Ilana Trachtman

Ain’t No Back to a Merry-Go-Round

When five Howard University students sat on a segregated Maryland carousel in 1960, the arrests made headlines. When the largely Jewish community near Glen Echo Amusement Park joined the Black students in picketing, the first organized interracial civil rights protest in US history was born.

Mariachi High

In a part of America that rarely makes headlines, there is a small town with a group of teenagers who will captivate your ears and warm your heart. MARIACHI HIGH follows a South Texas high school's top ensemble, Mariachi Halcon, through one year of auditions and rehearsals, of heartbreak and joy, building to the state championship tournament, making a convincing case for the positive impact of in-school arts engagement on students' lives. One of the film's central themes is a connection between mariachi music for Latino youth and high achievement. As they compete and perform with musical virtuosity, these teens and the music they play will inspire, surprise, and bring you to your feet.

Praying With Lior

Praying with Lior asks whether someone with Down syndrome can be a spiritual genius. Many believe Lior is close to God -- at least that's what his family and community believe -- though he's also a burden, a best friend, an inspiration and an embarrassment, depending on who is asked and when. As this documentary moves to its climax, Lior must pass through the gateway to manhood - his Bar Mitzvah.