OVID’s April Lineup: Earth Week Special, Ukraine’s defiant Artists, Outcasts of Ireland and Sri Lanka, Lithuanian Rock Opera, Donald Judd’s Marfa, Texas & much more!

OVID’s April is set to present a week of environmental films for Earth Week, culminating with Walking on Water Wasn’t Built in a Day, shot on the first Earth Day in 1970, featuring Allen Ginsberg reflecting on the state of American culture and society; alongside The Edge of Nature, a “startling and profound” (The Guardian) doc about a filmmaker who, suffering from Long COVID, isolates himself in a one-room cabin in his beloved Pennsylvania forest.

And what would April be without some wildly surreal folklore tales, including Arūnas Žebriūnas’ 1970s Lithuanian rock opera The Devil’s Bride, likened to Ken Russell’s Tommy and The Wicker Man; along with the return of a buried landmark of Irish folk horror The Outcasts, hailed as “unearthed treasure” by The Irish Times.

Staying on the theme of the outcast, we take you to pre-colonial Sri Lanka with Gaadi – Children of the Sun, an atmospheric drama about a young woman’s descent down the rigid caste system. We’ll also bring you Iranian filmmaker Shahram Mokri’s highly original and “engrossing” (Chicago Reader) second feature Fish & Cat, joining two of his other films on the platform, Careless Crime and Ashkan.

Plus, docs about the artist Donald Judd, and on a community of artists enduring the war in Ukraine, Rule of Two Walls (executive produced by Liev Schreiber), making art in defiance of Russia’s aggression. Then we round this month out with Julianne Nicholson (Janet Planet) co-starring with Diego Peretti in Initials SG, a comedy about a down-on-his-luck Serge Gainsbourg wannabe. 

Full details on April’s complete lineup are below.

Image above from Robert Wynne-Simmons' THE OUTCASTS, premiering on OVID on April 3rd.

Thursday, April 2

Aisha’s Story
Directed by Elizabeth Vibert
EPF Media / DS2 | Documentary | Canada | 2025 | 66 min

“Food is the most precious part of Palestinian heritage.” Aisha Azzam and her husband started their family grain mill in Baqa’a refugee camp, Jordan, 35 years ago. Through food, Aisha traces the story of Palestinian displacement and rebuilding family and community in a refugee camp. Harvesting, milling, cooking, and feasts ground the film’s arc of displacement, longing, steadfastness, and resistance. In Aisha’s words, “Food is what keeps us together as Palestinians.”

** World Premiere, 2025 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, Audience Award for Mid-Length Films

OVID EXCLUSIVE

Friday, April 3

2K Restoration

The Outcasts
Directed by Robert Wynne-Simmons
With Mary Ryan, Mick Lally, Cyril Cusack, Don Foley, Tom Jordan
Deaf Crocodile / MVD | Drama | Ireland | 1982 | 95 min

The daughter of an impoverished rural family in early 1800s Ireland is accused of witchcraft. Her neighbors and even her own family become consumed by fear and superstition, as she starts to experience flashes of her latent powers. A major rediscovery for fans of folklore, fantasy, and folk horror, this is the first feature by Robert Wynne-Simmons, famed for his work as writer on the seminal British folk horror film Blood on Satan’s Claw. 

“Sleight of hand by cinematographer Seamus Corcoran and editor Arthur Keating’s jump cuts craft a fairy magic that recalls the holy miracles of Pasolini’s The Gospel According to St Matthew. Iconic actors, including Cyril Cusack, perform appropriately mythological roles. Treasure, unearthed.” —Tara Brady, The Irish Times

“A haunting and ultimately melancholy study of social ostracization and rebellion that takes place in rural Ireland sometime before the potato famine of 1845.” —Budd Wilkins, Slant

Tuesday, April 7

Harvie Krumpet
Directed by Adam Elliot
With Geoffrey Rush, Kamahl
MVD | Animation | Australia | 2003 | 23 min

The odd biography of a man who has Tourette’s Syndrome, chronic bad luck, menial jobs, nudist tendencies, and a book of “fakts” hung around his neck.

“Two decades ago, stop-motion animator Adam Elliot burst onto the scene with his wonderful short Harvie Krumpet. Following a man cursed with lifelong bad luck, it earned him an Oscar and introduced the world at large to Elliot’s wicked sense of humor, massive heart, and singular animation style. A little ugly, a little beautiful, wholly of itself, Elliot’s stop-motion work set itself apart from the worlds of Henry Selick and Nick Park. His clay creations––misshapen, lovingly rendered people––live lives that are equally comedic and tragic. His work always veers into the existential, mirroring his own life experiences.”  —Brandon Streussnig, The Film Stage

** Academy Award, Best Animated Short Film, 2004

Wednesday, April 8

Relentless Memory – Memoria Implacable
Directed by Paula Rodríguez Sickert
EPF Media / DS2 | Documentary | Argentina | 2024 | 93 min

Committed to unearthing her ancestors’ silenced history, Margarita embarks on a profound journey, guided by the diary of Katrulaf, an indigenous Mapuche prisoner of war. She retraces the Mapuches’ deportation route, and in unearthing these pasts, gives voice to a displaced people and the genocide inflicted upon them during the military invasions that founded Argentina and Chile. Through a mix of archival material and present-day footage, the film becomes a record of resistance and remembrance, poetically intertwining the Mapuche ancestral landscape with memories that were forcibly erased from the land and its people. 

Jamaica & Tamarindo: Afro Tradition in the Heart of Mexico
Directed by Ebony Marie Bailey
MVD | Documentary | Mexico | 2019 | 20 min

The Jamaica flower and tamarind are iconic ingredients in Mexico, but their history comes from a place much further away. In Jamaica and Tamarindo: Afro Tradition in the Heart of Mexico, we meet five people to explore African heritage in Mexico City, an identity that goes beyond the color of one’s skin.

Thursday, April 9

Donald Judd – Marfa, Texas  
Directed by Chris Felver
MVD | Documentary | USA | 2008 | 25 min

An artist and critic, there was a considerable duality to Donald Judd (1928–1994). He was at once a man of intellectual rigor and a multi-disciplinary conceptualist who deftly moved towards a new minimalism. In 1971, he relocated from New York, to the prairies of Presidio County in Southern Texas, twenty miles from the Mexican border. It is here, in Marfa, Texas, that Chris Felver interviews Judd, providing insights into his process, his materials, and the freedom he sought. A rare visit with an exceptional talent and a compelling destination for art aficionados.

Friday, April 10

Gaadi – Children Of The Sun
Directed by Prasanna Vithanage
With Dinara Punchihewa, Ravindra Randeniya, Shyam Fernando ·
Deaf Crocodile / MVD | Drama | Sri Lanka | 2019 | 103 min

Set in pre-colonial Sri Lanka in 1814, Gaadi begins with a collaborationist English agent convincing the local Sinhala Buddhist nobility to attempt to overthrow the rival Tamil king. The subsequent military disaster forces a Sinhala noble woman, Tikiri, to be stripped of her status and choose between suicide or marriage to a low-caste outcast Vijaya. Choosing the latter, a tenderness grows between the couple.

“A landmark for Sri Lankan cinema.” —Panos Kotzathanasis, Asian Movie Pulse

Tuesday, April 14

Fish & Cat
Directed by Shahram Mokri
Deaf Crocodile / MVD | Drama | Iran | 2013 | 141 min

Iran, 1998. A group of students travels to a remote Caspian forest to take part in a kite-flying competition on the winter solstice. The travelers get more than they bargained for when their camp is invaded by two local cooks, who need meat to supply their restaurant business.

“Shahram Mokri’s highly original second feature combines formal experimentation with a sly sense of humor and a surprising feeling for American genre conventions.” —Alissa Simon, Variety

“Engrossing.” —Ben Sachs, Chicago Reader

Thursday, April 16

Ackroyd & Harvey
Directed by Fiona Cunningham-Reid
Bullfrog Films | Documentary | USA | 2024 | 80 min

Award-winning documentary filmmaker Fiona Cunningham-Reid presents an intimate portrait of internationally acclaimed artists Heather Ackroyd and Dan Harvey, who work at the intersection of art, activism, biology, and ecology.

“[A] wise documentary… Shows it’s all about the grassroots. Literally.” —Phil Hoad, The Guardian

OVID EXCLUSIVE

Friday, April 17

A Radical Thread
Directed by Jeanne C. Finley
Bullfrog Films | Documentary | USA | 2025 | 70 min

In the face of climate-fueled wildfire, a Sierra Foothills community passes 50 years of innovative sustainability to the next generation while collectively stitching their stories of challenge and celebration into an 85-foot tapestry, one tiny stitch at a time.

OVID EXCLUSIVE

Far Out: Life On & After the Commune
Directed by Charles Light
Bullfrog Films | Documentary | USA | 2024 | 85 min

Tells the story of two rural New England communal farms, tracing 50 years in the lives of a group of New England writers, activists and artists.

“An illuminating glimpse of how youthful idealism flourished to become a driving force in the emerging antinuclear movement – and provides a hopeful blueprint for activists today.” —Dennis Perkins, Portland Press Herald

Tuesday, April 21

The Edge of Nature
Directed by Josh Fox
Bullfrog Films | Documentary | USA | 2025 | 108 min

After a harrowing bout with COVID, Oscar-Nominated director Josh Fox isolates himself in a one room cabin in the forest for four seasons. Everything in the film is done in isolation: from the building of the structures to the harvesting of foraged plants to discovering the principles of the forest, calling into question everything that our civilization has done to dominate natural world.

“Startling…Profound.” —Susan Chenery, The Guardian

“Rousing…A passionate call to once and for all return humanity to its original role as environmental caretakers.” —Lauren Wissot, Documentary Magazine

Earth Day!

Wednesday, April 22

Walking On Water Wasn’t Built in a Day
Directed by John Abrahall, Christopher Bamford, Robert Feldman, Michael Katz & Peter Wiesner
With Allen Ginsberg
Bullfrog Films | Documentary | USA | 1971 | 17 min

Shot on the first Earth Day in Philadelphia in April 1970, featuring a cast of locals and Allen Ginsberg, who riffs on American culture and society over a meal at HoJo’s and reads a poem on the banks of the Susquehanna. Decades later, the battle for “the soul of America” goes on.

OVID EXCLUSIVE

Outgrow the System
Directed by Cecilia Paulsson & Anders Nilsson
Bullfrog Films | Documentary | USA | 2023 | 58 min

Outgrow the System delves into the pressing question of what a sustainable economy could look like, drawing attention to innovative economic perspectives.

“Provocative and illuminating.” —L. Randall Wray, Professor and Senior Scholar, Levy Economics Institute of Bard College

OVID EXCLUSIVE

Friday, April 24

2K Restoration

The Devil’s Bride
Directed by Arūnas Žebriūnas
With Vaiva Mainelytė, Vasilijus Simčičius, Gediminas Girdvainis
Deaf Crocodile / MVD | Drama | Soviet Union | 1974 | 78 min

Biblical myths and Baltic folklore meet go-go dancers, fuzz guitar, funky bass, and a big, bold brass section in the Soviet Union’s first rock-opera musical about the victory of love over the trickery of the Devil. Based on the book Whitehorn’s Windmill by Kazys Boruta with utterly stunning, crystal-pure cinematography by Algimantas Mockus, The Devil’s Bride has been beautifully restored by the Lithuanian Film Centre.

“A showcase of Dionysian visual extravagance, thanks to luminous and kinetic photography by Algimantas Mockus.” —Michael Barrett, Pop Matters

“One of the year’s great rediscoveries.” —J. Hurtado, Screen Anarchy

OVID EXCLUSIVE

Heroic Times
Directed by József Gémes
Deaf Crocodile / MVD | Animated | Hungary | 1983 | 79 min

A portrait of the so-called heroic age of medieval knights and kings—a bloody tapestry of ruthless combat—through one man’s desire for nobility.

“Magnificent animation.” —Diane Carson, Alliance of Women Film Journalists

OVID EXCLUSIVE

Wednesday, April 29

Rule of Two Walls
Directed by David Gutnik
Executive Producer Liev Schreiber
Visit Films | Documentary | Ukraine | 2023 | 77 min

An intimate look at the war in Ukraine, as seen through the eyes of Ukrainian artists who remained in their country to make art as a defiant act in the face of aggression.

“For Gutnik, cutting between art on the walls of the Lviv Municipal Arts Center then carnage on the streets encompassed the “highs and lows” of his own experience making the film… It’s also a reality against which the resilience of the country’s artists comes into sharp, urgent relief.” —Min Chen, Artnet

** CineDocs award – Cinefest Miskolc
** Tribeca Film Festival

OVID EXCLUSIVE

A Poem for Little People
Directed by Ivan Sautkin
Impronta Films / DS2 | Documentary | Ukraine, Lithuania, UK | 2023 | 118 min

In cinéma vérité style, the film documents the most vulnerable people on front lines of the war in Ukraine, and the volunteers of an evacuation team who risk their lives to save them.

** International premiere, CPH:DOX

OVID EXCLUSIVE

Thursday, April 30

Initials SG
Directed by Rania Attieh, Daniel A. Garcia
With Diego Peretti, Julianne Nicholson, Daniel Fanego, Malena Sanchez
Visit Films | Comedy/Drama | Argentina/Lebanon/US | 2019 | 93 min

Down on his luck, an aging Serge Gainsbourg wannabe struggles with an acting career he can’t seem to get on track, an affair he doesn’t want, and a crime he didn’t mean to commit.

“A gem of a role and Peretti allows himself to be fully absorbed by it… Nicholson is similarly impressive.” —Jenny Kermode, Eye For Film

“I honestly don’t want to say too much more because this film is definitely best approached as a surprise. In the end, you will be amazed by what you just saw.”  —Lorry Kikta, Film Threat

** Nora Ephron Award – Tribeca Film Festival

OVID EXCLUSIVE – SVOD PREMIERE

Complete list of films premiering on OVID this month (in alphabetical order):

A Poem for Little People, Ivan Sautkin (2023)
A Radical Thread, Jeanne C. Finley (2025)
Ackroyd & Harvey, Fiona Cunningham-Reid (2024)
Aisha’s Story, Elizabeth Vibert (2025)
Donald Judd – Marfa, Texas, Chris Felver (2008)
Far Out: Life On & After the Commune, Charles Light (2024)
Fish & Cat, Shahram Mokri (2013)
Gaadi – Children Of The Sun, Prasanna Vithanage (2019)
Harvie Krumpet, Adam Elliot (2003) 
Initials S.G., Rania Attieh and Daniel Garcia (2019)
Heroic Times, József Gémes (1983)
Jamaica & Tamarindo: Afro Tradition in the Heart of Mexico, Ebony Marie Bailey (2019)
Outgrow the System, Cecilia Paulsson & Anders Nilsson (2023)
Relentless Memory, Paula Rodríguez Sickert (2024)
Rule of Two Walls, David Gutnik (2023)
The Devil’s Bride, Arūnas Žebriūnas (1974)
The Edge of Nature, Josh Fox (2025)
The Outcasts, Robert Wynne-Simmons (1982) 
Walking On Water Wasn’t Built in a Day, John Abrahall, Christopher Bamford, Robert Feldman, Michael Katz & Peter Wiesner (1971)