Salem Film Fest is the largest documentary film festival in Massachusetts with films from around the world, running March 23- April 2, 2023. Screenings will take place at four locations: Peabody Essex Museum, Cinema Salem, National Park Service Visitor Center in Salem, MA and The Cabot in Beverly, MA. For more information, visit
www.SalemFilmFest.com.
Here is the Program Schedule for the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM)
Friday March 24 — 11am at PEM
FINDING HER BEAT
For over 2,000 years, the Japanese drumming art of Taiko, has been reserved solely for men. Meet the bold women whose talent, determination and sisterhood aim to change that. Tickets include a live drumming performance!
Friday March 24 — 2:45pm at PEM
SHORTS BLOCK 1
Friday March 24 — 5:30pm at PEM
TOWN DESTROYER
Controversy erupts over images of African American slaves and Native Americans in New Deal-era murals at George Washington High School in San Francisco, leading to a passionate outpouring of activism and opinions about art, history, and racial reckoning in America.
Saturday March 25 — 10:30am at PEM
American Experience presents RUTHLESS: Monopoly’s Secret History
Part detective story, part sharp social commentary and part pop-culture celebration, RUTHLESS: Monopoly’s Secret History presents the fascinating true story behind America’s favorite game.
Saturday March 25 — 12:30pm at PEM
PHOTOGRAPHIC JUSTICE: The Corky Lee Story
For decades, Chinese American photographer Corky Lee documented the Asian American experience. An unprecedented look at the triumphs and tragedies of the man behind the camera.
Saturday March 25 — 2:45pm at PEM
CABIN MUSIC
Walking away from Boston’s New England Conservatory, a pianist backpacks overland from Spain to Japan, then builds a remote cabin in Canada to create a new form of music.
Saturday March 25 — 5:05pm at PEM
LAGUNARIA
A voice from a distant future tells of a vanished city that was once among the most famous in the world – Venice, Italy.
Sunday March 26 — 10am at PEM
The Doc-a-chusetts Pitch
Join us for a spirited discussion with local filmmakers as they pitch their upcoming documentary films to a panel of industry and media members in a competition before a live audience, in which you have a vote!
Sunday March 26 — 12noon at PEM
UKRAINISTAN ARTISTS WAR — World Premiere
By demonstrating how art can succeed where war fails, UKRAINISTAN ARTIST WAR offers creative optimism in the face of the Russian Invasion of Ukraine and the Taliban’s oppression of women and girls in Afghanistan.
Sunday March 26 — 2:40pm at PEM
PLEISTOCENE PARK
A renown Russian geophysicist and his son stave off a global environmental catastrophe by restoring the Ice Age “mammoth steppe” ecosystem in their remote corner of Siberia.