Written by Jonah Azurin
Get ready to stream some great virtual content! Destiny City Film Festival (DCFF) will be online this year starting on Feb. 26 through March 7, 2021. Founded in 2013 by founder & executive director Emily Nakada-Alm, this Tacoma film festival has showcased a wide variety of independent films through animation, documentaries, narrative and more.
In their eighth year, DCFF has 39 selections from ten countries as well as films by independent filmmakers from the festival’s home state in Washington. Included in this year’s program are Dave Not Coming Back directed by Jonah Malak (2020), Inès directed by Élodie Dermange (2020), and Limelight directed by Claire Gostin (2020) who is a Washington state filmmaker.
Be sure to check out these free, public festival events funded by Tacoma Creates: “A New Generation of Storytellers”, Co-Presented with The National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY), “Beyond Inclusion: Equity, Opportunity and Film”, and “Foundations of a Screenplay Workshop: The Logline”.
To register for any free events, purchase tickets, or to see the full film schedule, please visit destinycityfilmfestival.com. Use the hashtag #DCityFF2021 and follow DCFF on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Below is a short synopsis of a few films showcased in this year’s DCFF:
Stillshot from Los Otros.
Los Otros
13 min, Documentary (USA)
Directors: Monica Pendergrass and Eric Baldetti
Hundreds of thousands of undocumented Americans are deported from the United States to “their country of origin” every year. What happens to these “non-citizens” after they return to a country they barely know? The short documentary Los Otros profiles three such undocumented individuals as they rebuild their lives in Mexico City. Separated from family and starting all over with nothing, they attempt to forge new lives in the shadow of a broken immigration system and a country not prepared for their return.
Toprak
106 min, Narrative (Turkey)
Director: Sevgi Hirschhäuser,
Toprak is the dramatic story of a simple family in rural Turkey dealing with poverty, family traditions, and religious heritage. Since the death of his parents, the teenage Burak has lived with his uncle Cemil and grandmother in a remote Turkish village. The small family unit has been trying to make a living by selling fruits. While the religious Cemil is satisfied to live his life in poverty, Burak struggles to leave for the city and attend university. When grandmother falls sick, both Burak and Cemil have to make tough decisions that will change their lives forever.
Still shot from Take Out Girl.
Take Out Girl
98 min, Narrative (USA)
Director: Hisonni Johnson
Tera Wong delivers Chinese food for her mother’s struggling restaurant located in the “Low Bottoms,” an infamous Los Angeles project. And everyone around her, including her unpredictable brother (Saren), are financially trapped in this crime and violence-ridden neighborhood. That is until, Tera takes a job from the local drug Kingpin, moving his “product” inside her takeout food boxes. With the cash rolling in, Tera intends to move the family restaurant to the suburbs and go clean. But after a series of tragic events, the dream that Tera built on a foundation of lies, may crumble.