Jake Watson has been on the road for ten years, since his wife died of cancer. He left the house he shared with his late wife to his son James and his young family, took his dog Cleo, and went off to try and deal with her passing.

Ten years later, and his son has died of the same cancer. Jake comes home to the life he put on hold. Determined to contribute and get to know his family, he takes a job driving for a limo service, owned by his old friend Felicia.

Like a horse who won't take a saddle, he struggles with his new life, until one rainy night he picks up a Nashville singer, Catriona Walsh. They hit the road together, and his life changes again. Is he on the run, or on the mend?

Catriona sets his poems to music, and Jake begins to heal, as they both find their way home

"A Life Illuminated" follows pioneering marine biologist Dr. Edith Widder’s lifelong quest to use the language of light to communicate with the most mysterious creatures in the deep sea. Now, she heads off on her greatest journey yet into the deepest depths of our ocean world to understand our biggest questions about bioluminescence and what it can tell us about the future of life on Earth.

This high-altitude documentary explores the unforgiving world of American Mountain Guides who make their living on the edge. Set in the rugged peaks of the Tetons and the Alps, the film follows those who face deadly risks every time they rope up — not for their own glory, but to get their clients back safely to the parking lot. Using a parallel narrative structure, the film interweaves a historical backstory.

Award-winning composer and co-lyricist Marc Shaiman (Hairspray, Sister Act, Smash and many others) gives us a look behind the curtain of life on Broadway, in Hollywood and on Television, with a conversation about his new memoir, Never Mind the Happy: Showbiz Stories from a Sore Winner.

Part showbiz tell-all, part love letter to the melancholy that fuels creativity, told with perfect comic timing—along with a few wrong notes, and plenty of standing ovations. Emerging from community theater in his teens, sparking a decades-long collaboration with Bette Midler in the ’70s, surviving the AIDS crisis of the ’80s and bursting into Hollywood and Broadway glory, Marc Shaiman has spent 50 years making some of the most beloved musicals and film scores of our era. Candid, hilarious, and deeply human, Shaiman’s story is a tribute to the power of music, the pull of the spotlight, and the beat that never stops.

Join him for a candid, uproariously fun

Ramin & The Broadgrass Band live at the intersection of two worlds: Broadway and Bluegrass where theatrical storytelling meets roots-driven music and songs are built to mean something. Anchored by acoustic guitar and banjo, the Broadgrass Band brings old-world resonance together with modern energy, creating performances that feel intimate yet expansive, personal yet communal.

Fronted by Ramin, whose career in musical theatre has spanned stages from the West End to Broadway as well as internationally, the band draws deeply from a life spent inhabiting characters, shaping narratives, and communicating emotion through song. That theatrical foundation doesn’t disappear here, it transforms. Each performance is rooted in story, intention, and connection, whether the song arrives as a quiet acoustic moment or a full-bodied, foot-stomping groove.

The term “Broadgrass” reflects that fusion: Broadway’s sense of narrative and emotional architecture

André is dying because he didn’t get a colonoscopy. His sobering diagnosis, complete irreverence, and insatiable curiosity send him on an unexpected journey learning how to die happily and ridiculously without losing his sense of humor.

After a failed attempt at a hostel luggage room hook up, Sam and Naomi think they will never see each other again. When a volcano erupts, grounding all flights, they suddenly find themselves stranded – together.

In a stolen car, the pair embark on a quest to capture the first images of the eruption. The ensuing road trip into the Icelandic highlands uncovers their vulnerabilities as they navigate their fears of commitment, the weight of their secrets and the thrills of connection in a world where they can no longer swipe left.

The Audience Choice Award Winners will be announced early on Sunday, March 1. Tickets will be available online and at all festival box office locations after the announcement has been posted.

Jake and Rebecca escape to a tranquil mountain community, eager to start anew in their charming riverside home. However, their idyllic life is shaken when they meet their enigmatic neighbors, Dave, Michelle, and their son Cole.

As Jake grows increasingly convinced that Dave is abusing Cole, he wrestles with the moral dilemma of intervening, while Rebecca warns him against meddling in their neighbors’ lives. Torn between his instincts and his wife’s caution, Jake embarks on a harrowing journey that forces him to confront his own past and the lengths he will go to protect an innocent child. In this gripping tale of tension and unresolved trauma, the line between right and wrong becomes dangerously blurred.

"Best Day Ever" follows the stories of adaptive mountain bikers Greg Durso and Allie Bianchi as they navigate the relentless challenges of their disabilities and embrace the tremendous support, friendship and joy they find in their rural Vermont riding community. Allie and Greg navigate disability and regain independence with humor, attitude, and grit on mountain bike trails that dismantle ableism, build community, and become a blueprint for trails anywhere.

Alex, a struggling film student in Los Angeles, discovers a mysterious handkerchief bearing the name “Billy Knight,” a forgotten Hollywood actor (Al Pacino) whose life and legacy were erased from history.

Drawn into the myth of this vanished star, Alex embarks on a dreamlike journey through old Los Angeles, chasing inspiration, identity, and the fragile magic of cinema. As he follows Billy’s ghostly footprints, Alex confronts his own fears about artistry and purpose. Ultimately, finding that the pursuit of a dream can be as defining as achieving it.

Disinformation has become an instrument to attack and discredit scientists and health professionals for political gains. "Blame" shows the negative effect that common popular myths and evidence-free narratives create by following scientists during the process of finding the origins of COVID-19.

This international cult science fiction classic rewrites the rules of filmmaking, using improvisation and a limited crew to capture one of the most engaging, naturalistic, and mind-bending stories ever filmed.

On the night of a passing comet, eight friends at a dinner party experience a series of surreal events that blur the boundaries between reality and madness.

This “existential thriller” ratchets up the tension with every new reveal, propelling a completely unique narrative through a labyrinth of fractured realities.

Winner of several international awards, "Coherence" has recently been added to the pantheon of great science fiction films. A micro budget triumph celebrated for its masterful writing and performances, the film is proof that compelling ideas and characters can transcend Hollywood spectacle to evoke a timeless cosmic elegance reminiscent of "The Twilight Zone".

"Comparsa" fully immerses audiences in the intense world of Ciudad Peronia, Guatemala, where sisters Lesli and Lupe use art and performance to rally local youth and heal deep wounds. After 41 girls are killed in a State-run “Safe Home” and the government refuses to act, the sisters respond with a community comparsa— an exuberant street performance featuring towering puppets, fire-breathing stilt walkers and thundering drums.

With brave vulnerability, they expose a power structure that permits and commits violence against women, and they open up about surviving violence in their own home. Their youth movement takes to the streets, confronting corruption and reclaiming public space for women and girls. Rooting their efforts in joy and community care, they find healing for themselves along the way.

"Comparsa" is built on a 15-year relationship between the subjects and the film team to offer a stirring portrait of sisterhood, peacebuilding,

Welcome to Creede, Colorado, a 300-person mining town at 9,000 feet where ranchers, miners, and a repertory theater company share the same main street. The film weaves together multiple storylines, from the theater that reshaped the town’s economy and brought cosmopolitan audiences into a conservative community, to the next generation navigating questions of identity.

With humor and heart, it presents Creede as a surprisingly hopeful microcosm of America, where deep divides and unexpected civility coexist among neighbors.