New Releases from New Day Films - Spring 2025
At a time when our country is in the grip of assaults against foreign-born and people of color, and the decimation of DEI everywhere, New Day Films’ Spring 2025 collection of new additions highlight powerful counter-narratives: stories of rich contributions from immigrants, First Nation and LGBTQ+ people, both personal and activist. These films portray everyday people engaged in building up our society, making it more just and humane, and taking action to address the immense social and political challenges we face. The topics are diverse: aging, abortion rights, African agrarianism, trans marriage, climate change, and films that present fresh insight and positive portrayal of immigrants and immigration, in many ways the lifeblood of America and, up till now, of our democracy.
Like the other titles in the New Day Films catalog, our new additions illuminate, inspire and challenge.
We invite you to watch trailers and learn more about these films:
FEATURE-LENGTH FILMS
By Kyle Henry, 87 min.
A gay filmmaker “time travels” during a global pandemic as his mother’s health declines from late-stage dementia in a race against the clock to resolve their fraught relationship before it's too late. This playful journey through matters of life and grief puts a spotlight on how families grapple with dementia and care. It opens the door for connections with other families. "A disarmingly devastating and sweet documentary ... that celebrates life in its multifaceted complexity.” - RogerEbert.com
By Adrian Prawica, 75 min.
Between 1870 and 1920, with Poland partitioned between Russia, Austria and Germany, over 4,000,000 Poles immigrated to the United States in search of a better life. In Chicago, they worked in some of the most dangerous factories and mills in the United States. In their neighborhoods, they built communities, churches, and most of all, aided their beloved Poland in her fight for independence. The Fourth Partition tells that rich immigration story, and how Chicago became the center of Polish culture and political activism in America.
By Mark Decena, 75 min.
In 1910, Black farmers owned 14 percent of all American farmland. Over the intervening decades, that number fell below two percent, the result of racism, discrimination, and dispossession. As the co-founder of Soul Fire Farm in upstate New York, Leah Penniman finds strength in the deep historical knowledge of African agrarianism – agricultural practices that can heal people and the planet. Influenced and inspired by Karen Washington, a pioneer in urban community gardens in New York City, and fellow farmer and organizer Blain Snipstal, Leah galvanizes and organizes communities around farming as the basis of revolutionary justice. Chosen “Best Documentary” at 3 film festivals.
SHORT FILMS
By Joel Fendelman, 7 min.
On April 25th, 2004, 1.15 million women marched to the nation’s capital in Washington D.C. to protect and advance abortion rights. Filmed in multiple 16mm film stocks, Band of Sisters incisively captures one the largest marches for women's lives in U.S. History Both specific and timeless, this film illustrates the divisiveness, passion and persistence of a national issue that is even more momentous and urgent today than it was two decades ago.
By director: Shiva Krish and producers Chithra Jeyaram and D'Lo, 21 minutes
Amma’s Pride is the poignant story of Srija, a trans woman from South India, who lives with her supportive mother, Valli. Despite objections from temple authorities, she marries her partner Arun, a cisgender man, and wins a landmark case as the first trans woman in Tamil Nadu to legally register a marriage. Amid rising societal pressures Srija finds strength in Valli’s unwavering love and support, who becomes her anchor in the face of adversity. "She isn’t an activist fighting inner prejudice, nor a character grappling with societal expectations. She’s simply a mother, her heart beating instinctively for her child. " - Sudhir Srinivasan, Film Critic, Cinema Express
By Ben Samuels, 18 min.
Alejandro Jimenez fled Oaxaca, Mexico as a child and survived the desert to fight for a better life. As DACA policies and his status remain embattled in America, he trains tirelessly to embody the best of both his countries: his homeland, and the one he calls home. Two Rivers celebrates the immigrant story in America, looking back at how U.S. presidents of both parties have uplifted and also disparaged these new arrivals. Centered around Alejandro's relationship with his Coach, Puerto Rican-American Mark Roxey, Two Rivers provides an intimate and inspiring look at a surrogate father raising a son born to two worlds.
Ellavut Cimirtuq (Our World Is Changing)
By Mischa Hedges, Jacqueline Cleveland and Sonia Luokkala, 30 min.
The accelerated retreat of Arctic sea ice has left shorelines unfrozen and exposed. In Southwest Alaska, the thawing permafrost reveals a significant archaeological site, frozen in time. Yupik filmmaker Jacqueline Cleveland explores how a distant past rewrites narratives of change and adaptation, as the community of Quinhagak races to save the artifacts from being washed away into the Bering Sea. Ellavut Cimirtuq (Our World is Changing) eloquently documents how this village pioneers a new model of community archaeology. The artifacts reawaken connections with language, art, and ways of life, while the warming climate and thawing permafrost,alter the very ground that shaped them.
Expanding Sanctuary
By Kristal Sotomayor, 21 min.
An immigrant mother becomes an unexpected community leader during a groundbreaking campaign to end the Philadelphia police’s data-sharing with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). What begins as a woman’s quest to bring her mother to the United States for her wedding evolves into a profound awakening. As she works with the immigrant rights organization Juntos, she discovers her voice, power, and agency, channeling her initial hope for personal connection into a larger purpose. Her newfound role as an organizer not only redefines her life but strengthens her entire community’s fight for justice, illuminating the extraordinary potential of collective action and solidarity. Winner of the Philadelphia Filmmaker Award at the BlackStar Film Festival.