Doc & Talk Series | Zeitgeist

2025 DOC & TALK SERIES

Documentary Films Followed by Community Conversations

When redlining is compounded over decades leading to inequality and disenfranchisement, how can community members come together to create change in their neighborhood? Come see inspiring documentaries about communities transforming their cities from the ground up, featuring post-show talks with Twin Ports community leaders.

Union

July 17 – 6pm

A group of current and former Amazon workers in New York City’s Staten Island challenges one of the world’s largest companies in a unionization battle.

Let the Little Light Shine

September 18 – 6pm

A high-achieving elementary school near downtown Chicago is a lifeline for Black children – until gentrification threatens its closure.

We Are Not Ghosts

October 16 – 6pm

Detroiters are reinventing the old Motor City as a vibrant new self-sustaining and human-scaled city for a post industrial world.

Complimentary equity tickets are available upon request at the box office for low- or no-income community members, or anyone facing a financial barrier to attending this show.

TICKETS

Gaining Ground: Building Community on Dudley Street

November 20 – 6pm

In the midst of the economic meltdown , ‘Gaining Ground’ explores the innovative, grassroots organizing efforts of the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative in Boston. Over the course of two years, we watch a new generation of leaders working to prevent foreclosures and bring jobs and opportunities for young people to one of the city’s most diverse and economically challenged neighborhoods.

Complimentary equity tickets are available upon request at the box office for low- or no-income community members, or anyone facing a financial barrier to attending this show.

TICKETS

The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution

December 18 – 6pm

This documentary tells the rise and fall of the Black Panther Party, one of the 20th century’s most alluring and controversial organizations that captivated the world’s attention for nearly 50 years.

Complimentary equity tickets are available upon request at the box office for low- or no-income community members, or anyone facing a financial barrier to attending the Doc & Talk Series.

Need help getting to Doc & Talk screenings? Contact thomlin@zeitgeistarts.com or (218) 336-1370.

Past Doc & Talks

STRAIGHT LINE CRAZY

The filmed play starring Ralph Fiennes as Robert Moses that delves into Moses’s questionable legacy and enduring impact on New York City, particularly at the expense of people of color living in the way of his projects. Read “Reflections from Straight Line Crazy” from our blog!

TAKEN FOR A RIDE

THE U.S. HISTORY OF THE ASSAULT ON PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION IN THE LAST CENTURY

A documentary about how the American auto industry engineered the demise of city public-transit systems. This Doc & Talk included a post-show presentation by the Duluth Transit Authority on the Better Bus Blueprint and the conditions, needs, and opportunities of public transit in the Twin Ports.

THE GANG OF 19

A documentary about the brave Coloradans that challenged the status quo to advocate for the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This Doc & Talk included a post-show panel on accessibility with Arc Northland, Duluth Aging Support, the Duluth Commission on Accessibility, and Lighthouse Center for Vital Living.

ROGER AND ME

The classic 1989 documentary by Michael Moore exploring the regional impact of General Motors closing several auto plants in his hometown of Flint, Michigan. This Doc & Talk included a post-show panel with the Minnesota Nurses Association and the Twin Ports Democratic Socialists of America about labor challenges and opportunities in our transportation networks. Read “Comments on Transportation Equity from Carl Sack” from our blog!

THE ENGINE INSIDE

A film telling the stories of six everyday people from all over the globe who reveal the unique power of the bicycle to change lives and build a better world. This Doc & Talk included a panel with Northland Adaptive Recreation and The Bike Cave about bike accessibility. Read “A Week Without Driving: Reflections from Duluth City Counselor Gary Anderson” from our blog!

BIKING WHILE BLACK

A documentary film centering the daily experiences that Black lives encounter while bicycling. The film focuses on Los Angeles and speaks to wider issues of transportation safety and institutional racism. This Doc & Talk included an in-person talk-back with Director Yolanda Davis-Overstreet about mobility justice. Read “Duluth’s Mobility Justice Leaders” from our blog!

LAND OF STORIES

A documentary film about the legacy of Indian boarding schools with excerpts from the shadow puppet performance Land of Stories that weaves together Thomas D. Peacock’s book The Wolf’s Trail & Sharon Doolittle Shuck’s book Grandfather’s Blood Memories and Unbroken Spirit. This Doc & Talk included a post-show panel about the connections between Indian boarding schools, transportation, and MMIR (Missing Murdered Indigenous Relatives) with Safe Haven Shelter & Resource Center and the MN MMIR Office.

ADVICE FOR GIRLS

This Doc & Talk includes a post-show panel on gender equity in outdoor recreation with Madison Atterbury, Megan Kress, Bobbie Larson, Lindsey Lee, and Megan McMahon; moderated by Alexandera Houchin. Hosted in partnership with Continental Ski & Bike.

FREE TO RIDE

Free To Ride is the story of the relentless spirit of community leaders from across Dayton, Ohio who overcame a suburban contingent fearfully opposed to the expansion of public transit along a commercial corridor, and the system of checks and balances that allowed justice and reason to prevail.

THE HUMAN SCALE

Half of the human population lives in urban areas. By 2050, this will increase to 80%. Life in a megacity is both enchanting and problematic. Today we face peak oil, climate change, loneliness, and severe health issues due to our way of life. But why? The Danish architect and professor Jan Gehl has studied human behavior in cities through four decades. He has documented how modern cities repel human interaction and argues that we can build cities in a way, which takes human needs for inclusion and intimacy into account. ‘The Human Scale’ meets thinkers, architects, and urban planners across the globe. It questions our assumptions about modernity, exploring what happens when we put people at the center of our planning.

A VOICE FOR THE WILD

Emily Ford and sled dog Diggins attempt to cross the secluded Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in winter during subzero temperatures to raise awareness about copper mining threats.

BIKES VS CARS

Bikes vs Cars is a documentary about the bike and what an amazing tool for change it can be. It highlights a conflict in city planning between bikes, cars and a growing reliance on fossil fuels.

DRIVING WHILE BLACK

Discover how the advent of the automobile brought new mobility and freedom for African Americans but also exposed them to discrimination and deadly violence, and how that history resonates today.

THE STREET PROJECT

THE STREET PROJECT is an inspiring story about a massive movement across the US and around the world to reclaim our largest public spaces, our streets.

REVENGE OF THE ELECTRIC CAR