This clip is the first in a series excerpted from "Concealed and Denied," a short archival documentary without any archival footage. Instead, I restate what the subjects say in media appearances in my own voice, and describe what you're not seeing.
In this clip, I describe Christopher Rufo's appearance on Tucker Carlson Tonight in September 2020—the moment he first called on Trump to ban critical race theory from the federal government—and a podcast host's recap of what followed and Rufo's right-wing political strategy. Here, a single cable news appearance became a federal executive action in three days.
"Concealed and Denied" is installed at @luxmovingimage , as part of my "Narrative Warfare" exhibition, which runs from April 11–May 31, 2026. It is screening @prismaticground in New York next month.
#ConcealedAndDenied #JordanLord #documentary #essayfilm #experimentalfilm #blockedandreported
Upcoming Exhibition: Jordan Lord: ‘Narrative Warfare’ from 11 April to 31 May 2026
LUX is thrilled to present a solo exhibition by artist and filmmaker Jordan Lord, featuring their exhibition premiere of the film ‘Concealed and Denied’.
‘Narrative Warfare’ draws from several years of Lord’s investigation into the structures of documentary filmmaking and media propaganda. The exhibition asks how narratives are engineered and weaponised in contemporary audiovisual culture. At its centre is ‘Concealed and Denied’ (2026), an archival documentary without archival footage. Treating access as a mode of critical analysis, the film reveals how broadcasting techniques shape public understanding.
A programme of related events and contextual materials will accompany the exhibition- stay connected for updates!
The Exhibition Opening will be on Friday 10 April, from 6-8pm. Please RSVP via the link in bio.
Commissioned by LUX and supported using public funding from The Elephant Trust.
@jrd_lord@abbypsun
Design by Take Courage @takecourage.co
"This clip is the second in a series excerpted from ""Concealed and Denied,"" a short archival documentary without any archival footage. Instead, I restate what the subjects say in media appearances in my own voice, and describe what you're not seeing.
In this clip, I describe ""Diamond in the Dunes,"" a documentary Christopher Rufo directed and broadcast nationally on PBS in 2014, and how a voiceover speaks for Uyghur subjects whose onscreen words Rufo doesn't translate.
Before today's culture wars, Rufo made documentary films. The techniques he used to silence his subjects on screen would continue as a key tactic in his propaganda campaigns to infiltrate the national conversation.
""Concealed and Denied"" opens tonight at @luxmovingimage , as part of my ""Narrative Warfare"" exhibition, which runs until May 31, 2026. It is screening @prismaticground in New York next month.
#ConcealedAndDenied #JordanLord #documentary #essayfilm #experimentalfilm"
In a time of unprecedented corporate disruption, Maida Lynn asks the question: Are we operating in some version of the Other Side of the Collapse of Big Hollywood? Read her thoughts on how philanthropic capital is quietly reshaping distribution in this month’s Distribution Advocates substack.
Performance Lecture: The Ian White Lecture with Jordan Lord on Sunday 19 April at 2pm, ICA
Join us on Sunday 19 April at the ICA for a lecture by Jordan Lord as part of the ongoing Ian White Lecture Series, celebrating the provocative and inquisitive spirit of White through the work of contemporary artists who carry that spirit forward.
In this performative lecture, Jordan Lord will show a version of their new short film ’Concealed and Denied’, an archival film without archival footage that concerns how right-wing propaganda weaponises mainstream media as well as documentary film and its funding structures. News that has unfolded since editing the film will interrupt it, as Lord reflects on the liveness of cinema and media access and the porosity between the cinema, the audience, and the news that surrounds them.
The film is open captioned and audio described in English. The lecture will be live captioned and audio described in English. The presentation will also be interpreted in BSL.
Interested in attending? Please sign up via the link in bio.
This event is also part of an extended programme connected to ‘Narrative Warfare’, Jordan Lord’s solo exhibition at LUX featuring ‘Concealed and Denied’, on view between 11 April - 31 May 2026.
@jrd_lord@abbypsun@opencitydocs
Image Description: Solid blue background with white text at the bottom that reads: “Tonight we celebrate; tomorrow, back to war.”
A closer look at the global networks that support independent documentary cinema.
Join us for a special session with Abby Sun (@abbypsun ), the Director of Artist Programs and Editor of Documentary Magazine at International Documentary Association (IDA).
Her presentation offers an insight into @idaorg ’s work in supporting independent documentary filmmakers worldwide from funding and fellowships to advocacy and global networks that sustain the nonfiction community.
#IDA #DocumentaryCommunity #NonfictionCinema
“A one-size fit’s all distribution plan is a myth.” That’s what filmmakers in this month’s Substack learned when they took a radical approach to distributing their film Vengo volviendo (Here and There) in 2016. Read their case study on our Substack to find out how their “inside out” strategy worked to galvanize a community.
Happy Lunar New Year and Ramadan Mubarak! It’s the Year of the Fire Horse and we at Distribution Advocates are imagining what a movement of equitable film distribution could look like in 2026. Our Film-ADE grantees shared their hopes/predictions for the new year. Are you in? Visit our substack - distributionadvocates.substack.com
@abbypsun , Director of Programs at the International Documentary Association (@idaorg ), shared a thoughtful message about how our media diet shapes who we are, and why creative documentaries matter. 🥦🥬🥕🫛
As documentary filmmakers face growing challenges worldwide, #CannesDocs hosted a conversation last year on solidarity, shared resources, and new ways of working together across borders, featuring Abby alongside guest speakers @heejungoooh , @mariamchachia , @inneyp , and moderated by @mharperarts . Thoughtfully curated by our longstanding collaborator @baoshea@documentaryassociationeurope , like all of our Doc Talks series 🙏
Check out all the highlights from this 2025 Doc Talk ➡️ Link in bio
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#MDF25 #MarcheDuFilm #Cannes2025
new portraits for the incredible @abbypsun 🌻
abby sun is a producer, curator, and editor currently working as the director of artist programs and editor of 'Documentary' magazine at international documentary association.
We’re thrilled that “An All-Around Feel Good” launches @thenyff Currents in the best company. @jrd_lord brilliance never ceases to amaze me. This time, their analysis of disabled labor and how the valorization of US veterans are inexplicably entwined with the exclusion of disabled audiences in moviegoing culture and theatrical spaces hits close to home. Cinema didn’t have to be this way. Disabled labor doesn’t need to be valued this way. Shoutout to @reidjdavenport and I Didn’t See You There, which unexpectedly opens the short, and @squeakybuffalo and @ekrem_serdar_ , whose support was integral to the development of the film.
Image description: people in military uniforms run across a park. Text reads: “An All-Around Feel Good / a film by Jordan Lord / produced by Abby Sun.”
Episode 3 of the Distribution Advocates Presents…podcast is LIVE! This one is about Film Festivals. Are film festivals still havens of discovery, dealmaking, and connection for filmmakers? I talk about it with Kaila Hier, Amy Hobby, Jemma Desai, and Abby Sun. Special thanks to our funders, Ford Foundation, Prospective Fund, and Color Congress and also our Producers at MosoHaus: Ivana Tucker, Samiah Adams and Nacey Watson Johnson!
Available on Spotify, Apple, Amazon & I ❤️ Radio!
