Movie House 1 was packed on Wednesday for the opening night of GlobeDocs, Boston Globe’s documentary Film Festival. 30 remarkable films are being showcased over this weekend in three theaters around Boston. 

Director of Programming, Lisa Viola, watched about 200 films to select the 15 features and 15 shorts in the festival’s lineup. ” I'm looking for a film that sort of takes me out of my own world and places me into someone else's world. I'm looking for films that are really original, films that have a point of view, films that have a small story or a large story. I'm just looking for something to take me on a journey.”

Linda Henry, co-owner of Boston Globe Media, introduced the event as well as moderated the Q&A after.
Lisa Viola, Programming Director of GlobeDocs, speaks to audiences before the screening began.

It's not only what she has in mind, but what she believes the audience will want. “ I'm watching them for an audience, so I wanna know what an audience who's taking time out of their day [wants]. Not only do they have to travel to a cinema, but] they've had to take time out of their day. What are they gonna get out of this experience? “

But what is the Boston audience looking for?

“ I think people wanna be engaged. I think people wanna learn something often. Um, sometimes they just wanna be entertained. Um, but they really want to make a connection, right? So, if someone's taken, again, taken the time to leave their house, come to a cinema, sit down, um, and watch this with a community, they want something that's gonna be compelling.”

And compelled they were at TuTu, the opening film directed by Peabody Award-winning director Sam Pollard. It documents the life of South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu and his message of unwavering hope and forgiveness as an Anti-Apartheid activist. Sam Pollard joined audiences after the film for a Q&A and was met with thunderous applause and a standing ovation. In speaking about TuTu and what he believed made him so special, he reflected on his activism work with any issue he felt strongly about. “He had a powerful sense of humility, and a powerful sense of forgiveness.” 

These are both themes seen throughout the film, especially in his work with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Even in his “retirement”, TuTu fought for other causes he felt strongly about, including the HIV/AIDS epidemic and conflict between Israel and Palestine. 

“He wasn’t just a man focusing on apartheid in South Africa, he was a global man. He looked at issues around the globe. He had a real understanding that we, as humans, have to deal with these issues. He was a complete optimist,” Pollard explains.  

Ranging across a wide variety of topics, including the environment, sports, women’s issues, BIPOC voices, LGBTQ+ rights, animal welfare, politics, and more, GlobeDocs has screenings across Brattle Theatre, Coolidge Corner Theatre, and the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema this weekend, October 21-25. 

Tickets and more information can be found at https://events.bostonglobe.com/2026/globedocs

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