Amani Family Services is excited to celebrate Welcoming Week by hosting a special preview of short films from the 2024 Hobnobben Film Festival!  This event aims to highlight the beauty and diversity of Fort Wayne by showcasing stories from various cultures, fostering a sense of belonging and inclusivity within the community. Attendees will have the unique opportunity to experience a curated selection of powerful and thought-provoking films that emphasize themes of identity, acceptance, and resilience. Join us for an evening of cinema and community, where stories transcend boundaries and bring people together in the spirit of unity and understanding.

Following a Hobnobben Trailer showcasing many of the films to be shown at Hobnobben, the following six films will be previewed:

1. Love Sweet Sound, KENYA

   • Keya is a young woman who is in denial of her blindness. She is forced to venture out into the outside world where she bumps into Anthony, a reclusive, struggling man. They embark on a journey to resolve their scars, handicaps and shortcomings.

2. Eldorado, ITALY

   • Originally from Cameroon, Awa works as a snow groomer driver on the ski slopes of La Thuile, the last Italian town before France. In the middle of her shift, she crosses paths with Souleymane, a young migrant desperately trying to cross the border. Helping Souleymane cross the mountain may be the only way for Awa to silence a dull and constant guilt.

3. Expanding Sanctuary, USA

   • An immigrant mother emerges as a community leader during the historic campaign to end the sharing of the Philadelphia police database with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Expanding Sanctuary tells a rarely told story about a Latinx immigrant community’s successful journey to change legislation and protect families.

4. The Color of the Room, MEXICO

   • Ramiro has been diagnosed with autism. He loves order, his music, his sheets and the color of his room. His mother Aurora will not reveal the reason why she has decided to move her son to her best friend's house. Ramiro’s life as he knows it is destined to fall apart. Starring 2022 Sundance's Best Actress winner Teresa Sánchez, 2 Mexican Academy Award Nominee Martha Claudia Moreno, and Alejandro Reyes Jaime, who lives with Autism Spectrum Disorder in real life.

5. Sunflower Girl, USA

   • Rosie, a 13-year-old Chinese-American girl, embarks on a skateboarding escapade through the streets of New York with her crush and his best friend - at the cost of abandoning her little sister and never delivering a forgotten lunchbox.

6. The High Life, GHANA

   • A young lady, Afi, finds out she was left a box of unlabelled vinyl records at her deceased stepfather’s will reading. She is not sure how to feel about it considering their turbulent relationship prior to his passing but she’s sent on a journey of discovery and music.

See the full Hobnobben Film Festival Programming at Hobnobben.org.