Presented in association with MadCat Women’s International Film Festival

Traverse the rough terrain of border control, brutal dictatorships and the aftermath of war in tonight’s innovative hybrid documentaries. In Stranger Comes to Town, Jacqueline Goss re-works Department of Homeland Security animations, combining them with the personal stories of six immigrants crossing the US border, the online game World of Warcraft, and journeys via Google Earth. By focusing on how identity is determined at the border, Goss examines the immigrants’ sense of self and their view of the world. Julia Meltzer and David Thorne, whose The Speculative Archive has traditionally focused on the past, have turned toward the future with their new five-part video documentary, We Will Live to See These Things (Premiere). Shot during 2005-06 in Damascus, Syria, each section offers a different perspective on what might happen in a place where people live among the forces of repressive regimes, a growing conservative Islamic movement, and shifting pressures from the United States. (Ariella Ben-Dov)