DC/DOX, the documentary film festival in Washington, DC, will kick off its first annual edition with Joan Baez I Am A Noise, directed by Karen O’Connor, Miri Navasky, and Maeve O’Boyle, and close with Lisa Cortés and Diego Hurtado de Mendoza’s The Space Race. The inaugural DC/DOX festival will be held June 15-18, 2023 in Washington, DC.

“As the newest home for leading-edge documentaries, DC/DOX offers film lovers a unique perspective that only Washington, DC can provide,” said DC/DOX co-founder and festival director Sky Sitney. “With subjects that spark important discussions around culture, identity, and political activism, while still telling deeply personal stories, these films perfectly encapsulate the spirit of DC/DOX as we kick off our first annual festival.”

The Opening Night screening of Joan Baez I Am A Noise will take place on June 15 at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, followed by a conversation with folk singer and activist Joan Baez and filmmaker Karen O’Connor. Bringing together the many facets of Baez’s life – her musical gifts, her passion for activism, her lifelong emotional struggles – the film creates an intimate portrait of a legendary artist, laying bare all her triumphs and pain to tell the full truth of her life.

The Closing Night screening of The Space Race will be held on June 17 at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, with a conversation with film participants Ed Dwight and Leland Melvin, and filmmakers Lisa Cortés and Diego Hurtado de Mendoza. The documentary shines a light on the often overlooked Black astronauts who have been integral to NASA and the space program since its early days, and what their legacies mean for the next generation.

“Washington, DC is an essential stop for this year’s premier documentary films, not simply to reach policy makers but opinion leaders, affinity groups, and film lovers overall,” said DC/DOX co-founder Jamie Shor. “DC/DOX provides a vital platform for these important films in the most important city in the world.”

DC/DOX 2023

Opening Night Screening

JOAN BAEZ I AM A NOISE
DIRS: Karen O’Connor, Miri Navasky, and Maeve O’Boyle. PRODS: Karen O’Connor & Miri Navasky. USA.

I AM A NOISE is a deeply revealing psychological exploration of legendary folk singer and activist Joan Baez, who despite six decades of fame, has never told the full truth of her life, until now. Courtesy of Mead Street Films.

Closing Night Screening

THE SPACE RACE
DIRS: Diego Hurtado de Mendoza and Lisa Cortés. PRODS: Keero Birla, Alexandra Bowen, Aly Parker, and Mark Monroe. USA.

The Black astronaut candidate chosen by JFK to walk on the moon never left Earth, yet his story launches the bold and gripping saga of African Americans at NASA and in space.