Friday Matinee – Documentary Shorts

  • Documentary Short Films Screening
  • Film Screening
  • Short Films Matinee

Date: February 20, 2026

Time: 1:00 pm – 2:35 pm

Cost: $5

Location:

Regal Union Square Theater 1

850 Broadway

New York, New York 10003

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These films have not been rated and some content may not be appropriate for children.

    • Documentary Film Competition

    The Fishing Boats of Kayar

    Directed by: Álvaro Hernández Blanco

    Country: Spain / United States

    Minutes: 30

    Screening:

    Saturday Feb 21, 12:00 PM-2:50 PM – Saturday Afternoon Documentaries 1 + QA

    Friday Feb 20, 1:00 PM-2:35 PM – Friday Matinee – Documentary Shorts

    After 15 years in Spain, Thimbo returns to his Senegalese fishing village, where he is overwhelmed by sensations of nostalgia and uprooting, yearning and resentment. He also grapples with the influence he exerts on the local youth, who see him as a role model and seek to emulate him through a perilous journey to Europe by boat.

    • Documentary Film Competition

    Guiding Light

    Directed by: India Anne Mitchell

    Country: United States

    Minutes: 5

    Screening:

    Saturday Feb 21, 3:00 PM-5:40 PM – Saturday Midday Documentaries 2 + QA

    Friday Feb 20, 1:00 PM-2:35 PM – Friday Matinee – Documentary Shorts

    Through the compelling interviews of the lead prosecutor, the defense attorney and the police chief, GUIDING LIGHT tells the story of a young teen (Polly Hannah Klaas) in a small town in America who was kidnapped from her bedroom during a slumber party while her family was in the house. India Mitchell, a teen growing up in the same town thirty years later brings a fresh perspective and highlights the importance of the legacy of this case to the continuing endeavor to keep children safe.
    • Documentary Film Competition

    Fjallferð

    Directed by: Jesse Smolan, Josh Fairmont

    Country: Iceland / United States

    Minutes: 17

    Premiere:

    NYC Premiere

    Screening:

    Saturday Feb 21, 3:00 PM-5:40 PM – Saturday Midday Documentaries 2 + QA

    Friday Feb 20, 1:00 PM-2:35 PM – Friday Matinee – Documentary Shorts

    FJALLFERÐ follows a weeklong journey through Iceland’s highlands as farmers and families round up sheep before winter. Battling snow, rain, and rugged terrain, the film captures both the hardship and beauty of the trek. Evenings in shared cabins bring songs, meals, and stories, revealing the spirit that sustains the tradition across generations. As modern life reshapes rural Iceland, the film asks whether sheep farming can endure. Through intimate portraits and black-and-white imagery by Ragnar Axelson, FJALLFERÐ reflects on an uncertain future.
    • Documentary Film Competition

    Kindah: A History in the Shadows

    Directed by: Tibria Brown

    Country: Jamaica / United States

    Minutes: 10

    Premiere:

    World Premiere

    Screening:

    Saturday Feb 21, 3:00 PM-5:40 PM – Saturday Midday Documentaries 2 + QA

    Friday Feb 20, 1:00 PM-2:35 PM – Friday Matinee – Documentary Shorts

    Kindah spotlights the under-documented history of the Maroon community in Jamaica. They are descendants of self-emancipated Africans who did not just escape slavery but outwitted the British Empire to secure their freedom. Without the privilege of documenting their own history, they were cast into the shadow of history and vilified to their own people. The film offers brief glimpses into some cultural practices that have been carefully preserved within the sovereign Maroon communities, shielded from outside influence over generations. Set against the vibrant backdrop of the Maroons’ annual festival in Accompong and narrated by two chiefs, this film brings this hidden history to light from the perspective of the Maroons themselves.
    • Documentary Film Competition

    The Embrace

    Directed by: John Owens

    Country: Argentina / United States

    Minutes: 17

    Premiere:

    World Premiere

    Screening:

    Saturday Feb 21, 8:45 PM-11:25 PM – Saturday Night Documentaries 4 + QA

    Friday Feb 20, 1:00 PM-2:35 PM – Friday Matinee – Documentary Shorts

    When the world is crumbling, where to find hope? THE EMBRACE follows 50-year-old Argentine tango teacher Carolina Pirotta as her precariously-built world is upended by the election of a right wing populist. Offering an intimate lens on a life lived amid economic turmoil, this film dives into a world of tango that challenges tradition – examining issues of power, resistance and resilience in the process. Through tracing Carolina’s steps, it also takes the audience on a poetic journey from the neon-drenched dancehalls and protest-packed streets of Buenos Aires to the sunset-bathed mountains of Patagonia.
    • Documentary Film Competition

    Reconciliation

    Directed by: Ian Phillips

    Country: United States

    Minutes: 16

    Premiere:

    NYC Premiere

    Screening:

    Saturday Feb 21, 5:50 PM-8:35 PM – Saturday Evening Documentaries 3 + QA

    Friday Feb 20, 1:00 PM-2:35 PM – Friday Matinee – Documentary Shorts

    A young man reconnects with his father after many years of distance. In the process of reconciliation, he decides to make a film about it.