2026 Screenings
Boston University
March 31st - 6:00 PM
Kenmore Classroom Building
Room: KCB 101
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Poppy Jasper Film Festival
April 9th - 8:00 PM
The Morgan Hill Community Playhouse in Morgan Hill
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Virtual Screening + Writing Workshop
April 12th
1:00pm PT/ 3:00pm CT/ 4:00pm ET​
Designed specifically for MK/TCK writers, this memoir workshop tackles one of the most challenging and liberating decisions in life writing: choosing which stories to tell. Rather than attempting to capture an entire life, participants will learn how to distill years of layered, cross-cultural experience into a cohesive narrative arc. Through guided exercises and discussion, writers will identify the defining moments, emotional throughlines, and recurring themes that give shape to their story. By the end, each participant will have a clear, intentional framework: a curated set of meaningful, interconnected stories that form the foundation of a compelling memoir.
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Chicago Screening + Book Discussion
with author Holly Berkley Fletcher
April 25th 6:00 pm
An evening of film and conversation on faith, identity, and the hidden stories of missionary families.
Featuring a screening of Ben Between Africa alongside a discussion with filmmaker Ari Ali and author Holly Berkley Fletcher of The Missionary Kids, this event explores what it means to grow up between cultures and how missionary experiences shapes identity across generations.
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Other screening locations in consideration
Winnipeg Canada
Pittsburgh, PA
Harrisonburg, VA
Houston, Texas
Omaha, Nebraska
Berlin, Germany
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If interested in attending a screening in one of the above locations or hosting
one in your community please use the contact page to reach out.
2025 Screenings
Final Screening of 2025
December 13th - 31st 2025
Virtual Screening - Private
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March 21st, 4:15 pm
Maryland International Film Festival
May 13th, 7:00 pm
Community Screening
The New Parkway - Oakland, Ca
May 24th, 8:00 pm
Sacramento - Private Screening
Location: RSVP for info
May 25th, 12:00 pm
San Francisco - Community Screening
First Mennonite Church of San Francisco
290 Dolores St, San Francisco, CA 94103
June 22nd, 12:00 pm
Portland - Community Screening
Westminster Presbyterian
1624 NE Hancock St, Portland, OR 97212
June 23rd - 7:00 PM
Tin Pan Theater - Private Screening
869 NW Tin Pan Alley,
Bend, OR
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June 28th, 6:30 pm
Greencastle, PA - Community Screening
Salem Ridge Community Church
441 Pensinger Rd, Greencastle, PA 17225
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June 29th, 2:00 pm
Messiah Village - Private Screening
100 MT Allen Dr.
Mechanicsburg, PA
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September 12th, 6:00 pm
The Potter's House - Private Screening
1658 Columbia Rd NW,
Washington, DC
September 28th, 3:00 PM
Greencroft - Community Screening
Jennings Auditorium
Goshen, IN
October 18th, 6pm
W/Author Holly Berkely Fletcher
The Missionary Kids
Angelika Pop-up - Union Market
Washington, DC
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November 13th, 5:00 PM
+ A Photographic Memory
The Museum of Photographic Arts
Balboa Park, San Diego
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A Review
The story Ari Ali tells is heartbreakingly wise and beautiful, and yet it is wrung out of great loss. Ali’s determination to trace out the fractures underlying her family’s distance and isolation from each other eventually brings her home—but only after she walks through many years of tangled, complicated grief. By honestly naming deep sorrows frozen away in denial, Ali unlocks the power of healing for her family. She also unlocks the power of healing for countless other families who have experienced cultural dislocation, family separation, faith disorientation and traumatic death. Ali’s story is woven from innumerable points of personal connection against the backdrop of immense cultural and historical shifts. Ultimately, it provides a beacon of hope for every one of us who long to experience the healing power that can flow when we uncover hidden truths about our own family inheritance.​
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Sara Wenger Shenk
Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary president emerita
October 20, 2024
Seed & Spark
Travel
Fundraiser
Special Thank You
Grace Reed, Tim Johnson, Rebecca George, Rebecca Cheyne Threatt, Cindy Nichol,
Phyllis Horst Nofziger, Jerry Morrow, Paul Yoder, Ilse Ackerman, Marla Longenecket, Jane Kurtz, Phil and Sandy Horst, Star Callaway Good, Peter Dula,
Katherine Yoder, EMM Communications, Rachel McLaughlin, Tim Horst
Mamo And Mary Ellen Dula, Emmett, Crystal, & Naava Feldman,
Phillip Briggs, Celina Gonzalez, Sarah Young, Jim Gamber
Good Shepherd Reunion
September 18th - 20th I'll be in Asheville North Carolina attending the Good Shepherd Reunion raising film festival application and travel funds. If you plan to attend please be sure to come say hello.
MeMeraki Artist Residency
This June I'll be spending the month in Cyprus as part of the MeMeraki Artist Residency.
My time will be dedicated to developing my distribution strategy for
Ben Between Africa. If you are interested in hosting a community screening or would like to see the film brought to your town please message me through the 'Say Hello' page.
THE LATEST
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Friends! The film is done!
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It's been an amazing seven year long adventure that has required creativity and growth to find our way through it. I am currently working on a festival and distribution strategy.
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