2024 Film Selections
Caesars Forum Las Vegas July 10-13
Wednesday 12:00pm
Short narratives
*COFFEE WITH BABA
Iranian-American Amin (Omid Iranikhah) and his immigrant father Hossein (Shary Nassimi) meet for coffee. Small talk and awkward silences turn to politics and cultural differences. The more the two men open up to each other, the more their differing worldviews drive a wedge between them. Will Amin and Hossein ever come to terms? *Best Short Narrative, Anthem Persian Film Festival.
Wednesday 12:40pm
Short documentaries
*BUBJAN
Parwiz Zafari, former member of the Iranian parliament, dedicated his life to cultivating a progressive, modern, and free society in Iran - before the rise of the Islamic Republic eclipsed those aspirations in 1979. The film delves into the mythology Parwiz learned as a boy and the principles that continue to guide him as a displaced elder living among the Iranian diaspora. *Exellence in Filmmaking, Anthem Persian Film Festival
Wednesday 1:20pm
*HIDDEN
Parham, a young Iranian boy, feels undermined by his younger step-brother's presence. When the younger boy dies suddenly, Parham feels guilty and has to confront his inner emotions. Beautifully filmed by the late Halyna Hutchins. *Best Cinematography, Anthem Persian Film Festival
Wednesday 2:15pm
HEART OF RECOVERY
Through intimate interviews, powerful testimonials, and a behind-the-scenes look at daily life within The Beacon House community, the documentary paints a vivid portrait of hope, resilience, and the triumph of the human spirit over addiction.
Wednesday 3:00pm
FROM PEN TO PAPER
On a maximum security prison yard in southern California, 24 prisoners--mostly lifers--sat across from a dozen college students as part of an innovative and inspiring creative writing program. Through their often intimate collaboration, both groups found hope and humanity in a place where they had expected neither.
Wednesday 8:00pm
AWKWARD LIBERTARIAN BABY REVEAL
A family's reveal party doesn't go as expected; this baby wants a different kind of NAP! Comedy.
Wednesday 8:05pm
U.S. Documentary
UNDIVIDE US
OPENING NIGHT! Through the intimate lens of six focus groups across three American cities, UNDIVIDE US explores the twisted landscape of polarization and extreme toxic partisanship in America and uncovers the potential for healing conversation, local community, mutual respect, and classical liberal values.
Thursday 9:00am
THE GOTAWAYS: THE HIDDEN BORDER CRISIS
"Gotaways" is the first documentary of its kind, a high-energy, fast-paced, front-row seat to the biggest border crisis in America’s history. Learn what it is really like to live on the southern border and how the crisis ultimately affects all of America.
Thursday 10:30am
SHABBIFICATION
“Shabbification: The Story of Rent Control” is the story of Bryan and other small property owners whose dreams of providing a better life for their families are made impossible because of the state's control of their property. The story also reveals the city's own battle, where vacant apartments and the disincentive for renovations have led to a broader urban decay.
Thursday 11:00am
MY QUARTERLIFE CRISIS
A recent college graduate grappling with unemployment and mounting debt stumbles upon something horrific that may lead him out of his financial worries. This comedic short film delves into the struggles of today's youth, living in Mom's basement while facinn a challenging job market. Comedy.
Thursday 11:12am
WHY HOMELESSNESS IS WORSE IN CALIFORNIA THAN IN TEXAS
Homelessness has been rising in America's West Coast cities for more than a decade. To figure out why some places are so much more successful than others, we took a trip to Texas where the homeless population declined almost 30 percent over the last decade. What we found in Texas was innovation and a willingness to give local social entrepreneurs the flexibility to craft policies that best serve their homeless populations, instead of adhering to one-size-fits-all federal policies.
Thursday 11:40am
THE FORGOTTEN SOLUTION TO THE HOUSING CRUNCH
Thursday 12:30pm
MISGENDERING A MURDERER
Two police interrogators are flummoxed when confronting a vicious serial killer who also happens to be a demure and dainty lady… or so he, I mean she, claims. Comedy.
Thursday 12:35pm
GENDER TRANSFORMATION: THE UNTOLD REALITIES
What happens to the children who have been through gender transitioning therapy? What happens to the families where one or both parents don't want their children to start the treatment at a young age? And who is profiting from this trend? This documentary unveils what actually happens to those who started to change their gender, its implications for parental rights, the financial interests behind the transgender movement, and the political and societal mechanisms in play.
Thursday 2:40pm
72 HOURS
Late on a July night, police officers came to the home of Josh Sabey and Sarah Perkins and demanded the couple hand over their two young sons to child protection officers. Josh and Sarah were well aware of their constitutional rights and their innocence—but still found themselves helpless, unable to protect their children against the government. Most frightening of all, their story could happen to anyone.
Friday 9:00am
U.S. Narrative
FREEDOM HAIR
When a determined mother decides to start a natural hair braiding business to achieve financial independence, she must overcome unexpected obstacles imposed by a powerful cosmetology cartel and the state of Mississippi.
Friday 11:05am
THE WALL
This fairy tale documentary of Büşra Ün, the first female tennis player to represent Turkey in the Olympics, chronicles the challenges she faced and the sacrifices she made on the way to making her dream come true.
Friday 11:30am
SAKAS
Three young Nepalese friends find their lives forever changed by a corrupt system that pits them against each other. Each has a dream that is wrecked by a corrupt, bureaucratic system, but even in tragedy, their spirit and love for each other cannot be broken.
Friday 12:20pm
LOVE GOV 3: THE METAVERSE OF MADNESS
It’s back to school for teacher Rose and her son Archie, but with Scott "Gov" Govinsky at the helm of the post-pandemic education system, preaching critical race theory and radical gender theory, working inside the metaverse, and even mandating his own digital money (“Gov Bucks”) it's a new (anything-but) normal. Comedy.
Friday 1:30pm
THE UNSEEN CRISIS: VACCINE STORIES YOU WERE NEVER TOLD
Some who took the Covid vaccine with the noblest of intentions experienced unexpected debilitating aftereffects. Instead of compassion, they were met with skepticism; instead of being helped, they were shunned; instead of being heard, they were silenced. Join us as we bring their stories out of the shadows so they can be heard and seen and no longer alone.
Friday 3:30pm
JAWBONED
As misinformation proliferates online, the government increasingly attempts to curb its spread, often pressuring social media platforms to take action on certain kinds of content from behind the scenes. To what extent can the government’s power to speak be used to combat online misinformation before it becomes “jawboning” against the free speech rights of private actors?
Saturday 9:00am
KILLING AMERICA
Eli Steele investigates why Bay Area high schools exploded in antisemitism and other forms of hate after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7.
Saturday 11:00am
THE GREAT AWAKENING
Filmmaker Mikki Willis explores topics related to COVID-19, the World Economic Forum, and freedom of speech. The film assembles forbidden puzzle pieces to reveal the big picture of what's really happening in America and beyond.
Saturday 1:05pm
LATINX-FILES
Scully and Mulder are on the prowl for a new kind of alien: the elusive Latinx. Does it even exist? Comedy.
Saturday 1:15pm
UNWOKE, INC.
From iconic beer companies to your favorite retail brands, wokeism has infiltrated nearly every aspect of our culture. In PragerU’s short documentary, Unwoke Inc., Amala Ekpunobi embarks on a cross-country journey to speak with pro-American leaders and entrepreneurs in business, academia, sports, and finance to understand how we got here and what we can do to fight back and win against the woke industrial complex.
Saturday 1:45pm
WHAT ARE YOU WILLING TO RISK FOR FREE SPEECH?
Jinrey Zhang studies in Washington, D.C., where a number of dissident international students from China have set down roots. From decrying the human rights abuses surrounding the Beijing Olympics and joining the global White Paper Movement to launching an Independent Chinese Student Union, these students have embraced their free speech rights — and suffered censorship and surveillance, even half a world away from Chinese government officials.
Saturday 2:30pm
HOLLYWOOD TAKEOVER: CHINA’S CONTROL OF THE FILM INDUSTRY
Producers of "Top Gun: Maverick" attempted to strip the Taiwanese and Japanese flags from Tom Cruise’s jacket; writers of "Iron Man 3" inserted a Chinese doctor into the movie who saves the life of Tony Stark. Is this "artistic license"? Or something more sinister? Why does the CCP want so desperately to control Hollywood? And what can we do about it?
Saturday 4:00pm
EVERYTHING IS POLITICAL: BOARDGAMES
A lighthearted look at board game instructions -- if everything were political. Comedy.
Saturday 4:05pm
REACH NEW HEIGHTS WITH FRANK WEBER
Everyone's favorite candidate is running for president. Or for pizza. Comedy.
Saturday 4:10pm
THE GODFATHER
An angry comedy set in the world of really organized crime. Comedy.
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