Stone Mountain, Yalla Parkour, The Falling Sky, and Art Spiegelman: Disaster is My Muse took the Grand Jury Prizes in the juried U.S. Competition, International Competition, Kaleidoscope and Metropolis at the 2024 DOC NYC film festival. Slumlord Millionaire was voted Audience Award Winner.
The Grand Jury Prize in U.S. Competition went to Stone Mountain, directed by Daniel Kaufman, an exploration of Georgia’s number one tourist attraction that serves as a microcosm of America’s civic discourse.
Jurors’ commented, “With Stone Mountain, Daniel Kaufman crafts a Faulkner-esque portrait of the community surrounding Stone Mountain Park in Georgia, home to the world’s largest bas-relief sculpture: a Confederate memorial carving. Kaufman’s constantly roaming camera eavesdrops on a community with deep racial divides. Seemingly without judgment, Kaufman weaves a complex tapestry of a community — and of a nation. This evocative work establishes Kaufman’s distinct and assured cinematic voice.”
In the International Competition, Yalla Parkour, directed by Areeb Zuaiter, won the Grand Jury Prize. When filmmaker Areeb Zuaiter lost her Palestinian mother, she lost her connection to Gaza. With all the memories from her childhood destroyed, she sets out on a quest to connect with a young man she sees in a video doing parkour among ruins in Gaza. With Ahmed as her guide, she explores life in Gaza, and rebuilds her memories of her mother and her childhood.
Jurors’ commented, “The jury was unanimous in its choice for best international documentary. Yalla Parkour is a stunning cinematic achievement. Exuberant and heartbreaking, filled with youthful dreams and their shattering against a cruel reality, director Areeb Zuaiter’s film pierces the soul. To watch Ahmed Matar and his parkour crew transform Gaza ruins into sites of athletic excellence is to witness the human spirit soar in the face of unspeakable horror. The beautiful cinematography is enhanced by brilliant editorial choices that weave personal loss and a global tragedy into an original work of art. A powerful and urgent tribute to the dignity and resilience of the Palestinian people in the face of annihilation.”
In the Kaleidoscope, Grand Jury Prize went to The Falling Sky, directed by Eryk Rocha. Based on the book co-authored by Davi Kopenawa and anthropologist Bruce Albert, the documentary is an immersive and poetic film centered on iconic shaman Davi Kopenawa and the Yanomami community of Watoriki in the Brazilian rainforest.
On the win, the Jurors’ commented, “The winner of Kaleidoscope competition is a lyrical and powerful work that skillfully utilizes cinematic tools — including hypnotic cinematography and intricate sound design — to tell a timely and resilient story about the Yanomami people in the Brazilian Amazon. The Falling Sky offers an intimate gaze into this Indigenous community’s rich cosmology, rituals, and practices, with the filmmakers delivering a poignant and unflinching critique of colonialism, extractivism, and predatory capitalism.”
In the Metropolis competition , Grand Jury Prize went to Art Spiegelman: Disaster is My Muse, directed by Molly Bernstein, Philip Dolin. This insightful documentary delves into the life and work of Art Spiegelman, the Queens-raised artist who revolutionized comics by exploring dark, complex themes. Shaped by his Holocaust-survivor parents and inspired by MAD magazine’s irreverent satire, Spiegelman’s most famous work, MAUS, is a poignant Holocaust narrative that redefined the medium. The film showcases his resistance to fascism, from Nazis to Trump, and features rich illustrations from his comics, highlighting his significant impact as an artist and cultural critic.
Jurors’ commented, “Out of this year’s outstanding selection of films in the Metropolis competition, one provoked the most discussion within the jury. Art Spiegelman: Disaster is My Muse is about the essential role of subversive art and storytelling in our culture. The quiet modesty of the filmmaking belies a radical tale of a cartoonist who transformed the way illustrations can be used to process the most horrifying chapters of human history. We hope this deserving award can provide a platform to discuss the countless ways Spiegelman’s beautiful, haunting work continues to resonate today.”
Slumlord Millionaire, directed by Steph Ching, Ellen Martinez was voted Audience Award Winner. Slumlord Millionaire is a David-vs.-Goliath documentary chronicles housing injustice in NYC, following renters battling powerful developers and unscrupulous landlords as they resist relentless gentrification across the boroughs.
Complete list of winners of 2024 DOC NYC film festival.
JURIED AWARDS, FEATURE FILMS
U.S. Competition
Grand Jury Prize: Stone Mountain, directed by Daniel Kaufman, produced by Krista Worby and Daniel Kaufman.
Special Mention went to Black Snow, directed by Alina Simone, produced by Kirstine Barfod.
International Competition
Grand Jury Prize: Yalla Parkour, directed by Areeb Zuaiter, produced by Basel Mawlawi.
Special Mention: Sudan, Remember Us, directed by Hind Meddeb, produced by Abel Nahmias, Michel Zana and Taoufik Guiga.
Kaleidoscope
Grand Jury Prize: The Falling Sky, directed by Eryk Rocha, Gabriela Carneiro da Cunhap; produced by Donatella Palermo, Eryk Rocha, Gabriela Carneiro da Cunha.
Special Mention: G – 21 Scenes from Gottsunda, directed by Loran Batti, produced by Göran Hugo Olsson, Melissa Lindgren.
Metropolis
Grand Jury Prize: Art Spiegelman: Disaster is My Muse, directed by Molly Bernstein, Philip Dolin; produced by Alicia Sams, Sam Jinishian.
Special Mention: Conbody vs. Everybody (Episodes 1 & 2), directed by Debra Granik, produced by Anne Rosellini, Joslyn Barnes.
AUDIENCE AWARD
Audience Award Winner
Slumlord Millionaire, directed by Steph Ching, Ellen Martinez, produced by Ellen Martinez, Steph Ching, Nicole Tsien. Available online through December 1.
Audience Award Runners-Up
(in alphabetical order):
All God’s Children, directed by Ondi Timoner, produced by Ondi Timoner, David Turner, Anthony Ervolino. (World Premiere)
Death & Taxes, directed by Justin Shein, Robert Edwards, produced by Yael Melamede, Justin Shein, Robert Edwards. (World Premiere)
Drop Dead City – New York City on the Brink in 1975, directed and produced by Peter Yost, Michael Rohatyn. (World Premiere)
Man From Pretentia, directed by Chih Husan Liang, produced by Penny Arcade, Steve Zehenter, Chris Bongirne, Chih Husan Liang, Joe Duva. (World Premiere)
Nature of the Crime, directed by Ricki Stern, Jesse Sweet, produced by Ricki Stern, Jesse Sweet, Seth Keal. (World Premiere)
The Sing Sing Chronicles, directed by Dawn Porter, produced by Lauren Capps, Sadie Bass. (World Premiere)
SHORT FILM AWARDS
Shorts Competition
Grand Jury Prize: Qotzuñi: People of the Lake, directed/produced by Gastón Zilberman and Michael Salama.
Special Mention: 51st State, directed/produced by Hannah Rosenzweig, produced by Liat Z. Rubin, Ray Whitehouse.
Special Mention: Death by Numbers, directed by Kim A. Snyder, produced by Janique L. Robillard, Kim A. Snyder, Maria Cuomo Cole.
DOC NYC U Competition
DOC NYC U Award: “Find Me”, directed/produced by Hsi Cheng.
Subject Matter
DOC NYC partnered with Subject Matter to present a $20,000 grant from Subject Matter to Homegrown, directed by Michael Premo, to support the film’s audience outreach and impact efforts, along with a corresponding grant of $20,000 to The 22nd Century Initiative, a nonprofit organization that is working to end political violence.
AJH Films
The AJH Filmmakers Fund supports emerging filmmakers committed to social impact with mentorship, infrastructure support, and investment opportunities. This year, the fund awarded a $5,000 grant to the winner of DOC NYC PRO’s Pitch Day, in addition to a $500 honorarium for each finalist.
The grand prize went to Èlia Gasull Balada and Matteo Norzi for their project The Hummingbird Paints Fragrant Songs, a work-in-progress chronicling the journey of an Indigenous artist from the Peruvian Amazon who breaks into the contemporary art scene in her seventies.
Andrew Berends Film Foundation
The 2024 Andrew Berends Film Fellowship awards a $10,000 grant and a year-long mentorship with an industry expert to a filmmaker who embodies Andrew’s spirit of intrepid storytelling.
This year’s recipient is David Estrada for his project To Die for a Soul, a work-in-progress praised for its boldness and emotional depth, presented at the DOC NYC PRO’s Pitch Day.