The Over-the-Rhine International Film Festival was held Sept. 26-30. The festival included screenings of over 60 feature and short films, as well as panels and workshops. The festival aimed to highlight diversity and the human spirit.
The stand-out films of the festival included the Cincinnati premiers of United Skates, a film about the underground African American skating community, and Two Beats, One Soul, a visual album about Cuban and American culture.
Other films covered topics such as disability, faith and sexuality.

“I think the theme of diversity was carried out well,” SENIOR Sasha Cohn, a volunteer at the festival, said. “The movies definitely have a wide range of topics.”
One screening celebrating diversity was the the 2017 film Mankiller, shown at SCPA on Sept. 29. The documentary tells the story of Wilma Mankiller, who became the Cherokee Nation’s first female principal chief in 1985.
During her childhood, Mankiller’s family was relocated from Oklahoma to San Francisco. There, she was involved in political and social movements in the 1960s. She returned to Oklahoma and headed community development projects for the Cherokee Nation.
“I’m currently taking the Ethnic Studies class at school and we are actually on our Native American unit,” Cohn said. “So [Mankiller is] very relevant to what I’m working on right now. I also am one of the leaders of SURGE, the gender equality club. It was very cool to learn about the first female principal chief of the Cherokee.”
Mankiller faced opposition throughout her career. However, she is remembered as a beloved figure and a remarkable leader. The film includes Mankiller receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Bill Clinton. As Clinton remarked, Mankiller won reelection by a remarkable 82 percent. No opposition could stop her.
Mankiller highlights Wilma Mankiller as one of the most influential leaders of her time. Under Mankiller’s administration, from 1985 to 1995, the Cherokee Nation developed new healthcare, education and revenue systems.
By making Native American issues more visible, Mankiller encouraged the Cherokee people to take pride in their identity and defend their heritage.
The importance of visibility and representation is also at the heart of the film festival itself.

While this was the first Over-the-Rhine International Film Festival, the event has occurred in the past as the ReelAbilities Film Festival, which began in 2011.
Both festivals were organized by the local nonprofit Living Arrangements for the Developmentally Disabled. ReelAbilities focused on films about people with disabilities. While the new film festival had its roots in diversity and inclusion, it celebrated these themes with a broader range of topics.
The new Cincinnati tradition brought together people from across the city, not only to appreciate art, but also to appreciate each other.