The Doc10 Film Festival today announced titles and special guests participating in Doc10’s new Speak Truth program, which aims to expand the festival’s reach and impact while building on Doc10’s reputation as Chicago’s premier documentary showcase and a catalyst for dialogue and social change.

Each Speak Truth screening is centered around a timely, critical issue and will be followed by a robust panel discussion featuring filmmakers and community leaders, as well as an audience activation segment offering attendees meaningful pathways to get involved, take action, and carry the conversation beyond the theater.

Doc10 is thrilled to announce the participation of special guest Henry Winkler. The Emmy Award–winning actor for Barry, beloved for his iconic role as Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli on Happy Days, as well as a director, producer, co-author of 41 children’s books, and longtime advocate for individuals with learning disabilities will speak at a special screening of THE LIBRARIANS about the vital importance of access to knowledge.

Other Speak Truth titles include THE LAST REPUBLICAN followed by a Zoom Q&A with former Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger;  STEAL THIS STORY, PLEASE! following Amy Goodman and her decades-long career, highlighting some of the monumental stories Democracy Now! has covered and the importance of independent journalism followed by a Q&A with Amy Goodman (Zoom) and her Democracy Now! co-host Juan Gonzalez and Director Tia Lessin; and  ICE UNDER WATCH: MEDIA & COMMUNITY RESISTANCE, a collection of short works by Chicago-based documentary filmmakers who bore witness to last fall’s Operation “Midway Blitz” offering context and humanity to the events that have unfolded. 

“This year, we felt it was crucial to once again expand the festival’s reach, further inspiring and activating audiences and bringing together special guests like Henry Winkler, so our community can come together collectively around the issues that matter most,” says Doc10 Co-Founder Paula Froehle. 

The full Doc10 festival lineup announcing the official Doc10 selections will be announced later this month. Tickets for the Speak Truth screenings are $10 General Admission and available at https://doc10.eventive.org/schedule. Discounted tickets for students, seniors, military personnel, and first responders are available for $8.

DOC10’S SPEAK TRUTH SCREENING PRESENTATIONS:

*All screenings to take place at the Davis Theater

MANY CANDLES, ONE FLAME: FAITH & IDENTITY

SABBATH QUEEN – Friday, April 24, 7 PM

Director: Sandi DuBowski

2024, U.S., 105 min.

Filmed over 21 years, Sabbath Queen follows Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie’s epic journey as the dynastic heir of 38 generations of Orthodox rabbis including the Chief Rabbis of Israel. Torn between rejecting and embracing his destiny, he becomes a drag-queen rebel, a queer bio-dad and the founder of Lab/Shul—an everybody-friendly, God-optional, artist-driven, pop-up experimental congregation. 

The film joins Amichai on a lifelong quest to creatively and radically reinvent religion and ritual, challenge patriarchy and supremacy, champion interfaith love, and stand up for peace, the ceasefire, and an end to the Occupation in Israel/Palestine. The film interrogates what Jewish survival means in a difficult and rapidly changing 21st Century. “Fascinating” (New York Times “Critics Pick”).  

Panelists and Special Guests: Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie,  director Sandi DuBowski and Pastor Vince Brackett from the Brown Line Church lead an interfaith panel discussion about identity & faith in a chaotic world.

Community Partners: Jewish Story Partners

Audience Activation:  Interfaith candle-lighting inside the theatre with Rabbi Amichai.

BURN THIS BOOK: CENSORSHIP + FIRST AMENDMENT

THE LIBRARIANS –  Saturday, April 25, 6 PM

Director: Kim A. Snyder

2025, U.S., 92 minutes

As an unprecedented wave of book banning largely addressing race and LGBTQ+ issues is sparked in Texas, Florida, and beyond, librarians under siege join forces as unlikely defenders fighting for intellectual freedom on the front lines of democracy. Oscar-nominated filmmaker Kim A. Snyder (Newtown) takes us to an unexpected front line where librarians emerge as first responders in the fight for democracy, free access to information, and our First Amendment Rights. As they well know, controlling the flow of ideas means control over communities.

As tensions escalate, librarians connect the dots from heated school and library board meetings nationwide to lay bare the underpinnings of White Christian Nationalism fueling the censorship efforts. Despite facing harassment, threats, and laws aimed at criminalizing their work, the librarians’ rallying cry for freedom to read is a chilling cautionary tale. “Equal parts foreboding and inspiring…startling and heartbreaking” (RogerEbert.com).

Panelists and Special Guests: Best-selling author and actor Henry Winkler, director Kim Snyder

Community Partners: TBA

Audience Activation: Librarians, educators, and legal experts will discuss what it means to defend intellectual freedom in an era of political pressure, and how local actions can shape the future of democratic access to knowledge.

EARTH, WIND & FIRE: CLIMATE & FOOD + WATER SCARCITY

THE GRAB – Sunday, April 26, 6 PM

Director: Gabriela Cowperthwaite

2022, U.S., 104 minutes

Quietly and seemingly out of sight, governments, private investors and mercenaries are working to  seize food and water resources at the expense of entire populations. These groups are establishing  themselves as the new OPEC, where the future world powers will be those who control not oil, but food. And it’s all beginning to bubble to the surface in real time. Global food prices have hit an all-time high, threatening chaos and violence. Meanwhile, Russia is using food as a weapon against the Ukrainians, and as a geopolitical tool to wield global power. 

The Grab is a global thriller combining hard-hitting journalism from The Center for Investigative  Reporting with the compelling character-driven storytelling of director Gabriela Cowperthwaite,  taking you around the globe from Arizona to Zambia, to reveal one of the world’s biggest and least  known threats.

Panelists and Special Guests: Producers of the film Nate Halverson and Amanda Pike of the Center for Investigative Reporting & Mother Jones, joined by representatives from Food Water Watch & Grist Magazine

Community Partners: Mother Jones and The Center for Investigative Reporting, Food Water Watch, The One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest

Audience Activation: Screening will be followed by a deep dive into food and water scarcity issues in the Midwest and Great Lakes region, connecting the audience with regional  organizations who protect farmland and water resources in the Midwest.

NO LAUGHING MATTER: COMEDIANS AS THE FRONTLINES OF FREE SPEECH

NORMAN LEAR: JUST ANOTHER VERSION OF YOU – Monday, April 27, 7 PM

Directors: Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady

2016, U.S., 92 minutes

Arguably the most influential creator, writer, and producer in the history of television, Norman Lear brought primetime into step with the times. Using comedy and indelible characters, his legendary 1970s shows such as All In the Family, Good Times, and The Jeffersons, boldly cracked open dialogue and shifted the national consciousness, injecting enlightened humanism into sociopolitical debates on race, class, creed, and feminism in the U.S.

Featuring interviews with comic masters from Rob Reiner to Mel Brooks to Amy Poehler, Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You is the definitive chronicle of Mr. Lear’s life, work, and achievements. Award-winning filmmakers and Doc10 alumni Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing (Jesus Camp, FOLKTALES) seize the opportunity to fashion a dynamic portrait that matches the spirit of their subject. Breaking down the fourth wall to create an evocative collage where past and present intermingle, they reveal a psychologically rich man whose extraordinary contributions to the media offer a stirring testament to the power of comedy in our lives.

Panelists and Special Guests: TBA 

Community Partners: The Laugh Factory

Audience Activation: The panel will bring together several comedians to explore comedy as a frontline force in the fight for free speech and a vital form of opposition to authoritarianism. Following the discussion, audiences will be treated to a very special evening of standup comedy from some of Chicago’s best sponsored by GMan Tavern. 

WILL DEMOCRACY WIN THE NEXT ELECTION?

THE LAST REPUBLICAN –  Tuesday, April 28, 7 PM

Director: Steve Pink

2024, U.S., 90 minutes

Equal parts humorous and harrowing, The Last Republican tracks Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger’s unwavering fight to hold Donald Trump accountable for the January 6 insurrection. Chronicled by fellow Illinoisian and self-avowed liberal filmmaker Steve Pink, famous for Hot Tub Time Machine, the two make an unlikely pairing. But that’s the point: this is that rare political documentary about finding common ground.

Pink follows the Congressman through one of the most difficult years of his life: After Kinzinger voted to impeach the President and was selected—somewhat unwillingly, it turns out—to serve on the January 6 Committee. Ostracized by his party, mocked by the media, and facing death threats, Kinzinger wrestles with the consequences of his actions, but ultimately remains committed to his conscience, offering a more hopeful glimpse of the future of America. “Vital and surprisingly laugh-filled.” (The Washington Post), “introspective and thought-provoking” (RogerEbert.com)..

Panelists and Special Guests: Q&A with Adam Kinzinger (Zoom), moderated by author and journalist Michael Golden 

Community Partners: The Truman Foundation

Audience Activation: Join panelists in a riveting discussion of the current state of the country, asking the question: are we truly too divided to find common ground? Partner organizations will engage audience members to get involved as election judges, on the ground volunteers at polls, and even run for local public office.

DEMOCRACY DIES IN DARKNESS

STEAL THIS STORY, PLEASE! – Wednesday, April 29, 7 PM

Dirs: Carl Deal, Tia Lessin

Producers: Carl Deal, Tia Lessin, Karen Ranucci, Diana Cohn, Caren Spruch

2025

Undeterred by armed soldiers, smooth-talking politicians, and riot police, journalist Amy Goodman has reported some of the most consequential stories of our time. This gripping portrait follows the trailblazer’s unwavering commitment to truth-telling, spanning three decades of turbulent history. From the frontlines of global conflicts to the organized chaos of her daily news show Democracy Now!, Goodman broadcasts stories and voices routinely silenced by commercial media.

Oscar-nominated filmmakers Carl Deal and Tia Lessin (Trouble the Water, The Janes) take us behind the scenes with the warm, wisecracking journalist as she navigates a news landscape reshaped by technology, corporate consolidation, and political assaults on truth itself. Winner of six Audience Awards at film festivals around the country, Steal This Story, Please! is provocative and unexpectedly funny, both a call to action and a celebration of resistance, posing a question that’s now more urgent than ever: How can the press hold the powerful to account? 

Panelists and Special Guests: Q&A with Amy Goodman (Zoom), Democracy Now co-host Juan González, Tracy Baim (Windy City Times/Press Forward) and director Tia Lessin; moderated by Daniel Ash, President ofThe Field Foundation

Community Partners: The Field Foundation

Audience Activation: After the film, join us for an audience-activating panel on independent journalism, truth, and freedom of information—and what it takes to protect them in a media landscape shaped by algorithms, consolidation, and political pressure. Building on Amy Goodman’s decades of reporting, panelists will unpack how stories get marginalized (or amplified), why access to credible information is a public good, and what communities lose when local and independent outlets disappear.

ICE UNDER WATCH: MEDIA & COMMUNITY RESISTANCE  

Several short films by local filmmakers –  Sunday, May 3, 12 PM 

Director: Various

U.S., 40 minutes

Over the last year, federal agents, including those from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), have violently descended on American cities, most prominently in Minneapolis, where two U.S. citizens were killed. But the scars of last fall’s Operation “Midway Blitz” in Chicago are still blistering. While phone-camera videos bore witness to the injustices, this collection of short works by Chicago-based documentary filmmakers offer context and humanity to the events that have unfolded.  

Scott’s Story and Eva’s Story, directed by Andrew Freer, provide startling testimonies from those who have been personally impacted by ICE. From production unit Truth and Documentary, Kidnapping is Not a Career shows what happens when DHS shows up at a Chicago job fair, and Sawyer and Sunnyside is a harrowing compilation of bodycam footage, documenting in real time a violent confrontation that took place in Albany Park. Photographer and filmmaker Carlos Javier Ortiz will also unveil a selection from his immigration documentary El Sueño.

Panelists and Special Guests: Fred Tsao (Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights), Amanda Hwu (Illinois Community Power Fund), filmmakers Andrew Freer, Carlos Javier Ortiz, and Ysa Quiballo.

Community Partners: Lincoln Square Friendship Center 

Audience Activation: Panel conversation on the power of media, collective organizing and solidarity in times of heightened enforcement and resistance. Audience members will have the chance to connect with local organizations to examine strategic, principled forms of protest in response to escalating ICE enforcement and how to help those affected.