Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival announces film lineup for its 34th edition (October 10 - 18)

Thomas Winston’s LOST WOLVES OF YELLOWSTONE opens, André Hörmann’s THE COWBOY is the Centerpiece selection, and Elegance Bratton’s MOVE YA BODY: THE BIRTH OF HOUSE gets the closing slot  

Jon Alpert will receive the HSDFF Brent Renaud Career Achievement Award, and ​​Geeta Gandbhir will be the recipient of this year’s Impact Award

The critically acclaimed Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival announced the lineup of films and honorees for its 34th edition, taking place October 10 -18. Screenings will kick off at Oaklawn’s Event Center with the Opening Night presentation of Thomas Winston’s Lost Wolves of Yellowstone, followed by the North American premiere of Centerpiece Selection, André Hörmann’s The Cowboy, and Elegance Bratton’s Move Ya Body: The Birth of House screening on Closing Night. Other premieres include the North American premiere of Sheffield DocFest Grand Jury Award winner Welded Together, the U.S. premiere of John Dower’s The Balloonists, and the U.S. premiere of Jo Seyoung’s K-Number.

Jon Alpert will receive the HSDFF Brent Renaud Career Achievement Award, and Geeta Gandbhir will be the recipient of this year’s Impact Award.

HSDFF Executive Director, Ken Jacobson, said, “In a world that seems, at times, on the verge of spinning out of control, I marvel at the fact that something as simple as a gathering of people to watch documentary films on a big screen can feel as miraculous and urgent as it does this year. For 34 years, the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival has brought the best in non-fiction filmmaking to Hot Springs. Our community has responded by welcoming filmmakers and other guests here to join with us in celebrating this remarkable art form. This year, I am struck by the sheer quality and dynamism of the filmmaking, the courage of those willing to share their lives with the filmmakers, and the emotional depths explored through these incredibly diverse stories. If this year’s festival lineup tells us anything, it’s that creativity and truth-telling still remain as vital as ever. From our Opening to our Closing Night and everything in between, I know that our audiences are in for a very special and unique experience.”

THE GALAS AND SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS

Thomas Winston’s Lost Wolves Of Yellowstone will open HSDFF on Friday, October 10 at the Oaklawn Event Center. The film follows the audacious plan and journey to reintroduce wolves to Yellowstone as well as profiles the courageous story of Mollie Beattie, director of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, who led the way. Winston will attend and participate in a post-screening Q&A. André Hörmann’s The Cowboy will make its North American premiere as the Centerpiece selection on Wednesday, October 15 at the Arlington Hotel & Spa. Focusing on the idea of the American Cowboy, the film introduces us to 11-year-old Crowley McCuistion, as he’s riding horses and learning how to rope on a Colorado ranch, and then takes us on a remarkable 10-year journey, witnessing his dream of being an American cowboy prove as elusive as a runaway bull. Hörmann will attend and participate in a post-screening Q&A. Elegance Bratton’s Move Ya Body: The Birth Of House will be the Closing Night selection, screening on Saturday, October 18 at the Oaklawn Event Center. The film traces the roots of house music that exploded out of Chicago’s underground music scene in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. Bratton and producer Chester Algernal Gordon will attend and participate in a post screening Q&A.

HSDFF HONOREES

Jon Alpert will be in attendance for the Brent Renaud Career Achievement Award presentation, which follows a special work-in-progress screening of Jon’s new documentary short The Raging Rabbi on Tuesday, October 14 at 4:30 PM at the Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa. Winner of a staggering 17 National Emmy Awards, Jon Alpert has been making extraordinary documentaries on a wide range of topics for six decades. Nominated for two Academy Awards, Jon has won four DuPont-Columbia Awards, a Peabody Award, and was the first Inductee in the National Emmy Awards Golden Circle (Hall of Fame). Whether shooting films in war zones or capturing intimate and largely overlooked stories at home, Jon has demonstrated documentary filmmaking’s unlimited potential to educate, engage, and enlighten. Besides his unparalleled career as a documentary filmmaker, Jon has also had an immeasurable impact on the field, as a mentor to up-and-coming filmmakers (including Brent and Craig Renaud) and as co-founder of Downtown Community Television Center, one of America’s oldest and most honored community media centers. Immediately following the Career Achievement Award presentation, HSDFF will screen Craig Renaud’s new documentary short, Armed Only With A Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud.

Geeta Gandbhir will be in attendance for the Impact Award presentation, which follows the screening of The Perfect Neighbor (Netflix) on Sunday, October 12 at 4:45 PM at the Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa. Geeta Gandbhir is an award-winning filmmaker who began her career in narrative film under the mentorship of Spike Lee and Sam Pollard. After more than a decade in scripted film, collaborating with masters such as the Coen Brothers and Robert Altman, she transitioned to documentary filmmaking. Geeta directed Katrina: Come Hell and High Water (Netflix, 2025) alongside Spike Lee and Samantha Knowles, a three-part series revisiting post-Katrina New Orleans. Her current documentary The Perfect Neighbor won the directing award in the U.S. documentary category at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival and will premiere on Netflix later this year. Other directing credits include The Devil Is Busy (HBO) — which screens at this year’s HSDFF — How We Get Free (Oscar-shortlisted, HBO), Born in Synanon (Paramount), Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power (Emmy Award Winner, 2023).

ADDITIONAL EVENTS

Following a screening of his powerful new Netflix documentary short All the Empty Rooms, Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winning filmmaker Joshua Seftel (Stranger at the Gate) participates in a live podcast conversation with Michael Merrill and HSDFF Executive Director Ken Jacobson, hosts of the “Top Docs: Award-Winning Documentary Filmmakers” podcast.

In 1985, the Chicago Bears dominated the NFL and embodied everything that encapsulated that memorable decade: flash, chaos and a get-out-of-my-way attitude. Their Super Bowl winning season had it all — the birth of Buddy Ryan's 46 Defense, the "Super Bowl Shuffle" and a colorful group of misfits who became the toast of football. ESPN Films’ 30 for 30 released The ’85 Bears documentary in 2016. Join us for this special event celebrating the 40th anniversary of one of the greatest teams in NFL history. In addition to showing clips from the film, members of the 30 for 30 team will be in conversation with one of the team’s defensive stars, Pro Football Hall of Famer and Razorback great, Dan Hampton. The event will be moderated by ESPN Films Senior Producer Gentry Kirby with Hampton (Chicago Bears, 1979 - 90, University of Arkansas, 1975 - 78) and ESPN Films Senior Producer Marquis Daisy.

Three years after Little Rock-raised filmmaker Brent Renaud was tragically killed while covering the invasion of Ukraine, his brother Craig Renaud has completed an extraordinary and deeply personal portrait of Brent’s life, career and legacy, Armed Only With A Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud. The film honors Brent’s unwavering dedication to his craft and sheds light on the dangerous realities faced by journalists working in conflict zones. Following a screening of the short film, Jon Alpert, HSDFF’s 2025 Brent Renaud Career Achievement Award recipient and mentor to Brent and Craig, will moderate a conversation with Craig and photojournalist/ filmmaker Juan Arredondo, who was with Brent at the time and also sustained a gunshot wound. The special screening and presentation will be co-presented by the Clinton Presidential Center.

Remaining Native

This year’s festival features a stellar lineup of extraordinary documentaries that celebrates Native and Indigenous stories and storytellers. Marking Indigenous Peoples’ Day on Monday, October 13th, the festival will screen the features Powwow People, a joyful new film by HSDFF’s 2023 Career Achievement Award winner Sky Hopinka; Remaining Native, directed by Paige Bethmann, which chronicles the story of an inspiring young athlete who honors his great-grandfather’s legacy; Colleen Thurston’s captivating Drowned Land, which follows a diverse group of allies who come together to protect the Kiamichi River in southeastern Oklahoma; and Richard Ladkani’s riveting and panoramic Yanuni, which focuses on the courageous leadership of Indigenous chief Juma Xipaia as she fights to save her peoples’ tribal lands in the Brazilian rainforest.

Additional special presentations include Rebecca Miller’s Mr. Scorsese - Part 1: Stranger in A Strange Land And Part 2: All This Filming Isn’t Healthy, which goes deep inside the life, art, and career of legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese, with revelatory introspection from the master himself.  Only Parts 1 and 2 (from the 5-part series) will be shown and will be screened back-to-back. HSDFF’s always popular Secret Screening will return for the third year in a row. 

Also back by popular demand is our uniquely Hot Springs live storytelling event — “True Stories.” This series of short, personal stories told by a diverse mix of visiting filmmakers and local legends, held in front of a faux roaring fire, is designed to enthrall, entertain, surprise, & inspire. Hosted by author Kai Coggin (she/her), the inaugural Poet Laureate of the City of Hot Springs.

National Park College and Hot Springs Village Shorts Programs

For the first time, HSDFF is expanding its program to the National Park College in Hot Springs for a specially curated package of short films intended to build connections between the festival and the NPC community. For the second year in a row, HSDFF brings its documentary programming to nearby Hot Springs Village for a curated shorts program.

The Emerging Filmmakers Program, a long-standing partnership between HSDFF and Arkansas PBS, is one of HSDFF’s most cherished educational initiatives. This full-day experience welcomes middle and high school students from throughout the region to engage in thought-provoking screenings, interactive Q&A sessions, and hands-on workshops. Designed to immerse young storytellers in the craft of documentary filmmaking, the program features guidance from award-winning filmmakers and top industry professionals. Since its inception, the program has welcomed hundreds of students from more than 30 schools.

The Brent Renaud Mentorship Program, is presented in partnership with Arkansas PBS. Working filmmakers join Peabody Award-winner Craig Renaud to offer a behind-the-scenes look at their creative processes and share practical guidance for building a sustainable career in filmmaking. This unique opportunity allows participants to gain an insider’s perspective on the art and craft of documentary filmmaking.

THE FILMMAKER FORUM

Now in its third year, the HSDFF Filmmaker Forum is a three-day filmmaker/industry conference and convening to be held October 12 – 14 during this year’s Festival. In this unprecedented year, in which federal government funding has been stripped from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and public media, there is no more urgent time for filmmakers and industry leaders to meet, discuss and raise critical questions about where the documentary field stands and where to go from here. The Forum offers dynamic programming focused on the art, craft and business of documentary storytelling with a focus on public media, and a wider lens on the nonfiction ecosystem as a whole. The Filmmaker Forum is sponsored by CPB, Wyncote Foundation, MacArthur Foundation and Video Consortium.

Additional film highlights include Ryan White’s 2025 Sundance award winner, Come See Me In The Good Light about Colorado Poet Laureate Andrea Gibson. Diagnosed with terminal cancer, they responded by weaving verse into a profound response to mortality. With their wife and fellow poet, Megan Falley, by their side, Andrea prepares for one final, unforgettable performance while reflecting on the life, love, and community that sustained them. Mark Obenhaus and Laura Poitras’ Cover-Up catch up with arguably the most important investigative reporter of our time, the dogged truth seeker and reluctant participant Seymour Hersh, who broke the My Lai massacre story and many others. The enigmatic Werner Herzog’s Ghost Elephants joins Dr. Steve Boyes in his search for rare elephants in this fascinating documentary about the awe and mystery of the natural world. Morgan Neville’s Man On The Run profiles the post-Beatles Paul McCartney.

Brandon Kramer’s emotionally wrenching Holding Liat, winner of the Berlinale Best Documentary prize, follows the story of Liat Beinin Atzili and her husband who were kidnapped during the Hamas attack on Israel, leaving their family shattered and desperate for answers. Brittany Shyne’s 2025 Sundance U.S. Grand Jury Prize winner, Seeds looks at black farmers in the American South, following multigenerational families determined to preserve their heritage despite mounting obstacles — navigating lawsuits, shifting federal promises, and the changing landscape of modern agriculture.  In their intimate and unsparing Love+War, Academy Award winners Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin (Free Solo) follow legendary photojournalist Lynsey Addario as she navigates the joys and responsibilities of family and the dangers inherent in her work that often brings her right in the middle of conflict zones. Anastasiya Miroshnichenko’s inspired portrait Welded Together makes its North American premiere at HSDFF. The 2025 Sheffield DocFest Grand Jury Award winner follows a young woman determined to save her younger sister from the trauma of her own childhood. Having built a life for herself as a welder, Katya is prepared to do what it takes to help her family. However, her efforts to build a better life for her sister are complicated when she is forced to make a life-changing decision.

Passes are on sale now. For more information on purchasing and additional details on the Hot Springs Documentary Film festival, please visit: hsdfi.org.

The 2025 Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival official selections:

GALA SELECTIONS AND SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS

Opening Night Gala Selection

Lost Wolves Of Yellowstone

Director: Thomas Winston

Country: USA | Running Time: 91 mins

By the mid-1920s, all known wolf packs had been systematically eliminated from Yellowstone. On January 12, 1995, in an audacious plan launched by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Alpha Female Wolf No. 5 from Canada was carried into Yellowstone National Park, the first step in a project that would dramatically change the course of wildlife restoration in America’s most popular national park. Thomas Winston’s inspiring film captures the wolves’ remarkable journey and the courageous story of Mollie Beattie, director of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, who led the way.

Centerpiece Gala Selection

The Cowboy                                                               NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

Director: André Hörmann

Countries: Germany, USA | Running Time: 89 mins

Comparable in scope to such epic longitudinal portraits as 7 Up and Boyhood, director André Hörmann’s The Cowboy sets its sights on the most iconic of all American archetypes — the Western cowboy. In 2015, when we first meet 11-year-old Crowley McCuistion, he’s riding horses and learning how to rope on a Colorado ranch. Over the course of the next ten years, we bear witness as Crowley grows from boyhood to early adulthood and sees his dream of being an American cowboy prove as elusive as a runaway bull.

Closing Night Gala Selection

Move Ya Body: The Birth Of House   

Director: Elegance Bratton

Country: USA | Running Time: 87 mins

Tracing the roots of house music, the irresistible form of synth-based dance music that exploded out of Chicago’s underground music scene in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, this electrifying documentary celebrates the pioneers and marginalized youth who transformed struggle into rhythm, igniting a joyful revolution that continues to move bodies and inspire people worldwide.

Special Presentations

All the Empty Rooms Screening (and “Top Docs” Podcast Conversation)

Director: Joshua Seftel

Country: USA | Film Running Time: 34 mins

Short film follows CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman and photographer Lou Bopp as they spend seven years documenting the empty bedrooms of children killed in school shootings. The powerful and emotional film features photographs of these "sacred spaces frozen in time," aiming to provide a deeper understanding of the impact of gun violence in America. 

Armed Only With A Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud

(Screening and Conversation)

Director: Brent Renaud

Country: USA | Film Running Time: 38 mins

In March 2022, Little Rock-raised filmmaker Brent Renaud was tragically killed by Russian fire while documenting the invasion of Ukraine — the first American journalist killed in the war. Now, three years later, his brother Craig has completed an extraordinary and deeply personal portrait of Brent’s life, career and legacy. The film honors Brent’s unwavering dedication to his craft and sheds light on the dangerous realities faced by journalists working in conflict zones.

Mr. Scorsese - Part 1: Stranger in A Strange Land And Part 2: All This Filming Isn’t Healthy

Director: Rebecca Miller

County: USA Running Time: 120 min

This thoroughly engaging new three-part series from Rebecca Miller (Maggie’s Plan) goes deep inside the life, art, and career of legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese, with revelatory introspection from the master himself. 

ADDITIONAL FEATURE SELECTIONS

Apollo 1          

Director: Mark Craig                 

Countries: United Kingdom, Germany | Running Time: 102 min

As the United States set its sights on the Moon, a dedicated team worked to make those dreams a reality. These efforts were forever shaped by the tragic loss of the pilots of Apollo 1. Through archival footage and intimate interviews, meet Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee, the team selected to fly the first mission. Director Mark Craig profiles the brave crew and examines the science of space exploration in this harrowing documentary.

Ask E. Jean    

Director: Ivy Meeropol              

Country: USA | Running Time: 91 min

Meet E. Jean Carroll. She sued Donald Trump for defamation and battery... and won — twice. But that is just one small part of E. Jean’s story. A highly successful magazine writer, she also penned one of the longest-running advice columns in American publishing.

Backside         

Director: Raúl O. Paz-Pastrana             

Country: USA | Running Time: 85 min

Churchill Downs is home to the excitement and opulence of the Kentucky Derby. Behind the scenes, a crew of dedicated workers care for the racehorses. Through interviews and observational footage, director Raúl O. Paz-Pastrana invites audiences into the stables to meet the people that make this legendary event possible. Filmed during an entire season at the famous racetrack, Backside presents an immersive look at the world of horse racing.

The Balloonists                                                                      US PREMIERE

Director: John Dower               

Countries: United Kingdom, Austria, USA | Running Time: 86 min

In the 1990s, the world was captivated by competing teams of balloonists who sought to become the first to circumnavigate the globe. John Dower’s thrilling documentary follows the ups-and-downs (literally and figuratively) of the odd couple Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones as the two men attempt to make history.

A Brief History Of Chasing Storms    

Director: Curtis Miller               

Country: USA | Running Time: 80 min

Twisters and cyclones and tornadoes — oh my! Filmmaker Curtis Miller dives headfirst into his own tornado obsession, spinning the storm into more than wild weather, but a full-blown American icon.

Cecil   

Director: Arthur Cary                

Country: United Kingdom | Running Time: 101 min

In 2015, the fate of a prominent and much photographed lion in Zimbabwe — Cecil, with his striking black mane and golden eyes — became entangled with that of an American dentist named Walter Palmer. The events that unfolded sparked a media frenzy and global outcry over trophy hunting practices. Yet, the simplicity of the outrage stood in stark contrast to the complexity of the reality. Tourism and hunting are major economic drivers in the region, often at odds with the perspectives of wildlife protectors and, especially, the local communities most directly impacted. Cecil urges us to confront the history of colonization, the ethics of conservation, the limitations of legal systems and the impacts of cancel culture.

Come See Me In The Good Light       

Director: Ryan White                

Country: USA | Running Time: 104 min

Colorado Poet Laureate Andrea Gibson has always turned to poetry in moments of upheaval. When diagnosed with terminal cancer, they once again lean on their art, weaving verse into a profound response to mortality. With their wife and fellow poet, Megan Falley, by their side, Andrea prepares for one final, unforgettable performance while reflecting on the life, love, and community that sustained them. Full of warmth, tenderness, and poetic brilliance, this 2025 Sundance Festival Favorite Award winner is a heartbreaking yet life-affirming celebration of creativity, partnership, and the enduring power of words to light the..