FILMS OF NOTE

• By Mabel Pais

COVER UP

“Brilliant and damning… In refracting more than 50 years of crime and conspiracy through the prism of Hersh’s career as an investigative reporter, COVER-UP is also the deepest and most damning film that Poitras has ever made about truth in America — and the power to control it… A rare and unmistakably urgent documentary.” – David Ehrlich, IndieWire

“Riveting… Grips the attention from the opening frames… Explores the extraordinary career of Hersh, who is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest investigative journalists in American history (except perhaps by those whose misdeeds he has exposed)…. The film includes audio of President Nixon snarling about Hersh in conversation with his national security advisor, Henry Kissinger. In one of the White House tapes, Nixon grouses, ‘The son of a bitch is a son of a bitch. But he’s usually right, isn’t he?’”

– Matthew Carey, Deadline

“Enthralling… Captures how uncovering corruption is always a mountain to climb.” – Owen Gleiberman, Variety

DIRS: Laura Poitras & Mark Obenhaus; Prod: Yoni Golijov, Olivia Streisand, Laura Poitras & Mark Obenhaus; 2025; USA; Doc Feature; Rated: R; 1h 57m;

Pulitzer-winning investigative reporter Seymour M. Hersh was first to uncover the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War, multiple illegal CIA covert operations

(including domestic spying and conducting experiments on Americans), and the U.S. Army torturing prisoners at Abu Ghraib in Iraq.

Oscar®-winning filmmaker Poitras (CITIZEN FOUR) and Emmy®-winning filmmaker Obenhaus trace the history of Hersh’s courageous, iconoclastic reporting (much of which was initially met with skepticism by mainstream outlets), his deep reservoir of sources inside government agencies, and his run-ins with politicians and editors.

At a time when freedom of the press is increasingly in jeopardy and self-censorship by major media is prevalent, COVER-UP is a reminder of the critical role hard-hitting investigative reporting plays in a democracy.

COVER-UP premiered at the 2025 Venice International Film Festival, and was also screened at Telluride, Toronto, New York and London Film Festivals.

Screening Platform: A Netflix release.

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ON HEALING LAND, BIRDS PERCH

DIR; Naja Pham Lockwood; 44m

Director Naja Pham Lockwood, who escaped from Vietnam in 1975 at the end of the Vietnam War and now makes Utah her home, has directed a short documentary.

’On Healing Land, Birds Perch’ looks at the traumas of the Vietnam War through the lens of one of the most iconic Pulitzer Prize winning photographs which defined the Vietnam War called Saigon Execution. The film searches out the children of those involved in the photo and through a Vietnamese and Vietnamese American perspective takes us on a journey where healing is possible.

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SEEDS

Shortlisted for the 2026 Academy Award® for Documentary Feature Film

WINNER – U.S. Documentary Grand Jury Prize, 2025 Sundance Film Festival
NOMINEE – Truer Than Fiction Award, 2026 Film Independent Spirit Awards

“Nine years in the making, [SEEDS is] as patient and persevering as the Black farmers it documents. A languid, loving portrait of Black farmers in the South, SEEDS is a mixture of celebration and lament. Family farming has been endangered, but for African American farmers, the land—holding onto it, cultivating it—is even more precarious and precious.” – Lisa Kennedy, Variety 

“Quietly stunning… Brittany Shyne constructs an empathetic portrait of Black agrarian life while also revealing threats to its survival. Not a journalistic investigation but a poetic contemplation that recalls Garrett Bradley’s TIME and RaMell Ross’ HALE COUNTY THIS MORNING, THIS EVENING. In the early 20th century, Black farmers owned 16 millions acres of land; today that number has shrunk to roughly a million. With SEEDS, Shyne helps spotlights the farmer, the mature and the budding, fighting to protect what remains.” – Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter 

DIR: Brittany Shyne; Exec Prod: Maida Lynn, Tessa Thompson; Prod: Danielle Varga, Sabrina Schmidt Gordon, Brittany Shyne; USA; 2025; 2h 5m;

Interweaving the stories of three Black generational farmers to create a collective and intimate portrait of farming today, SEEDS is a moving and powerful exploration of their lives, joys and struggles as well as the fragility of legacy and owning land. With remarkable intimacy,the film documents their everyday lives – cotton harvesting, chasing cows, dealing with broken machinery and financial precarities. The camera relishes simple moments – conversations through car windows, candy from grandma’s purse as it captures moments of warmth, joy and fulfillment – turning them into striking vignettes that honor the families’ connection to the land and each other.

But the sobering reality underscores the urgency of their story. Black farmers owned 16 million acres of land in 1910 but today, that number has dwindled to a fraction. The farmers in the community struggle to access funding that white farmers nearby seem to secure with ease. Through these inter-generational stories, we see the cycles of inequity and embedded racism that persist to this present day, and the signs of hope and renewal with younger generations of farmers. SEEDS emphasizes how human beings are innately tied to our foundational roots, roots which carry our ancestral memories – somber, bitter, and sweet.

RELEASE: U.S. Theatrical Premiere at Film Forum Friday, January 16

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MR. NOBODY AGAINST PUTIN

“An unseen human angle on an ongoing conflict.” – Variety

“A horrifying blueprint for authoritarianism.” – Reel News Daily

“This is one of the few documentaries that genuinely deserves adjectives like ‘brave’ and ‘daring’ – Cinema Daily US

DIR: David Borenstein and Pavel (Pasha) Talankin; Prod: Helle Faber; Exec Prods: Radovan Sibrt & Alzbeta Karaskova; Russian; 1h 30m

In a remote Russian mining town, a primary school teacher covertly documents the state’s transformation of classrooms into recruitment grounds for war. Tasked with filming “patriotic education” sessions, he turns the lens on the indoctrination of youth, capturing moments of coerced loyalty and silent dissent. This intimate documentary offers a rare, unfiltered glimpse into the erosion of truth and the resilience of those who dare to resist, even at great personal cost.

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HOOPS, HOPES AND DREAMS

DIR: Glenn Kaino; Rating: PG; 20m

‘Hoops, Hopes & Dreams’ is a short documentary that explores how basketball has been a tool for connection, organizing, and community participation.

Directed by artist and filmmaker Glenn Kaino, the documentary reveals a lesser-known aspect of the Civil Rights Movement, showing how Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other activists used basketball to reach young people, build trust, and bring communities together. This influence was seen in President Barack Obama’s campaign, where basketball once again became a bridge linking generations, cultures, and coalitions through shared experience.

Blending archival footage, animation, and interviews, the film invites viewers to reflect on the importance of sports as a space for leadership, conversation, and civic engagement. Featured in the film are Ambassador Andrew Young, NBA legend Jerry West, journalist Jemele Hill, Michael Strautmanis from The Obama Foundation, and Reginald L. Love, a former Duke basketball player and aide to President Obama.

Mabel Pais writes on The Arts and Entertainment, Spirituality, Social Issues, Education, Business, Health and Wellness, and Cuisine.