S1.E6 ∙ Portraits: Cynthia Lusk, Director of International Production

In A Race Against Time follows Daniel Okabe, an accomplished amateur marathon runner from Mbale, Uganda, over a period of six months in 2011. The film chronicles his training and performance in the Honda Los Angeles Marathon, the Boston Marathon, and the Orange County Marathon, while simultaneously attempting to raise enough funding to stay in the country and earn a college degree before his Student Visa expires. In addition to examining the culture clash that's inherent within his assimilation into Southern California lifestyle, this documentary also encapsulates the incredible life experience that he's enjoying, both studying and racing abroad here in the U.S. His inspirational story is one of hope and a commentary on the impact that each of us can have on the world around us.

Samya and Adrian are two vulnerable teenagers who have had a life full of emotional inestability and affective deficiencies. Becoming 18 years-old meant leaving the shelter where they lived for a long time and facing an independent life. Adrian is a lonely boy, emotionally blocked, who has difficulties to be related with other people. Samya is an emotional rollercoaster and she tries to please anyone because of her lack of self-esteem. After wandering through Madrid, without a home or a job, Samya and Adrian have found support to continue fighting in Mario, Carlos and Bea, three social workers who are, their only references in life. We have followed their fight, joining them in their efforts to get a roof, a group of friends, a place to stay.

Following a chance encounter on the streets of Beijing, a destitute Tibetan widow tries to give her child to an American journalist, drawing the foreigner into a violent family feud.

Ever since they remember themselves, Dasha (22) and Natasha (21) feel unrelated, not belonging to anyone or any place. The difficult relationship between their parents in Ukraine destroyed the family. One day, without any warning, their father decided to take them from Ukraine to Israel. The girls were separated from their mother and her existence was hidden from them since. After 16 years, following their father's death, the girls yearned to fill the empty space in their hearts, and reunited with their mother in Israel. But it was a strangers' rendezvous. The film follows the late relationship between the mother and daughters for 3 years and raises questions about parenthood and the patterns parents pass to their children.

An African American gospel choir is the Greek chorus for a Palestinian play on Martin Luther King, Jr. which tours the West Bank, preaching nonviolence. The devoutly Christian choir grew up in churches strongly allied with Israel. On their first trip to the Holy Land they witness the harsh realities of life under occupation, a nonviolent movement for justice, and an assassination. Our story is a unique view of a crucial human rights conflict. Mixing the excitement of foot-stomping gospel music and creative theater it reveals the power of art to communicate, heal, and give voice to communities living in fear. It is a cultural exchange of immense depth and far-reaching implications, where, during the course of the journey, people's preconceptions are radically changed.