William Carlos Williams wrote: "It is difficult/to get the news from poems/yet men die miserably every day/for lack/of what is found there." One could argue that the same might be said of personal films, which often resonate with wisdom and depth far beyond their immediate subject matter. These four shorts, for example, explore universal themes--displacement, acculturation, belonging and loss--each in their own unique meaningful way.

TRT: 97 mins

An experimental self-portrait (and homage to Maya Deren) about the filmmaker's immigration to the US as a teenager, and the confusion, alienation and racism he encounters growing up in New York.

A beautiful meditation on the death of the filmmaker's grandfather, and her memories of growing up in Taiwan.

Based on a true story told by the filmmaker's grandmother Kartar Dhillon (who also narrates), TURBANS recounts the experiences
of a Sikh family living on the west coast
in the early 20th century and their struggle
to simultaneously gain acceptance and maintain their culture.

Through personal reflections and interviews--
sometimes bittersweet, sometimes comical, but always vivid--the filmmaker captures the sense of ephemerality, poignancy and longing we imbue in the spaces we inhabit and the people who connect us to the earth.