The Disappearance Of Shere Hite

The Hite Report, a groundbreaking study of the intimate experiences of women, remains one of the bestselling books of all time since its publication in 1976. Drawn from anonymous survey responses, the book challenged restrictive conceptions of sex and opened a dialogue in popular culture around women’s pleasure. Its charismatic author, Shere Hite, a feminist sex researcher and former model, became the public messenger of women’s secret confessions. With each subsequent bestseller, she engaged television titans in unforgettably explicit debates about sexuality while suffering the backlash her controversial findings provoked. But few remember Shere Hite today. What led to her erasure?

Digging into exclusive archives, as well as Hite’s personal journals and the original survey responses, filmmaker Nicole Newnham (Crip Camp, 2021 Best Feature Documentary Oscar® Nominee, Audience Award Winner: U.S. Documentary, 2020 Sundance Film Festival) transports viewers back to a time of great societal transformation around sexuality. Her revelatory portrait is a rediscovery of a pioneer who has had an unmistakable influence on current conversations about gender, sexuality, and bodily autonomy, as well as a timely, cautionary tale of what too often happens to women who dare speak out.

Art For Everybody

You’ve seen his cozy cottages, idyllic gardens, and welcoming village streets on everything from canvas to commemorative plates. Both celebrated and disparaged for his kitschy signature settings, the “Painter of Light” Thomas Kinkade rocketed to popularity in the ‘90s by marketing himself to American evangelicals and pitting himself against the elite art establishment. Yet beneath the pristine public persona were demons that would drive him to alcoholism, scandal, and death from an overdose in 2012. After his passing, Kinkade’s daughters uncovered a trove of unseen, unexpectedly dark paintings, a discovery that launched an investigation into their father’s true personality. Through the voices of skeptical critics, adoring fans, and Kinkade’s closest friends and family, Art For Everybody digs deep into Kinkade’s life and work to elucidate the real man behind the persona. Accomplished editor Miranda Yousef’s directorial debut is an insightful documentary that peels back the layers of Kinkade’s facade, delivering a portrait of a complex man divided by the same forces that continue to pull us apart as a nation.

Uncharted

Uncharted is a candid look at the music industry and a powerful group of women trying to change it. Alicia Keys, Ann Mincieli, Jody Gerson, and Sam Kirby aim to get more women on the charts through their organization, “She Is The Music”. Through the lens of race and gender, the documentary follows emerging artists at a life-changing songwriting camp helmed by Alicia Keys. The film follows their exciting but hard year ahead as they find their footing in a male-dominated industry. An intimate portrait of three rising stars over the course of a year, Uncharted reveals the impossible odds women face in music and how things can change one song at a time.

Shorts Program 2: Unbreakable Spirits

Unbreakable Spirits showcases powerful stories of individuals who have endured – or are now enduring – the ravages of war, oppression, and other forms of global strife. Through their strength, resilience, and unwavering determination, these individuals face the unimaginable, or have triumphed over adversity, inspiring hope and resilience in themselves and those around them.

Natalia

At the young age of 29, Natalia has made the life-altering decision to become a nun in the Byzantine Catholic Church, leaving behind her exciting life as a single woman and engineering student to dedicate herself to God. Natalia is a captivating exploration of one woman’s quandry to walk away from the world or return to it, delving into the depths of what individuals are willing to sacrifice for a higher calling.

Shorts Program 1: Against the Grain

Against the Grain showcases provocative and inspiring stories of individuals and institutions who challenge the status quo, break away from conventional thinking, and push boundaries, even if it means delving into uncomfortable and complicated places.