HOLDING GROUND (short film block)

Friday, September 19th, 10am
Memorial Hall Main Theater
Total Runtime: 89m 47s

The Last Skiers dir. Veronica Ciceri
Thomasville dir. Alex Woodruff
Neches dir. Katy McCarthy
Cross the Valley dir. Camilo Idrobo
The Last Dance dir. Hayden Mclean
Don’t Cry For Me All You Drag Queens dir. Kristal Sotomayor
Brand New dir. Quincy Ledbetter, Denzel Whitaker

There is power in a place. Life goes on, and as we grow, our relationships with places can help define us just as much as they can make us reckon with our past.

A person holds printed photos of mountains and a snowy ski slope, with a mountain range in the background.

The Last Skiers

Directed by: Veronica Ciceri

A precious statement on the fragility of nature, told by a generation of Italian skiers who have seen the slopes they learned to ski on turn into arid, yellow hills.

Runtime: 11:26

A man with dark curly hair and facial hair looking through a car window at night, illuminated by red and blue lights.

Thomasville

Directed by: Alex Woodruff

A heart-wrenching psychodrama exploring the complex nature of Black legacy in Atlanta. Trapped in a rainswept car, a young man and his ailing father confront their fractured history before it's too late.

Runtime: 13:07

Neches

A woman wearing a large sun hat and blue shirt standing outdoors among trees during sunset or sunrise.

Directed by: Katy McCarthy

An older woman experiences a quiet telepathy with the Neches River.

Runtime: 8:37

Person wearing a gas mask and a patterned blanket or shawl, standing outdoors in a cold, overcast environment, looking at a phone or device.

Cross the Valley

Directed by: Camilo Idrobo

After nuclear disaster, an immigrant to the now-devastated United States experiences dreams and apparitions about his home.

Runtime: 9:03

A man sitting at a cluttered desk in a dimly lit room, back leaning against the chair, with a relaxed posture, and one foot resting on the desk. The room has a picture on the wall, a coat rack with a hat and coat, and a small lamp on a side table.

The Last Dance

Directed by: Hayden Mclean

When Fox’s "LA Bar" is hit with a compulsory purchase order, a cornerstone of Caribbean life in 90's East London is threatened. As the city begins to forget, the community remembers. In defiance and longing, a last dance ignites—one that will be remembered for the ages.

Runtime: 16:39

Historical photo of a wedding ceremony featuring a woman in a traditional dress and large hat, surrounded by men dressed in white tuxedos, outdoors with trees in the background.

Don’t Cry for Me All You Drag Queens

Directed by: Kristal Sotomayor

"Don’t Cry For Me All You Drag Queens" pays homage to the legendary Mother Cavallucci by weaving together the present and past to provide a striking portrait of belonging and memory.

Runtime: 9:00

Brand New

Close-up of a person's nose blowing out smoke or vapor with blue and orange bokeh lights in the background.

Directed by: Quincy Ledbetter, Denzel Whitaker

When a newly famous music producer visits his hometown, he battles the guilt of abandoning his past and the bitterness of an old friend.

Runtime: 21:56