DROP PIN

A TFF alumni film series locating us within global cinematic perspectives and urgent ways of seeing. Arrive early to get a good seat!

March 26th

EARTH TO MICHAEL

dir. Nico López-Alegria and ZZ

Wrapping the Drop Pin series is the poignant Earth to Michael (TFF52), directed by Nico López-Alegría and ZZ. This documentary reaches across a deeply familiar divide, inviting different perspectives to pave the way for growth.

When Nico was a child, his father, renowned astronaut Michael López-Alegría, went to space. When he returned to Earth, things fell apart. Now an adult, Nico sets out to reconcile his family’s past and the complex relationship with his father—ahead of Michael’s first space mission in 15 years—in the hope of a more connected future.

(U.S., 2025, 87m)

previously

January 29th

THE RESERVE

dir. Pablo Pérez Lombardini (Mexico/Qatar, 2025, 95m)

Festival: TFF52

Julia, a forest ranger in southern Mexico, spends her days caring for her family and the fragile ecology of her homeland. Surrounding her is a tight-knit but struggling community: coffee farmers chafe against dwindling crops and local corruption, while cartel violence is never far. Then, the sound of chainsaws rings out from the forest. Starring Carolina Vasquez, a real-life conservationist, alongside a supporting cast of Chiapas locals, The Reserve is humanist cinema at its most evocative and authentic, illuminating the urgent struggle facing environmental defenders across Latin America.

Q&A with Pablo Pérez Lombardini following the screening.

February 26th

SHORTS PROGRAM

This program of bold short films spans genres – from documentary to experimental animation – exploring cinematic innovation and humanism within contemporary political realities.

Two Days on the Interstate

(dir. Tatiana Stark, U.K./U.S., 2025, 19m, Student Prints TFF52)

A 26-year-old woman takes a long drive in post-Roe America.

What If They Bomb Here Tonight?

(dir. Samir Syriani, Lebanon, 2025, 17m, Calling Cards TFF52)

The threat of an Israeli air strike has Samir and Nadyn second-guessing.

Ardent Other

(dir. Alice Brygo, France, 2023, 16m, Great Expectations TFF50)

A stunned crowd watches the Notre-Dame fire.

175

(dir. Sepehr Nosrati, Sweden, 2025, 10m, Student Prints TFF52)

As a controversial immigration vote looms, a politician’s son is kidnapped.

Their Eyes

(dir. Nicolas Gourault, 2025, France, 23m, Backlot TFF52)

With endless clicks, workers in Kenya, the Philippines and Venezuela prepare the Global North for self-driving cars.

A Move

(dir. Elahe Esmaili, Iran/U.K., 2024, 27m, Calling Cards TFF51)

A family portrait in the wake of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement.