Cuban-born artist Carlos Luna was told from a young age that his revolutionary art would get him in trouble with Fidel Castro’s authoritarian regime. “Be careful, you are on the edge, they are watching,” warned a trusted teacher. With no way to fulfill his life’s purpose in Cuba, Carlos left his family and homeland behind, immigrating first to Mexico and finally to Miami, pursuing his craft to create what he calls “The Free Life.” Today, Carlos Luna is a prominent voice within the contemporary art movement and has gained notable success in the United States as a Cuban-American painter, sculptor, printmaker, and ceramicist.

The Free Life: Portrait of an Artist is also available to watch on CiVL.

Everyone is Welcome tells the story of Eric Flannery, a bar and restaurant owner who took a stand against the government in Washington, DC. It’s the story of The Big Board, which was shut down when Eric resisted the DC mayor’s Covid-19 vaccine mandate, insisting that everyone was welcome in his bar.

Follow Eric’s case with the help of The Buckeye Institute here:

• Flannery v. Eckenwiler
• Flannery v. DC Department of Health

When the Covid-19 pandemic struck in March 2020, America’s schools were among the first casualties. They shut down for months, forcing students into a remote learning environment that many found painful and unproductive. Even when schools finally reopened, it was only with onerous masking and social distancing requirements in place. We were told these were temporary measures, but almost two years later the school system has still failed to adapt to serve the needs of students and parents. For some families, this is enough to take matters into their own hands. As the country witnesses a mass exodus from government schools, meet the mothers who decided to step up and take responsibility for their children’s education. It turns out that where the system has failed, moms are succeeding, and they have never been happier.

The pandemic lockdowns have taken their toll on mom and pop shops across the country. For Schnitzel Haus in Brooklyn, NY, it’s been a year of mandated closures, reduced capacity, dwindling sales, and more regulations than ever before. The family-owned restaurant struggles to stay open amidst so many hurdles. In the Bay Ridge community where Schnitzel Haus resides, the lockdowns have brought the bustling music scene to a halt, and affected the livelihoods of people in many walks of life. All We Have is the story of a small business in a big city that has been turned upside down by the coronavirus lockdowns.

A city in Colorado tries a different kind of justice system, powerful enough to transform a broken system of mass incarceration in the United States. Instead of locking up non-violent offenders, these advocates focus on the challenging but rewarding process of individual responsibility, forgiveness, and redemption that radically shifts our idea of justice and our part in it.

How To Love Your Enemy is an emotionally compelling story about real people working to make things right, and a tutorial for other communities looking to restore faith in their justice systems and law enforcement.

Is 3D printing a threat to public safety, or an advancement in technology that could change the world? What are 3D printed guns and how dangerous are they, really? Matt Larosiere is a 3D printer expert and gun enthusiast who breaks it all down in this short documentary from Free the People.

The Right to Bear 3D Printers is also available to watch on Amazon Prime Video.

Joel Davis is not a criminal. He’s a patient battling his addiction to opioids and using medical cannabis as a natural alternative to dangerously addictive drugs. Free the People follows his journey of self-discovery, and his realization that medical decisions should be between patients and their doctors, not politicians.

Not a Criminal is also available to watch on Amazon Prime Video.

Winner of Anthem Film Festival’s highly-coveted Audience Choice Award. Off the Grid with Thomas Massie is an intimate look at a congressman’s quest for a self-sustainable life on his farm in eastern Kentucky. “My philosophy is live and let live: You don’t worry about what somebody’s doing in their holler, as long as they don’t worry about what you’re doing in your holler.”

Off the Grid with Thomas Massie is also available to watch on Amazon Prime Video.