With its first film festival, the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting wants you to think about some of the world’s lesser-publicized societal ills. The festival’s central film, The Abominable Crime, profiles gay people in Jamaica who must choose between nation and freedom in the notoriously homophobic country. Other entries look at the final months of Sri Lanka’s 26-year civil war and crimes against women in the Democratic Republic of Congo, as told by the survivors. These aren’t the warm and fuzzy docs that capture individuals triumphing over impossible odds, but they’re still human stories, presented to inform viewers of issues that don’t always make it to prime-time cable news.

The festival runs Sept. 19 to Sept. 26 at West End Cinema, 2301 M St. NW. $3–$5. (202) 419-3456. westendcinema.com.