Unorthodocs Returns to the Wexner Center Nov 6–10, 2025

The Wexner Center for the Arts at The Ohio State University will present the ninth edition of Unorthodocs, its acclaimed annual festival of documentary film, November 6–10, 2025. Known for its singular, community-focused format offering 10 films on one screen, the festival allows attendees to experience some of the year’s most daring nonfiction films without overlap while engaging directly with visiting filmmakers and artists.

Unorthodocs 2025 promises to be one of the festival’s most dynamic and wide-ranging editions yet. The lineup includes adventurous films that take fresh approaches to true crime, spotlight civic courage and protest, address urgent ecological issues, and celebrate Ohio stories and filmmakers. Innovative uses of archival footage remains one of the most prominent throughlines this year.

“Unorthodocs has built a reputation for introducing audiences to films before they break into the cultural mainstream,” said Chris Stults, associate curator of film. “Past selections have gone on to earn Academy Award nominations and wins, including last year’s No Other Land. It’s exciting to know our Columbus audiences often see these films first.”

2025 Festival Lineup

• Teenage Wasteland (Amanda McBaine & Jesse Moss): Archival footage revisits 1990s high school journalists uncovering toxic pollution and political corruption; a story of youth activism, civic courage, and the power of great teachers. Moss will attend in person.
• Seeds (Brittany Shyne): A Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner from Dayton-based filmmaker Brittany Shyne, exploring the resilience of generational Black farmers in the American South. Shyne will attend in person.
• Baby Doe (Jessica Earnshaw): A raw and timely Ohio story about the case of “Geauga’s Child,” examining women’s health, justice, and purity culture. Earnshaw and participants will attend.
• Predators (David Osit): A chilling exploration of NBC’s To Catch a Predator and the culture it fueled. Distributed by MTV Documentary Films. Producer Jamie Gonçalves will attend in person.
• The Gloria of Your Imagination (Jennifer Reeves): Ohio-born filmmaker Jennifer Reeves reimagines one of the most famous psychotherapy training films through expanded cinema, using simultaneous 16mm and digital projection. Reeves, a past Wexner Center Artist Residency Award recipient, will attend in person.
• River of Grass (Sasha Wortzel): A meditative environmental portrait of the Florida Everglades, blending archival voices with contemporary activism.
• WTO/99 (Ian Bell): Immersive all-archival documentary revisiting the 1999 Seattle protests against the World Trade Organization; Archival Producer Debra McClutchy will attend in person.
• My Stolen Planet (Farahnaz Sharifi): A moving essay film from an Iranian filmmaker in exile, weaving together home movies and personal archives to portray women’s joy and resilience before and after the revolution.
• Kouté Vwa (Listen to Voices) (Maxime Jean-Baptiste): A tender blend of documentary and fiction set in French Guiana, where a young boy confronts grief, legacy, and healing through music.
• BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions (Kahlil Joseph): The feature debut of artist/filmmaker Kahlil Joseph (Beyoncé’s Lemonade), this kaleidoscopic film merges archival footage, social media, and radical Black art histories.
• Runa Simi (Augusto Zegarra): A heartwarming closing film about a Peruvian father-and-son team working to dub The Lion King into Quechua, celebrating language preservation and cultural pride.
• Unorthodocs Shorts Program: Curated selections from emerging voices, including Remote Views by Columbus filmmaker Alexis McCrimmon, a remix of archival television and citizen journalism.

Unorthodocs continues to foster connections between filmmakers and audiences by offering affordable student passes, postscreening conversations, and an exclusive passholder lounge.

Festival passes and individual tickets are on sale now. Pass prices are $36 for members and adults 55+, $45 for the general public, and $16 for students. Pass benefits include admission to all talks and screenings, access to the Unorthodocs passholder lounge, and one free drink ticket at the November 8 reception.

Get the complete schedule of films, screenings, and talks.