DOC NYC ANNOUNCES MAIN SLATE LINEUP FOR FOURTEENTH EDITION, NOVEMBER 8-26, 2023
FESTIVAL RETURNS TO THEATERS IN NYC AND CONTINUES TO SCREEN ONLINE NATIONWIDE; SLATE INCLUDES 33 WORLD PREMIERES AND 29 US PREMIERES, AMONG MORE THAN 200 FILMS AND EVENTS
The Contestant Opens Festival,
South to Black Power Closes Event,
Uncropped Screens as Centerpiece
Includes New Work by Veteran Filmmakers Wim Wenders, Sam Pollard, Penny Lane, Dawn Porter, Karim Amer, Tamara Kotevska, Fernando Trueba, Ramin Bahrani, Chris Wilcha, D.W. Young, Kim Longinotto, Everado Gonzalez, Rebecca Cammisa, Geeta Gandbhir, Amy Nicholson, Jeff Zimbalist
NEW YORK, Oct. 12, 2023 – DOC NYC, America’s largest documentary festival — running in-person November 8-16 at IFC Center, SVA Theatre and Village East by Angelika and continuing online through November 26 — announced its main slate lineup today. The 2023 festival presents more than 105 feature-length documentaries (including yet-to-be-announced Short List and Winner’s Circle titles) among over 200 films and dozens of events, with filmmakers expected in person at most screenings.
Opening the festival on Nov. 8 at SVA Theater will be Clair Titley’s jaw-dropping The Contestant, a breakout hit from the recent Toronto International Film Festival where it was described as “one hell of a wild ride” (Rolling Stone). The truly stranger-than-fiction story of the earliest days of “reality TV” in the 1990s features an aspiring Japanese comedian trapped alone and naked in an apartment for 15 months, unaware that his participation in a twisted reality show is being broadcast weekly to millions of viewers and has transformed him into a TV superstar.
Opening the festival on Nov. 8 at SVA Theater will be Clair Titley’s jaw-dropping The Contestant, a breakout hit from the recent Toronto International Film Festival where it was described as “one hell of a wild ride” (Rolling Stone). The truly stranger-than-fiction story of the earliest days of “reality TV” in the 1990s features an aspiring Japanese comedian trapped alone and naked in an apartment for 15 months, unaware that his participation in a twisted reality show is being broadcast weekly to millions of viewers and has transformed him into a TV superstar.
Closing the festival on Nov. 16, also at SVA Theater, will be Sam Pollard and Llewellyn Smith’s South to Black Power, about New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow and his provocative writings. The festival’s Centerpiece screening on Nov. 11 at IFC Center is the World premiere of D.W. Young’s Uncropped, a look back at the arts zeitgeist of 1970s and ‘80s NYC through the lens (and memories) of Village Voice and Observer photographer James Hamilton.
Included are 33 World Premieres and 29 U.S. Premieres, with 20 films in the U.S. Competition, for new American-produced nonfiction films, and the International Competition, for work from around the globe, making their U.S. (or greater) premieres. The Kaleidoscope Competition for new essayistic and formally adventurous documentaries continues into its third year, while the festival’s long-standing Metropolis Competition, showcasing New York stories and personalities, also returns. In addition, the festival includes thematically organized sections that spotlight new films on music, sports, activism, and more.
“We are beyond proud to be celebrating the international documentary community’s incredible work this year,” said the festival’s artistic director Jaie Laplante. “These films reveal new insights into our interior lives and the world around us in complex, engaging and often prescient ways.”
The Special Presentations section of the festival opens with legendary filmmaker Wim Wenders in person presenting a 3D screening of Anselm, his breathtaking portrait of acclaimed German artist Anselm Kiefer.
Among films making their world premieres, several are complex profiles of pivotal figures, including June, a new examination of the life and talents of June Carter Cash; The Cowboy and the Queen, the unusual story of Queen Elizabeth II’s friendship with a California horse trainer; Yours in Freedom, Bill Baird, about a civilian male ally for women’s reproductive rights that argued in the U.S. Supreme Court three times on the issue; Candace Parker: Unapologetic, the story of the WNBA superstar; Ashima, about Ashima Shirashi, the Japanese-American rock climber who set world records in her teens; Shari & Lamb Chop, a biography of pioneering children’s television performer Shari Lewis; The Trials of Alan Dershowitz, about the famously controversial defense attorney; How to Come Alive… with Norman Mailer, a new examination of the American literary icon; and David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived, about the Harry Potter stunt double whose life took an unexpected turn when an on-set accident made him a quadriplegic.
The festival’s popular Sonic Cinema section of music documentaries includes world premieres of Pretty Ugly – The Story of the Lunachicks, about the 1990s NYC punk band; and Garland Jeffreys: The King of In Between, a look at the career of the multi-talented biracial New York singer-songwriter.
World premieres that explore topical issues include No One Asked You, about a stand-up comedian’s approach to fighting foes of women’s reproductive freedom; The Cost of Inheritance, a detailed examination of reparations; 36 Seconds: Portrait of a Hate Crime, a study of the 2015 Chapel Hill slaying of three Muslim students; and Shaken, about young parents torn apart by medical misdiagnosis of infant trauma.
Other significant premieres include the International premiere of Someone Lives Here, a study of an unusual citizen contribution to Toronto’s unhoused problem; and the U.S. premieres of Flipside, Chris Wilcha’s Gen X existentially comic look at career introspection; Total Trust, a look at Chinese surveillance techniques on human rights lawyers and independent journalists; and the North American premiere of Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano, about the production of a feature film in Beirut while Lebanon teeters on the edge of economic collapse.
Short-form content continues to be represented in the festival’s Shorts Competition (104 films), and DOC NYC U (ten films representing student work from eight NYC schools).
More news, including the features and shorts named to the festival’s Short List sections for the year’s leading awards contenders, the Winner’s Circle showcase of international festival laureates, DOC NYC’s competition jury members, and other festival updates will be announced in the coming days.
Returning this year is the #MyJustice Film Award from Odyssey Impact® that, with the generous support of Paramount and its initiative Content for Change Academy, will present a $10,000 cash prize and an Odyssey Impact® led, six-month National Impact Campaign to one eligible submitted short film that has a social justice theme and a strong call to action.
A new partner this year is Subject Matter, which will award a $15,000 grant to support one social issue documentary’s marketing and impact campaigns, alongside a $15,000 grant to a nonprofit working on the issue featured in the film.
Three senior feature programmers oversee specific sections: Ruth Somalo on Kaleidoscope, Karen McMullen on Metropolis and Sonic Cinema, and Brandon Harrison on Game Face Cinema. They also selected other titles in the festival alongside feature programmers Bedatri D. Choudhury and Murtada Elfadl. Samah Ali is the festival’s senior shorts programmer, working with programmers DeWitt Davis and Anita Raswant.
The following is a breakdown of programming by section (for screening details visit www.docnyc.net):
SPECIAL EVENTS
Opening Night
THE CONTESTANT (New York Premiere)
Director: Clair Titley
Producers: Andee Ryder, Megumi Inman, Ian Bonhote
In the earliest days of “reality TV” in the 1990s, an aspiring Japanese comedian found himself trapped alone and naked in an apartment for 15 months, unaware that his participation in a twisted reality show was being broadcast weekly to millions of viewers, transforming him into a TV superstar.
Closing Night
SOUTH TO BLACK POWER (World Premiere)
Directors: Sam Pollard, Llewellyn Smith
Producers: Sam Pollard, Kelly Thomson, R.J. Cutler, Elise Pearlstein
New York Times columnist Charles Blow calls for a “reverse Great Migration” of African Americans from the North back to the South to reclaim the land and culture they left behind, while building political representation. (HBO Documentary Films)
Centerpiece Screening
UNCROPPED (World Premiere)
Director: D.W. Young
Producer: Judith Mizrachy
A portrait of longtime Village Voice photographer James Hamilton, whose work during the heyday of alternative print journalism brilliantly captured some of the most remarkable people and stories of the past half century.
Special Presentations
ANSELM (NYC Premiere)
Director: Wim Wenders
Producer: Karsten Brünig
Legendary filmmaker Wim Wenders creates a breathtaking 3D portrait of German artist Anselm Kiefer, one of the most innovative and important painters and sculptors of our time. (Sideshow/Janus Films)
DAVID HOLMES: THE BOY WHO LIVED (World Premiere)
Director: Dan Hartley
Producers: Simon Chinn, Jonathan Chinn, Vanessa Davies, Amy Stares
After an accident leaves him a quadriplegic, a stuntman finds new meaning in life with the support of family, friends, and his beloved colleagues from the Harry Potter films. (HBO Documentary Films)
DEFIANT (NYC Premiere)
Director: Karim Amer
Producers: Mike Lerner, Odessa Rae, Leen Karadsheh, Oleksiy Makukhin, Jake Swantko
Behind the scenes with Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and other key figures in the administration who are fighting to save their country against Russia’s invasion.
FLIPSIDE (US Premiere)
Director: Chris Wilcha
Producers: Joe Beshenkovsky, Michelle Currinder, Alex Fisch, Adam Samuel Goldman, James A. Smith, Chris Wilcha
The existential Gen-X movie that we didn’t know we wanted, as Chris Wilcha reflects on opportunities lost and gained through a career in film.
JUNE (World Premiere)
Director: Kristen Vaurio Producers: Sarah Olson, Mary Robertson, Jason Owen, Josh Matas, Kristen Vaurio
June Carter Cash is revealed as the complex woman and outstanding artist she was.
PATRIA Y VIDA: THE POWER OF MUSIC (New York Premiere)
Director: Beatriz Luengo
Producers: Michael Fux, Gloria Rubin
Cuban hip-hop musicians living in exile record a protest song calling for freedom of speech and an end to the repression of artists in Cuba—a single that becomes a worldwide anthem.
U.S. COMPETITION
36 SECONDS: PORTRAIT OF A HATE CRIME (World Premiere)
Director: Tarek Albaba
Producers: Sean Dash, Omar Altalib, Ahlam Muhtaseb
A family’s and a community’s journeys through grief and justice following the gruesome murder of three young Muslims in Charleston, N.C.
THE COWBOY AND THE QUEEN (World Premiere)
Director: Andrea Nevins
Producer: Andrea Nevins
A California rodeo cowboy trains horses through nontraditional methods. When he attracts the royal friendship of Queen Elizabeth II, the pair begin to change the world – and not just for horses.
HAPPY CAMPERS (World Premiere)
Director: Amy Nicholson
Producer: Amy Nicholson
Annual visitors to a seaside trailer park wistfully eke out the joys of one last summer together as a melancholic twilight hangs in the air.
HOW TO COME ALIVE… WITH NORMAN MAILER (World Premiere)
Director: Jeff Zimbalist
Producers: Jeff Zimbalist, Vicki Marquette
A controversial public intellectual with a tumultuous personal life, Norman Mailer sits in the pantheon of the greatest authors of the 20th century.
MEDIHA (World Premiere)
Director: Hasan Oswald
Producers: Hasan Oswald, Annelise Mecca, Fahrinisa Campana, Alexander Spiess, Stephen Nemeth
In this uniquely collaborative film, a Yazidi teen once held captive by ISIS turns the lens on herself and takes us into her world of grief, pain, and hope.
OBSESSED WITH LIGHT (North American Premiere)
Directors: Sabine Krayenbühl, Zeva Oelbaum
Producers: Sabine Krayenbühl, Zeva Oelbaum
A visually entrancing portrait of influential dancer Loïe Fuller that captures her unique artistic achievement.
THE RIOT REPORT (World Premiere)
Director: Michelle Ferrari
Producers: Connie Honeycutt, Michelle Ferrari
What happens when a government-appointed group goes rogue and speaks truth to power? The story of the Kerner Commission and the racist policies it exposed. (PBS-American Experience)
SHAKEN (World Premiere)
Director: Asher Levinthal
Producers: Asher Levinthal, Kellen Quinn
Following their baby’s flawed medical diagnosis, a young couple battles to stay together, weathering an unthinkable injustice.
TAKING VENICE (North American Premiere)
Director: Ami Wallach
Producers: Andrea Miller, Tal Mandil, Vanessa Bergonzoli
A fun caper movie that explores the true story behind the rumors that the U.S. government rigged the 1964 Venice Biennale so that their chosen artist, Robert Rauschenberg, could win the Grand Prize.
TOMORROW, TOMORROW, TOMORROW (World Premiere)
Director: Martina Radwan
Producers: Martina Radwan, Ruchi Mital, Alice Henty
When a determined, idealistic, and thoroughly unprepared American cinematographer decides to support three Mongolian orphans, emotional and ethical challenges ensue.
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
AL DJANAT – THE ORIGINAL PARADISE (US Premiere)
Director: Chloé Aïcha Boro
Producers: Frédéric Féraud, Aïcha Boro, Faissol Gnonlonfin
A family’s dispute over which laws to follow in a conflict over their patriarch’s estate reveals the tensions between tradition and law in the post-colonial African nation of Burkina Faso.
THE CARAVAN (US Premiere)
Directors: Núria Clavero, Aitor Palacios
Producers: Aitor Palacios, Núria Clavero, Laura Collado
A portrait of one family’s perilous trek from Honduras illustrates the multitude of issues facing migrants at the border with Mexico.
DALTON’S DREAM (North American Premiere)
Directors: Kim Longinotto, Franky Murray Brown
Producer: Lorine Plagnol
After winning a British competition, Jamaican singer Dalton Harris discovers that a fickle music industry and a toxic past can derail his dreams. His battles with anxiety and homophobia offer a poignant reflection on resilience and self-acceptance.
DANCING ON THE EDGE OF A VOLCANO (North American Premiere)
Director: Cyril Aris
Producers: Katharina Weser, Myriam Sassine
After an explosion in the port of Beirut destroys a large part of the city, a crew of filmmakers decides to continue to shoot their film in a life-affirming effort of resistance.
THE DMITRIEV AFFAIR (US Premiere)
Director: Jessica Gorter
Producer: Frank van den Engel
Yuri Dmitriev, the “archaeologist of terror,” dedicated his life to unearthing the brutal violence the Russian state would rather keep a secret.
THE HOME GAME (US Premiere)
Directors: Smari Gunn, Logi Sigursveinsson
Producers: Stephanie Thorpe, Heather Millard, Elfar Adalsteins, Freyja Kristinsdottir
An endearing team of underdogs, including a mother of three, register in the prestigious Icelandic Men’s FA soccer cup, putting into motion a sequence of events that produces an unlikely female hero.
LE SPECTRE DE BOKO HARAM (US Premiere)
Director: Cyrielle Raingou
Producers: Véronique Holley, Dieudonné Alaka
A group of children in the village of Kolofata, Cameroon, attend school while the threat of the terrorist group Boko Haram looms.
NEIRUD (International Premiere)
Director: Fernanda Roth Faya
Producers: Fernanda Faya, Rica Saito, Michael Wahrmann
An investigation into the fascinating and colorful life of the titular Brazilian wrestler and circus performer.
SOMEONE LIVES HERE (International Premiere)
Director: Zachary Russell
Producers: Matt King, Andrew Ferguson, Zack Russell
During the winter of the pandemic, Khaleel takes it upon himself to use his professional carpentry skills to build tiny shelters for Toronto’s unhoused population, gaining media attention and support – until city officials push back.
TOTAL TRUST (US Premiere)
Director: Jialing Zhang
Producers: Michael Grotenhoff, Saskia Kress, Jialing Zhang
An examination of the extent of surveillance in China, used to persecute human rights attorneys and independent journalists. (Film Movement)
METROPOLIS COMPETITION
NEW YORK STORIES
ASHIMA (World Premiere)
Director: Kenji Tsukamoto
Producers: Kenji Tsukamoto, Minji Chang, Roy Choi, Dave Boyle
With her father’s coaching support, wunderkind sport climber Ashima Shirashi attempts to conquer South Africa’s toughest ascent.
CONFESSIONS OF A GOOD SAMARITAN (NYC Premiere)
Director: Penny Lane
Producer: Gabriel Sedgwick
A filmmaker’s decision to give one of her kidneys to a stranger launches her on a provocative, intimate, and unexpectedly funny quest to understand the nature of altruism.
DIVERSITY PLAZA (World Premiere)
Director: Kesang Tseten
Producer: Sienna R. Craig
A richly observed vérité look at the community and culture built by Himalayan immigrants in and around the Jackson Heights neighborhood of Queens, New York.
HOLDING BACK THE TIDE (World Premiere)
Director: Emily Packer
Producers: Emily Packer, Trey Tetreault, Ben Still, Josh Margolis, Liz Beeson
A quirky, lyrical love letter to oysters in NYC, this engaging documentary plumbs the history of the bivalves, their pollution-fueled decline, and their inspiring revival, finding poetry and charm in an unlikely subject.
LUCHA: A WRESTLING TALE (World Premiere)
Director: Marco Ricci
Producer: Marco Ricci
Seeking to vanquish opponents and personal struggles alike, four young women from the Bronx develop the inner and outer strength to succeed on the high school wrestling team.
NATHAN-ISM (NYC Premiere)
Director: Elan Golod
Producers: Melanie Vi Levy, Elan Golod
Assigned to guard Nazi war criminals as a young Jewish soldier in WWII, 90-year-old Nathan spends his days in his New York City apartment channeling his memories into captivating cartoon art, aka “Nathan-isms.”
PSYCHEDELICIZED: THE ELECTRIC CIRCUS STORY (World Premiere)
Director: Larry Confino
Producer: Larry Confino
In a psychedelic swirl of hippies, Hell’s Angels, circus performers, and good vibes, ‘60s club kids partied hard at the Electric Circus, a drug-fueled, multicultural dance club in NYC’s East Village.
SCOOTER LAFORGE: A LIFE OF ART (World Premiere)
Director: Ethan Minsker
Producer: Ethan Minsker
Enter the playfully subversive world of artist Scooter LaForge. Influenced by Basquiat, Pollack, and Saturday morning cartoons, and intent on creating art that is fun, he has commanded a place for himself in NYC’s seemingly impenetrable art world.
KALEIDOSCOPE COMPETITION
NEW DOCUMENTARY VISIONS
GRASSHOPPER REPUBLIC (NYC Premiere)
Director: Daniel McCabe
Producers: Daniel McCabe, Alyse Ardell Spiegel, Michele Sibiloni, Otto Bell
Following a group of grasshopper trappers in Uganda, this immersive and transcendent film explores capitalism and sustainability while meditating on the way humans engage with the natural world.
MEGAHEARTZ (North American Premiere)
Director: Emily Norling
Producer: Melissa Lindgren
Parallel stories of four young friends in Stockholm struggling with love, drugs, desire, art and mental illness seem to pose the question: Is there love without madness?
THE WALK (World Premiere)
Director: Tamara Kotevska
Producers: Harri Grace, Orlando von Einsiedel, David Lan, Tracey Seaward
Amal, a charming, gigantic puppet who represents millions of migrant and displaced children, walks from Turkey all the way across Europe in a journey of compassion and discovery. (Participant Media)
A WOLFPACK CALLED ERNESTO (US Premiere)
Director: Everardo González
Producers: Roberto Garza, Inna Payán, Jean-Christophe Simon
An immersive film that follows a group of teenage Mexico City gangsters who collectively call themselves “Ernesto.”
ZINZINDURRUNKARRATZ (New York Premiere)
Director: Oskar Alegria
Producer: Oskar Alegria
Accompanied by an adorable donkey, Oskar Alegría retraces the steps of his grandfather during transhumance using his father’s Super-8 camera to collect a trove of memories from a disappearing world.
AMERICAN STORIES
STATES OF BEING IN THE UNION
BETWEEN LIFE & DEATH (New York Premiere)
Director: Nick Capote
Producers: Kimberley Ferdinando, Melissa Leardi
Who gets to decide if we live or how we die? Looking at the “right to die” debate and remembering the woman whose life-or-death injury started it all. (MSNBC Films)
CATERPILLAR (New York Premiere)
Director: Liza Mandelup
Producers: Jay Van Hoy, Matthew Cherchio, Liza Mandelup
A fascinating portrait of one man’s determination to change the color of his eyes with plastic surgery.
A DISTURBANCE IN THE FORCE (New York Premiere)
Directors: Jeremy Coon, Steve Kozak
Producers: Jeremy Coon, Steve Kozak, Kyle Newman
In 1978, the year after Star Wars became an indelible cultural phenomenon, the campy “Star Wars Holiday Special” aired on television to the chagrin of George Lucas and the delight of die-hard Star Wars fans.
NAKED AMBITION: BUNNY YEAGER (World Premiere)
Directors: Dennis Scholl, Kareem Tabsch
Producers: Konstantia Kontaxis, Dennis Scholl, Kareem Tabsch
Bunny Yeager was a trailblazing model, designer, and photographer who popularized the bikini, invented the selfie, discovered Bettie Page, and introduced feminist agency in her sexy portraits of the ’50s.
ONE WITH THE WHALE (New York Premiere)
Directors: Peter Chelkowski, Jim Wickens
Producers: Aakapak Apassingok, Nalu Apassingok, Peter Chelkowski, M. Watanabe Milmore, Yaarie Toolie-Walker, Jim Wickens
A family living on Alaska’s remote St. Lawrence Island struggles to rebuild their shattered identities and find a way to live with Indigenous values in a world with little understanding of the nuances of their traditions.
TIME BOMB Y2K (NYC Premiere)
Directors: Marley McDonald, Brian Becker
Producer: Brian Becker
A time capsule of 1999 that captures the unprecedented frenzy of Y2K just as the internet begins to transform the world. (HBO Documentary Films)
UNBROKEN (NYC Premiere)
Director: Beth Lane
Producers: Doug Prochilo, Mai Amalie Bak
The remarkable story of the seven Weber siblings, who evaded capture and certain death in Nazi Germany following their mother’s murder at Auschwitz.
UNSEEN (NYC Premiere)
Director: Set Hernandez
Producers: Set Hernandez, Félix Endara, Day Al-Mohamed
Pedro, a legally blind, undocumented immigrant, dreams of earning a degree in social work to provide for his family and offer healing to his community. (PBS-American Experience)
FIGHT THE POWER
STORIES OF ACTIVISM
IS THERE ANYBODY OUT THERE? (NYC Premiere)
Director: Ella Glendining
Producer: Janine Marmot While navigating daily discrimination, a filmmaker who inhabits and loves her unusual body explores what it takes to love oneself fiercely despite the pervasiveness of ableism.
NO ONE ASKED YOU (World Premiere)
Director: Ruth Leitman
Producers: Rachel Rozycki, Andrea Raby
Daily Show co-creator Lizz Winstead brings us on the road with her merry band of activists and comedians as they crisscross the U.S. to support abortion clinics and providers.
RAINBOW WARRIOR (North American Premiere)
Director: Edward McGurn
Producers: Sophie Daniel, Edward McGurn, Eva Gunz, Chris Dallas-Feeney, Katie Buchanan, Chris Dallas-Feeney
This documentary uncovers a tangled tale of nuclear weapons and geopolitical coverups when a brave group of activists took action against impending environmental collapse.
THE COST OF INHERITANCE (World Premiere)
Director: Yoruba Richen
Producers: Mehret Mandefro, Lacey Schwartz Delgado
In this exploration of reparations, those with family histories steeped in slavery are placed at the center of the debate with an opportunity to act.
THREE PROMISES (New York Premiere)
Director: Yousef Srouji
Producer: Marielle Olentine
A son and his mother unearth a box of her videotapes of life in the West Bank in the early 2000s, confronting the pain of losing the land they called home.
WE ARE FIRE! (DRAW FOR CHANGE) (International Premiere)
Director: Karen Vázquez Guadarrama
Producer: Hanne Phlypo
Mar’s feminist illustrations support her community in dealing with the emotional trauma left behind by the staggering number of femicides in Mexico.
YOURS IN FREEDOM, BILL BAIRD (World Premiere)
Director: Rebecca Cammisa
Producers: Walter Köhler, Sarah Nörenberg
The story of the pioneering activist who crusaded for reproductive freedom.
GAME FACE CINEMA
THE DRAMA OF SPORT
CANDACE PARKER: UNAPOLOGETIC (World Premiere)
Director: Joe Brewster
Producers: Giselle Rodriguez, Julie Lilleby, Paige Bethmann, Carolyn Hepburn
WNBA superstar Candace Parker chronicles her life and career from the courts of suburban Chicago to basketball immortality. (ESPN Films)
INTO THE SHAOLIN (New York Premiere)
Director: Hongyun Sun
Producer: Can Luo
The temptations of the outside world loom as Shaolin monks tour the globe with majestic Kung Fu performances.
JESSZILLA (NYC Premiere)
Director: Emily Sheskin
Producer: Ben Kainz
Fifteen-year-old boxer Jesselyn Silva is on the cusp of making the Olympic team when she and her father, Pedro, are faced with their greatest opponent yet: cancer.
THE MINISTER OF DEFENSE (World Premiere)
Directors: Ken Rodgers, Courtland Bragg
Producers: Courtland Bragg, Nick Mascolo, Ken Rodgers, Chip Swain, Kobi Theiler
Told through never-before-seen footage from an interview filmed just before his death, NFL Hall of Famer and ordained minister Reggie White holds forth on faith in the context of his life and career. (ESPN Films)
RIDERS ON THE STORM (New York Premiere)
Directors: Jason Motlagh, Mark Oltmanns
Producers: Jason Motlagh, Mark Oltmanns
During a pivotal moment in Afghan history, a champion buzkashi rider must make the most important decision of his life.
RIGHT TO FIGHT (International Premiere)
Director: Georgina Cammalleri
Producers: Cassie Thornton, Tim Wardle
The extraordinary untold story of how a pioneering group of American women, from very different backgrounds, fought to break into the most macho sport of all: boxing.
UNSYNCABLE (International Premiere)
Director: Megan Wennberg
Producer: Erin Oakes
Ranging in age from a sprightly 60 to 90-plus, seniors of various backgrounds find renewed vitality through competitive synchronized swimming.
INVESTIGATIONS
EXPOSING THE TRUTH
BULL RUN (International Premiere)
Director: Ana Ramón Rubio
Producer: Juanjo Moscardó Rius
A first-person comedy about the director’s experience with cryptocurrency, the obsession of trading in a rising market, and how to finance a film with digital coins.
EAT BITTER (NYC Premiere)
Directors: Pascale Appora-Gnekindy, Ningyi Sun
Producer: Mathieu Faure
By telling the story of two men of different backgrounds, this film portrays the impact of globalization on individual lives.
HOW TO HAVE AN AMERICAN BABY (New York Premiere)
Director: Leslie Tai
Producers: Leslie Tai, Jillian Schultz
An investigation into the veiled but booming economy catering to pregnant Chinese tourists who travel to the U.S. to obtain citizenship for their babies. (PBS-American Experience)
POLISH PRAYERS (North American Premiere)
Director: Hanna Nobis
Producer: Esther van Messel
A young Polish man grows up in a deeply religious and radical right-wing family in contemporary Poland. Catholicism, nationalism, and especially celibacy define his existence, but at the same time, he is curious about the world, and mostly, about the women in it.
SEARCHING FOR NIKA (North American Premiere)
Director: Stanislav Kapralov
Producers: Yan Fisher, Taras Stadnikov, Roger Corbi
In a heroic attempt to find his missing dog, a filmmaker goes back to Ukraine and joins volunteers on a mission to rescue animals left behind during Russia’s brutal attacks.
WHO I AM NOT (New York Premiere)
Director: Tunde Skovran
Producer: Andrei Zinca Born male and female within a single body, a beauty queen and a male-presenting activist break the intersex taboo in a personal and intimate exploration of truth, faith, and belonging.
PORTRAITS
PROFILES OF SINGULAR INDIVIDUALS
BYE BYE TIBERIAS (New York Premiere)
Director: Lina Soualem
Producer: Jean-Marie Nizan
A portrait of Palestinian actor Hiam Abbas that encompasses the political and cultural issues of her lifetime.
THE LADY BIRD DIARIES (New York Premiere)
Director: Dawn Porter
Producers: Dawn Porter, Kim Reynolds
A groundbreaking all-archival documentary film about Lady Bird Johnson, one of the most influential and least understood First Ladies. (Hulu)
LIV ULLMANN – A ROAD LESS TRAVELLED (North American Premiere)
Director: Dheeraj Akolkar
Producers: Hege Christensen, Kaare Hersoug
A delightful portrait of Liv Ullman brimming with intimate memories and profound reflections on her hopes, fears, grief, dreams pursued, rejections, and lessons learned.
MERCHANT IVORY (World Premiere)
Director: Stephen Soucy
Producers: Jon Hart, Stephen Soucy
A definitive presentation and tribute to the Merchant Ivory partnership, anchored by interviews with James Ivory and forty-one Merchant Ivory close collaborators detailing and celebrating their experiences of being a part of the “wandering company” helmed by legendary producer Ismail Merchant. (Cohen Media Group)
SHARI & LAMB CHOP (World Premiere)
Director: Lisa D’Apolito
Producers: Cassidy Hartmann, Nicholas Ferrall, Morris Ruskin, Douglas Warner, Lisa D’Apolito
The life and career of Shari Lewis, a multitalented ventriloquist who, along with her puppet friend Lamb Chop, charmed millions and changed the face of children’s television.
THE TRIALS OF ALAN DERSHOWITZ (World Premiere)
Director: John Curtin
Producer: John Curtin
A fresh perspective on the provocative and controversial criminal defense attorney Alan Dershowitz, known for representing some of America’s most notorious clients.
SONIC CINEMA
MOVIES ABOUT MUSIC
FANNY: THE OTHER MENDELSSOHN (New York Premiere)
Director: Sheila Hayman
Producer: Sheila Hayman
Born in 1800’s Berlin, composer Fanny Mendelssohn’s remarkable talents were eclipsed by her brother Felix. Unearthed by feminist scholars, her inspiring musical legacy gives overdue credit to the brilliant musician.
FAMOUDOU KONATE – THE KING OF DJEMBE (US Premiere)
Director: André Piruka
Producer: André Piruka
African drumming traditions may be fading, but for renowned Guinean percussionist Famoudou Konate, the djembe drum is life—and this vibrant documentary pays tribute to his rich legacy.
GARLAND JEFFREYS: THE KING OF IN BETWEEN (World Premiere)
Director: Claire Jeffreys
Producers: Claire Jeffreys, Evan M. Johnson
Explore the remarkable journey of Garland Jeffreys, a mixed-race Brooklyn native whose unconventional music defied industry norms. This documentary reveals his underappreciated talent through interviews with famous fans, and sheds light on his extraordinary life and artistry.
PAUL MULDOON: LAOITHE’S LIRIC/A LIFE IN LYRICS (New York Premiere)
Director: Alan Gilsenan
Producer: Stephen Douds
One man uses his poetry and songs to share his life’s journey.
PLAY WITH THE DEVIL – BECOMING ZEAL & ARDOR (North American Premiere)
Directors: Olivier Joliat, Matthias Willi
Producer: Frank Matter
In documenting the global tour of “Black Death Metal” band Zeal & Ardor, who merge American Negro work songs and heavy metal to spotlight societal ills, this insightful documentary explores lead singer Manuel Gagneux’s complicated relationship to fame and authority while providing head-banging thrills.
PRETTY UGLY – THE STORY OF THE LUNACHICKS (World Premiere)
Director: Ilya Chaiken
Producer: Ilya Chaiken
In the ’90s, the Lunachicks, a fierce all-female punk band, rocked NYC’s underground scene, rebelling against music industry sexism to deliver high-voltage performances.
THEY SHOT THE PIANO PLAYER (NYC Premiere)
Directors: Fernando Trueba, Javier Mariscal
Producer: Cristina Huete
Animated with gorgeous hand-drawn lines and vivid colors, this documentary explores the origin story of bossa nova, the universally beloved Brazilian music movement. (Sony Pictures Classics)
VOICES OF CANADA
A showcase of the Canadian titles that are represented throughout the festival’s sections.
Co-presented by the Consulate General of Canada in New York.
Feature Films:
EAT BITTER
SOMEONE LIVES HERE
THE TRIALS OF ALAN DERSHOWITZ
UNSYNCABLE
WHO AM I NOT
Short Films:
A Bear Named Jesus
Boat People
Grape Soda in the Parking Lot
Radio Bingo
Two One Two
Zug Island
SHORTS PROGRAMS
There are 104 shorts participating in the juried Shorts Competition, in the following 20 programs:
SHORTS: ANIMAL FARM
These docs feature the dynamic relationships between humans and entertaining, sentient, magnificent animals.
Frank and His Dogs (Dir/Prod: Owen Markham)
Happy (Dir/Prod: Laura Rindlisbacher)
Not Wasting My Time (Dir /Prod: Derek Howard)
Visible Mending (Dir: Samantha Moore/Prod: Tilley Bancroft)
Willie’s Wings (Dirs: Alberto Vignati, Reina Daniels/Prod: Andrea Italia) You Can’t Shrink Love (Dir/Prod: Veena Rao)
SHORTS: ARTSCAPES
A glimpse into the artistic process behind brilliant creators across disciplines.
Forbidden Pond (Dir/Prod: Eric Jenkins-Sahlin)
Love, Jamie (Dir: Karla Murthy/Prod: Andrew Fredericks)
The Promise of Spring (Dir: Anna Andersen/Prod: Katie Rose Vaughan)
Whitney Houston in Focus (Dir/Prod: Benjamin Alfonsi/Prod: Audra McDonald)
SHORTS: CARETAKERS
A selection of tenderhearted films taking care of memories, heirlooms, and family members.
Behind the Mask (Dir/Prod: Håvard Bustnes)
Caretaker (Dir/Prod: Verónica Rose Wood)
The Echo of Her Voice (Dir/Prod: Rodrigo Guzmán Espíndola/Prods: Daniela Contreras, Nicolas Défossé)
The Medallion (Dir: Ruth Hunduma/Prods: Lily Usher, Tolu Stedford)
My Cure and Me (Dir/Prod: Alan Bradley)
SHORTS: CHANGING TIDES
This program captures the shifting currents when we have a change of heart and forge a new outlook on life.
The Cities I Live In (Dir: Rabie Mustapha/Prod: Michael Hewitt)
I See You (Dir: Adam Weingrod/Prod: Kobi Mizrahi)
Looking Forward (Dir/Prod: Steven Ascher/Prod: Jeanne Jordan)
Marungka Tjalatjunu (Dipped in Black) (Dirs: Matthew Thorne, Derik Lynch/Prods: Matthew Thorne, Patrick Graham)
When a Rocket Sits on the Launch Pad (Dir/Prod: Bohao Liu/Prod: Gene Gallerano)
Whiteness at Work (Dir: Peter Nelson/Prod: Evan Weselmann)
SHORTS: COLLATERAL DAMAGE
The outcomes of war go beyond the physical as these short documentaries capture the implications of modern warfare.
Between Me and the Sea (Dir/Prod: Mohsin Mohi-Ud Din/Prod: Rafe Scobey-Thal)
Boat People (Dirs: Thao Lam, Kjell Boersma/Prods: Justine Pimlott, Jelena Popović)
Dictionary of Emotions in a Time of War (Dir/Prod: Leah Loftin)
Enemy Alien (Dir: Gabriel Murphy/Prod: Andrew McMartin)
Stones (Dir: Arman Ayvazyan/Prod: Vardan Hovhannisyan)
The Syrian Cosmonaut (Dir: Charles Emir Richards/Prod: Enis Ozkul)
SHORTS: COMMUNITY
Whether by nature or necessity, we find solace and support in our communities.
74 Messages Sent & Received (Dir/Prod: Danya Abt)
Addresses (Dirs: María Luisa Santos, Carlo Nasisse/Prod: Natalia Quesada)
Empress Nicole the Great (Dir/Prod: Dara Bratt)
Everything’s Fine, Potatoes in Line (Dir: Piotr Jasiński/Prod: Ondřej Šejnoha)
If Dreams Were Lightning (Dir/Prod: Ramin Bahrani/Prods: Pamela Ryan, Jason Orans, Ramin Bahrani)
Radio Bingo (Dir/Prod: Shelby Adams)
SHORTS: FAMILY MATTERS
Shorts about families we are born into, and those we choose.
A Bear Named Jesus (Dir: Terril Calder/Prods: Christa Couture, Michelle St. John)
Buttons and Dumplings (Dirs: Calvin Sang, Mei Ling Lee/Prod: Mei Ling Lee)
Grape Soda in the Parking Lot (Dirs: Megan Kyak-Monteith, Taqralik Partridge/Prod: Christa Couture, Michelle St. John)
MnM (Dir: Twiggy Pucci Garçon/Prods: Colleen Cassingham, Jess Devaney)
Parker (Dirs: Sharon Liese, Catherine Hoffman/Prods: Sharon Liese, Funmi Ogunro, Samantha Hake)
Trenton: To the Moon & Back (Dir/Prod: Josh Leong/Prods: Sam Gollob, Will Nelson, Sofia Bara)
SHORTS: HIDDEN HISTORIES
The backstories of under-recognized people and stories.
Black Godfather of Scuba (Dir: Matt Kay/Prod: Andrew Carver)
Jack & Sam (Dir/Prod: Jordan Matthew Horowitz/Prod: Andrew Carlberg)
Taking Back the Groove (Dir/Prod: Celia Aniskovich/Prod: Roddy Lindsay) Tracing History (Dir: Jalena Keane-Lee/Prod: Reaa Puri)
SHORTS: INSIDE AND OUT
Honest vignettes of the prison industrial complex.
Breaking Silence (Dirs: Amy Bench, Annie Silverstein/Prods: Amy Bench, Monique Walton)
The Bus (Dir: Sandra Reina/Prods: Valérie Delpierre, Jaume Fargas Coll)
Ike Brown (Dir: Caleb Clowe/Prod: Matthew Veeder)
Rocko (Dirs: Emma Bergman, James Jones/Prod: Emma Bergman)
Tito (Dirs: Kervens Jimenez, Taylor McIntosh/Prods: Corbin J. Stone, Jean Roody St. Vilien, Taylor McIntosh)
SHORTS: LOVE LETTERS
Stories all about love.
And Then I Was Here (Dir/Prod: Alex Stergiou)
Blue Dots (Dir/Prod: Lorenzo Squarcia/Prods: Manuel Grieco, Simone Spampinato)
Freedom Waders: The Struggle to Integrate Chicago’s Rainbow Beach (Dir/Prod: Alex S. Hinton)
Pigeons Mate for Life (Dir/Prod: Tabitha Yong)
Ted & Noel (Dir: Julia Alcamo/Prods: Dan Hodgson, Mary Pattisson)
Tidal (Dir: Katrina Lillian Sorrentino/Prods: Bryn Silverman, John Condne, Alexandra Liveris)
SHORTS: THE MEANING OF WORK
This collection of shorts unpack capitalism through the process of labor.
Chronicle of a Summer Day (Dir: Bronzeville Collective/Prods: Mike David Thomas, Kira Helm, Erica Duffy, Andrew Skalak, Kevin Cagnoletti)
Dust to Light (Dir/Prod: Erika Houle)
Fitting (Dir: Caitlin McMullan/Prod: Marissa Keating)
Fleshwork (Dir/Prod: Lydia Cornett)
The Last Carnival (Dirs/Prods: Tucker Morrison, Samuel Ott, Anthony Wilson/Prod: David Brown)
Ramboy (Dirs: Matthias Joulaud, Lucien Roux/Prods: Lionel Baier, Nicolas Wadimoff)
SHORTS: MUSICAL MEDLEYS
A loaded program for lovers of instruments, musicians, and music!
Do You See Me? (Dir: Camille Gottscheck/Prod: Ailed Cazares)
Last Song From Kabul (Dir: Kevin Macdonald/Prod: Lawrence Elman)
The Orchestra Chuck Built (Dir/Prod: Christopher Stoudt/Prods: Ryan Suffern, Maryann Garger, Bob Logan, Ains Prasad)
SHORTS: NEW YORK, NEW YORK
Our beloved city through the eyes of many.
The Fish Doctor (a doc about the fish doc) (Dirs/Prods: Adam Levin, Riley Patterson)
Friendly Fridges (Dir/Prod: Ilja Willems)
Kingdome (Dir/Prod: Shawn Antoine II)
Rite of Passage (Dir/Prod: Talha Jalal)
Through Sunless Ways (Dirs/Prods: Kira Dane, Katelyn Rebelo/Prods: Andrea Yu Chieh Chung, Gretta Wilson)
SHORTS: OUR CLIMATE / OUR CRISIS
The inventive solutions and devastating realities of our climate crisis on film.
Conceiving Our Future (Dir/Prod: Annie Pancak Vogt)
Frozen Harvest (Dir: Mark Fleming/Prod: Lone Spruce Creative)
I am the Nature (Dir: Taliesin Black-Brown/Prods: Ramiro Vargas Chumpí Washikiat, Helena Sardinha, Rafael Thomaseto)
Mountain Man (Dir/Prod: Arun Bhattarai)
School of Fish (Dirs/Prods: Oliver Sutro, Colin Arisman)
The Shelmeca Serpent (Dir: Laura Bermúdez/Prod: Luis Flores Alvarenga)
When the Grass Must Go (Dir: Ilja Willems/Prod: Bert Janssens)
SHORTS: THE PEOPLE VS.
Stories that command attention about those who fight for a better future for all.
Banned Book Club (Dir: Sinead Keirans/Prod: Em Shapiro, Mary-Elizabeth Esquibel)
How We Get Free (Dirs: Geeta Gandbhir, Samantha Knowles/Prods: Kathleen Lingo, Sweta Vohra, Jess Devaney)
The Menstruation Station (Dir/Prod: Miguel Luis/Prod: Nicole Olwagen)
Sanctuary (Dirs/Prods: John Haley, Julia Szromba)
Suddenly TV (Dir/Prod: Roopa Gogineni)
SHORTS: PHYSICAL PURSUITS
Athletic feats and strong bonds build this program of films on sport from across the globe.
Gloves Without Ring (Dir/Prod: Karen Sotolongo Menendez)
Kemonito: The Final Fall (Dir/Prod: Teresa de Miguel)
Outside Line (Dir/Prod: Jack Gordon)
Queen of the Sea (Dir: Kate Cox/Prod: Danielle Wright, Emory Ruegg)
The Ugandan Quidditch Movement (Dir: Ben Garfield/Prod: Kristina Budelis)
SHORTS: PROFILES
Portraits and profiles of unique individuals with filmmaking to match.
Denial (Dir/Prod: Paul Moakley/Dir: Daniel Lombroso)
Echo (Dirs: Ben Wolin, Michael Minahan/Prods: Michael Yuchen Lei, Melissa Fajardo)
Funny Not Funny (Dirs/Prods: Marc D’Agostino, Ben Feldman)
House of Tulip (Dir: Cydney Tucker/Prod: Zaferhan Yumru)
Pitch Black (Dir/Prod: Guillym Davenport)
SHORTS: SHE STORIES
Women share their stories from in front of, and behind, the camera.
A Home on Every Floor (Dir/Prod: Signe Rosenlund-Hauglid)
Bear (Dir: Morgane Frund/Prod: Volko Kamensky)
Daughter of the Sea (Dirs: Nicole Gormley, Nancy Kwon/Prods: Min Chul Shin, Sooyoung Kim, Nicole Gormley)
The Only Girl in the Orchestra (Dir/Prod: Molly O’Brien/Prod: Lisa Remington)
SHORTS: VANTAGE POINT
Films taking a different perspective or way of viewing the world.
Incident (Dir/Prod: Bill Morrison/Prod: Jamie Kalven)
Landline (Dir/Prod: Samuel Wright Smith)
Of Dreams in the Dream of Another Mirror (Dir: Yunyi Zhu/Prod: Eric Prigent)
There’s Not Much We Can Do (Dir: Erica Monde/Prod: Clara Harris)
Two One Two (Dir/Prod: Shira Avni)
Zug Island (Dir/Prod: Nicolas Lachapelle/Prod: Guillaume Collin)
SHORTS: THE WISE ONES
A lovely program dedicated to our wise, wonderful elders.
Bubjan (Dir/Prod: Nicholas Mihm/Prod: Lisa Rudin)
Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó (Grandma & Grandma) (Dir/Prod: Sean Wang/Prods: Sam Davis, Malcolm Pullinger)
The Queen Vs Texas (Dir/Prod: Emil Lozada/Dir: Raemonn James)
The Silent Witness (Dirs/Prods: George Kunhardt, Teddy Kunhardt/Prods: Aleks Gezentsvey, Matthew Henderson)
DOC NYC U COMPETITION
DOC NYC U features 10 short documentaries from students across the five boroughs. Restyled as a competition for the first time this year, these two programs showcase finalists from Brooklyn College, Columbia University, Hunter College, The New School, New York Film Academy, New York University, Pratt Institute, and the School of Visual Arts.
DOC NYC U: PORTRAITS
Student documentaries that profile unique individuals and the lives they lead.
Allies Welcome (Dirs/Prods: Tavleen Tarrant, Shakeeb Asrar, Columbia University)
I Told You So (Dir/Prod: Malak AlSayyad/Prods: Amann Stewart, Loren Townsley, Columbia University)
Just Story Hour (Dir/Prod: Lu Yao, School of Visual Arts)
Second Act (Dir/Prod: Britney Bautista, New York University)
Slice of Goodness (Dir/Prod: Usman Chohan, Brooklyn College)
DOC NYC U: REBIRTH
Student documentaries that document the metamorphosis when things start anew.
A Good Death (Dirs/Prods: Boya Sun, Jean Chapiro, Columbia University)
It Smells Like Springtime (Dir/Prod: Mackie Mallison, Pratt Institute)
Land (Dir/Prod: Satoko Saito, Hunter College)
More Than Brothers (Dir/Prod: Andrea von Siebenthal, New York Film Academy)
Through a Glass Eye (Dir/Prod: Lola Granger-Jourdan, The New School)
DOC NYC ANNOUNCES 2023 SHORT LISTS FOR FEATURES AND SHORTS, WINNER’S CIRCLE SELECTIONS AND NEW SECTION, COME AS YOU ARE
SHORT LISTS REVEAL FEATURES AND SHORTS THAT ARE THE YEAR’S LEADING AWARDS CONTENDERS
IN-PERSON FESTIVAL SCREENINGS OF ALL FILMS NOV. 8-16 IN NEW YORK CITY, WITH SELECT TITIES CONTINUING ONLINE THROUGH NOV. 26
NEW YORK, October 17, 2023 – DOC NYC, America’s largest documentary festival, completed the announcement of its full lineup today by unveiling titles in the remaining four sections of its 14th Edition — Short List: Features, Short List: Shorts, Winner’s Circle and a new section for 2023, Come As You Are. All films will have theatrical screenings at the festival, often with the directors in person.
With these new announcements, DOC NYC will present a total of 114 features and 129 short films in its 14th edition, including 33 world premieres and 29 U.S. premieres. The festival runs in-person November 8-16 at IFC Center, SVA Theatre and Village East by Angelika and continues online through November 26 with films available to viewers across the U.S.
The Short Lists sections showcase a selection of nonfiction features and shorts that the festival’s programming team considers to be among the year’s strongest contenders for Oscars and other awards, while Winner’s Circle is a reminder of films already feted at major international film events that are worthy of additional consideration.
The festival’s new Come As You Are section highlights films about people striving to find their place in the world, or in their communities.
See below for the complete slates for each section.
SHORT LIST: FEATURES
The DOC NYC Short List for documentary features was launched in 2012 and has a long history of being a predictor of other awards—from critics’ prizes and top-ten lists to the Oscars. Notable statistics:
– For 10 of the last 11 years, DOC NYC has screened the documentary feature that went on to win the Academy Award.
– The festival has also screened 49 of the last 55 Oscar-nominated documentary features.
– In 2022, DOC NYC screened 12 of 15 titles that were named to the subsequent Academy Award Documentary Feature Shortlist.
DOC NYC’s Short List: Features selection process is overseen by Artistic Director Jaie Laplante and Director of Special Projects Thom Powers. For the fifth year, the Short List: Features will vie for juried awards in four categories: Directing, Producing, Cinematography, and Editing, with the addition of a new category in 2023 for Original Score. Last year’s winners were Descendant (Directing), Retrograde (Producing), Fire of Love (Editing), and All That Breathes (Cinematography).
This year’s selections for Short List: Features are:
20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL
Director: Mstyslav Chernov
Producers: Mstyslav Chernov, Michelle Mizner, Raney Aronson Rath, Derl McCrudden
An AP team of Ukrainian journalists trapped in the besieged city of Mariupol struggle to continue its work documenting atrocities of the Russian invasion. (PBS Distribution/Frontline)
AMERICAN SYMPHONY (NYC Premiere)
Director: Matthew Heineman
Producers: Matthew Heineman, Lauren Domino, Joedan Okun
While undertaking his most ambitious project to date, musician Jon Batiste and his life partner Suleika Jaouad cope with the discovery that her cancer has returned after a decade in remission. (Netflix)
BOBI WINE: THE PEOPLE’S PRESIDENT
Directors: Moses Bwayo, Christopher Sharp
Producers: Christopher Sharp, John Battsek
Bobi Wine, a popular Afrobeats musician, directs his charisma to politics as he runs for office as Uganda’s presidential opposition candidate, challenging longtime leader Yoweri Museveni. (National Geographic Documentary Films)
THE DISAPPEARANCE OF SHERE HITE (NYC Premiere)
Director: Nicole Newnham
Producers: R.J. Cutler, Kimberley Ferdinando, Nicole Newnham, Molly O’Brien, Elise Pearlstein, Trevor Smith
Feminist sexologist Shere Hite, who helped change public perception toward female sexuality in the 1970s and ‘80s, mysteriously fell from prominence over time. This film explores why we don’t know more about her groundbreaking work. (IFC Films)
THE ETERNAL MEMORY
Director: Maite Alberdi
Producers: Maite Alberdi, Juan de Dios Larraín, Pablo Larraín, Rocío Jadue
A wise and compassionate look at an elderly couple’s challenges, revealing their profoundly moving love and their commitment to individual and collective remembrance, via the cultural vocations of their youth, in the face of life’s tempests. (MTV Documentary Films)
EVERY BODY
Director: Julie Cohen
Producers: Molly O’Brien, Tommy Nguyen
Capturing a new generation of intersex people who are living loudly and proudly, this film covers the history, science, and politics of a movement advocating against medically unnecessary surgeries on intersex children. (Focus Features)
FOUR DAUGHTERS
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Producer: Nadim Cheikhrouha
Filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania takes a novel approach to telling the story of the Tunisian mother Olfa Hamrouni, who spoke out about her grief when two of her four daughters ran away to join the Islamic State in Libya. (Kino Lorber)
GOING TO MARS: THE NIKKI GIOVANNI STORY
Directors: Joe Brewster, Michèle Stephenson
Producers: Joe Brewster, Michèle Stephenson, Tommy Oliver
Nikki Giovanni is a trailblazing poet who rose to be a key figure in the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and remains just as vibrant today. (HBO Documentary Films)
LAKOTA NATION VS. UNITED STATES
Directors: Jesse Shortbull, Laura Tomaselli
Producers: Benjamin Hedin, Phil Pinto
The Lakota Indigenous tribe’s new generations continue to stand against the U.S. government’s historic failures to honor past treaties and the Lakota’s traditional sacred land. (IFC Films)
LITTLE RICHARD: I AM EVERYTHING
Director: Lisa Cortés
Producers: Robert Friedman, Lisa Cortés, Liz Yale Marsh, Caryn Capotosto
The Black queer origins of rock ‘n’ roll are revealed as the whitewashed canon of American pop music is exploded to reveal the innovator – the originator – Little Richard. (Magnolia Pictures)
THE MOTHER OF ALL LIES (U.S. Premiere)
Director / Producer: Asme El Moudir
On a handmade set recreating her Casablanca neighborhood, Moroccan filmmaker Asmae El Moudir enlists family and friends to help solve the troubling mysteries of her childhood.Figurines and miniatures of the filmmaker’s Moroccan family and neighborhood – built by her father – inspire moments of catharsis and unearth previously unspoken secrets and traumas.
THE PIGEON TUNNEL
Director: Errol Morris
Producers: Errol Morris, Dominic Crossley-Holland, Steven Hathaway, Simon Cornwell, Stephen Cornwell
Oscar-winning filmmaker Errol Morris interviews David Cornwell aka John Le Carré, keeping the visuals as lively as the conversation, creating his own cinematic imaginings of Cornwell’s history along with clips from famous film and TV adaptations of Le Carré’s thrillers. (Apple TV+)
SILVER DOLLAR ROAD
Director: Raoul Peck
Producers: Raoul Peck, Rémi Grellety, Blair Foster, Hébert Peck
Oscar-nominated filmmaker Raoul Peck focuses on the case of the Reels family in North Carolina to chronicle the way real estate developers work in blatant and subtle ways to divest Black families from inherited property. (Amazon Studios)
STAMPED FROM THE BEGINNING
Director: Roger Ross Williams
Producers: Alisa Payne, Roger Ross Williams, David Teague
Oscar-winning filmmaker Roger Ross Williams takes inspiration from author Dr. Ibram X. Kendi’s work exploring the history of anti-Black racist ideas and their impact on the United States, examining those themes with an array of powerful film techniques. (Netflix)
WHILE WE WATCHED
Director: Vinay Shukla
Producers: Vinay Shukla, Khushboo Ranka, Luke Moody
Filmmaker Vinay Shukla gives shape to the melancholy and fear the daily news brings into our screens and lives, in India and all over the world. (BritDocs/POV)
SHORT LIST: SHORTS
The Short List: Shorts showcase of 15 titles is now in its sixth year at DOC NYC. The selection process is overseen by Artistic Director Jaie Laplante, Director of Special Projects Thom Powers, and Senior Programmer, Shorts, Samah Ali. Last year the showcase included the World Premiere of The Elephant Whisperers, which went on to win the Oscar. For the fifth year, a DOC NYC jury will select one of the films in the section for a Directing Award. Last year’s winner was As Far as They Can Run.
This year’s selections for Short List: Shorts are:
AMERICAN SANTA
Director: Avi Zev Weider
Producers: Avi Zev Weider, Alexandra Berger
This haunting documentary zooms in on Black Santas and the gravity of their work during the holiday season. (The New Yorker)
AYENDA
Director: Marie Margolius
Producer: Marie Margolius, Connor Schell
Witness the true story of an Afghani girls’ soccer team who relocate from their home country all in the name of the sport. (MSNBC Films)
THE BARBER OF LITTLE ROCK
Director: Tanaz Eshaghian
Producers: Christina Avalos, John Hoffman, Christine Turner
The barbershop is the heart of the Black community, and in Little Rock, Arkansas, now the starting place of a new community lending program.
BETWEEN EARTH & SKY
Director: Andrew Nadkarni
Producers: Andrew Nadkarni, Swetha Regunathan, Katie Schiller
The story of one professor’s career researching the rainforest canopy, where she was hurt, and where she also healed. (POV Shorts)
BLACK GIRLS PLAY: THE STORY OF HAND GAMES
Directors: Joe Brewster, Michéle Stephenson
Producers: Joe Brewster, Michéle Stephenson
Learn about the impactful and joyful hand games played by Black girls from generation to generation. (ESPN Films)
CAMP COURAGE
Director: Max Lowe
Producers: Marilyn Ness, Katy Chevigny
A profile of a young girl, her grandmother, and the camp that builds confidence for children going through big changes. (Netflix)
CARPENTER
Director / Producer: Xelîl Sehragerd
This meditative documentary zooms in on a Kurdish carpenter as he serves his community in an unexpected way.
THE DADS
Director / Producer: Luchina Fisher
This touching short captures fathers sharing the love of their children over the course of an afternoon of fishing and dining. (Netflix)
DECIDING VOTE
Directors: Jeremy Workman, Robert Lyons
Producers: Jeremy Workman, Robert Lyons, Melissa Jacobson
The decision to legalize abortion in the state of New York came down to one person. This is his story. (The New Yorker)
HOLY COWBOYS
Director: Varun Chopra
Producers: Anna Hashmi, Varun Chopra
A dedicated group of young Hindu men are encouraged to protect cows at any cost.
THE LAST REPAIR SHOP
Directors: Nasir Bailey, Jackson Kroopf
Producers: Ben Proudfoot, Kris Bowers, Jeremy Lambert, Josh Rosenberg
One warehouse in the Los Angeles area devotes its time and energy to repairing 80,000 instruments for city schoolchildren.
NINA & IRENA
Director: Daniel Lombroso
Producer: Devon Blackwell
A grandmother shares her heart wrenching story after losing her sister in the Holocaust. (The New Yorker)
HOLY COWBOYS
Director: Varun Chopra
Producers: Anna Hashmi, Varun Chopra
A dedicated group of young Hindu men are encouraged to protect cows at any cost.
THE LAST REPAIR SHOP
Directors: Nasir Bailey, Jackson Kroopf
Producers: Ben Proudfoot, Kris Bowers, Jeremy Lambert, Josh Rosenberg
One warehouse in the Los Angeles area devotes its time and energy to repairing 80,000 instruments for city schoolchildren.
NINA & IRENA
Director: Daniel Lombroso
Producer: Devon Blackwell
A grandmother shares her heart wrenching story after losing her sister in the Holocaust. (The New Yorker)
WINNER’S CIRCLE
The DOC NYC Winner’s Circle for documentary features, introduced in 2019, highlights films that arrive at DOC NYC with significant awards pedigrees already in place. Past films shown in Winner’s Circle that all went on to further acclaim include Writing with Fire, The Mole Agent, A House Made of Splinters, Bad Axe, Midnight Family, and Advocate. To qualify for inclusion in this category, films must have won a major award at a significant international or US film festival.
This year’s selections for Winner’s Circle are:
ANGEL APPLICANT (NYC Premiere)
Director: Ken August Meyer
Producers: Ken August Meyer, Jason Roark
An art director afflicted with a rare life-threatening disease turns to the life and work of a famed artist who lived nearly 100 years ago, to find solace, hope and meaning. Winner, SXSW Grand Jury Prize, Documentary Feature Competition
APOLONIA, APOLONIA
Director: Lea Glob
Producer: Sidsel Lønvig Siersted
Over 13 years, a Danish film student and a Parisian painter weave a complex portrait of a current generation’s loves, lives, and losses. Best Feature-Length Documentary, IDFA
BAD PRESS (NYC Premiere)
Directors: Rebecca Landsberry-Baker, Joe Peeler
Producers: Conrad Beilharz, Garrett F. Baker, Tyler Graim
When the Muscogee Nation suddenly begins censoring their free press, a rogue reporter fights to expose her government’s corruption in a historic battle that will have ramifications for all Native American sovereign nations. Special Jury Award: Freedom of Expression, U.S. Documentary, Sundance Film Festival
BEYOND UTOPIA
Director: Madeleine Gavin
Producers: Jana Edelbaum, Rachel Cohen, Sue Mi Terry, Daewon Choi, Janna Devinsky
The reality of life in one of the most repressive totalitarian countries on Earth is revealed through two intertwining suspenseful, nail-biting stories of dangerous escape attempts from North Korea. Audience Award, U.S. Documentary, 2023 Sundance Film Festival(Roadside Attractions)
IN THE REARVIEW (New York Premiere)
Director: Maciek Hamela
Producers: Maciek Hamela, Piotr Grawender
When Russia escalated its war against Ukraine in 2022, Polish director Maciek Hamela bought a van and volunteered to drive Ukrainian refugees on their quest to escape, making a quietly eloquent case to keep our eyes on the road ahead. Grand Jury Award, International Competition, Sheffield DocFest
KOKOMO CITY
Director: D. Smith
Producers: D. Smith, Harris Doran, Bill Butler
Profiling four Black transgender sex workers, these women are raw and hilarious as they celebrate their self-realization in the face of discrimination and violence. Next Innovator Award, Sundance Film Festival 2023 (Magnolia Pictures)
NAME ME LAWAND
Director: Edward Lovelace
Producers: Fleur Nieddu, Sam Arnold, Beyan Taher, Neil Andres, Marisa Clifford, Edward Lovelace
The family of a five-year-old deaf boy from Iraq go to extraordinary lengths to unlock his educational potential at Royal School for the Deaf Derby in England. Special Jury Prize, International Feature Documentary, Hot Docs
ROJEK (US Premiere)
Director: Zaynê Akyol
Producers: Audrey-Ann Dupuis-Pierre, Sylvain Corbeil, Zaynê Akyol
An attempt to understand the Muslim fundamentalist beliefs of members of the Islamic State (ISIS), as some recount the rise and fall of ISIS through their personal stories. Special Jury Prize, Canadian Feature Documentary, Hot Docs (Icarus Films)
Rojek is featured in DOC NYC’s VOICES OF CANADA, a showcase of the Canadian titles that are represented throughout the festival’s sections, co-presented by the Consulate General of Canada in New York.
SMOKE SAUNA SISTERHOOD (NYC Premiere)
Director: Anna Hints
Producers: Marianne Ostrat
Amidst wood, wire, smoke, and sweat, a group of Estonian women find each other and themselves. Jury Award, Directing (World Cinema Documentary), Sundance Film Festival 2023 (Greenwich Entertainment)
SONGS OF EARTH (NYC Premiere)
Director: Margreth Olin
Producers: Margreth Olin, Lena Faye-Lund Sandvik
A stunning cinematic experience, as a lone elderly Norwegian man shares his life journey via traditional music amid spectacular vistas of glaciers, waterfalls, and fjords. Krakow Film Festival 2023, Recommendation to European Film Awards, Documentary (Strand Releasing)
COME AS YOU ARE
The Come As You Are section highlights films about people striving to find their place in the world, or in their communities.
The selections for Come As You Are:
AT THE BORDER (World Premiere)
Directors: Braulio Jatar, Anaïs Michel
Producers: Braulio Jatar, Anaïs Michel, Julia Cheng
A gritty and uncompromising perspective on what has been termed a “migrant crisis.”
HEAVEN RAIN FLOWS SWEETLY (World Premiere)
Director: Shasha Li
Producers: Shasha Li, Xin Li, Julie Mallozzi
After wildfires force her to leave her home in Oregon, a young filmmaker reconnects with the rituals and the landscapes of her maternal tribe in Himalayan China.
THE KIND STRANGER (International Premiere)
Directors: Sini Hormio, Anu Silfverberg
Producer: Ari Matikainen
Unveiling the mysterious world of ASMR influencers and the hours of dedication and discipline that go into producing the content their followers crave.
THE THREE OF US (International Premiere)
Director: Henya Brodbeker
Producer: Avigail Sperber
A young ultra-Orthodox couple is torn between a community that doesn’t accept their autistic son and their desire to integrate him into society.
WHO’S BEHIND BLACK ART (World Premiere)
Director: John Campbell
Producers: John Campbell, Phillip Michael Collins, Chandler Wild, Thomas E. Moore III
In this candid exploration of creative expression, five emerging African American artists reveal their inspirations, challenges, and the complexities of succeeding in the art world.
WITNESS (International Premiere)
Directors: Yasmine Mathurin, Carol Nguyen, Amar Wala
Producers: Amar Wala, Soko Negash
A story examining the personal, political, and cultural ramifications of going viral.
Witness is featured in DOC NYC’s VOICES OF CANADA, a showcase of the Canadian titles that are represented throughout the festival’s sections, co-presented by the Consulate General of Canada in New York.
SPONSORS
The festival is made possible by:
Leading Media Partners: New York Magazine; The WNET Group
Major Sponsors: A&E IndieFilms; HBO Documentary Films; Netflix
Supporting Sponsors: National Geographic Documentary Films
Signature Sponsors: 11th Hour Racing; Bloomberg Philanthropies; Consulate General of Canada in New York; Frankfurt Kurnit; Hulu; NBC News Studios; National Geographic; NYC Mayor’s Office of Media & Entertainment; Participant
Signature Media Partners: The New Republic; WNYC
Event Sponsors: Amazon MGM Studios; Cowan, DeBaets, Abrahams & Sheppard LLP; 30 for 30 / ESPN Films; Fox Rothschild LLP; Impact Partners; JustFilms | Ford Foundation; Kickstarter PBC; MTV Documentary Films; Odyssey Impact®; Portrait Creative Network; Reavis Page Jump LLP; Screen Nova Scotia; Subject Matter; SVA – MFA Social Documentary Film; Telefilm Canada; Village East by Angelika; Wheelhouse Creative
Friends of the Festival: Agile Ticketing; CineSend; DCTV; Essentia; Fever Content; Posteritati; Ptex; Shiftboard
DOC NYC is produced and presented by IFC Center, a division of AMC Networks.
To inquire about sponsor or partnership opportunities for DOC NYC, contact Executive Director Raphaela Neihausen at raphaela@docnyc.net.
TICKETS AND PASSES:
Festival tickets and passes may be purchased at docnyc.net/tickets-and-passes.
In-person Screenings:
Opening (The Contestant), Centerpiece (Uncropped) and Closing Night (South to Black Power) screenings: $30 General Public/$25 IFC Center Members
Other festival films: $20 General Admission/$18 Seniors & Children/$16 IFC Center Members, unless otherwise noted.
All screenings in the Short List: Features, Short List: Shorts, and DOC NYC U sections, as well as all Monday-Friday screenings starting before 5:00pm: $13 General Admission/$10 IFC Center members
Online screenings:
$13 General Public/$9 IFC Center Members
Passes and Ticket Packs:
All Film Pass $995
Grants access to every film screening during the live, in-person festival November 8-16, plus films on the festival’s virtual screening platform November 8-26. Grants complimentary access, space permitting, to the Festival Lounge, including daily Breakfasts and Happy Hours.
Online Film Pass $250
Grants access to all the films screening on the festival’s virtual platform, November 8-26.
Online Shorts Pass $49
Grants access to all short films screening on the festival’s virtual platform, November 8-26. On sale November 1.
Ten-Ticket Package for In-Person Screenings $170
A package of 10 festival tickets for regular in-person screenings at a discounted price.
Five-Ticket Package for Online Screenings $50
Ten-Ticket Package for Online Screenings $90
A package of 5 or 10 online tickets at a special discount price.
DOC NYC PRO Day Pass $125
Grants access to a single DOC NYC PRO day-long programming track, plus complimentary access, space permitting, to the Festival Lounge for that day, including the day’s Breakfast and Happy Hour.
DOC NYC PRO Multi-Day Packs:
4-Day Pack $450
8-Day Pack $850
Grants access to a selection of any 4 or all 8 DOC NYC PRO programming tracks and events for (1) individual from November 9-16. Grants complimentary access, space permitting, to the Festival Lounge for days selected, including daily Breakfasts and Happy Hours.