![Andre Holland and Titus Kaphar speaking at a panel before audience](/sites/g/files/omnuum5526/files/styles/hwp_21_9__1920x825/public/2025-05/03282025-HDSFilmFest-008.jpg?itok=yDEtnGC3) # Faith in Focus: HDS Film Fest Explores the Transformative Power of Storytelling April 10, 2025 [ Tyler Sprouse ](/people/tyler-sprouse) On March 28, the sixth-annual Harvard Divinity School Film Festival (HDSFF) brought together a vibrant mix of voices and visions. The program featured 17 thought-provoking films created by HDS students and independent filmmakers spanning more than 10 countries—including Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Indonesia, Korea, and Chile. “With this year’s film selections, our goal was to create a space to foster conversations, learn from and with each other, and ultimately embrace our creativity,” said HDSFF president and MTS candidate Lorenny Diaz. “We wanted to show different perspectives and approaches to faith and film that reflect our diverse and multilingual world. Films are a powerful medium of storytelling to create, repeat, and challenge worldviews. It is our responsibility as consumers and producers of media to offer a space that critically looks at the intersection of faith and film, especially through the panel discussions, and showcases the voices of HDS students.” As a powerful meditation on healing and redemption, *Exhibiting Forgiveness* (2024) captivated audiences as the headline feature of this year’s festival. The film, starring acclaimed actor and master of religion and public life (MRPL) candidate André Holland, embodied the festival’s central mission: exploring the transformative power of storytelling through the lens of faith. *Exhibiting Forgiveness* was written and directed by MacArthur Fellowship recipient and WSJ Magazine Innovator honoree Titus Kaphar. The film depicts the Black painter Tarrell (Holland) in his struggle to process the trauma and grief of his past through the creative process. Striving to be a loving father to his son and a supportive spouse to his artist-singer wife, Tarrell’s past pain and future desires are held in tension. Ultimately, Tarrell journeys through the film towards pivotal realizations about faith, forgiveness, and freedom. His arc of healing brings him to a decision that complicates the relationship between forgiveness and reconciliation. In a post-screening conversation with Kaphar and Holland moderated by HDSFF board member Catharine Carmody, Kaphar shared that, in many ways, Tarrell’s story mirrors his own. “Everything in the film is rooted in my lived experience,” said Kaphar, who was forced to confront difficult feelings upon seeing his father, with whom he had no active relationship, during a trip with his family to his mother’s house in Michigan. “What you saw in the movie kind of happened. But I never really told my kids about it. With my oldest child going off to college next year, it felt like a good time to start talking about it.” Holland, who also starred in *Selma* (2014) and the Academy Award-winning *Moonlight* (2016), discussed his approach to and experience of the role. “When I read the script, on a personal note, I was going through a situation with my father,” Holland said. “He was approaching the end of his life. So, we had a lot of conversations about things that felt aligned, in many ways, with the script. It felt like a thing I had to do.” In preparing for the role, Holland not only drew upon his lived experience, but he also engaged with his own evolving faith. “I felt like I was coming up against the edges of my own understanding,” said Holland. “The script was asking me to challenge theology in a very particular way that I didn't always feel comfortable with. I tried to be as honest as I could about my own experience, and then also as honest as I could be about Tarrell's experience. I think the job of an actor is to be a dispenser of the truth and to try to get at the core of the thing and then express it as honestly as possible.” For HDSFF director and Dean’s Council member Mario Cader-Frech, MRPL ’24, the festival was a showcase of the unique relationship between faith and film. "The Harvard Divinity School Film Fest 2025 was a profound convergence of storytelling and spirituality,” said Cader-Frech. “Our lineup featured exceptional student and independent films, each followed by insightful panels that deepened the experience for both participants and filmmakers. We were especially honored to host the feature film *Exhibiting Forgiveness.* The post-screening discussion with Mr. Kaphar and Mr. Holland provided invaluable insights into the interplay of art, faith, and personal narrative.” Nine independent films by international filmmakers were shown at the festival, including *The Cleaner* by Daniel Ofori-Atta, *AVOESIS* by Mykhailo Bogdanov, *Hatches* by Alex Moreno-Novelo, *Tree House* by soo-min park, and *Guardian Angel* by Will Saunders. “As an early career director, I couldn't have asked for a more welcoming environment in which to present *Guardian Angel*, or a more helpful and communicative team,” said Saunders. “I have been prompted by the festival to consider the value of consulting with an expert in theology as part of the pre-production process.” Seven student films rounded out the festival’s lineup: *Prayer for Tending Death* by Elyla, *blue wave* by Tristan Angieri, *Poetry of the Camps* by zehra imam, *Darina* by Barbora Sopoligova, *Chop! Chop!* by Ievgen Koshyn, *A Coffee’s Ancient Ritual* by Hilman Nurr Hakim, and *Aamhi Doghe (Two of Us)* by Neel Phadnis. “This year’s festival contained some of the most engaging films I’ve seen during my three-year tenure involvement with the HDS Film Fest,” said Robbie Rhodes, HDSFF chair of internal relations and HDS staff member. “We were able to engage with filmmakers from all around the world and screen films from different countries. Such a wide variety of worldly perspectives creates a truly insightful experience.” See also:- [ Student Activities and Interviews ](/discover-stories-about/student-activities-and-interviews) - [ Faith ](/topic-tags/faith) - [ Filmmaking ](/topic-tags/filmmaking)