Force of Blue

Directed by Jeffrey Williams (USA 2023, 84:45 mins).

In 2020 the Minneapolis North High School football team battled to win a championship amid school closures due to the COVID pandemic, the death of George Floyd, and the resulting riots that set a community on edge and their neighborhood on fire. Even though their coaches, a group of dedicated police officers, were considered to be persona non grata in the city of Minneapolis, the Polar players, a team of predominantly African American student-athletes, from a neighborhood that historically has had an antagonistic relationship with the police, were able to look past the badges and refused to let the issues plaguing society stand in their way on their quest for a title.

Preceded by:

H: Strength is in the Pack

Directed by Joel Wolpert, Hatim Jean-Louis (USA 2023, 21:29 mins).

In 2015, Coach Hatim Jean-Louis, also known as Coach H, undertook the remarkable task of revitalizing a struggling citywide cross country running program in Boston, MA. This cooperative team was designed to bring together students from various public high schools across the city. However, the journey was far from easy.

Q&A to follow