Steal This Story, Please! — a documentary following journalist Amy Goodman on her more-than-30-year journey as she becomes a leader in the movement for independent media that amplifies voices excluded from the mainstream and faces off against forces trying to silence her — has been selected as the winner of The Fund for Santa Barbara’s Social Justice Film Series at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
The film is described by the Fund as “a gripping portrait of the trailblazer whose unwavering commitment to truth-telling spans three decades of turbulent history. From the front lines of global conflict to the organized chaos of her daily news program Democracy Now!, Goodman amplifies stories and voices routinely silenced by commercial media.”
This year’s slate of social justice films was identified by SBIFF, and the winner was selected by the Fund boardmembers, staff, and stakeholders who considered the overall quality of the films, as well as their importance in addressing significant issues and their ability to inspire positive change.
A slate of five films will be presented at SBIFF, all centered around the theme of “People Have the Power”: things such as the critical importance of investigative journalism to the preservation of democracy, the ongoing fight to address the devastating impacts of the fossil-fuel industry, the profound psychological toll of war and conflict, the rebuilding of urban environments degraded by structural racism, and the historic abuse of native communities.
While the topics are diverse, the films are imbued with a common idea: that individual action can spur profound change. Steal This Story, Please! (U.S.) screens on February 6 at 8:20 p.m. and February 7 at 11:40 a.m.
Additional films in the series include:
As the world teeters on the brink of irreversible climate disaster, actor and activist Jane Fonda ventures deep into oil and gas country in Gaslit (U.S.), meeting the people who are exposing the fossil fuel industry’s lies. Gaslit screens on February 5 at 3 p.m. (at the Riviera Theatre), and on February 8 at 11:40 a.m. and February 10 at 8 a.m.
In Cuba & Alaska (Ukraine, France, Belgium), two best friends are wisecracking medics on Ukraine’s frontline, and living the same battlefield story as all soldiers: The longer they fight for Ukraine, the more they lose touch with friends, family, and their former lives. Cuba & Alaska screens February 5 at 5:20 p.m. and February 6 at 11:20 a.m.
Saving Etting Street (U.S.) is a riveting documentary by Dena Fisher and Amy Scott, in which master carpenter Shelley Halstead trains three young Black women in carpentry, electrical work, and plumbing. They transform a block of abandoned row houses in Baltimore into a community of Black women first-time homeowners. But when tensions arise with the group and a suspicious fire breaks out, Halstead questions her vision of community. Saving Etting Street screens on February 5 at 8:20 a.m. and on February 10 at 3:20 p.m.
What We Carry (Canada) follows the story of a restless teacher in 1964, who spots an ad in a teacher’s magazine for a position in Northern Alberta. Leaving her life in England behind, she arrives by bush plane to Wabasca-Desmarais, an isolated place with bad roads, no electricity, limited services, and the Desmarais Indian Residential School, where she teaches for five years. In 2022, her daughter and granddaughter return to this beautiful northern lakeside community in the heart of Treaty 8 territory with questions, and a trunk full of history. What We Carry screens on February 12 at 11:40 a.m. and February 13 at 5 p.m.
Unless otherwise noted, all screenings will take place at SBIFF’s new McHurley Film Center at 916 State Street. For more information about SBIFF and a complete list of programs, see sbiff.org.
