The mission of the BOOST Film Festival is to support the work of talented and dedicated filmmakers and to share their work so that it may inspire, educate, and transform youth and professionals in the youth work field.  

The BOOST Film Festival strand offers attendees the opportunity to view films highlighting relevant topics in the education field, including issues relating to today’s youth. Many of the featured films offer supplemental materials, such as curriculum, to take back and implement at your school or program. When available, the BOOST Film Festival strand also offers the opportunity for a post-film discussion with the filmmakers or representatives from the film company.

Wednesday, April 28

10:30AM-12:15PM

Evolution of a Criminal
Moderator: Coming soon

What does a criminal look like to you? For too many in America, it's unquestioningly a Black man. In the award-winning documentary EVOLUTION OF A CRIMINAL, Darius Clark Monroe turns the camera on himself in order to present a more accurate image of one African American man against the backdrop of this country’s ongoing criminalization of his peers. Now a graduate of NYU Film School, Monroe Clark crafts an intricate and emotionally complex narrative of his own trajectory from straight-A student to bank robber, while ultimately reflecting on the racial and economic factors that surround his crime as he searches for answers and seeks forgiveness.

One afternoon in the mid-1990s, a 16-year old Darius donned a skeleton mask and, along with two accomplices, robbed a Bank of America in Stafford, Texas. Concerned for his mother’s welfare and devastated by the escalating financial crisis his family faced after being robbed themselves, Darius believed $30,000 would ease his family’s burden. Instead, soon after the crime, he is arrested and sentenced to five years in prison. Years after he is released, Darius returns to his old neighborhood to make amends with family and friends, along with classmates, teachers, law enforcement officials, and most importantly, the innocent victims in the bank on the fateful day of the robbery.

EVOLUTION OF A CRIMINAL seamlessly integrates reenactments of Darius’s crime with evocative interviews of all those impacted by his actions. As the film progresses, we learn more about the cycle of poverty and imprisonment his family and community have faced for generations. And yet, despite the systemic racism that contributed to Darius’s actions, he does not seek pity, but rather forgiveness and understanding. Some of those affected by Darius’s crime are hesitant to offer absolution, while others freely do so.  At the same time, viewers are asked to consider their willingness to take another look and examine their own prejudices and assumptions. While too many Black men remain voiceless and tragic statistics, in the retelling of his story, this powerful filmmaker manages to present a deeply honest portrait of his own profound evolution as a human being.
PK, E, M, H, HE, ULA, MLA, CB, DS

Themes: Criminal Justice • African American • Race and Ethnicity • Trauma • Youth + Education

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2:45PM-4:45PM

Rich Hill
Moderator: Coming soon

RICH HILL, Missouri (population 1393). On the highway, next to the railroad track. ANDREW, 14, works on his bike, talks dreams with his dad, practices dance moves with his twin sister. He’s just like a lot of American teenagers, except that his days are often also about survival. HARLEY, 15, lives with his grandma and eight other members of his extended family because his mom is in prison for attempted murder. Still, Harley is the first guy in the room to crack a joke and make you laugh when you least expect it. APPACHEY, 13, finds solace in skateboards and, despite his intelligence, has had to repeat the 6th grade, which doesn’t come close to fixing what’s broken in his life.

These boys can be tough – they know how to walk with a clenched-jaw stare like they have nothing to lose. But when you get to know them up-close, you see their insight, their humor, and their determination to survive. And despite the isolation and brutality of their circumstances, their hope for a brighter future persists. They imagine that their hard work will be rewarded, and that, although there is no road map or role model, even they can live the American Dream. 
PK, E, M, H, HE, ULA, MLA, CB, DS

Themes: Coming of Age • Poverty • Education • Rural America • Family Bonds • Addiction

WATCH THE TRAILER

Thursday, April 29

10:00AM-12:00PM 

The Kids Are Not Alright
Moderator: Coming soon

What does it mean to be a survivor? Generations of children have been left with this question in the wake of abuse suffered at the hands of the Troubled Teen Industry, an unregulated network of for-profit institutions claiming to fix wayward teenagers. Decades later, they are fighting back. Filmed over the course of nine years, THE KIDS ARE NOT ALRIGHT is an intimate portrait of trauma following three families' journeys as they work to shed light on the devastating impacts of institutional abuse, pursue healing in the absence of justice, and fight to hold abusers accountable.
PK, E, M, H, HE, ULA, MLA, CB, DS

Themes: Juvenile Justice • Child Abuse • Institutional Abuse and Power • Conversion Therapy • Child Victims Act • Statute of Limitations • Sexual Assault & PTSD • Coercive Control • Survivor Activism

WATCH THE TRAILER

1:15PM-2:30PM 

From Here/From There
Moderator: Coming soon

When the Trump administration abruptly threatens to deport 700,000 fellow Dreamers, charismatic attorney Luis Cortes Romero fights back, co-piloting an A-Team of lawyers who take their case all the way to the Supreme Court, making the tattooed Californian the first undocumented immigrant to argue before the nation’s highest court. Accompanied by vibrant animation and an original score reflecting Luis’s code-switching identity, FROM HERE/FROM THERE (DE AQUÍ / DE ALLÁ) interweaves the journey of the case with the remarkable story of Cortes Romero and his close-knit family. Their ties nearly snap under the strain of personal tragedies but survive to rejoice together when Luis triumphs at the Supreme Court.

Today, the stakes remain high for undocumented young people. The future for DACA recipients hangs in the balance amidst ongoing legal and political threats. FROM HERE/FROM THERE (DE AQUÍ / DE ALLÁ) is a timely documentary that highlights the urgent need for compassionate immigration reform.
PK, E, M, H, HE, ULA, MLA, CB, DS

Themes: Community Building & Allyship • Family Separation • Immigration & Effect on Mixed-Status Families • Law & Social Justice • Undocumented Youth Activism • Educational & Career Opportunities for Dreamers • Dual Identity

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3:45PM-5:15PM 

Between The Mountain and the Sky
Moderator: Coming soon

From the Duplass Brothers, BETWEEN THE MOUNTAIN AND THE SKY follows CNN Hero Maggie Doyne and Top Malla over twenty years as they build a home that becomes a family to more than fifty orphaned children in Nepal. At the height of this journey, an unimaginable loss shatters everything, and the filmmaker steps from behind the camera, deepening the story into a meditation on grief, resilience, and the power of love to heal.

Through a mix of raw home videos and vérité footage captured through a lens of love, the film reaches a rare level of intimacy, resisting staged interviews, makeup, and talking heads to reveal something far more human. It offers an unfiltered look at compassion that runs deeper than headlines and heroism, revealing a raw portrait of motherhood, loss, and the quiet courage to keep going.

Honest, soul-baring, and deeply human, it reminds us that healing begins the moment we stop pretending we’re unbreakable.
PK, E, M, H, HE, ULA, MLA, CB, DS

Themes: International Aid • Non-Traditional Family Structures • Caregiving • Humanitarianism • Grief • Loss • Emotional Resilience • Childhood Trauma • Women's Leadership and Gender Equity • Access to Education • Cross-Cultural Relationships • Global Citizenship

WATCH THE TRAILER

Friday, April 30

9:15AM-11:15AM

In The Red: Changing Lives to Save Lives
Moderator: Coming soon 

Eleven years in the making, IN THE RED is a feature documentary about growing up poor in one of the wealthiest areas in the United States and getting into trouble early on. Some find their way to a free program in Oakland, California that offers a lifeline – rigorous training to become firefighters and first responders. But the streets keep calling. What makes one kid heed that call and another ignore it?
Raw, intimate, and at times funny, the film follows the lives of six young people for more than a decade. Not everyone succeeds. But for those who do, their lives are forever changed. From juvenile detention centers for armed robberies to driving fire engines and helping people in need, IN THE RED is a film about the transformative power of altruistic mentorship and genuine care.
PK, E, M, H, HE, ULA, MLA, CB, DS

Themes: Poverty • Second Chances • Juvenile Detention • Black Firefighters • First Responders • Inspiring Hope & Transformation • Mentorship • Overcoming Obstacles • Uplifting Communities

WATCH THE TRAILER

In partnership with:

GOOD DOCS are films that do good in the world. Their award-winning collection engages and inspires students by featuring rarely-heard stories about individuals and communities working towards a more equitable world. They champion creative expression and complex films that provoke critical thinking. GOOD DOCS represents established documentarians and passionate new filmmakers driven by their experiences as educators, academics, journalists, artists, social workers, community members, and activists. GOOD DOCS films and the GOOD TALKS speaker series offer powerful educational experiences to students and communities everywhere.

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