One week to go until Twin Cities Film Fest (TCFF) 2022 launches on October 20th! I love that TCFF always champions women and BIPOC voices, and this year it’s no different!

This year’s Spotlight film is Universal Pictures’ She Said, directed by Maria Schrader, set to screen on Thursday, Oct. 27 (I’ve already got my ticket!) Based on the New York Times investigation and best-selling book, the film recounts how two reporters broke the story that helped propel the #MeToo movement and shattered decades of silence around the subject of sexual assault in Hollywood.

Another one I’m looking forward to is Women Talking by Sarah Polley, starring Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, and Jessie Buckley. In 2010, the women of an isolated religious community grapple with reconciling their reality with their faith. Based on the novel by Miriam Toews.

For documentary lovers, there are plenty to choose from. As an Asian immigrant, I definitely gravitate toward Liquor Store Dreams by So Yun Um. Two Korean American children of liquor store owners reconciling their dreams with those of their immigrant parents, against the backdrop of struggles for racial equity in Los Angeles. 

I’m also a big fan of art heist documentaries, so The Thief Collector from Emmy-winning doc filmmaker Allison Otto is right up my alley. When a $160 million stolen painting is discovered in the unlikeliest of places 32 years after it was stolen, it unearths a revelation that the theft itself is just the tip of the iceberg in a stranger than fiction story.

Check out this compilation of some of the feature films in our TCFF HER Series and you can filter the Her Series category on the TCFF Website:

---

TCFF continues to amplify BIPOC voices by highlighting films by and about issues important to the underrepresented communities.

The one that caught my attention is Black Daddy: The Movie, a documentary about black fatherhood. The film by Damon Jamal Taylor highlights black fathers’ point of view which is often overlooked, and it also addresses the assumption that black fathers are not involved in their children’s lives. It follows the lives of a few like-minded men as they told compelling stories of the joy, pain, and complexity of what it means to be a black father in America.

Another timely documentary centers on Colin Kaepernick’s unprecedented anthem protests in 2016, which fueled a national debate that has extended all the way to today. Kaepernick & America is a feature documentary film that tells the story of the man and his protest. His journey begins with his trans-racial adoption by a white family, through a remarkable ascent as a star quarterback, a racial awakening, the protest and its extraordinary impact on America, and finally to Kaepernick’s ascension as a symbol of racial fairness.

Animated films can be a powerful and impactful format to highlight topics that might be a challenge to do as live-action. Eternal Springs tackles a harrowing human-rights story of a group that dares to stand up to an oppressive government. This year marks the 20th anniversary of Falun Gong’s daring hijacking of a Chinese state television station, which was followed by the arrest, torture, and imprisonment of thousands. The film by Jason Loftus combines present-day footage with 3D animation inspired by comic-book illustrator Daxiong’s art (a Falun Gong member who has done work for Justice League, Star Wars) who escaped China and now lives in South Korea.

As for Daughter of a Lost Bird, it’s a personal film about identity and a sense of belonging. Directed by Brooke Swaney, it focuses on Kendra Mylnechuk Potter, a Native woman adopted into a white family and raised with no knowledge of her Native American parentage. She later reconnects with her Native identity and begins to view herself as a living legacy of U.S. assimilationist policy.

Check out this compilation of some of the films in our EMPOWER Series:

---

TCFF’s in-person program will again return to the Showplace ICON Theaters at The Shops at West End, with some 80 screenings set to take place at the St. Louis Park venue.

More than 100 films will simultaneously debut online via the TCFF STREAMS platform at twincitiesfilmfest.org

---

Which of these TCFF movies are you most looking forward to seeing?

….