The festival will be on PBS and WILL digital platforms July 13-24, and 25 independent feature films will be screened.
Here are the two films that will be presented by Illinois Public Media:
Paddle Together: Survivorship meets sportsmanship. This is what propels the Paradise City Dragon Boat team of breast cancer survivors and supporters to paddle a 20-person boat down the Connecticut River. Brought together by their experiences of fighting breast cancer, the dragon boat racing team offers year-round support and camaraderie, while also providing necessary muscle-building fitness in an exciting and rewarding sport.
You Know the Drill: A normal school day in rural Wyoming becomes combative as students flip tables, dog-pile on trainers armed with plastic guns, and ponder whether they could fight back during an actual school shooting. Over 1,000 miles away on a southern California beach, a child psychologist watches her own children play in the waves after counseling a middle schooler with active shooter drill anxiety. She warns that if we don’t start researching now, it could take 17 years before society knows the consequences of conducting aggressive drills in schools.
The full slate of films will be available for viewing beginning at midnight on July 13th. Viewers can vote on their favorite for the Most Popular award, and there will be a panel of seven jurors selecting a film for the Juried Prize.
Image provided by Illinois Public Media.