Call for entries now open!

The Resistance & Joy Screening Tour is a bold new initiative by Color Congress presenting a powerful slate of short documentaries, all directed by filmmakers of color. These films highlight activism, social justice movements, and the fight for equity across different communities. From cultural preservation to political resistance, these stories showcase the ways people organize, resist oppression, and work toward change. Ohio is in the Heart by Sonia Desai Rayka, On All Fronts by Joua Lee Grande, Something About These Waters by Malaya Ulan, The People Could Fly by Imani Dennison, and Ternura Radical (Radical Tenderness) by Celina Galicia.

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Ohio is in the Heart

Sonia Desai Rayka, 2024, USA, 3 min

As classroom censorship bills grow in popularity across the country, this documentary short introduces Rosie and Lisa Factora Borchers’ advocacy for the passage of House Bill 171 in Ohio, an unprecedented bill that would expand K-12 social studies curriculum to be more inclusive of all students’ backgrounds and histories. Through intimate reflections on their Filipino roots, Lisa and Rosie express why they organize around House Bill 171 and what is possible when children use their voice to speak up for a collective vision.

On All Fronts

Joua Lee Grande, 2022, USA, 10 min

The Moss family, a biracial Black-Indonesian family living in Minneapolis, open up about how they moved through the chaos of 2020, and each family member reveals personal experiences and difficulties never shared before with their loved ones.

Something About These Waters

Malaya Ulan, 2024, USA, 25 min

English and Tagalog with English subtitles

Something About These Waters is an autobiographical poetic documentary diving into my story as a first-generation immigrant and how I find connection with other first-generation immigrant Americans while living in Philadelphia.

The People Could Fly

Imani Dennison, 2024, USA, 21 min

The People Could Fly is a poetic documentary about the history of Black gathering spaces in Louisville, KY from the 1960's to mid 2000's. Through an intimate video portrait, we delve into the ritual of roller skating and how roller rinks emerged as sanctuaries for Black culture. Through a charged combination of archival footage, still photos, newly shot material and newsreel, we explore the history of a segregated Louisville and the magic that its Black community has conjured as an act of resistance.

Ternura Radical (Radical Tenderness)

Celina Galicia, 2025, Mexico, 16 min

Spanish with English subtitles

In Ciudad Juárez, women transform art into a fierce act of resistance, channeling poetry, music, and graphic art to preserve the memory of femicide and disappearance while demanding justice.