Ten films and filmmaking teams have been selected for the South Arts 2021-2022 Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers. This long-running South Arts program connects US-based documentary filmmakers with communities throughout the South to share their work, discuss the art and process of filmmaking, and engage with audiences about issues impacting their communities. WSLR will be one of 24 organizations throughout the Southeast presenting the films. “This year’s selections broach a range of important, timely topics including border and immigration issues, confederate monuments, healthcare justice, and domestic violence,” said Teresa Hollingsworth, program director.  

All films will be screened online for audiences, with each screening followed by a pre-recorded 30-minute conversation with the filmmakers discussing their film's subject matter and the filmmaking process. Each film will be available for attendees to view on demand during a four-day window allowing viewers to stop and resume at their leisure. Those who wish to attend an online or in-person screening can visit wslr.org/film for more information. 

The first in-person screening will be for the film ‘Stateless’ on Tuesday, September 14 at 7 pm at the Fogartyville Community Media and Arts Center. This new film from Michele Stephenson, the critically acclaimed filmmaker of “American Promise,” looks at the complex politics of immigration and race in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, using a combination of magical realism and hidden camera techniques. A panel discussion following the film will feature Hugo Viera-Vargas, an Assistant Professor of Caribbean and Latin American Studies and Music at New College of Florida and Margie Wine from the Margwine Organization, our local nonprofit partner.

Tickets for the in-person screening are $10 and proceeds will be split with the Margwine Organization to benefit relief efforts in Haiti. WSLR will also be collecting disaster relief the night of the screening. For a list of appropriate items, visit wslr.org/event/stateless