And a sampling of their line-up shows that they have hit their mark.

“This year, we have incredible films from Asia,” King said. “We have a bunch of great movies from Africa. For example, we’re showing this really dazzling new film called Neptune Frost, which is by the musician Saul Williams. It is set in Burundi. We have an incredible film called Lingui: The Sacred Bonds from Chad. And then we have movies about the immigrant experience as well. There is the spectacular new indie comedy, Queen of Glory, that takes place in New York. But it’s all about Ghanaian immigrants. That’s one of the things that we are able to showcase even in our international titles. For instance, A Tale of Love and Desire is a French movie set in Paris, but it is about the Algerian population there. We have a movie called Holy Emy, which is about the Filipino population in Greece. For that film, the filmmaker is actually going to be here to present it in-person. That is a very meaningful experience that we haven’t been able to offer the past few years since the festival hasn’t been in person since 2019.”

And while every moviegoer has at least heard of the great Indian film industry that has been named Bollywood, there is also another movie movement in India that King hopes people discover.

“A real rare film from India from the 1970s is called Duvidha, which really needs to get rediscovered,” King emphasized. “We’re really excited to give people the opportunity to see it on the big screen. This is an art film. There is a parallel Indian cinema that exists outside of Bollywood. This is a chance for Madison audiences to get to experience the kind of Indian cinema that they don’t have at the multiplex. Another great Indian movie that we are showing is called A Night of Knowing Nothing. This is a film that won The Best Documentary Prize at Cannes Film Festival last year. And it was names the Best Film of the Year by the Chicago Tribune. It’s an incredibly powerful movie that is totally separate from popular Indian cinema.”

The fare from South America is equally compelling.

“There’s a really great thriller called Immersion that stars Alfredo Castro. Alfredo is a big star in Chile. This is a great thriller that is going to be a fun night at the movies on the big screen. It all takes place on a yacht. It’s just a masterfully suspenseful movie. We have a great drama from Brazil called Private Desert. It’s about a guy in a long-distance relationship. And his partner all of a sudden stops responding to him and so, he drives across the country to find her. It’s filled with a lot of mystery and it is a powerfully made drama.”

Perhaps one of the high points of the festival — which comes on its first night — is sort of a multimedia presentation.

“One of the films that we are very excited about — and is going to be a very special event — is called Stay Prayed Up,” King said. “This is a really moving and stirring documentary about the gospel band The Branchettes. After our screening of Stay Prayed Up at Shannon Hall on Friday night, the musicians, Mother Perry and The Branchettes are going to perform a live gospel set after the screening. That’s going to be a very extra special event that you can only get in person.”

King also has his own personal favorites that he is waiting to see again.

“One of my favorite movies in the festival this year is a movie I saw at Sundance called Mija,” King said. “This is a movie about young children of Mexican immigrants who are living in Texas and want to break into the music industry. In one part, it’s about their story of trying to get discovered. And at the same time, they are the ties to their parents’ citizenship applications. And so there is a lot of pressure on them to make that all happen for their parents. They are the ones who can put in the applications and all that sort of stuff. It’s a really powerful story on two levels. It’s one that I really hope people check out.”

There are also films for the whole family.