It’s no surprise that the All Roads Film Festival has made another leap forward, given the speedy growth of its scope since its inception in 2004. But the rising number of featured films—now more than 30—is not the only reason for the success of the 2011 festival. Over the past few years, the festival has become a cultural destination and a movement in its own right.

The 2011 All Roads Film Festival opened on September 14 at the National Geographic Society in Washington, D.C. with a traditional Laguna Pueblo pottery throw, inspired by film director Billy Luther’s documentary GRAB. The next day was an afternoon’s line-up of free programs beginning with the film GRAB and another pottery throw to the attending audience, a “Latinos in Modern Media” panel discussion, a screening of Merva Faddoul’s short film Teta (Grandma) and Laura Gamse’s fascinating documentary The Creators, and finally a screening of Michael Bennett’s film Matariki ended the day. Over the course of the week, the festival’s presence spread beyond the confines of National Geographic’s Grosvenor Auditorium and into the community.

Films featured included first-time filmmakers Eugenie Reidy and Frederic Courbet’s beautiful God is a Liar: Traditions and Change in Turkana, as well as Jesús Salvador Treviño’s Visions of Aztlán and Na’alehu Anthony’s PAPA MAU: The Way Finder to name some highlights. The subjects of the festival’s films were as diverse and provocative as their creators, including indigenous concepts on climate change; Chicano social movements and art; issues of gender and sexuality in Iran and Māori culture; feminism and Buddhism in Tibet; and the opening of the Kurdistan-Iraq border.

Although the festival’s five days were packed with film screenings, the filmmakers kept busy outside the theater with press interviews, panel discussions, dinners, dance parties, and a closing night reception, which was hosted on a stunning rooftop overlooking the nation’s capital. The 2011 All Roads Film Festival ended with a gorgeous view, terrific food, new friendships, and a collective vision of communication, understanding, and social consciousness.