DOC NYC, America’s largest documentary festival returns in-person November 9-17 and continues online through November 27, presenting more than 110 feature-length documentaries among over 200 films and dozens of events.
The festival opens with the US premiere of Stephanie Johnes’ Maya and the Wave that follows world-champion Brazilian surfer Maya Gabeira, who battles against monster waves as well as sexism in the male-dominated field of competitive surfing.
Among films making their world premieres, several are complex profiles of notable figures, including Ellis, on the patriarch of the famed “First Family of Jazz,” Ellis Marsalis; Gumbo Coalition, on national social justice leaders Marc Morial of National Urban League and Janet Muríaga of UnidosUS; Idina Menzel: Which Way to the Stage?, a portrait of the Tony-winning actress and singer; Jeanette Lee Vs., about the pool hall professional famously known as the “Black Widow;” Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story, the story of the Chinese American photojournalist; Radical Landscapes, about visionary architect Fabrizio Fiumi; Robert Irwin: A Desert of Pure Feeling, about the legendary experimental installation artist; Roberta, an admiring biography of singer Roberta Flack; and Who is Stan Smith?, the story of the tennis champion and footwear fashion icon.
The festival’s Sonic Cinema section of music documentaries includes world premieres of Lost Angel: The Genius of Judee Sill, about the 1970s folk singer-songwriter; and The Elephant 6 Recording Co., a look at the psychedelic rock movement from Athens, GA.
World premieres that bring trenchant explorations of hot topics include The 50, about a reform program inside California’s dangerously overcrowded state prison system; 1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted a Culture, which examines how and why the word “homosexuality” did not appear in Bible translations until 1946; Big Fight in Little Chinatown, which maps the existential threats to Chinatowns in some major North American cities; Lázaro and the Shark: Cuba Under the Surface, about citizen frustrations inside Cuba’s totalitarian regime; Loan Wolves, the surprising origin story of today’s student debt crisis; and A Witch Story, about the Salem Witch Trials and their relevance to today.
Other significant premieres include the North American premiere of Ithaka, a study of Julian Assange’s father’s fight for his son’s freedom; and the US premieres of Buffy Sainte-Marie: Carry It On, about the fearless folk singer activist, philanthropist and Oscar-winner; Casa Susanna, a look at an early chapter of trans identity in the 1950s Catskills; Kingdom of Dreams, a new limited series on the high stakes of the fashion industry; and While We Watched, about independent journalism under attack in India.
New at DOC NYC in 2022 is the Meet the Press Film Festival at DOC NYC, a one-day showcase with screenings and conversations that bring together filmmakers and NBC News correspondents on Tuesday, November 15.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Opening Night
MAYA AND THE WAVE (US Premiere)
Director: Stephanie Johnes
Producers: Stephanie Johnes, Jorge Leal
Filmmaker Stephanie Johnes’ thrilling documentary follows world-champion Brazilian surfer Maya Gabeira, who battles against monster waves as well as sexism in the male-dominated field of competitive surfing.
Closing Night
THE CONSPIRACY (World Premiere)
Director: Maxim Pozdorovkin
Producers: Allison Stern, Caroline Hirsch, Joe Bender, Dan Cogan
A bold, visually striking animated documentary that traces the origins of the insidious conspiracy theory that Jews have a plot to control the world, and charts how such antisemitic ideas persist today.
Centerpiece Screening
CIRQUE DU SOLEIL: WITHOUT A NET (World Premiere)
Director: Dawn Porter
Producers: Dawn Porter, Eli Holzman, Aaron Saidman, Mark Burnett, Barry Poznick
The world’s most famous circus prepares to remount its flagship show more than a year after an abrupt global shut-down, and performers and crew members face uncertainty as they prepare to return to the stage.
Centerpiece Screening
GUMBO COALITION (World Premiere)
Director: Barbara Kopple
Producers: Barbara Kopple, David Cassidy, Williams Cole, Ray Nowosielski
Two-time Academy Award-winning filmmaker Barbara Kopple follows two visionary leaders of the AfricanAmerican and Latinx American communities as they fight for racial justice in the Trump – and COVID – era.
Pre-Festival Tribute Screening (Tuesday, Nov. 8)
THE FIRE WITHIN: REQUIEM FOR KATIA AND MAURICE KRAFFT
Director: Werner Herzog
Producers: Pete Lown, Alexandre Soullier
Werner Herzog brings his distinct perspective to the lives of the French volcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft.
IDINA MENZEL: WHICH WAY TO THE STAGE? (World Premiere)
Director: Anne McCabe
Producers: Jana Edelbaum, Rachel Cohen
Beloved Tony Award®-winning actress and singer Idina Menzel juggles the challenges of being a working mom with a grueling travel schedule, all while preparing to finally realize her dream: headlining a concert at the world-famous Madison Square Garden in her hometown of New York City. (Disney+)
THEATER OF THOUGHT (NYC Premiere)
Director: Werner Herzog
Producer: Ariel Leon Isocovitch
After traveling the world, Werner Herzog, at age 80, explores the mysteries of the brain through interviews with cutting-edge researchers.
THE VOLCANO: RESCUE FROM WHAKAARI (NYC Premiere)
Director: Rory Kennedy
Producers: Sara Bernstein, Justin Wilkes, Dallas Brennan Rexer, Mark Bailey, Rory Kennedy
A riveting retelling of the survivors and rescuers from the 2019 New Zealand White Island volcano disaster. (Netflix)
WHILE WE WATCHED (US Premiere)
Director: Vinay Shukla
Producers: Vinay Shukla, Khusboo 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.
US COMPETITION
26.2 TO LIFE (World Premiere)
Director: Christine Yoo
Producers: Hella Winston, Carolyn Mao, Sara Sluke
Three incarcerated men find purpose through running the world’s most unique marathon: 105 laps around the yard of San Quentin State Prison.
THE 50 (World Premiere)
Director: Brenton Gieser
Producers: Traci Lewis, Brenton Gieser, Estevan Padilla, Audrey Gloeckner, Zena Hanna, Colette Kessler
Fifty men embark on a journey of healing and radical change as the California prison system’s first-ever inmate substance abuse counselors.
1946: THE MISTRANSLATION THAT SHIFTED A CULTURE (World Premiere)
Director: Sharon “Rocky” Roggio
Producers: Sharon “Rocky” Roggio, Jena Serbu
Seeking the origins of homophobia in the Christian church, two LGBTQIA+ activists make a ground-breaking discovery: an erroneous translation of the word “homosexual” in the Bible.
CABIN MUSIC (World Premiere)
Director: James Carson
Producers: James Carson, Kwesi Collisson, Kerry Gilfillan
Inspired by his travels and love of nature, a young pianist creates a dynamic new musical form.
CASA SUSANNA (US Premiere)
Director: Sébastien Lifshitz
Producer: Muriel Meynard
In the sexually repressive atmosphere of the 1950s and early ’60s, a clandestine haven for cross-dressers in a Catskills resort becomes an important early chapter in the history of trans identity. (PBS-American Experience)
COLDWATER KITCHEN (World Premiere)
Directors: Brian Kaufman, Mark Kurlyandchik
Producers: Steve Byrne, Kathy Kieliszewski, Nicole Avery
In Coldwater, Michigan’s Lakeland Correctional Facility, Chef Jimmy Lee Hill leads a highly regarded program where prisoners find a renewed sense of purpose through the culinary arts.
DEAR THIRTEEN (World Premiere)
Director: Alexis Neophytides
Producers: Alexis Neophytides, Trina Rodriguez, Alex Murawski
In their own words, this tender, illuminating look into the lives of nine 13-year-olds from around the world reveals who they really are.
DUSTY & STONES (World Premiere)
Director: Jesse Rudoy
Producer: Melissa Adeyemo
A road trip through the American South, a story of the trials and triumphs of a duo of touring country music singers from the unlikeliest of places—Swaziland.
LOAN WOLVES (World Premiere)
Director: Blake Zeff
Producers: Jake Abraham, Neda Armian, Jeff Hasler, Ron Nyswaner, Blake Zeff
Blake Ziff thoroughly investigates the student debt crisis, leading us on a humorous and informative journey to its unexpected roots. (MSNBC)
LOVE IN THE TIME OF FENTANYL (US Premiere)
Director: Colin Askey
Producers: Monika Navarro, Robinder Uppal, Marc Serpa Francoeur
With fentanyl overdose deaths at an all-time high in Vancouver, Canada, the Overdose Prevention Society creates a safe injection site to save lives and support their community.
WHO IS STAN SMITH? (World Premiere)
Director: Danny Lee
Producers: Philip Byron, Danny Lee, Rebecca Halpern
A lyrical and emotional adventure through time and pop culture, charting the extraordinary life of Stan Smith, the tennis legend and his namesake sneaker that has graced the feet of everyone from John Lennon to Jay-Z.
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
AFRICAN MOOT (US Premiere)
Director: Shameela Seedat
Producers: Shameela Seedat, Francois Verster, Don Edkins, Tiny Mungwe, Juha Lopponen, Venla Hellstedt
The best and brightest young law students from across the African continent come together to show off their legal knowledge and oratory skills in the annual African Human Rights Moot Court Competition.
BIG FIGHT IN LITTLE CHINATOWN (World Premiere)
Director: Karen Cho
Producer: Bob Moore
After the pandemic and harmful city redevelopment plans, Chinatowns in New York, Montreal and Vancouver resist by innovating new ways to keep their culture and communities thriving.
CHILDREN OF LAS BRISAS (North American Premiere)
Director: Marianela Maldonado
Producers: Luisa De La Ville, Luc Martin-Gousset, Andy Glynne
Three children in a Venezuela in economic collapse channel their pain and joy into classical music as part of a unique government-sponsored program, El Sistema.
CLOSED CIRCUIT (International Premiere)
Director: Tal Inbar
Producers: Tal Becher, Yoav Zeevi, Omri Uzrad, Nancy Spielberg
Through the sharing of memories, Arab and Jewish survivors of a 2016 Tel Aviv terrorist attack confront unthinkable trauma.
DESTINY (World Premiere)
Director: Yaser Talebi
Producers: Elaheh Nobakht, Yaser Talebi
After the death of her mother, 18-year-old Sahar takes care of her mentally disabled father in an isolated village in Iran while dreaming of university, volleyball and Instagram.
FATI’S CHOICE (North American Premiere)
Director: Fatimah Dadzie
Producers: Hamid Yakub, Tiny Mungwe
After surviving a perilous migration to Europe, a Ghanaian mother returns to her village to reunite with her children, meeting disdain from her family and neighbors.
GIRL GANG (US Premiere)
Director: Susanne Regina Meures
Producers: Christian Frei
German teen Leonie and her parents seize the economic opportunities of social media fame, but at what cost?
THE HAMLET SYNDROME (North American Premiere)
Directors: Elwira Niewiera, Piotr Rosolowski
Producers: Magdalena Kaminksa, Agata Szymanska
A group of young eastern Ukrainian actors create a unique stage production of Hamlet, through which they process their own personal experiences of the war with Russia.
THE HERMIT OF TREIG (US Premiere)
Director: Lizzie MackEnzie
Producer: Naomi Spiro
A spirited elderly hermit and a young filmmaker forge a 10-year friendship, as the hermit navigates his declining health and questions his ability to continue living in the wilderness.
HOW TO SAVE A DEAD FRIEND (US Premiere)
Director: Marusya Syroechkovskaya
Producers: Ksenia Gapchenko, Mario Adamson
A grunge love story between a suicidal 16-year-old Russian girl and a fellow lost soul, filmed over 12 years under the shadow of Putin’s regime.
ITHAKA (North American Premiere)
Director: Ben Lawrence
Producers: Gabriel Shipton, Adrian Devant
An emotional tale of the personal as political as Julian Assange’s father, John Shipton, campaigns to free his son from unforgiving political and carceral systems.
LÁZARO AND THE SHARK: CUBA UNDER THE SURFACE (World Premiere)
Director: William Sobourin O’Reilly
Producer: Bryan Bailey
Among rival conga bands in Santiago de Cuba, tensions build and tempers flare as marketplace realities and political frustrations come to bear on one of the world’s poorest Carnivals.
METROPOLIS COMPETITION
NEW YORK STORIES
FRAGMENTS OF PARADISE (NYC Premiere)
Director: KD Davison
Producers: KD Davison, Elyse Frenchman, Leanne Cherundolo, Matthew O. Henderson
The story of the legendary godfather of avant-garde cinema, Jonas Mekas, is told largely through his own words, revealing his dedication to the transformative power of independent film.
IN SEARCH OF BENGALI HARLEM (NYC Premiere)
Directors: Vivek Bald, Alaudin Ullah
Producer: Susannah Ludwig
An uncovering of mid-20th century Harlem history that provokes a rethinking of our notions of immigration and who is really an American.
PHOTOGRAPHIC JUSTICE: THE CORKY LEE STORY (World Premiere)
Director: Jennifer Takaki
Producers: George Hirose, Hillary Hirose, Lily M. Fan
Beloved Chinese American photojournalist Corky Lee brought art and politics together through his decades documenting the Asian experience in America.
QUEEN OF THE DEUCE (World Premiere)
Director: Valerie Kontakos
Producers: Ed Barreveld, Valerie Kontakos, Despina Pavlaki
Through her ownership of 24-hour porn theaters in 1970’s NYC, Greek immigrant and unconventional matriarch Chelly Wilson rose to riches as the “Queen of the Deuce.”
ROBERTA (World Premiere)
Director: Antonino D’Ambrosio
Producers: Michael Tyner, Ythrya Dinzey-Flores, Axel Caballero
A marvelous monument to the singular and unclassifiable musical genius that is Roberta Flack.
KALEIDOSCOPE COMPETITION
NEW DOCUMENTARY VISIONS
DARK LIGHT VOYAGE (US Premiere)
Directors: Tin Dirdamal, Eva Cadena
Producers: Tin Dirdamal, Elena Fortes, Jorge Caballero
After a shocking discovery about the fate of a friend, director Tin Dirdamal sets out to visit him on an entrancing train ride through Vietnam with his young daughter.
FOR YOUR OWN PEACE OF MIND, MAKE YOUR OWN MUSEUM (US Premiere)
Directors: Pilar Moreno, Ana Endara
Producer: Isabella Gálve
A self-made artist and a surrealist collector transforms her rural Panamanian home into the “Museum of Antiquities of All Species,” impacting the lives of other women struggling with the patriarchal system around them.
I’M PEOPLE, I AM NOBODY (World Premiere)
Director: Svetislav Dragomirović
Producers: Lorand Balazs Imre, Svetislav Dragomirović
An ex-porn performer arrested for public exposure recalls the panicked overreaction that led to his misfortune as he awaits the outcome of a Kafkaesque trial process in a Maltese prison.
IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY (NYC Premiere)
Director: Victoria Linares
Producers: Guillermo Zouain, Wendy V. Muñoz, Victoria Linares
A filmmaker goes on a journey of self-discovery as she unearths the pioneering cinematic work of a kindred ancestor in 1950s Dominican Republic.
MOTHER LODE (North American Premiere)
Director: Matteo Tortone
Producers: Alexis Taillant, Nadège Labé, Margot Mecca, Benjamin Poumey
Jorge leaves his family and his moto-taxi business in the outskirts of Lima to try his luck in the most dangerous Andean gold mine in Peru.
OUR MOVIE (NUESTRA PELÍCULA) (International Premiere)
Director: Diana Bustamante
Producers: Diana Bustamante, David Hurts
Constructed from archival Colombian news footage of the ’80s and ’90s, this visceral personal essay explores the violent history that imprinted itself on the filmmaker in her formative years.
WHITE NIGHT (US Premiere)
Directors: Tania Ximena Ruiz, Yóllotl Alvarado
Producers: Julia Cherrier, Mónica Moreno, Julio Chavezmontes
Thirty-eight years after a Zoque village in Chiapas was destroyed by a volcano eruption, the community excavates to unearth the ancient town.
WINNER’S CIRCLE
MAJOR AWARD WINNERS
2ND CHANCE
Director: Ramin Bahrani
Producers: Charles Dorfman, Ramin Bahrani, Jacob Grodnik, Daniel Turcan, Johnny Galvin
Winner: Precious Gem Award for Rahmin Bahrani, Miami Film Festival
This profile of bulletproof vest maker and low-budget movie director Richard Davis brings a unique perspective on America’s gun culture. (SHOWTIME)
AFTER SHERMAN
Director: Jon-Sesrie Goff
Producers: Jon-Sesrie Goff, Blair Dorosh-Walther, Madeleine Hunt-Ehrlich
Winner: Best Documentary, Santa Barbara International Film Festival
Using personal and historical archival footage and observational and experimental techniques, this film offers a poignant polyphonic collage about how systemic racial discrimination and violence has affected generations in the South.
AFTERSHOCK
Directors / Producers: Paula Eiselt, Tonya Lewis Lee
Winner: U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award: Impact for Change, Sundance Film Festival
The stories of two New York City mothers who died from childbirth-related conditions puts a spotlight on the crisis of Black maternal deaths. (Onyx Collective)
BAD AXE (NYC Premiere)
Director: David Siev
Producers: Jude Harris, Diane Quon, Kat Vasquez, David Siev
Winner: Audience Award for Documentary & Special Jury Award for Exceptional Intimacy in Storytelling, SXSW
A biracial filmmaker captures his small-town American family’s fight for their American Dream at a time of great upheaval, and provides a microcosmic portrait of America at a pivotal moment. (IFC Films)
FREEDOM ON FIRE: UKRAINE’S FIGHT FOR FREEDOM (NYC Premiere)
Director: Evgeny Afineevsky
Producers: Evgeny Afineevsky, Will Znidaric, Ted Hope, Galyna Sadomtseva-Nabaranchuk, Shahida Tulaganova, Inna Goncharova
Winner: Kineo Award – Movie for Humanity, Venice Film Festival
An impassioned view beyond the headlines of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
A HOUSE MADE OF SPLINTERS (NYC Premiere)
Director: Simon Lereng Wilmont
Producer: Monica Hellstrom
Winner: Directing Award for World Cinema – Documentary, Sundance Film Festival
A halfway house for vulnerable children in Ukraine hangs on to survival in a world torn apart by failing policy and then war.
I DIDN’T SEE YOU THERE
Director: Reid Davenport
Producer: Keith Wilson
Winner: Directing Award for U.S. Documentary, Sundance Film Festival
Filmmaker Reid Davenport creates a diaristic portrait of his life in a wheelchair while also reflecting on the history of the circus freak show. (POV)
IN HER HANDS
Directors: Tamana Ayazi, Marcel Mettelsiefen
Producers: Juan Camilo Cruz, Jonathan Schaerf
Winner: Audience Award, Camden Film Festival
In the months leading up to the Taliban takeover in 2021, one of Afghanistan’s youngest female mayors, Zarifa Ghafari, deals with danger, uncertainty and personal turmoil. (Netflix)
KASH KASH – WITHOUT FEATHERS WE CAN’T LIVE (NYC Premiere)
Director: Lea Najjar
Producers: Matthias Drescher, Max Brunner, Julian Haisch, Jinane Dagher
Winner: NEXT:WAVE Award, CPH: DOX
A depiction of life in Beirut through a rooftop game of luring pigeons, casting them off and eventually watching them fly away.
RIOTSVILLE, USA
Director: Sierra Pettengill
Producers: Sara Archambault, Jamila Wignot
Winner: Best Documentary, Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival
Industrial films made by the US military in the 1960s of dress rehearsals for riot responses are the starting point for an investigation into the rise of the massive American law-enforcement industry over the past 50 years. (Magnolia Pictures)
AMERICAN LIVES
STATES OF BEING IN THE UNION
MASTER OF LIGHT (NYC Premiere)
Director: Rosa Ruth Boesten
Producers: Roger Ross Williams, Ilja Roomans, Anousha Nzume
A self-taught classical painter is freed from prison after ten years and works to establish himself as a professional artist and a better version of himself in a new season of his life. (HBO Documentary Films)
MY SISTER LIV (North American Premiere)
Director: Alan Hicks
Producers: Paula DuPré Pesmen, Camilla Mazzaferro
A sobering look into the shocking reality of the current teen mental health crisis through the story of two extraordinary sisters.
MY SO-CALLED HIGH SCHOOL RANK (NYC Premiere)
Directors: Ricki Stern, Annie Sundberg
Producers: Ricki Stern, Annie Sundberg, Alexander Baerti, Sarti Work
Chronicles the popularity of a high school musical, called Ranked, which captures the increasingly pressurized college admissions process. (HBO Documentary Films)
OUTTA THE MUCK (NYC Premiere)
Directors: Bhawin Suchak, Ira Mckinley
Producers: Tracy Rector, Darian Henry, Bhawin Suchak, Ira Mckinley
Family, friends and football: a slice-of-life portrait of Pahokee, Florida, a small, predominantly Black town with a beautifully strong sense of community and identity.
SAM NOW (NYC Premiere)
Director: Reed Harkness
Producer: Jason Reid, Reed Harkness, Heather Hawksford, Adam Brown
A road trip through love, loss and longing told by two brothers over 25 years, using every video format imaginable.
SANTA CAMP (World Premiere)
Director: Nick Sweeney
Producer: Stacey Reiss
With Christmas looming, three unconventional new recruits join the jolly white, bearded, ranks of Santa Camp and shake up the image of Kris Kringle. (HBO Max)
THIS MUCH WE KNOW (NYC Premiere)
Director: L. Frances Henderson
Producer: Keith Miller, Joey Carey, L. Frances Henderson
Through the investigation of a teenager’s tragic death, a filmmaker analyzes Las Vegas’ darkest claim to fame as America’s suicide capital.
THE ʼVOUS (NYC Premiere)
Directors: Jack Porter Lofton, Jeff Dailey
Producers: Jack Porter Lofton, Patrick Rodgers, Amalia Eddings, Shawn Rowland, John Earney
After a milestone 70th anniversary, The Rendezvous, Memphis’ world-famous barbecue institution, grapples with the transition of the legendary family restaurant to a third generation.
WISDOM GONE WILD (NYC Premiere)
Director: Rea Tajiri
Producers: Rea Tajiri, Sian Evans
A filmmaker documents her mother’s long struggle with dementia to create an homage and a record that belongs to the collective archives of Asian American lives.
ARTISTIC EXPRESSIONS
STORIES OF CREATIVITY
THE ART OF REBELLION (NYC Premiere)
Director: Libby Spears
Producers: Sam Hook, Katy Wood
An artist and single mother refuses to give into societal limitations and a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis that threatens to steal her livelihood.
THE END OF THE WORLD (NYC Premiere)
Director: Matt Tyrnauer
Producers: Matt Tyrnauer, Corey Reeser, Dan Crane, Graham High, Andrea Lewis
The untold history of a generation of great American writers coming out of Bennington College and the 1980s culture it epitomized.
KINGDOM OF DREAMS (US Premiere)
Directors: Camilla Hall, Nick Green
Producers: Darapon Vongsa-Nga, Charlotte Rodrigues, Jeanne Beker, Jeffrey Latimer, Martin Phillip, Dora Ash Sakula
Trailblazers, iconoclasts and industry titans usher in a golden era of haute couture in a high-stakes, three-decade chronicle of the rise of modern fashion.
KOBRA SELF-PORTRAIT (International Premiere)
Director: Lina Chamie
Producers: Lina Chamie, Vinicius Pardinho
A free-flowing, symbiotic cinematic experience of the famed Brazilian street artist Kobra’s larger-than-life outdoor murals, known for their bright colors, bold lines and peace activism themes.
RADICAL LANDSCAPES (World Premiere)
Director: Elettra Fiumi
Producers: Sara Bühring, Elettra Fiumi
In trying to know her father, a filmmaker unveils the genius of visionary architect, Fabrizio Fiumi, whose radical contributions are grossly unrecognized.
SPLICE HERE: A PROJECTED ODYSSEY (US Premiere)
Director: Rob Murphy
Producers: Joanne Donahoe-Beckwith, Rob Murphy, Ros Walker
A jubilant love letter to film projection and cinema on film, and one projectionist’s efforts to ensure new generations experience the magic of both.
FIGHT THE POWER
STORIES OF ACTIVISM
HUNTING IN PACKS (NYC Premiere)
Director: Chloe Sosa-Sims
Producer: Hannah Donegan
Three fierce and charismatic female politicians from the US, the UK and Canada lead us through the ups and downs of their daily lives in this entertaining and enlightening documentary.
WE ARE NOT GHOULS (NYC Premiere)
Director: Chris James Thompson
Producers: Jack Turner, Jessica Farrell
US Air Force JAG Attorney Yvonne Bradley defends Guantanamo detainee, Binyam Mohamed, and uncovers the harrowing truths of Guantanamo Bay and the US legal system.
THE WIND BLOWS THE BORDER (US Premiere)
Director: Laura Faerman, Marina Weis
Producer: Julio Matos, Rodrigo Diaz, Luis Ludmer
On the border between Brazil and Paraguay, an indigenous activist and teacher fights alongside her community to reclaim their ancestral land against Bolsonaro-era agribusiness proponents.
A WITCH STORY (World Premiere)
Director: Yolanda Pividal
Producers: Yolanda Pividal, Ruth Somalo
The descendant of a woman hanged for witchcraft in Salem more than 300 years ago traces the lineage of witch hunts, real and metaphoric, to present-day patriarchal power-grabs.
GAME FACE CINEMA
THE DRAMA OF SPORT
CATEGORY: WOMAN (International Premiere)
Director: Phyllis Ellis
Producers: Howard Fraiberg, Phyllis Ellis
Athletes of color prohibited from competition in women’s sports due to discriminatory regulations struggle for their rights.
JEANETTE LEE VS. (World Premiere)
Director: Ursula Liang
Producer: Cora Atkinson
Asian American trailblazer Jeanette Lee, aka Black Widow, ruled pool halls in the ’90s and early 2000s; now she reflects on her historic legacy in the face of a recent cancer diagnosis.
SKATE DREAMS (NYC Premiere)
Director: Jessica Edwards
Producers: Gary Hustwit, Eric Owens
Superstars of women’s skateboarding chronicle the fight for gender equity, respect in the sport and mainstream recognition, as skateboarding makes its way into Olympic competition.
SOUTH BEACH SHARK CLUB: LEGENDS AND LORE OF THE SOUTH FLORIDA SHARK HUNTERS (NYC Premiere)
Director: Robert Requejo Ramos
Producer: Pedro Gomez
In 1970s Miami, a group of reckless teenage outcasts take up what would be a lifelong sporting passion: catching sharks.
SUPER EAGLES ’96 (International Premiere)
Director: Yemi Bamiro
Producers: Julia Nottingham, Lia Nicholls
The Super Eagles, Nigeria’s men’s national soccer team, capture the hearts of the world with a groundbreaking run as the first African nation to win gold during the 1996 Olympic games.
VILLENEUVE PIRONI (US Premiere)
Director: Torquil Jones
Producers: John McKenna, Torquil Jones
The astonishing tragedy of Formula 1 legends Gilles Villenueve and Didier Pironi, forever bound by breathtaking talent, racing controversy and, ultimately, catastrophe.
INVESTIGATIONS
EXPOSING THE TRUTH
THE CORRIDORS OF POWER (NYC Premiere)
Director: Dror Moreh
Producers: Solomon Goodman, Estelle Fialon, Yaël Fogiel, Laetitia Gonzalez, Vanessa Ciszewski
An enlightening and thorough examination of genocide and foreign US policy, filled with the insights of politicians and diplomats from various administrations over the past 40 years.
THE GRAB (NYC Premiere)
Director: Gabriela Cowperthwaite
Producers: Nathan Halverson, Amanda Pike, Blye Faust, Nicole Rocklin, Gabriela Cowperthwaite
Investigative reporters peel back the cover-ups of international governments and uber-wealthy private investors as they grab control of the natural resources that will provide food and water to the world’s population for the next century and beyond.
JANUARY 6TH (NYC Premiere)
Directors: Jules Naudet, Gedeon Naudet
Producers: Isabel San Vargas, Sam Whipple
From directors Jules and Gédéon Naudet, this extraordinarily detailed account of the Capitol attack gives a minute-by-minute look into the events of January 6th. (discovery+)
THE KILLING OF A JOURNALIST (NYC Premiere)
Director: Matt Sarnecki
Producer: Signe Byrge Sørensen
After the brutal murder of a young investigative journalist in Slovakia, colleagues and fellow journalists use leaked case files to reveal an assassination plan linked to high members of the government.
PATH OF THE PANTHER (NYC Premiere)
Director: Eric Bendick
Producers: Carlton Ward Jr., Thomas Winston, Tori Linder, Eric Bendick
A wildlife photographer charts the habitat of the elusive, endangered Florida panther to make a case against public indifference to government-sanctioned environmental destruction.
THE QUIET EPIDEMIC (NYC Premiere)
Directors: Lindsay Keys, Winslow Crane-Murdoch
Producers: Chris Hegedus, Daria Lombroso, Lindsay Keys
In 1975, the CDC and insurance companies set guidelines still used today to deny the existence of chronic Lyme disease; now a family fights for their daughter’s testing and treatment of the disease.
PORTRAITS
PROFILES OF SINGULAR INDIVIDUALS
BUFFY SAINTE-MARIE: CARRY IT ON (US Premiere)
Director: Madison Thomas
Producers: Lisa Meeches, Stephen Paniccia
Fierce and fearless, folk singer Buffy Sainte-Marie—educator, Oscar winner, activist and philanthropist—has always been a woman ahead of her time. (PBS-American Masters)
ELLIS (World Premiere)
Director: Sascha Just
Producers: Sascha Just, Elisabeth Kalos-Kaplan
An intimate portrait of the life and musical legacy of master pianist and composer Ellis Marsalis, patriarch of the “First Family of Jazz.”
ENNIO (NYC Premiere)
Director: Giuseppe Tornatore
Producers: Gianni Russo, Gabriele Costa
An extraordinary portrait of the legendary composer Ennio Morricone with a treasure trove of film clips and interviews with famed directors, screenwriters, musicians, songwriters, critics and collaborators.
IN THE COMPANY OF ROSE (World Premiere)
Director: James Lapine
Producers: Jack Shear, James Lapine, Miky Wolf
Rose Styron, the widow of the great American novelist William Styron, recounts the fascinating story of her complex life as a poet, journalist, human rights activist and life partner.
JERRY BROWN: THE DISRUPTER (NYC Premiere)
Director: Marina Zenovich
Producers: Laura Michalchyshyn, P.G. Morgan, Marina Zenovich
A look at the life and career of the two-time, four-term Governor of California, and his record of forward-thinking policymaking.
ROBERT IRWIN: A DESERT OF PURE FEELING (World Premiere)
Director: Jennifer Lane
Producers: David Hollander, Jennifer Lane, Joseph Cashiola, Arne Glimcher
Legendary experimental artist Robert Irwin explores his radical career that culminates in Marfa, Texas, with a free-standing installation that challenges consumerism, human nature and technology’s mediation of the world.
SONIC CINEMA
MOVIES ABOUT MUSIC
CESÁRIA ÉVORA (NYC Premiere)
Director: Ana Sofia Fonseca
Producers: Ana Sofia Fonseca, Irina Calado
From the tiny island nation of Cape Verde, Cesária Évora rose to global fame as the “Barefoot Diva,” enchanting the world with her mesmerizing voice.
THE ELEPHANT 6 RECORDING CO. (World Premiere)
Director: C.B. Stockfleth
Producers: C.B. StockfIeth, Greg King, Lance Bangs
Out of Athens, GA in the ’90s sprung the psychedelic rock bands Olivia Tremor Control, Neutral Milk Hotel, the Apples in Stereo and others, all bringing a jolt of energy, fun and DIY spirit to the music scene.
FINDING HER BEAT (NYC Premiere)
Directors: Dawn Mikkelson, Keri Pickett
Producers: Dawn Mikkelson, Jennifer Weir, Megan Chao Smith
Two drum masters, one Japanese and one Korean American, convene an all-female troupe to perform Taiko, the Japanese drumming art that has previously been off-limits to women.
IMMEDIATE FAMILY (NYC Premiere)
Director: Denny Tedesco
Producers: Jack Platt, Jonathan Sheldon, Greg Richling
Five studio musicians who worked on many of the most iconic recordings from the 1970s to today, chart their careers behind-the-scenes in creating the music of an era.
LEE FIELDS: FAITHFUL MAN (NYC Premiere)
Directors: Jessamyn Ansary, Joyce Mishaan
Producers: Jessamyn Ansary, Joyce Mishaan
Former member of Kool & the Gang and sampled by A$ap Rocky, blues and soul singer Lee Fields’ career has spanned 50 years of ups and downs before reaching its current all-time high.
LOST ANGEL: THE GENIUS OF JUDEE SILL (World Premiere)
Directors: Andy Brown, Brian Lindstrom
Producers: Peter Kenney, Brian Lindstrom
Part Janis Joplin and part Leonard Cohen, Judee Sill was a 1970s original far ahead of her time; her legacy is revived in this documentary, with contemporary artists interpreting her jaw-dropping artistry.
VOICES OF CANADA
A showcase of the Canadian titles that are represented throughout the festival’s sections.
Feature Films:
BIG FIGHT IN LITTLE CHINATOWN
BUFFY SAINTE-MARIE: CARRY IT ON
CABIN MUSIC
CATEGORY:WOMAN
HUNTING IN PACKS
LOVE IN THE TIME OF FENTANYL
QUEEN OF THE DEUCE
Short Films:
First Months of Freedom
The Goats of Monesiglio
Violet Gave Willingly
SHORTS PROGRAMS
There are 67 shorts participating in the juried Shorts Competition. One short, Ghosts of Moria (Dir: Florian Elabdi, Michael Graversen/Prod: Michael Graversen) will be paired with the feature film Fati’s Choice. The remaining shorts will be part of the following 12 programs:
SHORTS: ARTSCAPES
A glimpse into the artistic process behind brilliant creators across disciplines.
Are You Down? (Dirs/Prods: Juan Matos, Dennis Scholl)
Dream That I Had (Dir/Prod: Evelyn Lee)
Made of Light (Dir/Prod: Yannick Jamey)
Sincerely Miné Okubo (Dir/Prod: Yuka Murakami)
Theo Anthony Makes a Stool (Dir/Prod: Joe Sankus)
Tuning René Marie (Dir: Rachel Kessler/Prods: Polina Buchak, Rachel Kessler)
What Are You Looking At? (Dir/Prod: Liberty Smith)
SHORTS: ANIMAL FARM
These docs feature the dynamic relationships between humans and entertaining, sentient, magnificent animals.
Escape Artists: The Tale of Mike, Mike Jr. and Freddie (Dir: Nancy Siesel/Prods: Carol Colmenares, Nancy Siesel)
The Goats of Monesiglio (Dir: Emily Graves/Prods: Raj Dhillon, Emily Graves, AnnaCooley)
Holy Cowboys (Dir: Varun Chopra/Prods: Anna Hashmi, Varun Chopra)
Requiem for a Whale (Dir: Ido Weisman/Prod: Ido Weisman)
Strange Beasts (Dir: Darcy Prendergast/Prod: Rachel Gilkison)
SHORTS: COMMUNITY
Whether by nature or necessity, we find solace and support in our communities.
Motorrodillo (Dir: Alba Jaramillo/Prod: Qutaiba Barhamji, Marie-Odile Gazin, Alba Jaramillo)
This Tree Is Hostile (Dir/Prod: Hugh Clegg)
We Are Here (Dirs/Prods: Constanza Castro, Doménica Castro)
When We Dance (Dir/Prod: Nick Waters)
SHORTS: HIDDEN HISTORIES
The backstories of unrecognized cultures.
Couchsurfing: The Rise and Demise of a Dream (Dir: Laura Gamse/Prod: Jefferson Liu)
Granny’s Sexual Life (Dirs: Urška Djukić, Émilie Pigeard/Prods: Boštjan Virc, Olivier Catherin, Nidia Santiago, Edwina Liard)
Ibach (Dir: Rachel Weinberg/Prod: Palmer Morse)
Once There Was a Sea… (Dir: Joanna Kozuch/Prod: BFILM)
One Kilometer By Foot (Dir: Rachel Menyuk/Prods: Rachel Menyuk, Sadie Leigh, Mel Bieler, Eric Swartz)
SHORTS: NEW YORK, NEW YORK
Our beloved city through the eyes of many.
Benny (Dirs/Prods: David Dominguez, Troy Vetri)
The Clockmaker (Dir/Prod: Hannah Rafkin)
Coming Home (Dirs: Naim Naif, Margot Bowman/Prods: Naim Naif, Margot Bowman, Meghan Doherty)
Dust Away (Dirs/Prods: Tanita Rahmani, Dea Gjinovci)
The End (Dir: Emily Sundberg/Prods: Eric Arzoian, Emily Sundberg, Jack Mankiewicz)
The (Other) 700 Club (Dir/Prod: Araque Blanco)
Piled Up (Dir/Prod: Sophia Lebowitz)
What I Had To Leave Behind (Dir/Prod: Sean David Christensen)
SHORTS: OUR CLIMATE / OUR CRISIS
The inventive solutions and devastating realities of our climate crisis on film.
Beyond the Landfill (Dir: Dewi Tan/Prod: Hwallywood Academy of Media and Arts)
Boubé of the Fulani (Dir: Félicien Assogba/Prods: Arnold Setohou, Tiny Mungwe)
Eco-Hack! (Dirs/Prods: Josh Izenberg, Brett Marty)
The Farm Under the City (Dirs: Brett Chapman, Jordan Carroll/Prods: Lewis Coates)
From Dreams to Dust (Dirs: Stephanie Tangkilisan, Muhammad Fadli/Prod: Stephanie Tangkilisan)
SHORTS: THE PEOPLE VS.
Stories that command attention and fight for a better future for all.
Arecibo Wants Its Telescope Back (Dir: Billy Ward/Prod: Sarah Husein)
Entering Pornland: Darren (Dir/Prod: Benjamin Nolot)
The Family Statement (Dirs: Grace Harper, Kate Stonehill/Prod: Steven Lake)
Founders (Dir: Scott Faris/Prod: Meg Griffiths)
The Monster In Our Closet (Dirs: Nicole Gormley, Kathryn Francis/Prods: Kathryn Francis, Nicole Gormley, Emily Perry)
Sentinels (Dirs/Prods: Derek Knowles, Lawrence Lerew)
SHORTS: PHYSICAL PURSUITS
Athletic feats and strong bonds build this program of physical pursuits across the globe.
Iron Sharpens Iron (Dir/Prod: John Gallen)
A Mouthful of Petrol (Dirr: Jess Kohl/Prods: Jess Kohl, Ben Col)
A New Wave (Dir: Sandra Winther/Prod: Sara Samsøe)
Shirampari: Legacies of the River (Dir: Lucía Flórez/Prod: Chémi Pérez)
SHORTS: PROCESS
This program is as meta as they come: films about filmmaking.
3 Promises (Dir: Mohamed Shalaby/Prods: Carolina Cordero, Mohamed Shalaby)
I Wonder If I’m Growing (Dir/Prod: Chris Molina)
Liturgy of Anti-Tank Obstacles (Dir: Dmytro Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk/Prod: Daniel Lombroso)
Makeover Movie (Dir/Prod: Sue Ding)
Will You Look At Me (Dir/Prod: Shuli Huang)
SHORTS: PROFILES
Portraits and profiles of unique individuals with filmmaking to match.
1402 Pork ‘n’ Bean Blue (Dir: Juan Luis Matos/Prods: Amanda Bradley, Dennis Scholl)
Bendix: Site Unseen (Dir/Prod: Anthony Scalia)
First Months of Freedom (Dir/Prod: Kriss Li)
How Do You Measure A Year? (Dir/Prod: Jay Rosenblatt)
Moon Shot (Dirs/Prods: Jay Armitage, Jason Cooper)
SHORTS: SHE STORIES
Women share their stories from in front of, and behind, the camera.
Favorite Daughter (Dir/Prod: Dana Reilly)
Fight or Flight (Dir: Lindsey Hagen/Prods: Lindsey Hagen, Dan Riordan)
Her Scents of Pu Er (Dir/Prod: Anna-Claria Ostasenko Bogdanoff)
In Bloom (Dir/Prod: Ashley Davidson/Producers: Jeff Hurlow, Ashley Davidson)
Still Waters (Dir: Aurora Brachman/Prod: Mariales Diaz)
Violet Gave Willingly (Dir/Prod: Claire Sanford)
SHORTS: TRANSITIONS
These films explore existential moments and grief, pushing us past pain into life beyond loss.
Creating Things (Dirs/Prods: Bryan Simpson, Taylor Simpson)
El Bastón (Dir/Prod: Nemo Allen)
For Love and Legacy (Dir/Prod: A.K. Sandhu)
I’m Late (Dir: Sawako Kabuki/Prods: Emmanuel-Alain Raynal, Pierre Baussaron)
Love, Dad (Dir: Diana Cam Van Nguyen/Prods: Karolína Davidová, Tomáš Šimon)
The Return (Dir: Hena Ashraf/Prods: Hena Ashraf, Linda Nhem, Tejas Karguppikar)
MEET THE PRESS FILM FESTIVAL
Celebrating its sixth year and following editions in DC and Los Angeles, the Meet the Press Film Festival moves to New York City in 2022 to partner with DOC NYC. With its annual festival of short documentaries, Meet the Press highlights the crossover between politics, journalism and film, with screenings and conversations that bring together leading filmmakers and NBC News correspondents to shine a light on the year’s most pressing issues.
CHANGING THE SYSTEM
Changes in views over judicial accountability, drug-related crimes and systemic racism are at the root of these films, which examine how gaps in the criminal justice system can leave people behind bars for years Screening followed by a Q&A with filmmakers and Symone Sanders-Townsend, Host of “Symone” on MSNBC.
Living While American (Dir: Sosena Solomon/Prod: Brandon Micheal Hall)
The Recall (Dir: Rebecca Richman Cohen/Prods: Rebecca Richman Cohen, Yoruba Richen, Nathaniel Hansen) (MSNBC)
The Sentence of Michael Thompson (Dirs: Kyle Thrash, Haley Elizabeth Anderson/Prods: Kyle Thrash, W. Ian Ross) (MSNBC)
MY HOME, MY LAND
Three stories about land, laws and traditions, that show us the meaning of home. Screening followed by a Q&A with filmmakers and NBC News NOW Anchor and NBC News Correspondent Savannah Sellers.
Dear Noah: Pages From a Family Diary (Dirs: Matthew Kwiecinski, Christine Nguyen/Prods: Matthew Kwiecinski, Christine Nguyen, Yara Bishara, Marshall Crook) (NBC News Digital Docs/Focus Features)
Heart Valley (Dir: Christian Cargill/Prods: Christian Cargill, Lily Wakeley, Kiran Sidhu)
Long Line of Ladies (Dirs: Rayka Zehtabchi, Shaandiin Tome/Prods: Garrett Schiff, Rayka Zehtabchi, Sam Davis, Pimm Tripp-Allen)
PIONEERING WOMEN
Martha Mitchell and Sally Schmitt should be household names; one stood up to a president and the other helped launch the most famous restaurant in America. These films tell the stories of women who lived life on their own terms. Screening followed by a Q&A with filmmakers and NBC News Chief Washington Correspondent Andrea Mitchell.
The Best Chef in the World (Dir/Prod: Ben Proudfoot)
The Martha Mitchell Effect (Dirs: Anne Alvergue, Debra McClutchy/Prods: Beth Levison, Judith Mizrachy)
SEEKING REFUGE, FINDING HOME
Kivu, Hong Kong, Milwaukee — people move across the globe, seeking shelter from violence and oppression. These films tell the stories of migrants from the Balkans, Iraq, China and Congo, as they resettle in cities around the world. Screening followed by a Q&A with filmmakers and Molly O’Brien, head of documentary, NBC News Studios.
The Flagmakers (Dirs/Prods: Cynthia Wade, Sharon Liese)
Freedom Swimmer (Dir: Olivia Martin-McGuire/Prods: Brooke Tia Silcox, Ron Dyens, Olivia Martin-McGuire)
More Than I Want to Remember (Dir: Amy Bench/Prods: Amy Bench, Mugeni Ornella, Carolyn Merriman)
THE WIN: WHEN ATHLETES SHAKE THE WORLD
Sports open the doors for stories untold. In Cleveland, a city reconsiders the meaning of a century-old mascot, and in New York, a stereotype is reformed by the electric performance of one player. Screening followed by a Q&A with filmmakers and TODAY anchor Craig Melvin.
38 at the Garden (Dir: Frank Chi/Prods: Travon Free, Samir Hernandez)
Deerfoot of the Diamond (Dir: Lance Edmands/Prods: Travon Free, Samir Hernandez)
WHEN SHE STANDS HER GROUND
What happens when “universal” rights are tested by women? In Alabama, Brittany Smith’s case calls into question the purpose of “stand your ground” laws. And in Russia, activist Anastasia Shevchenko pays a heavy price for standing up to President Vladimir Putin. Screening followed by a Q&A with filmmakers and ‘Meet the Press’ Moderator Chuck Todd.
Anastasia (Dir: Sarah McCarthy/Prods: Sasha Odynova, Sarah McCarthy)
State of Alabama vs. Brittany Smith (Dir: Ryan White/Prods: Jessica Hargrave, Ryan White)
DOC NYC U
DOC NYC U features short documentaries from students across the five boroughs. Refreshed in a new format, these six programs showcase projects from Baruch College, Brooklyn College, Columbia University, CUNY, Hunter College, The New School, New York Film Academy, New York University, and School of Visual Arts.
DOC NYC U: ALL ABOUT LOVE
From intimate to platonic, love is all around us.
Bad Lesbian (Dirs/Prods: Ava Palmo, Madeline Johnson, Olivia Muse, Columbia University)
Crush Icebergs (Dir/Prod: Hannah Rafkin, School of Visual Arts)
Hare Krishna Consciousness (Dir/Prod: Jamila Yancy, The New School)
The House of Labeija (Dir/Prod: Fredgy Noël, Hunter College)
Reflection No. 1 (Dir/Prod: Jessy Price, School of Visual Arts)
DOC NYC U: THE ARTISTS
Drawing from global injustices or pure love, these artists share what inspires them.
Chants of Freedom (Dir/Prod: Moksh Krishnan, The New School)
First Saké Brewery in New York (Dir/Prod: Xiaoying Su, School of Visual Arts)
Hei’er (Dir: Yehui Zhao/Prod: Andrew Felsher, Hunter College)
Light Leak (Dir: Nate Dorr/Prod: Zach Nader, Hunter College)
Oto Baya (Dir/Prod: Ketevan Beraia, New York Film Academy)
Shadow Girl (Dir/Prod: Azia Egbe, Hunter College)
DOC NYC U: LIFE IN THE BIG APPLE
A program dedicated to New York, from the eyes of the next generation.
Bach at Noon (Dir/Prod: Emma Rose Brown, Hunter College)
Black Gold (Dir: Natalie Peña Peart/Prods: Natalie Peña Peart, Phil Bertelsen, Bob Sacha, CUNY)
Breathe (Dir/Prod: Zac Norrington, The New School)
Engraved (Dir/Prod: Tiffany Jiang, The New School)
The Great Find (Dir/Prod: Cacau Araujo, The New School)
Stay the Course (Dirs/Prods: Mariel Rodriguez-McGill, Teresa Cebrian Aranda, Columbia University)
DOC NYC U: PORTRAITS
Profiles of dynamic individuals both local and abroad.
At Home Among Strangers (Dir/Prod: Asya Gorbacheva, Hunter College)
Backyard Barber (Dir/Prod: Mengyu Yan, School of Visual Arts)
Everyone’s a Stranger (Dir/Prod: John Nyberg, New York Film Academy)
The Fabricator (Dir/Prod: Frank Vitale, School of Visual Arts)
In Search of the Blue Heart (Dir/Prod: Amelia Deschamps, New York Film Academy)
Reach for the Skye (Dir: Abdullah Malik/Prod: Isaac Rodriguez, Brooklyn College)
Zoom Acting (Dir/Prod: Juwan Wyatt, Brooklyn College)
DOC NYC U: SYSTEMS DOWN
These films share difficult stories where state sanctioned violence goes unsolved and untried across the globe.
In Between (Dir/Prod: Andrea Acosta, New York University)
Long Way Home (Dir/Prod: Serge Kharytonau, New York University)
Surviving The Caliphate (Dir/Prod: Muna Fadhil, New York Film Academy)
When The Pine Needles Fall (Dir/Prod: Katsi’tsakwas Ellen Gabriel, New York Film Academy)
DOC NYC U: WHAT BONDS US
Documentaries about the shared bonds that bring us closer as humans.
Birthing Without Fear (Dir/Prod: Jessica Brown, CUNY)
Found (Dir: Shuhao Tse/Prods: Bo Qin, Tao Zhang, New York University)
Life With Coffee (Dir/Prod: Sohee Jeon, School of Visual Arts)
A Place to Pray – An MSA Story (Dir/Prodr: Siddrah Alhindi, Baruch College)
Seasons (Dirs/Prods: Gabriella Canal, Michael Fearon, Columbia University)
The Secret Sobriety Project (Dir/Prod: Claire Kinnen, Hunter College)
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. For the fourth year, the Short List: Features will vie for juried awards in four categories: Directing, Producing, Cinematography, and Editing. Last year’s winners were In The Same Breath (Directing), Flee (Producing), Ascension (Editing), and Faya Dayi (Cinematography).
This year’s selections for Short List: Features are:
ALL THAT BREATHES
Director: Shaunak Sen
Producers: Shaunak Sen, Aman Mann, Teddy Leifer
Winner of prizes at Cannes and Sundance, All That Breathes follows two brothers in New Delhi dedicated to caring for birds. (Sideshow/Submarine Deluxe/HBO Documentary Films)
ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED
Director: Laura Poitras
Producers: Howard Gertler, John Lyons, Nan Goldin, Yoni Golijov, Laura Poitras
Oscar-winning director Laura Poitras (Citizenfour) profiles artist and activist Nan Goldin as she leads protests against the Sackler family and their company Purdue Pharma. (NEON/Participant/HBO Documentary Films)
BEBA
Director: Rebeca Huntt
Producer: Sofia Geld
Director Rebeca Huntt makes a stunning debut in this personal documentary that traces her Dominican and Venezuelan roots as she comes of age in New York City. (NEON)
DESCENDANT
Director: Margaret Brown
Producers: Kyle Martin, Essie Chambers, Margaret Brown
Filmmaker Margaret Brown returns to her hometown of Mobile, Alabama to reflect on the legacy of the last known ship carrying enslaved Africans to enter the United States. (Netflix/Participant)
FIRE OF LOVE
Director: Sara Dosa
Producers: Shane Boris, Ina Fichman, Sara Dosa
Narrated by Miranda July, Fire of Love is an essayistic portrait of the French volcanologists Maurice and Katia Krafft. (National Geographic Documentary Films)
THE JANES
Director: Tia Lessin, Emma Pildes
Producers: Emma Pildes, Daniel Arcana, Jessica Levin
The Janes explores the hidden history of a Chicago grassroots organization that helped women end unwanted pregnancies in the years before Roe v. Wade. (HBO Documentary Films)
LAST FLIGHT HOME
Director: Ondi Timoner
Producer: Ondi Timoner, David Turner
Award-winning filmmaker Ondi Timoner (Dig!, We Live in Public) creates a deeply personal family portrait about her 92-year-old father Eli as he chooses to end his own life. (MTV Documentary Films)
LOUIS ARMSTRONG’S BLACK AND BLUES
Director: Sacha Jenkins
Producers: Sacha Jenkins, Sara Bernstein, Jason Wilkes, Julie Anderson
Filmmaker Sacha Jenkins (Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men) gains access to Louis Armstrong’s personal archives, which reveal multiple dimensions of the jazz pioneer. (Apple Original Films)
MIJA
Director: Isabel Castro
Producers: Isabel Castro, Tabs Breese, Yesenia Tlahuel
Mija takes us into the world of Chicano pop music through the eyes of young Mexican American talent manager Doris Muñoz. (Disney Original Documentary)
MOONAGE DAYDREAM
Director / Producer: Brett Morgen
Drawing upon a wealth of unseen material from his archive, this film explores David Bowie’s career with an approach as bold and visually inventive as he was. (NEON/HBO Documentary Films)
NAVALNY
Director: Daniel Roher
Producers: Diane Becker, Shane Boris, Melanie Miller, Odessa Rae
This real-life thriller follows the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny as he attempts to identify the agents sent to assassinate him. (Warner Bros./CNN Films/HBO Max)
RETROGRADE
Director: Matthew Heineman
Producers: Matthew Heineman, Caitlin McNally, Javed Rezayee
Matthew Heineman documents the last days of American occupation through the eyes of Afghanistan witnesses and records a country’s doomed descent into terror. (National Geographic Documentary Films)
THE RETURN OF TANYA TUCKER – FEATURING BRANDI CARLILE
Director: Kathlyn Horan
Producers: Christopher Clements, Carolyn Hepburn, Julie Goldman, Kathlyn Horan
Years after the trailblazing country music star Tanya Tucker stopped recording, her superfan Brandi Carlile brings her back to the studio to record an album Carlile has written to restore her rightful place in the country music pantheon. (Sony Pictures Classics)
“SR.”
Director: Chris Smith
Producers: Emily Barclay Ford, Kevin Ford, Robert Downey Jr., Susan Downey
A lovingly irreverent portrait of the life and career of maverick filmmaker Robert Downey Sr. that evolves into a larger meditation on art, mortality, and healing generational dysfunction. (Netflix)
THE TERRITORY
Director: Alex Pritz
Producers: Darren Aronofsky, Sigrid Dyekjær, Lizzie Gillett, Will N. Miller
Filmmaker Alex Pritz collaborates with the Uru-eu-wau-wau community indigenous to Brazil’s Amazonian rainforest to document their conflict with farmers seeking to clear the land. (National Geographic Documentary Films)
SHORT LIST: SHORTS
The Short List: Shorts showcase of 15 titles is now in its fifth year at DOC NYC. For the fourth year, a DOC NYC jury will select one of the films in the section for a Directing Award. Last year’s winner was Don’t Go Tellin’ Your Momma.
This year’s selections for Short List: Shorts are:
ANASTASIA
Director: Sarah McCarthy
Producers: Sasha Odynova, Sarah McCarthy
Russian activist Anastasia Shevchenko comes to grips with the loss of her daughter after two years of house arrest for speaking out against the government. (MTV Documentary Films)
ANGOLA DO YOU HEAR US? VOICES FROM A PLANTATION PRISON
Director: Cinque Northern
Producer: Catherine Gund
When Liza Jessie Peterson performs her one-woman play at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, she activates the men incarcerated in America’s largest prison-plantation. (MTV Documentary Films)
AS FAR AS THEY CAN RUN
Director: Tanaz Eshaghian
Producers: Tanaz Eshaghian, Christoph Jörg
Three young adults join a running program for disabled youth in Pakistan, hoping to shift perspectives in their rural community. (MTV Documentary Films)
THE BEST CHEF IN THE WORLD
Director / Producer: Ben Proudfoot
Oscar winner and DOC NYC alum Ben Proudfoot profiles Sally Schmidt, the underrecognized progenitor of California Cuisine. (The New York Times Op-Docs)
THE ELEPHANT WHISPERERS
Director: Kartiki Gonsalves
Producers: Guneet Monga, Achin Jain
Beautiful and tender, The Elephant Whisperers features a family as they raise two young elephants in a sanctuary in South India. (Netflix)
THE FLAGMAKERS
Directors / Producers: Cynthia Wade, Sharon Liese
Flags at the largest American flag factory in the country are stitched by refugees and immigrants whose stories redefine what it is to be American. (National Geographic Documentary Films)
IN FLOW OF WORDS
Director: Eliane Esther Bots
Producer: Manon Bovenkerk
An experimental film about three language interpreters at the Yugoslavia Tribunal in The Hague and the wrenching moments they translate. (The New Yorker)
LONG LINE OF LADIES
Directors: Rayka Zehtabchi, Shaandiin Tome
Producers: Garrett Schiff, Rayka Zehtabchi, Sam Davis, Pimm Tripp-Allen
A girl and her community prepare for her Ihuk, the once-dormant coming of age ceremony of the Karuk tribe of Northern California.
THE MARTHA MITCHELL EFFECT
Directors: Anne Alvergue, Debra McClutchy
Producers: Beth Levison, Judith Mizrachy
She was once as famous as Jackie O. And then she tried to take down a president. The Martha Mitchell Effect is an archival documentary portrait of the unlikeliest of whistleblowers. (Netflix)
MY DISABILITY ROADMAP
Directors: Samuel Habib, Dan Habib
Producer: Dan Habib
Samuel Habib has one goal: to be an independent adult without the support of his parents. He travels across America and interviews key figures in the disability rights movement in order to create his own playbook. (The New York Times Op-Docs)
NASIR
Directors: Nasir Bailey, Jackson Kroopf
Producer: Jackson Kroopf
The DOC NYC 2021 Shorts Grand Jury Prizewinner captures the tender story of Nasir as he opens up to his family about his transition. (L.A. Times Studios)
THE PANOLA PROJECT
Directors / Producers: Rachael DeCruz, Jeremy S. Levine
This subtle yet engaging documentary features Dorothy Oliver as she organizes to keep her rural Alabama town safe from COVID-19 by vaccinating everyone. (Courtesy of The New Yorker)
SHUT UP AND PAINT
Directors: Titus Kaphar, Alex Mallis
Producer: Chloe Gbai
Celebrated artist Titus Kaphar takes the mic and camera to share his thoughts on race and the art market. (POV Shorts)
STATE OF ALABAMA VS. BRITTANY SMITH
Director: Ryan White
Producers: Jessica Hargrave, Ryan White
Unfolding in real time by focusing on the experience of one women on trial for murder, the film is a layered examination of gender, the American south, domestic and sexual violence and the failures of our criminal justice system. (Netflix)
YOU CAN’T STOP SPIRIT
Directors: Vashi Korin
Producers: Jazzi McGilbert, Sean Kilgore-Han
This mesmerizing portrait of the “baby dolls” of Mardi Gras explores the storied tradition as a spiritual and artistic practice among a group of New Orleans women. (The New York Times Op-Docs)