2022 LANE DOC FEST
Official Selections and Winners

Congratulations to all the filmmakers....

2022

Lifetime Achievement Award

Michael Schultz

Michael Schultz’s career spans five decades in theater, film and television. He was a founding member of the world-famous Negro Ensemble Company, the renowned off-Broadway theater group that was the training ground for Pulitzer Prize winning playwrights and countless actors of quality. His first off-Broadway production, Song of the Lusitanian Bogey, earned him an OBIE Award for Best Director. His first play on Broadway, Does A Tiger Wear A Necktie? earned him a Tony nomination and a Tony Award for its star, Al Pacino.
This recognition led to his first feature film directing assignment on the acclaimed To be Young, Gifted, and Black. As a feature filmmaker, Schultz helmed the 1970s classics Cooley High, Car Wash, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Last Dragon, Krush Groove and many more. Car Wash won two awards at the 1977 Cannes Film Festival, for Best Music and the Jury Prize for Exceptional Technique. The 1980s saw him discovering talents like Denzel Washington, LL Cool J and Blair Underwood. 
In the 1990s, Schultz directed many network telefilms and several two-hour movies for George Lucas’ Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. His episodic series credits include Picket Fences, The Practice, Boston Public, Ally McBeal, Touched By An Angel, JAG, The Gilmore Girls, and The O.C. More recently, he has directed episodes of Lincoln Heights, October Road, Brothers & Sisters, Dirty, Sexy Money, and Women’s Murder Club. Schultz also produced and directed the Warner Bros. series Everwood. His most recent feature film, Woman Thou Art Loosed, won the Best Film award from The American Black Film Festival and the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, as well as a directing honor from The Black Reel Awards.
A DGA member since 1973, Michael Schultz has served as a co-chair of the Guild’s African American Steering Committee and was an alternate on the Western Directors Council from 1993-94.
Source: DGA
IMDB Link – Michael Schultz
Thank you for your participations...

2022 AWARD GALA SHOW

September 17, 2022, 4 PM @LANE COLLEGE, TENNESSEE

FESTIVAL SPECIAL AWARD - FEATURE

"EXILE"

Directed By: Violet Columbus, Ben Klein
When Christine finds a box of old film reels in storage, she rediscovers an unfinished project she began in 1989: a documentary about a group of Chinese dissidents who sought asylum in the United States following the Tiananmen Square massacre.
Christine decides to revive this project, traveling to Taiwan, Maryland, and Paris in order to reconnect with three prominent leaders of the Chinese democracy movement. Her new interviews with the exiles bleed into her original archival footage, as we cut back and forth between 1989 and the present day. The exiles reflect on the decisions that changed the course of their lives forever, while Christine begins to wonder if releasing this film will force her into an exile of her own.
Amidst a worldwide surge in authoritarianism and new crackdowns on democracy that eerily echo the events of 1989, Christine reckons with the historic implications of her film. Determined not to let an important piece of history slip away, Christine commits to placing free speech above her own agency, regardless of the cost.

FESTIVAL SPECIAL AWARD - SHORT

"THE FLOW"

Directed By: Yulia Pikhotska
Anxiety is felt around, everyone is waiting for war. Soon the full-scale russian invasion of Ukraine begins, so the author returns home.
Here the war is an echo of the main battles. And it turns life into a flow that can stop at any moment, and the fear from childhood becomes a reality. But the flow will continue.

BLACK HISTORY - FEATURE

FINALISTS:
• African Apocalypse – Rob Lemkin (United Kingdom)
• Between Fire and Water – Viviana Gomez Echeverry (Columbia)
• Citizen Ashe – Sam Pollard, Rex Miller (USA)
• Little Satchmo – John Alexander (USA)
• Moving History – Jennifer East (USA)
• This Is Love – John Alexander (USA)
• Wade in the Water: A journey into Black surfing and Aquatic Culture – David Mesfin (USA)
• Why We Walk – Eric Bishop (USA)
 
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS:
• Dear Jackie – Henri Pardo (Canada)
• Leaders of Madison’s Black Renaissance – Jeremy Patrick Nichols, Charles Andrew Taylor (USA)
• Little Satchmo -John Alexander (USA)
• Sami´s Odysseys – Robin Dimet (France)
• The Africologist: Chronicles of Africa – Valerio Lopes (Cape Verde)
• The Sun Rises in The East – Tayo Giwa (USA)
• The Voice Behind The Wall – Gideon Breytenbach, Riku Lätti (South Africa)
• Ulysses from Ghana – Bernd Alde (Spain)
• Victoria – Sofie Benoot (Belgium)
WINNER:
“Little Satchmo” – John Alexander (USA)
To the world, Louis Armstrong is iconic — a symbol of musical genius, unparalleled success, and unassailable character.
To Sharon, he was simply Dad.
Armstrong’s wholesome, non-threatening image preserved his singular career as a black performer with unfettered access to a white man’s world. Yet he was more than a caricature; he had desires, he had longings, and in private, he held tightly to the things he loved. Perhaps closest to his heart was a child whom he hid from the world: a daughter sworn to a life of secrecy until now.

BLACK HISTORY - SHORT

FINALISTS:
• On the Pulse of Life – Jessica Jones (USA)
• Queen – Franco Vasconcelos (USA)
• The BLACK Christs. Far From Justice – Monica Manganelli (USA)
 
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS:
• Marsh Clouds: the oysters of Harris Neck – Kevin Mannens (USA)
• My Skin Is Not A Sin – Eric Bendross (USA)
• Why I Stay – Bandeja Anastasie Munir (USA)
WINNER:

“On the Pulse of Life” – Jessica Jones (USA)

Dive into the birth justice moment in Alameda County, California, where Black babies are less than half as likely to survive as white babies, fighting for a future where “the first few breaths of life” are equally precious for all.

HUMANITY - FEATURE

FINALISTS:
• A Long Journey Home – Wenqian Zhang (China)
• A Thousand Fires – Saeed Taji Farouky (France)
• AI La | Artificial Intelligence La – Carlo Christian Spano (China)
• Bosco – Alicia Cano Menoni (Uruguay)
• Clean Slate – Jared Callahan (USA)
• Courage – Aliaksei Paluyan (Germany)
• Dealing with Death – Paul Sin Nam Rigter (France)
• Finding Courage – Kay Rubacek (USA)
• Generation Z – Joyce A Jones (USA)
• North By Current – Angelo Madsen Minax (USA)
• Redeemable Son – Imani Mfalme Shu’la (USA)
• Sell/Buy/Date – Sarah Jones
• The Birth of Resonance – Jeong-jun Lee (South Korea)
• The Pacifist – Gertrud Woker: The Forgotten Heroine – Fabian Chiquet, Matthias Affolter (USA)
• Through the Night – Loira Limbal (USA)
• Try Harder! – Debbie Lum (USA)
 
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS:
• Amuka – Antonio Spano (Belgium)
• An Unimportant Girl – Daxton Dubach (USA)
• Being a Mother in Prison – Oğur Ataş (Turkey)
• Candyman’s Gold – Frank Zarrillo (USA)
• Childfree – SaraBahramjahan (Iran)
• Doors to Fantasy – Noel Williams, Anastasia Marika Williams (Japan)
• Duchenne Boys – Sohrab Kavir (Iran)
• Female Dragon Tamers – Damian Leibovich (Argentina)
• Forgotten Dreams – Marwa Ali Elsharkawy (Egypt)
• His Name Is Ray – Michael Del Monte (Canada)
• Hug 65+ – Xenia Tsilochristou (Greece)
• Invincible Threads – From Wireless to War – Joseph Sikorski (USA)
• João Ayres, an Independent Painter – Diogo Varela Silva (Portugal)
• La Mitad del Mundo/The Middle of the World – Erika Valenciana (USA)
• Lend An Ear – Xenia Tsilochristou (Greece)
• Let Me See the Night – Lia Beltrami, Alberto Beltrami (Italy)
• Live In Live – Dianhua Zhong (China)
• Mamody, the last baobab digger – Cyrille Cornu (France)
• Memories of The “33 POL” Land – Sussan Shams (France)
• MERCY “Journey to Despair” – Nuray Kayacan (Turkey)
• Micropubs – The New Local – Syd Heather, Daniel Eycott, James Coyne (United Kingdom)
• Poetry Zaban – Amir Har-Gil (Israel)
• Soy Libre – Laure Portier (France)
• The Biological Aging Challenge – Gary Null, Roland Marconi (USA)
• The Bishwa Ijtema – Nuray Kayacan (Bangladesh)
• The Delights – Eduardo Crespo (Argentina)
• The German With The Photography Shop – Luis Pérez Bordoy (Spain)
• The Man Talking To Stones – Bulent Boral (Turkey) • Poet of Metallic Words – amid Reza Zeinali (Iran)
• The Samaritan of Shanghai – Sébastien Cassen (France)
• The Story Behind a Story: An Indie Film Journey – Justin Wilder Neese (USA)
• The Wire – Tiha K. Gudac (Croatia)
• They Are The Heroes – Steve Janowicz (USA)
• Ticketyboo – Renee Brack (Australia)
• Tolyatti Adrift – Laura Sistero (Spain)
• Walking with the stars – Anthony Ferro (Canada)
WINNER:

“THE BIRTH OF RESONANCE” – Jeong-Jun Lee (South Korea)

Master Seonbin is a government-endorsed Intangible Cultural Property Artisan of drum-making in Korea. Due to the misfortunes during his childhood, he has a severe limp and the hearing loss in his right ear. Now, facing 70, Seonbin is suffering from grave physical pain and losing his hearing in his left ear, too. Before his body gives in, Seonbin wishes to create a giant drum whose sound can touch the human soul. The help of his son is critical in this endeavor. Can his short-tempered and game-loving son help him to fulfill his wish.

HUMANITY - SHORT

FINALISTS:
• Dafa Metti (Difficult) – Tal Amiran (United Kingdom)
• Following An Infinite Footprint – Robert Brand Ordoñez (Colombia)
• Safe Passage – Erin Fussell (USA)
• The Book of Joshua – Paul Kim (Paul Kim)
• The Chimney Swift – Frédéric Schuld (Germany)
• The Deepest Hole – Matt McCormick (USA
• Tyranny – David Adamko (Hungary)
• UNDIVIDED: Pandemic with A Purpose – Richard Yelland (USA)
 
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS:
 
• 100 MILES (backwards) – Steven Jeram (United Kingdom)
• Born From Fire – Marta Di Giovanni, Turlough Ó Cinnéide (Ireland)
• Breast Pathology – Teresa Marcos Blanco (Spain)
• Buddha’s shame – Morteza Atashzamzam (Iran)
• Dajla: cinema and oblivion – Arturo Dueñas Herrero (Spain)
• Dolls Smile – Javad Saleh (Iran)
• Gulab Gul – Semih Sağman (Turkey)
• Kanymda Kumiss – Jérémie Reuiller (France)
• Malta Calling – Mauro Mondello, Nunzio Gringeri (Italy)
• Mother Will Arrive – Runa Mukherjee Parikh (India)
• Park Fantasy – Youjie Li (China)
• Precious Waters – Precious Kofi, Natalia Cochrane Zueva (USA)
• Refugee Roads – Florian Volz, Timo Schmidt (Germany)
• Ruby Holland Foundation Documentary – Jennifer East (USA)
• Saman – Sohrab Kavir (Iran)
• Section 298 – James Joel Dann (United Kingdom)
• The Defenders – Farhad Ayatollahi (Iran)
• The Dukha – Carmen Morrow, Zach Wolf (USA)
The first and the last frame – Alberto Zúñiga (Mexico)
• The Portrait of Masri – Matteo Giulio Pagliai (Italy)
WINNER:
 
“THE CHIMNEY SWIFT” – Frédéric Schuld (Germany)
A British chimney sweeper describes his everyday routine of forcing young kids to become workers. While we observe a kid cleaning a chimney, the master’s statement gets more personal with every sentence until we understand, that he is speaking about his own past.

EQUALITY - FEATURE

FINALISTS:
 
• ‘7’ The Documentary – Jackie Lynch (Ireland)
• As I Want – Samaher Alqadi (Egypt)
• Maddy the Model – Jane Magnusson (Sweden)
• The Path of Stones – Harrison Araujo (Brazil)
• This Is Love – John Alexander (USA)
 
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS:
• 130 Children – Ainara Aparici (Chile)
• 2005 Nights and Days – Andrzej Dudziński (Poland)
• Morning without Evening – Beate Petersen (Norway)
• Las Vencidas y No Derrotadas. Defeated But Not Conquered – Mau Cardoso (Spain)
• What I learned from cycling 6 times around the world – Kenji Ogusu (Japan)
• The Jungle – Cristian Natoli (Italy)
• Tijuana – Stories from the border – Matteo Abbondanza (Italy)
• The Voice Behind The Wall – Gideon Breytenbach, Riku Lätti (South Africa)
WINNER:
“AS I WANT” – Samaher Alqadi (Egypt)
Tahrir Square on the second anniversary of the revolution. In response, a massive outpouring of enraged women fill the streets. Director Samaher Alqadi picks up her camera as a form of protection and begins documenting the growing women’s rebellion, not knowing where the story will lead her.

EQUALITY - SHORT

FINALISTS:
• Can I Love You – Zhiyuan Yang (China)
• Noah – Monty Marsh (USA)
• Nidhal – Bassem Ben Brahim (Tunisia)
• In Flow of Words – Eliane Esther Bots (Netherlands)
 
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS:
• Dream Bowl – Weiyang Chen (USA)
• La Chimba – Víctor Villegas Campillo (Chile)
• Poison – Louve Dubuc Babinet (Belgium)
• The Flower Seller – Yasha Strongin (Poland)
WINNER:
“IN FLOW OF WORDS” – Eliane Esther Bots (Netherlands)
In Flow of Words follows the narratives of three interpreters of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. They interpreted shocking testimonies from witnesses, victims and perpetrators, without ever allowing their own emotions, feelings and personal histories to be present. Contrary to their position at the tribunal, this film places their voices and experiences center stage.

SOCIAL JUSTICE - FEATURE

FINALISTS:
• Black Bauhinia – Malte Philipp Kaeding (United Kingdom)
• First Vote – Yi Chen (USA)
• Instructions for Survival – Yana Ugrekhelidze (Germany)
• Myanmar Diaries – The Myanmar Film Collective (Netherlands)
• The Exiles – Violet Columbus, Ben Klein (USA)
• The First Step – Brandon Kramer (USA)
• The Voice of Thaïs – David Casals Roma (Spain)
• There Goes the Neighborhood – Ian Phillips (USA)
 
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS:
• A Guide to Invisibility – Domingo J. González (Saint Vincent and The Grenadines)
• Dragon Women – Frédérique de Montblanc (Belgium)
• Eskape – Neary Adeline Hay (France)
• Faraway – Qing Li (China)
• Floating Village Asylum – Preecha Srisuwan (Thailand)
• Healing Nation – Jamuna Galay-Tamang (Canada)
• Help is on the Way – Ismail Fahmi Lubis (Indonesia)
• Holy Rights – Farha Khatun (India)
• Life – Marcel C Walker (USA)
• Norwegian Headache – Rune Denstad Langlo (Norway)
• Ordinary corner – Hu Xiao (China)
• Radji – Georg Götmark, John Erling Utsi (Sweeden)
• Ricochet – Jeff Adachi, Chihiro Wimbus (USA)
• Sami´s Odysseys – Robin Dimet (France)
• Steel Life – Manuel Bauer (Peru)
• Te’aa’s Guest – Narges Kharghani (Iran)
• The Cost of Denial – Huw Christi (USA)
• The Samaritan of Shanghai – Sébastien Cassen (France)
• This is What New Yorkers Say – Sara Alessandrini (USA)
• Why Not – Shekh Al Mamun (Bangladesh)
WINNER:
“THE FIRST STEP”– Brandon Kramer (USA)
Van Jones, a Black progressive activist known for calling Donald Trump’s election “a whitelash” live on primetime TV, controversially crossing party lines to win bipartisan support for criminal justice reform and the response to the addiction crisis. Van’s journey building bridges in a time of extreme polarization takes him deep into the messy drama of the Trump administration, internal divisions within both parties, and the lives of activists fighting on the frontlines for their communities.

SOCIAL JUSTICE - SHORT

FINALISTS:
• The Doll – Elahe Esmaili (Iran)
• Handbook – Pavel Mozhar (Germany)
• House with Flag – Carlos Valverde Ortega, Rodrigo Hiriarte Llanos (Chile)
• Seoul Song – Su-Jin Song (Germany)
• What We’ll Never Know – Lauren Ready (Memphis, USA)
 
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS:
• A Burst of Song – Lia Beltrami (India)
• At front of mass grave: gender and memory of repression – Julieta Olaso (Spain)
• Barricade Sunday – Ryne Hastings (USA)
• Be Visible – Gül Yıldırım (Turkey)
• Daisy – Jennifer East (USA)
• Days of Ignorance – Abolfazl Tajik (Iran)
• Dead River – Imaje Cinema (Iran)
• Holding Still – Mary Trunk (USA)
• Iyeza Medicine Biopiracy – Sibongile L Nene (South Africa)
• Justice In Movement: Reclaiming Our Minds, Bodies, and City – Tess Andera Murphy (USA)
• Marsh Clouds: the oysters of Harris Neck – Kevin Mannens (USA)
• Pukem – Matias Riquelme (Chile)
• The Flow – Yulia Pikhotska (Ukraine)
• The love story of the single mother and her daughter – Ryo Kagawa (Japan)
• The Revolutionary Cabinetmaker – Rubén Hornillo (Spain)
• What We’ll Never Know – Lauren Ready (USA
WINNER:
“WHAT WE’LL NEVER KNOW” – Lauren Ready (USA)
We’ll never know what happened inside the interrogation room where a teen confessed to a crime he did not commit. 17-year-old Oshay Sims was taken into custody on June 2nd, 2018. Nearly 7 hours later he confessed to murder. The law prevents us from knowing what police did to get his confession. So, the fight continues to clear his name and change the law.

ENVIRONMENT - FEATURE

FINALISTS:
• Holgut – Liesbeth de Ceulaer (Belgium)
• Into The Ice – Lars Ostenfeld (Denmark)
• Last Call for Tomorrow – Gary Null, Valerie Van Cleve (USA)
• Plastic Pioneers – Mike Wafer (United Kingdom)
• The Plastic Hike – Carolina Semrau, Augusto Lima (Portugal)

 

OFFICIAL SELECTIONS:
• Antarctica: White Lover – Jivko Konstantinov (Bulgaria)
• Bad Neighbor – Ricardo Jara Herrera (Chile)
• Built lands – Arturo Dueñas Herrero (Spain)
• Cry of the Forests – A Western Australian Story – Jane Hammond (Australia)
• G318 – Tao Li (China)
• Kombinat – Gabriel Tejedor (Switzerland)
• Like an Island – Tizian Buchi (Switserland)
• Where Luna Lives – Aliaksandra Markava (Belaus)
WINNER:
“THE PLASTIC HIKE” – Carolina Semrau, Augusto Lima (Portugal)
 In the summer of 2020 the German biologist Andreas Noe hiked the hole coast of Portugal. His purpose was to raise awareness to the single use plastic that enters the ocean, polluting and killing marine life. for more than 1000km we met more than 100 NGO’s and environmentalists that shared their experiences, ideas, problems and solutions. The Plastic Hike is the empowering tool for the community to get together and bring the urgent change for consumption habits, lifestyles and connection with the ocean.

ENVIRONMENT - SHORT

FINALISTS:
• Before I Die – Nakul Dev (India)
• Haulout – Evgenia Arbugaeva, Maxim Arbugaev (United Kingdom)
• Herd – David Borish (Canada)
• Malpelo: Mountain of Sharks | Documentary Short – Kevin Mannens (USA)
• More Than A Route – Peter Dippel (Germany)
• Rebels With A Cause – Miikka Poutiainen (Finland)
 
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS:
• Antarctica – Jivko Konstantinov (Bulgaria)
• My Honeysuckle Beekeeper – Vince Breheny, Denisa Formánková (Ireland)
• Naya – Sebastian Mulder (Netherlands)
• Rebels With A Cause – Miikka Poutiainen (Finland)
• Recycling History – Christian Hernández Sánchez (Mexico)
• The Future? We Choose – Tom Forsey (United Kingdom)
• The Sea No Longer Stops Here – Pedro Augusto Almeida (Portugal)
• Total Disaster – Keil Orion Troisi, Molly Gore (USA)
WINNER:
“MALPELO: MOUNTAIN OF SHARKS” – Kevin Mannens (USA)
Days away from the closest land, lies a mythical underwater volcano. Beneath the waves: a bonanza of life. Massive shoals of fish darken the water and hundreds of sharks patrol the seamount.
But like all wild places, this one too is in grave danger. Illegal fishing and sharkfinning might soon deplete this natural wonder and UNESCO heritage site of its natural wonders.

STUDENT DOCUMENTARY

FINALISTS:
• All The Things They Couldn’t – Valerie C. Robinson (USA)
• Becoming The Queen of the North – Aziz Altamimi (United Kingdom)
• Engraved – Tiffany Jiang (USA)
• Following An Infinite Footprint – Robert Brand Ordoñez (Colombia)
• Help Was Here: Moving on After the Expanded Child Tax Credit – Chris Day, Steel Brooks (USA)
• My Name Is – Chengetai Chitima (South Africa)
• The Doll – Elahe Esmaili (Iran)
• The Halls of Power – Janay Joseph, Graciel Quezada, Bianca Vucetich (USA)
• The Iron Digger – Anil Budha Magar (Nepal)
• Three Armies – Kadir Can Arabaci (Turkey)
 
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS:
• Act for Impact – (USA)
• Battle of Ares – Adnan Yasar (Turkey)
• Docpol-1 Nation 4 Cities – Simona Mancini (Italy)
• Donna – Jonathan Gringauz (USA)
• Earth Is Home – Noomen Noomen (Tunisia)
• Essentially Criminal – Maya Pratt (USA)
• History of the Olympic Games – Christian Hernández Sánchez (Mexico)
• I Am Eighty Years Old – Roman Sinitsyn (Russian Federation)
• La Mia Vita Nella Tua – Aurora Berselli (Italy)
• Liminal – Emilio Romo (Mexico)
• Looking for Mister S. – Arianna Tedesco (Italy)
• Lost – Zhiyuan Yang (China)
• Mission: Sisterhood – Cheyenne Rebekah Knapp (USA)
• No Commnent – Zhivar Farajzadeh (Iran)
• No Thing – Malik Al-Zuhairi (Iraq)
• Re-Existences – Márcia Bellotti (Portugal)
• Sarikat – Ezra Cecio (Indonesia)
• Serok – Zhivar farajzadeh (Iran)
• Street Talks – Nicolas Dronsky (USA)
• The Ben I Am – Benjamin Swift, Bergen Hoff, Ben Greenly (USA)
• The Gezek Culture: The Unsinking Lantern of Turkish Classical Music – Aykırı Sinema (Turkey)
• The Golden Rollers – Jennifer ‘JP’ Piper (Australia)
• The Hook You Will Not Bite – José David Apel (Argentina)
• Vinny – Tyler Riscoe (USA)
• Water Covers the Water – Haotian Liu (China)
• We were not Queens because we will be Goddesses – Gabriela Espinosa Hormazábal (Chile)
• When Worlds Collide – Merylin Lira (Belgium)

WINNER:

“ENGRAVED” – Tiffany Jiang (USA)

“HELP WAS HERE: MOVING ON AFTaER THE EXPANDED CHILD TAKE CREDIT” – Chris Day(USA)“THE DOLL” – Elahe Esmaili (Iran)
“THE HALLS OF POWER” – Janay Joseph, Graciel Quezada, Bianca Vucetich (USA)
“THREE ARMIES” – Kadir Can Arabaci (Turkey)

LANE COLLEGE STUDENT DOCUMENTARY

FINALIST
• Final Authority Commercial – Zyria A Jessie (USA)
• The Good Samaritan – Spencer Parker (USA
• Lane College Football Off Season – Hezakiyah Phillips (USA
• Pandemic and Basketball – Alante Speight (USA

WINNER:

“FINAL AUTHORITY COMMERCIAL” – Zyria A Jessie, Lane College