SDFF 2021

The delusions of power, the consequences of privilege, and the scandal of love. This is the 2021 Self-Directed Film Festival.

If you have never participated before, be sure to consult the rules before watching.

The Swamp
(2020, DOCUMENTARY)

Follow renegade Republican Congressmen over the course of a year as they bring libertarian and conservative zeal to champion the President's call to "drain the swamp" while facing demands to raise money. Watch on HBO Max.

Most LIkely TO Succeed
(2019, DOCUMENTARY)

In 2007, four teenagers from disparate backgrounds are voted "Most Likely To Succeed" during their senior year of high school. Filmed over a ten-year period, we follow as they navigate the unpredictability of American life in the 21st Century. Watch on Amazon Prime.

Crown Heights
(2017, DRAMA)

In 1980, police in Brooklyn, N.Y., wrongfully charge Trinidadian immigrant Colin Warner with murder. Convicted for a crime he didn't commit, Colin spends 20 years in prison while his friend Carl King fights for the young man's freedom. Watch on Amazon Prime.

The KingMaker
(2019, DOCUMENTARY)

An extraordinary look into the political career of Imelda Marcos, this documentary tells a cautionary tale of a powerful leader whose questionable sense of reality divided the Philippines. Watch for free (!) on Showtime.com.

Loving Story
(2012, DOCUMENTARY)

Married in 1958, Mildred and Richard Loving were arrested in the middle of the night for Virginia's crime of mixed marriage. Convicted on felony charges and banished from the state, the couple began a nine-year odyssey to get back to their friends and family. Watch on HBO Max.

QUEST
(2017, DOCUMENTARY)

Filmed with vérité intimacy for nearly a decade, Quest is the moving portrait of the Rainey family living in North Philadelphia – a vivid illumination of race and class in America, and a testament to love, healing and hope. Rent on iTunes.

THE FORCE
(2017, Documentary)

The Oakland Police Department and its members struggle to confront federal demands for reform, a popular uprising following events in Ferguson, Mo., and an explosive scandal. Watch on Netflix.

BOYS STATE
(2020, Documentary)

In an unusual experiment, a thousand 17-year-old boys from Texas join together to build a representative government from the ground up. Watch on Apple TV+.

Welcome to Chechnya
(2020, Documentary)

Activists risk their lives to confront Russian leader Ramzan Kadyrov and his government-directed campaign to detain, torture and execute LGBTQ Chechens. Watch on HBO Max.

Welcome to Leith
(2015, DOCUMENTARY)

White supremacist Craig Cobb tries to take over a small town in North Dakota. As his behavior becomes more threatening, residents wrestle with democratic principles as they try to get rid of their unwanted neighbor. Rent on Amazon Prime.

JASPER MALL
(2020, Documentary)

"Jasper Mall" chronicles a year in the life of a dying shopping mall, its patrons, and its tenants. Watch on Amazon Prime.

Dick Johnson Is Dead
(2020, Documentary)

As her father nears the end of his life, filmmaker Kirsten Johnson stages his death in inventive and comical ways to help them both face the inevitable. Watch on Netflix.