The Immigration Film Festival is back this week for its ninth year of sharing stories that originate from all over the world. From Oct. 13-23, the festival will showcase nearly 40 different films, both online and in-person, throughout the D.C. region.

This year the event returns to offering in-person screenings, after skipping the previous two due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “These are films that we think people all over the world can connect with, but we know how important it is to have those in-person experiences as well,” says Dana Lea, a member of the festival’s steering committee.

For this festival, organizers chose the theme, “UNSETTLED: Finding Home in a World of Migration,” which they say is particularly relevant in a year that has seen more families and individuals resettling in the region. For example, among the films contributing to the festival is a documentary on the efforts to aid Afghans in the United States, including northern Virginia.

According to festival director Aldo Bello, the purpose of the Immigration Film Festival is to spotlight stories that sometimes go unheard while also sparking conversations for change.

“One of the best things that we can possibly do is request some films and organize a film festival to bring these stories to D.C. audiences who are not only interested in terms of the policy, but also want to see the human side of what’s been happening to immigrants and immigration globally,” says Bello, whose parents fled to D.C. from Chile in 1973.

While stories of immigration can sometimes be framed as tragic, Lea says that many of the films were directed or produced by immigrants themselves and are meant to highlight the broad range of what it means to leave your home country.

“We have sad stories. We have hopeful stories. We have stories of success. And it really, it’s not easy to pinpoint immigration to one thing,” says Lea.

This year’s line-up will feature documentaries, narrative shorts, and even animated films from Filipino immigrants, Afro-Colombians in New York City, and refugees from Myanmar, among others. 

Individual virtual screenings range from $5 to $10. Passes that include access for all in-person screenings are $75, while access to all virtual screenings can be had for $65. An all access pass for both virtual and in-person screenings is available for $125.

Most of the festival’s film screenings will be available for streaming online but organizers are bringing four in-person showings to the region:

Thursday, Oct. 13, 7 p.m. at the Edlavitch Jewish Community Center, D.C.

Pipi Thay Too (2020) is an animated short that follows a young woman who flees Myanmar to refugee camps before resettling in Australia. A panel with the filmmakers will follow.

My DACA Life (Mi Vida DACA) (2022) is a documentary six years in the making that follows the journey of a DACA recipient who visits her birth country of Mexico. The film is making its world premiere just a week after a federal appeals court ruled that DACA is illegal. A panel with the filmmakers will follow. “I’m just hoping this movie really moves people and helps the conversation move forward,” says director Fanny Grande.

Friday, Oct. 14, 7 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington

Stop Time (2022) is a documentary that follows a young man who spends more than three years living in the basement of a western Massachusetts church while facing deportation. A panel with the filmmakers will follow.

Operation: Allies Welcome (2022) is a documentary about the efforts to help Afghans resettle in the United States, including in parts of northern Virginia. A panel with the filmmakers will follow.

Saturday, Oct. 15, 6 p.m. at the Edlavitch Jewish Community Center, D.C. 

Tonewood (2021) is a narrative short about an Iranian immigrant who is hired by a Bavarian carpenter to work in his woodshop. A panel with the filmmakers will follow.

Any Day Now (2020) is a feature about a family of Iranian refugees who arrive in Finland and await to hear if they’ll be granted asylum in their new country. A panel with the filmmakers will follow.

Sunday, Oct. 16, 2 p.m. at the Planet Word Museum, D.C.

Ljubomir Stanisic: Heartbeat (2021) is a documentary about a man who escaped war in Bosnia and Herzegovina to live a multi-faceted life, which included running a one-Michelin star restaurant in Lisbon. This screening is being presented in partnership with Immigrant Food. It will feature pre-screening food and drinks for purchase. There will also be a panel discussion on the intersection of food, immigration, and conflict.

“[Food is] a really great way to represent your culture, and it’s also a great way to learn about new cultures,” says panelist Tea Ivanovic, the co-founder and chief operating officer of Immigrant Food.