IJR News — today's news from every sideFilipiñana Wins Sundance Award, Examines Philippine InequalityEntertainment — Sep 3, 2026Filipiñana, Rafael Manuel’s satirical feature about a 17-year-old tee girl at an exclusive Manila country club, uses extreme heat and a lush golf-course setting to critique colonialism, inequality, and the slow pace of social change, earning Sundance’s Special Jury Award for Creative Vision. The film foregrounds climate stress and a climate-poverty trap while drawing connections between land privatization, elite privilege, and deeper Filipino societal issues, with festival exposure and distribution plans expanding its international reach.
Five tiny state parks reveal ancient fossils, Lincoln ties and colonial history — Sep 6, 2026Across Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, and Massachusetts, little-known state parks reveal extraordinary natural and historical treasures hiding in plain sight. From Channahon’s river confluence to Falls of the Ohio’s vast Devonian fossil beds, Lincoln Homestead’s Lincoln-era roots, Morris State Park’s protection of Crowley’s Ridge, and Roxbury Heritage’s historic John Eliot Square and First Church, these small gems offer accessible, richly meaningful experiences.
Jared Kim Never heard of Morris State Park before this but Crowley's Ridge sounds like a hidden gem, adding it to my list for the next road trip.
