The next two screenings in the “Movies That Matter” Film Festival applaud courageous individuals who stood up for their and others’ rights. The series continues on Sundays and Thursdays at 2 p.m. throughout March at the Cine+Lago Theater at Plaza Bugambilias in Ajijic.
The International Women’s Day film on Sunday, March 8, is “Lilly” (U.S., 2024), a real-life drama about a hard-working supervisor at a major factory in Alabama, who discovers that for 20 years she’s been earning half the pay of men in the same job. After being passed over for promotions by junior male colleagues, she begins a fight for justice that led to the passing in 2009 of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. A reminder of how women still struggle with inequality in many workplaces.
“The Alabama Solution” (U.S., 2025), a 2026 Oscar nominee for Best Documentary, screens Thursday, March 12. In 2019, a film team visited one of the nation’s harshest prison systems in Alabama to film a revival meeting. When a few prisoners whispered of terrible things happening inside, they began a secret investigation with incarcerated men who defied all odds to expose the cover-up of suspicious deaths by filming with contraband cellphones. Their footage showed the deaths weren’t isolated incidents and that official versions appeared far from the truth.
On Sunday, March 15, “Orwell 2+2=5” (U.S./France, 2025) delves into the life and work of the influential writer George Orwell. It connects his ideas to today’s world, artificial intelligence, and threats to intellectual freedom.
“The Librarians” (U.S., 2025) on Thursday, March 19, showcases united efforts in the US to defend access to books and diversity of thought.
On Sunday, March 22, “The Blue Trail” (Brazil, 2025) is a science-fiction story in a dystopian future in Brazil. It weaves the tale of a 77-year-old Brazilian woman who escapes Government control of seniors and finds adventure and freedom on the Amazon River.
On Thursday, March 26, “Deaf President Now!” (U.S., 2025) revisits a 1988 historic protest by deaf students that drew national attention to their demands for a deaf university president. Their triumph led to the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act.
“A Million Miles Away” (U.S., 2023) on Sunday, March 29, is a biographical drama about flight engineer José Hernández, who was a child migrant farmworker. He surpassed many obstacles to become NASA’s first Mexican-American astronaut.
This annual fundraiser by the Democrats Abroad Lake Chapala Chapter helps support its non-partisan U.S. voter assistance at Lakeside. A discounted Season Pass is available for all nine films as well as individual tickets. For details and to buy tickets, type shorturl.at/Y9VyU into your browser.