Exploring stories from around the globe, the program Now: in Focus brings the world to our campus. Delving into both environmental and human problems, these films discuss the wide range of experiences our world has to offer today from the tragedies of human conflict to the poignancy of environmental issues.
Tom Koryto Blumen
A friendly soccer game between an Israeli soldier and a Palestinian boy that takes place on the West Bank barrier starts to escalate into an uneven battle.
The film was painted frame by frame on the wall and become part of the ongoing conflict by staining the wall with over a hundred liters of paint.
Tiffany Jiang
Galvanized by devastating events early on in their lives, two New Yorkers find ways to channel their grief into acts of kindness that serve others.
The film invites viewers to reflect on what it means to live with and find comfort in grief in all its different forms.
Merete Mueller
In two prisons in America’s Pacific Northwest, incarcerated men and women watch videos of sunset-soaked beaches, wildflowers, and forests on loop. BLUE ROOM, a short documentary film, is a meditation and a provocation on the human condition in prison and outside of it—exploring trauma, confinement, and the wilderness.
Chloë Fitzmaurice
Khaled came from war-torn Yemen to Oakland, CA to pursue beekeeping and a better life. But with an increasing amount of uncertainties, life’s not always as sweet as honey.
Oleksandr Kulyk
Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, hundreds of children have been killed and injured. Okhmatdyt is Ukraine's largest children's hospital and its heroic team continues to treat patients from across the country that have endured combat wounds and war trauma. This documentary short examines Russia's senseless war and its impact on Ukrainian children.