ISLAND OF THE HUNGRY GHOSTS
94 min, 2018, dir. Gabrielle Brady
Documentary Feature
Gabrielle Brady's stunning Island of the Hungry Ghosts, winner of the Best Documentary Award at Tribeca 2018, is that rare documentary that not only offers outstanding artistic merit but also timely topical appeal, as it deals artfully with issues of borders, refugee detention, and trauma within a sensory-rich, bustling and lush yet vulnerable natural world.
Set on Christmas Island, this visceral, highly cinematic work zooms in on two singular, intersecting aspects of its location: the massive migration of crabs across the land, and a high-security Australian detention center for asylum seekers, where a trauma therapist tries to bring compassion and understanding to lives trapped in a painful limbo.
The Los Angeles Times called Island of the Hungry Ghosts "a gorgeous, deeply moving, and at times surreal movie," The Guardian praised it as "a fierce, valuable, compassionate film," and acclaimed filmmaker Sean Baker (Tangerine, The Florida Project) singled it out as "a moving and intimate look at those seeking asylum with a visually rich and lyrical aesthetic that sets this film apart. Truly one of the best documentaries of the year." It's with great pride that Sentient.Art.Film brings Gabrielle Brady's singular film to the big screen in select theaters across North America. (Eric Allen Hatch)
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Simply one of the best movies I've seen this year.
Ethereal, intensely moving.
NEWS
SCREENINGS
May 2020
Virtual Cinema
Human Rights a/mini-fest
Winston Salem, NC
February 8, 2020
Film Independent Spirit Awards Ceremony
watch on IFC
Santa Monica, CA
January 29, 2020
Film Independent Nominee Screening Series
8pm
Walker Art Center
Minneapolis, Minnesota
January 13, 2020
Film Independent Nominee Screening Series
9:15pm
Arclight Cinema
Culver City, CA
January 4, 2020
7pm
(Skype Q&A with Gabrielle Brady)
Downtown Independent
Los Angeles, CA
December 4th
Hopewell Theater
Hopewell, NJ
October 24 & 29th
Doctober
Mary Pickford Film Center
Bellingham, WA
October 10th
The Lyric Theater
Fort Collins, CO
October 4
Over the Rhine International Film Festival
Contemporary Arts Center
Cincinatti, OH
September 20 - 26
International Day of Peace Screening Initiative
Jean Cocteau Cinema
Santa Fe, NM
September 21
International Day of Peace Screening Initiative
Northwest Film Center
Portland, OR
September 21
International Day of Peace Screening Initiative
Zeitgeist
New Orleans, LA
September 23
International Day of Peace Screening Initiative
The Screening Room
Tuscon, AZ
September 21
International Day of Peace Screening Initiative
Epsilon Spires
Brattleboro, VT
September 21
International Day of Peace Screening Initiative
The Grand Berry Theater
Fort Worth, TX
September 21
International Day of Peace Screening Initiative
The Picture House
Pelham, NY
September 19 - 21
International Day of Peace Screening Initiative
The Hippodrome Theater
Gainesville, FL
September 17
Bijou Art Cinemas
Eugene, OR
September 17
Luna Theater
Lowell, MA
September 11
Cornell Cinema
Ithaca, NY
September 10
Capitol Theater
7:30pm
Cleveland, OH
September 5-7
Ballroom Marfa
Marfa, TX
August 15
cinéSPEAK
7pm
Philadelphia, PA
May 15
Laguardia Community College
New York, NY
April 24
Austin Film Society
Austin, TX
March 24
Rio Theater
Vancouver, BC
w/filmmakers & special guest Sean Baker
March 22-28
Facets Cinémathèque
Chicago, IL
March 15-21
Downtown Independent
Los Angeles, CA
March 13 & March 20
Northwest Film Forum
Seattle, WA
co-presented w/NW Immigrant Rights Project
March 8-17
Museum of the Moving Image
New York, NY
w/special filmmaker appearances
