Playing as part of 2026 Doc Stories
We are pleased to welcome Director Ava DuVernay for an on stage conversation and Q&A. DuVernay will also be in attendance at the 9:30pm showing for an extended intro.
A decade after 13th (Doc Stories, 2016), Ava DuVernay returns to documentary filmmaking with a powerful companion piece examining the 14th Amendment and its enduring influence on American life. While 13th traced the legacy of abolishing slavery and how that amendment intersects with the American carceral system, 14th turns its attention to the sweeping protections enshrined in this vital addition to the US Constitution, including birthright citizenship, equal protection, due process, and limits on the power wielded by heads of state. Timely indeed! DuVernay brings together an extraordinary range of voices to participate in this towering feat of documentation, including Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Stacey Abrams, former Senator Jeff Flake, and historian Eric Foner. Their perspectives illuminate the enduring tensions surrounding a constitutional promise forged during Reconstruction and its continuing significance today. Expansive in scope and deeply engaged with the complexities of American democracy, 14th is a compelling examination of the rights and protections that define American citizenship. —Jessie Fairbanks