‘Ask Mama G’

Biden signed legislation renaming the San Diego Veterans Affairs medical center in honor of Capt. Jennifer Moreno.

GIFF has made efforts to spotlight the black and brown communities as well as women and the LGBTQ veteran population, said Keshia Javis-Jones, Marine Corps veteran who serves on the GIFF Advisory Committee. “The more light we bring to struggles anyone in uniform might face, the more capable we are in overcoming those struggles.”

A common thread in many of the films was the need for more mental health services in the VA, addressing PTSD and sexual trauma experienced by women in service. “The Search” and “#IamVanessaGuillen” tell stories of sexual assault, murder, and suicide, presenting impassioned pleas for treatment and justice for women in the military.

African American choreographer Kehinde Ishangi’s “Not My Enemy” dug deep into the traumatic and dehumanizing impact of the VietNam war on black soldiers and their families. Moving in its artistry, she created the dance documentary as a means to understand her absent father’s choices after his return from Viet Nam.