2026 Backyard Docs Film Festival: Opening Night — The Bulldogs & My Neighbor’s Yard
Kick off the 2026 Backyard Docs Film Festival with our opening night film! Join us for the Pennsylvania Premiere of The Bulldogs, a stunning portrait film about the small rural community in East Palestine, Ohio, as they navigate an uncertain path to recovery after the recent catastrophic train derailment. The film will be preceded by the Pennsylvania premiere of My Neighbor’s Yard, which takes a similar lens to suburban Harrisburg in the months leading up to the 2024 presidential election. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with filmmakers from both documentaries.
The Bulldogs
Following a catastrophic train derailment, The Bulldogs follows the residents of a small rural community in East Palestine, Ohio, as they navigate an uncertain path to recovery.
My Neighbor’s Yard
Thursday, Sept. 24th, 6:30 PM @ Point Park University, George R. White Theatre
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Backyard Docs Film Festival is our annual celebration of non-fiction cinema that explores our region’s Rust Belt and Appalachian identity.
We showcase documentary films and filmmakers who are directly connected to our region or have a shared connection with our region’s identity and culture. Formerly known as The Rust Belt & Appalachia Documentary Film Festival, the Backyard Docs Film Festival continues its trademark DIY screening style, holding screenings in unconventional locations such as repurposed factories, dive bars, and backyards. However, this year, we are expanding the festival to include traditional theater venues for some of our more well-attended screenings. The four-day event will also showcase a photography exhibition, private rough-cut feedback sessions, workshops with world-renowned filmmakers, and, of course, great afterparties. It’s the one time of the year when filmmakers, journalists, and artists of all stripes can come together and create new connections while helping redefine the story of the Rust Belt and Appalachia.