STRAW 2025: A Mother’s Silence Was Louder Than a Siren
A haunting look at grief, survival, and a mother’s quiet collapse in a world that never gave her room to fall.

After committing a hit and run, a man insinuates himself into the lives of the victim's family.
A haunting look at grief, survival, and a mother’s quiet collapse in a world that never gave her room to fall.
Alongside A Drowning Man, I Signed The Petition, 3 Logical Exits, and A World Not Ours, A Man Returned continues to paint a realistic portrait of the Refugee Crisis that eschews the Western gaze and stereotype. These are real portraits painted by a director with lived experience, cultural connection and an amazing eye for visuals.
Movies also have the ability to make the audience think deeper about an issue that plagues society. "Blindspotting" does that without shying away from the intense reality of police brutality and racial discrimination.
The movie opens with an empty house, cameras pan around from the perspective of what viewers are confused about at first, but turns out to be a spirit living in the home.
Asha, the main character, is a biracial woman who discovers the power of magic wishing dust.
This thrilling film about feminine rage and male hostility is an incredible depiction of the fragility of the male ego.