A cluster of five inspiring, enlightening films, from the resources of the American Film Institute's "AFI Project: 20/20," promotes cross-cultural understanding and common diplomacy — a cinematic canvas of humanity championing change and freedom of expression.

It's fodder that film festivals adore — little but lovely documentaries and fictionalized real-life stories, all mounted with clarity, purpose, focus.

You're not likely to see these independent films at your suburban multiplex. Starting today and continuing through Nov. 17, the Doris Duke Theatre at the Honolulu Academy of Arts is the showcase for these powerful films that explore uncommon grassroots voices — with the filmmakers introducing their works followed by question-and-answer sessions.

Mini-capsules/reviews of the minifest offerings:

• "Throw Down Your Heart," 7:30 p.m. today; a U.S. film directed by Sascha Paladino. Part of the Friends of Film Friday series.

Paladino traces B...la Fleck, the popular and fabled banjoist, as he journeys through parts of Africa where cameras rarely capture natives in their simple environments.

Think Fleck, and you imagine folksy fun down South. Here, Fleck digs deep into turf of Uganda, Tanzania, the Gambia and Mali to explore the banjo's African roots — something he's long been fascinated by — and proves that music is a universal language as he strums his banjo as the locals thump and hit the marimbas for an uncommon jam session.

Further, a woman — a rarity in Africa — chimes in on a thumb piano for more authentic, if not unplanned, musical magic.

Music, it turns out, is liberating. As the woman exclaims about playing the instrument, "I used to fear; now I am free."

Paladino introduces the film and participates in a post-screening Q&A.

• "Skin," a South African /British film directed by Anthony Fabian; 1 and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, 1 p.m. Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 15 and 17

"Skin" is about Sandra Laing (portrayed by Sophie Okonedo), the dark-skinned child born to white parents Abraham and Sannie Laing (played by Sam Neill and Alice Krieg) in South Africa. The couple are unaware of the African DNA in their past until a brown-tone baby with curly hair is born — and these physical attributes affect Sandra's life at a boarding school where her brother was a student.

This is an eye-opening yet fondly touching story of a family, battling right and wrong, as it struggles through emotions of forgiveness and love, the "black" daughter knowing she will never be accepted as "white" in South Africa. Her entanglements with a black vegetable dealer doesn't win favors with her dad — a mirror of the family pangs and reverse discrimination, triggered by unexpected emotions.

Director Fabian will be on hand for the 7:30 p.m. Tuesday screening, followed by a Q&A.

• "Alone in Four Walls," a Russian/German film directed by Alexandra Westmeir, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and 1 p.m. Thursday

This is a documentary about rural Russian youths, mostly adolescents with a history of crime, that puts the shoe on the other foot. These kids include boys who are 14, incarcerated as delinquents, where life is a lot breezier behind bars.

The kids here have stolen, raped and killed — yet they get a free pass to education, play sports and receive square meals ... for breaking the law. They don't have to work to sustain and enjoy life, unlike their "clean" counterparts outside the detention home.

Westmeir introduces her film Wednesday, with Q&A.

• "Iron Ladies of Liberia," a U.S./Liberia documentary directed by Daniel Junge (U.S.) and Siatta Scott Johnson (Liberia), 1 p.m. Nov. 14 and 16

After 14 years of brutal civil war in Liberia, President Charles Taylor is exiled in 2006 when the first female leader is elected. The filmmakers chronicle the rise and reign of president-elect Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, whose Cabinet includes women in key posts, and whose reputation soars as the "Iron Lady."

It's a battle of will and womanhood, as President Sirleaf reforms old ways, eliminates corruption, works to erase huge debts and literally champions change. At her inauguration, she utters, "We know our vote was a vote for change," with a surge of approval not unlike what was seen in the Barack Obama campaign.

If anyone questions the power and precision of a woman leading a nation, this film puts an emphatic end to any doubt.

Junge and Johnson will introduce their film Nov. 14, with Q&A.

• "Faro, Goddess of the Waters," a Mali film by Salif Traore, 1 p.m. Nov. 15 and 7:30 p.m. Nov. 16

Faro is a river in Africa, where Zanga, the village bastard, returns an educated man. He had been banished by the Mali folks for being illegitimate, an outcast; and his reappearance, with new knowledge amid diehard traditions, is blamed for an incident triggering the spirit of the angered river.

The message: Change does not come easy, and blame can be rampant as the watery rapids.

Traore introduces his first feature film Nov. 15, with Q&A.