JUSTICE FILM FESTIVAL 2026 / SESSION ONE / DOCUMENTARY SHORTS PROGRAM

THE LIFE WE HAVE — For over three years, Rob Shaver, 48, has run at least a mile every single day. Through rain, pain, and the weight of a terminal cancer diagnosis, his daily streak has become more than a habit — it’s an act of resilience, a step-by-step refusal to surrender to his disease.

PUZZLEAK, THE RAPE PALACE — When Ane finds childhood images of herself on the internet, buried memories resurface. She uncovers that she was secretly filmed during photo sessions, one of many victims of a celebrated photographer who remained protected.

IN EXCHANGE FOR FLESH — Corey Arthur and Sara Kielly, both incarcerated, allege that the U.S. government is sanctioning the sexual abuse of millions of Americans. These practices are largely hidden from the public because they take place in Pr*son. In Exchange For Flesh reveals the state-sanctioned ritual known as the strip frisk; a daily practice that blurs the line between safety and abuse. The film uses unprecedented access to New York State prisons, recorded calls, and buried archival footage to transform contraband into testimony, and humiliation into resistance and healing.

THE MAN OF THE TREES — Daniel Balima is a 67-year-old horticulturist in Tenkodogo, Burkina Faso, who has worked in his family nursery since childhood. After contracting polio and losing the use of his legs, Daniel chose a life of dignity through work rather than begging. Moving on his hands, he tends his garden each day, supporting his family and helping pay for his children’s and grandchildren’s education.

MUD BELOW, SUN ABOVE — Amidst Hanoi's suffocating pollution, an informal sector of elderly female recycling workers endure harsh working conditions and societal stigma to address the city’s growing waste crisis. Among them, 64-year-old Bể harbours precious insight into the hidden costs of Vietnam’s economic boom.

Pr*son AND TIME — Animated excerpts from an essay by writer and activist Marvin Wade explore his 25 years of incarceration—and the growth he achieved in spite of, not because of, the inhumane Pr*son system surrounding him. Through personal reflection, the film offers an intimate portrait of resilience, creativity, and transformation.

THE CHILDREN OF DISSENT — A meditation on where we come from, what we inherit, and how we find our voices in a world that often demands silence, the film challenges the idea that belonging requires conformity. Bridging storytelling and activism, it confronts the myth of the model minority and shows how resistance, representation, and memory shape a collective pursuit of justice.

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