Tucson Film Festival 2025 Documentary Shorts Program

$17.74 (Arizona Premiere)
Directed by Justin Mashouf
Produced by Carlos Cortes, Justin Mashouf
USA/2025/12 min
(film or filmmaker URL or social media page here)

$17.74 follows Hamzah, a California man serving a life sentence after a tragic shooting at age 17. Behind bars, his discovery of The Autobiography of Malcolm X sparks a journey of faith and self-discovery that leads him to Islam. Decades later, his story takes an unexpected turn when, moved by the siege of Gaza, Hamzah donates his entire monthly Pr*son paycheck of $17.74 to humanitarian relief. Through Hamzah’s life, the film explores the weight of mass incarceration, the resilience of the human spirit, and the search for redemption amid systemic injustice.

Facing Tides (Arizona Premiere)
Directed by Clinton Lee Willis
University of Arizona – School of Theatre, Film & Television
USA/2025/10 min
(film or filmmaker URL or social media page here)

Overcoming personal physical adversity, theater choreographer Rick Wamer mentors twelve students in creating a silent production that confronts a global issue, using his unwavering optimism and kindness to inspire healing, resilience, and transformation in those around him.

Get Your Gravel On: Gravel Racing in the Borderlands (Arizona Premiere)
Directed by Pablo Echevarria
Produced by Lucas Kermit, Sophia Mogames
Savannah College of Art and Design|Kermit Films
USA/2025/14 min
www.instagram.com/borderlandsgravel/

The story behind last year’s inaugural Borderlands Gravel, an 89-mile gravel bike race along the US-Mexico border wall and how it connected cultures across borders while promoting the land, culture, and relationships between US and Mexican citizens.

Harmony On Pointe (Tucson Premiere)
Directed by Adam J. Benavidas
Produced by Matthew Kasper, Maria Simonetti
USA/2025/11 min
https://www.reelimpactaz.com/

 In an unprecedented collaboration, Phoenix Youth Symphony Orchestras and the School of Ballet Arizona unite to bring live performance to life. Follow the journey of some extraordinary young dancers and musicians coupled with the steadfast dedication of two artistic leaders behind this compelling partnership as they prepare for the next production.

Out Here (Arizona Premiere)
Directed by Lisa Klein
Produced by Leslie Silver, Lisa Klein, Doug Blush
MadPix Films
USA/2025/28 min
www.outherefilm.com

Meet Mark, a formerly unhoused man turned social worker, as he navigates the streets of Sacramento with fierce compassion and unflinching honesty. Having overcome his own troubled past, Mark now dedicates his life to helping his neighbors survive a system he once struggled to escape. As he “pieces shit together,” we meet people living in minivans, battling addiction, and slipping through the cracks of well-meaning but broken policies. Through Mark’s redemptive journey, the film reveals both the quiet victories of human connection and the stark realities of life on the margins in the wealthiest state in the nation. Co-Produced by Academy Award winning producer/editor Doug Blush (The Elephant Whisperers)

Host or Publisher Tucson Film Festival