By Erinn Sullivan | Chief Communications and Impact Officer
Cinema Across Borders continues to bring the transformative power of documentary storytelling to communities around the world, creating spaces for meaningful dialogue, shared learning, and grassroots engagement.
SIMA's year-round international traveling screening series connects local organizers, educators, artists, and community leaders with award-winning social impact documentaries, carefully curated through our international network of film industry experts and jury members. Through these partnerships, powerful stories reach audiences beyond traditional film festivals and distribution channels, bringing global perspectives into locally rooted conversations.
Following the successful completion of our inaugural edition, which reached 25,270 participants through 205 community screenings across 20 countries, our 2026–2027 Cinema Across Borders Fellowship is continuing to build on this momentum.
Over the past several months, our Fellows and partners have brought documentary screenings to communities across Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, and Guatemala, exploring issues ranging from education and human rights to migration, environmental justice, and cultural identity.
In Nigeria, partners Tell That Story, Park Radio, and Policy Inclusion & Advocacy Lab have brought Cinema Across Borders to Benin City, Abuja, Lagos, and Kaduna. Screenings of Mothers of Chibok have offered opportunities to reflect on girls' education, women's resilience, and the lasting effects of conflict. Additional films, including Loot: A Story of Crime and Redemption, Exodus, The Barber of Little Rock, The Last Ice Age, Fenice, and Minerita, have introduced perspectives on restorative justice, migration, economic empowerment, and environmental protection.
In Kenya, Spice Without Borders presented Radio Dadaab in Nairobi, highlighting refugee experiences and the power of community storytelling. Through this film, audiences were introduced to stories of resilience, displacement, and belonging, reinforcing the importance of amplifying voices from communities too often overlooked.
In South Africa, DocLOVE hosted screenings of Exodus and Radio Dadaab in Cape Town, bringing stories of migration, displacement, and identity into a shared community setting. These films offer important opportunities to consider the human experiences behind global challenges and explore the connections between communities across borders.
In Guatemala, Fundación Ixcanul continued its screening initiatives with Milla Skate: The Cholita Skaters of Bolivia in Nahualá and NIÑXS in Guatemala City. These films spotlight cultural identity, youth empowerment, and self-expression, celebrating the importance of young people finding their voices and challenging social expectations.
What makes Cinema Across Borders unique is not simply the films being screened, but the local leaders bringing these stories to life. Each partner selects films that speak to the interests, challenges, and aspirations of their communities, creating opportunities for engagement that extend beyond the screen.
From community organizers in Nigeria to cultural advocates in Guatemala, our Fellows are helping make internationally recognized documentary storytelling more accessible, relevant, and connected to everyday experiences.
As we approach the end of 2026, we are excited to see this new chapter of Cinema Across Borders taking shape. The growing commitment of our international partners reflects a shared belief that documentary storytelling can build understanding, encourage critical reflection, and inspire communities to imagine new possibilities.
Your generosity makes this work possible. By supporting Cinema Across Borders, you help equip local leaders with powerful, thoughtfully curated films and screening guidance, expanding access to stories that might otherwise remain out of reach.
Together, we are building a global network where stories cross borders, communities connect, and meaningful change begins with conversation.
With gratitude and warmth,
The Cinema Across Borders Team
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