Copyright cleveland.com
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Unorthodocs film festival returns to the Wexner Center for the Arts Nov. 6–10. The lineup features documentaries on true crime, political activism, the environment and stories of the human spirit. Now in its ninth year, the festival will screen 11 feature-length films and five shorts on a single screen, allowing audiences to experience the full program and engage directly with visiting filmmakers and subjects. The schedule includes a pair of films with local ties. “Baby Doe,” which won an award at the Cleveland International Film Festival in March, revisits the long-unsolved “Geauga’s Child” case through the story of the woman whose DNA later linked her to the newborn found dead in the woods of Geauga County in 1993. The screening will be followed by a conversation with director Jessica Earnshaw and several people featured in the film. There’s also “The Gloria of Your Imagination.” Experimental filmmaker Jennifer Reeves explores the inner world of Gloria, a woman who grew up in Canton. Using archival psychotherapy footage, the film explores themes of mental health and resilience. Other notable films include “Teenage Wasteland,” a look back at 1990s student journalists uncovering toxic pollution and political corruption; “Seeds,” a Sundance winner from Dayton-based filmmaker Brittany Shyne about the resilience of Black farmers; and “Predators,” an examination of NBC’s “To Catch a Predator” and the culture it spawned. International entries include “My Stolen Planet,” an essay film by exiled Iranian filmmaker Farahnaz Sharifi, and “Runa Simi,” the festival’s closing film, about a Peruvian father-and-son team translating “The Lion King” into Quechua. “Unorthodocs has built a reputation for introducing audiences to films before they break into the cultural mainstream,” said Chris Stults, curator of film for the Wexner Center for the Arts, in a statement. “Past selections have gone on to earn Academy Award nominations and wins, including last year’s ‘No Other Land.’ It’s exciting to know our Columbus audiences often see these films first.” Festival passes ($36–$45) and individual tickets ($6–$12) are on sale now. For more information, visit wexarts.org.
