The Immigration Film Festival is returning to D.C. with more than 20 films that showcase stories centering on the experiences of immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. To celebrate its 10th year, the festival will feature five local screening events starting on the weekend of Oct. 20.

A reception on Oct. 21 kicks off the festival, with drink tickets included in the price of admission. At each of the in-person events, select filmmakers will participate in a Q&A with audience members. Virtual streaming of the films will be available from Oct. 19 through Oct. 29 for viewers at home.

Organizers chose the theme of “Resilient Together” for this year’s festival – which they say is reflective of how immigrants overcome hardship through community, friends, and family.

“Every film has a bit of a thread in that direction,” says Allie Judge, who works for KAMA DC, which took over organizing the festival this year.

Passes for just the in-person screenings are available at $60. You can also purchase tickets for individual screening events starting at $15. Virtual screening passes are $50, while virtual screenings for individual films start at $7. An all-access pass to both the in-person and virtual screenings can be had for $100.

This year’s selection includes feature films, shorts, documentaries, and narrative storytelling from around the world – and here in the D.C. region.

Here are three films with local ties and when to screen them in-person:

Park Regent (2022) is a short documentary on the historic apartment building in Mt. Pleasant, along with its residents, and tells a story about the community and world history within its walls. Along with tracing the lives of the building’s immigrant tenants, the film also follows the life of one person whose life was shaped by the Great Migration as the son of sharecroppers before moving to D.C.

“I think that the documentary succeeds in also telling a lot of D.C. history through their stories and through the story of the building that people might not otherwise be aware of,” says director Victoria R. Broadus.

Friday, Oct. 20, 7 p.m. at the MLK Jr. Memorial Library.

Allies Welcome (2022) is a short documentary that was made in the wake of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. It follows the lives of three Afghans who fled the country for the U.S. but are faced with obstacles about their immigration status and the uncertainty it spells for their future. Two of the Afghans featured in the film are living in Silver Spring as they try to navigate life in a new country.

“One of the things we were trying to document in this film was [to] humanize these young Afghans who were coming from the U.S.,” says Shakeeb Asrar, who co-directed the film with Tavleen Tarrant. “And not just put them in categories of just immigrants or refugees, but also [to] personalize their stories and their personal struggle.”

Friday, Oct. 20, 7 p.m. at the MLK Jr. Memorial Library. Also available for streaming online.

Nurse Unseen (2023) is a feature documentary that showcases the history of Filipino nurses on the frontlines around the United States. It’s also an examination of the colonial relationship between the Philippines and the U.S., and depicts how Filipino nurses became crucial to the health care system. The film’s director, Michele Josue, who grew up in Montgomery County, says she made the film to honor her late aunt – a nurse at Children’s National Hospital in D.C.

“I wanted to really widen the scope of the film so that our audiences could realize that my story is just one,” says director Michele Josue. “There are so many Filipino families with a similar background. In a way, it’s a story about our Filipino-American community.”

Sunday, Oct. 22, 5 p.m. at the Edlavitch Jewish Community Center, D.C.