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DC/DOX Film Festival Considers Basic Human Dignity

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Technically, in its second year, the local documentary film festival DC/DOX fills the hole left by the shuttering of the American Film Institute’s SilverDocs and AFI Docs. In fact, DC/DOX’s co-creator Sky Sitney ran the latter festival from 2005 until 2014. Although the name is different, Sitney brings the same careful curation to her new endeavor, highlighting a mix of innovative documentaries and more mainstream fare that might capture the public imagination. 

If this year’s slate has a common theme, it’s the ongoing fight for basic human dignity. Many of this year’s film subjects come from marginalized communities, whether they are Native American journalists, Black trans sex workers, or elderly people looking for dignity and meaning in more personal ways. And while many films from the 2023 slate previously premiered appeared in festivals, such as this year’s Sundance Film Festival or Columbia, Missouri’s innovative True/False Film Festival, DC/DOX does have some world premieres up its sleeve.

City Paper has rounded up a brief guide to some of the festival’s offerings. DC/DOX takes place June 15 through 18 at various theaters across the city, including Suns Cinema, the Oprah Winfrey Theater at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, and the Edlavitch Jewish Community Center. Individual tickets and festival passes can still be purchased on the website.

Bad Press

What does it look like when parts of America do not have the freedom of the press? Bad Press answers that question on a small scale, depicting a lengthy legal battle between tribal leadership in the federally recognized Muscogee Nation and the journalists who report on them.

For years, a law was in place that gave Muscogee journalists the independence they needed, but after a spate of negative stories—including a tribal leader being accused of sexual harassment—the tribe unceremoniously rescinded the law. Angel Ellis, the dedicated reporter who leads the fight in restoring this essential freedom, effectively forces the issue to become a major part of the tribe’s next election. With a sense of immediacy and frustration, directors Rebecca LandsberryBaker and Joe Peeler create a familiar David vs. Goliath arc, a series of triumphs and setbacks that culminate with an enshrined constitutional amendment.



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