegal	Wales
Cabo Verde	Guatemala	Mexico	Serbia	Wallis and Futuna
Cambodia	Guinea	Moldova	Sierra Leone	Water
Cameroon	Guyana	Monaco	Singapore	Yemen
Canada	Haida Gwaii	Morocco	Slovakia	Yöruk People
Central African Republic	Haiti	Mozambique	Slovenia	Zambia
Chad	Ho-Chunk Nation	Myanmar	Solomon Islands	Zimbabwe
Chile	Honduras	Namibia	Somalia
China	Hong Kong	Native American Tribes	South Africa
Chinook Nation	Hungary	Nepal	South Korea
Colombia	Iceland	Netherlands	South Ossetia
Comoros	India	New Caledonia	South Sudan

ISSUES