DOC NYC

Documentary storytelling is flourishing like never before. DOC NYC is at the center of celebrating and supporting this cultural movement. DOC NYC is also an Academy-qualifying festival for short films. DOC NYC’s winning short will qualify for consideration in the Documentary Short Subject category of the Annual Academy Awards® without the standard theatrical run, provided the film otherwise complies with the Academy rules.

DOC NYC started in 2005 and takes place in Manhattan, New York, USA

Official Website

Judith Helfand’s Disaster Preparedness Documentary COOKED: SURVIVAL BY ZIP CODE to Premiere at DOC NYC 2018

In COOKED: Survival by Zip Code, peabody award winning director Judith Helfand melds her unique brand of investigative reporting and respectful humor to make a potent argument that the best preparation for a disaster may start with actually redefining disaster and preparedness. COOKED: Survival by Zip Code will World Premiere at DOC NYC, screening November 11 and 14. COOKED: Survival by Zip Code is a searing yet quirky investigation into the “natural” disasters we’re willing to see and prepare for and the “unnatural” ones we’re not. Adapted from Eric Klinenberg’s ground-breaking book HEAT WAVE: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago. In her signature serious-yet-quirky connect-the-dots style, Peabody Award winning filmmaker Judith Helfand takes audiences from the deadly 1995 Chicago heat disaster deep into one of our nation’s biggest growth industries — Disaster Preparedness. Along the way she forges inextricable links between extreme weather, extreme disparity and the politics of “disaster”; daring to ask: What if a zip code was just a routing number, and not a life-or-death sentence? Chicago suffered the worst heat disaster in U.S history in 1995, when 739 residents ― mostly elderly, poor and disproportionately black―died over the course of one hot week. COOKED: Survival by Zip Code is a connect-the-dots investigation into extreme heat, the politics of disaster and survival by zip code. Helfand uses her quirky investigative lens to ask a radical yet obvious question: what if we reframe the long-term impact of structural racism, systemic inequity and climate change as an official disaster?
WORLD PREMIERE SCREENINGS AT DOC NYC
Sunday, November 11, 2018 at 1:30 PM SVA Theatre Wednesday, November 14, 2018 at 2:45 PM IFC Center Director Judith Helfand, producer Fenell Doremus, and author Eric Klinenberg in-person for post-screening Q&A’s after each screening.
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DOCNYC 2018: Syrian Women Find Strength Through Theater in WE ARE NOT PRINCESSES [Trailer]

With intimate footage and stunning animation, We Are Not Princesses follows how a theater workshop group of Syrian refugee women, living in a Beirut refugee camp, find laughter and purpose behind the scenes, as they come together to perform the ancient Greek play, Antigone. This film focuses on the strong, resilient, and often hilarious Syrian women who are moving forward in spite of the ever-worsening situation back home. We Are Not Princesses directed by Bridgette Auger and Itab Azzam will World Premiere at DOC NYC on November 14, 2018. In 2014, the Open Art Foundation put together a theater workshop with Syrian women refugees in Beirut to create a space for community and to provide tools to help the women process their trauma as a result of the ongoing conflict in Syria. We Are Not Princesses focuses on the strong, resilient, and often hilarious Syrian women who are moving forward in spite of the ever-worsening situation back home. With intimate footage and stunning animation, the film follows how this group of women find laughter and purpose behind the scenes, as they come together to perform the ancient Greek play, Antigone. Whether they are gossiping at a seaside café or engaging in long-forgotten pleasures at a night-time fairground, these poignant scenes are where intense discussion and transformation take place. Smoking cigarettes and wearing makeup become acts of rebellion against societal and patriarchal authority. And never far from the surface are the horrifying backstories which brought the women to Beirut. Mona tells of the death of her child; Fedwa hyperventilates as she attempts to rehearse the story of her son whom she was unable to bury; Heba remembers her starving brother’s last wish for noodles and yogurt. These stories provide context for the Syrian war, and also establish the women’s point of access into the story of Antigone, a story through which the women begin the work of processing their personal and national traumas. We Are Not Princesses focuses strong Syrian women picking up the pieces of their broken society and moving forward. WORLD PREMIERE SCREENING AT DOC NYC Wednesday, November 14, 2018 at 7:45 PM – Cinepolis Chelsea
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LIFE WITHOUT BASKETBALL, Documentary on Hijab-Wearing Basketball Player to Premiere at DOC NYC [Trailer]

Life Without Basketball is an intimate and revealing look at the life and career of Bliqis Abdul-Qaadir, a 5’2 pioneering, powerhouse basketball player from Springfield Massachusetts, who broke records and barriers on her way to becoming the first Division I basketball player to play wearing a hijab. When a controversial FIBA (International Basketball Federation) uniform rule ends her chances of playing professionally, she must reexamine her faith and identity as a Muslim-American. Life Without Basketball documentary, presented by Pixela Pictura and directed by Tim O’Donnell and Jon Mercer, will have its World Premiere at DOC NYC, America’s Largest Documentary Festival, on Saturday, Nov 10, 2018. Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir’s story began in Springfield, Massachusetts, the birthplace of basketball. Bilqis excelled as an honor student and on the basketball court from an early age. In January 2009, while a senior at New Leadership Charter School, she shattered the Massachusetts state scoring record (male or female) that was previously held by female hoops legend Rebecca Lobo, averaging over 40 points a game, and finishing with 3,070 career points. Following her record-breaking high school career, Bilqis received a scholarship to play for the University of Memphis. She appeared in Sports Illustrated and on ESPN, was named the 2008-09 Gatorade Massachusetts Basketball Player of the Year, and was invited to the White House for a Ramadan dinner with President Barack Obama. In 2011, Bilqis was awarded the United States Basketball Writers Association “Most Courageous” award at the NCAA Women’s Final Four for being recognized as the first Muslim-American woman to play covered in NCAA history. After completing her final year of NCAA eligibility at Indiana State University, Bilqis began preparing to play internationally. When her agent discovered a little-known FIBA uniform rule which prohibited players from wearing religious head coverings, such as hijabs, turbans, and yarmulkes on the court, her professional career was abruptly halted. Unwilling to stray from her religious beliefs, Bilqis prepared for the toughest challenge of her life. Life Without Basketball is an essential American story about hope and courage, and an exploration of identity and consequence. The film examines the personal impact of Bilqis’s encounter with this career ending rule and the complex world of being Muslim in America, where family tradition and popular perception are often at odds. Through persistent advocacy and dedication to youth empowerment, Bilqis’s story engages viewers in a new conversation about social and political dynamics at home and abroad. Co-director Tim O’Donnell says “As a former Springfield (MA) high school art teacher and wrestling coach, I first heard about Bilqis’s story from a former student who played basketball with her. I was struck by the discriminatory nature of the FIBA rule, I teamed up with co-director Jon Mercer and we started filming right away, as Bilqis began her fight for the right to play. What originally was thought of as short production quickly turned into four years as the filmmakers were fully welcomed into Bilqis’s family and their private lives. Life Without Basketball continues Pixela Pictura’s mission of working within marginalized communities to share stories of overcoming personal challenge or conflict…” Life Without Basketball will have its World Premiere at DOC NYC, America’s Largest Documentary Festival on the following date/times: Saturday, November 10th at 5pm. Cinepolis Cinema Life Without Basketball won best pitch at the 2015 DOC NYC, and materials were adapted into FIBA Allow Hijab, a short documentary co-created with Jon Mercer and distributed through CNN Films and UNINTERRUPTED. His Boston based company Pixela Pictura is currently in post-production on Finding My Dad’s Memories, a personal documentary filmed during his father’s recovery from a traumatic brain injury. His past work includes The Last Time I Heard True Silence and For The Love of Dogs. Tim was a former high school art teacher and wrestling coach. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OavrXZs9YgM
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OLYMPIA, Documentary on Academy Award-Winning Actress Olympia Dukakis to World Premiere at 2018 DOC NYC

Olympia, a documentary feature film on Academy Award®-winning actress Olympia Dukakis from director Harry Mavromichalis will world premiere at 2018 DOC NYC. Olympia the film takes us on a poetic journey in search of one’s place in the world. We follow Academy Award® winning actress Olympia Dukakis as she takes on the roles of actor, teacher, wife, mother, and social activist. Determined not to be defined solely as a woman in a male dominated society she struggles to find a sense of belonging due to her ethnic roots and the dichotomy she has always felt between her American values and the values of her immigrant parents. After making the decision that she would never take no for an answer and would never let anyone define her, her mantra became: “Always move forward, no matter what.” This revealing and unfiltered documentary follows the life and career of Academy Award® winning actress, Olympia Dukakis. Starting on the day she turns eighty and continuing for three years, this film deals with the struggles and pains surrounding identity and the roles placed on us by society. Its cinema-verité style allows the audience to constantly move alongside Olympia as she navigates between rehearsals, workshops, family life, and finally the journey to her ancestral home in Greece. Exhibiting both candor and vulnerability, we see her deal with age, grief, and sexuality while opening up about her past struggles with depression, suicide, and drug addiction. Intricately weaving between visceral impromptu personal moments with Olympia, together with footage of her performances both on and off screen, we experience the presence of an unrelenting female energy. Not only does her story add to the perpetual ‘herstory’ of women withstanding and overcoming their obstacles and oppressors through the passage of time, it also gives us insight into how she overcame the impediments that affected her life as the daughter of immigrants and as a woman in a male-dominated society. We are granted the raw, unfiltered attitude of Olympia without a script to guide her. Her fierceness is seen to persist throughout her daily life beyond the stage or film. Years of oppression, subordination and self-doubt have thickened her skin and sharpened her mind, and her energy is contagious. Despite her age and the innumerable experiences in her life, her determination to continue, to move forward and overcome the hurdles that life places before us all, is an inspiration. Through her brutal honesty and sincerity, Olympia compels us to confront our own shortcomings and differences by letting go, and moving forward with defiant conviction, which leaves us with a cathartic feeling that we too can be an “octogenarian motherfucker.” WORLD PREMIERE SCREENING AT DOC NYC Sunday, November 11 at 6:30 pm SVA Theatre (School of Visual Arts) 333 West 23rd Street, New York, NY 10011 (Between 8 and 9 Avenues)
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MY PERFECT WORLD: THE AARON HERNANDEZ STORY to World Premiere at DOC NYC

Dan Wetzel and Kevin Armstrong undertake an exhaustive journey into the mind and motives behind the murderous fall, and tragic suicide, of Aaron Hernandez, in the new documentary in My Perfect World: The Aaron Hernandez Story. My Perfect World: The Aaron Hernandez Story will World Premiere at 2018 DOC NYC on Wednesday, November 14, 2018 at 9:15 PM – IFC Center. IT WAS A MOMENT THAT BLINDSIDED A NATION – just five days after being found not guilty of a double murder, Aaron Hernandez was discovered dead in his prison cell. Americans were shocked… confused… thrown off-kilter. Officials reported that Hernandez was not on suicide watch and that no note was found. “John 3:16” was, however, written on his forehead. The following day the story changed. The prison was mistaken, there were actually three suicide notes found in his cell. But why would he take his own life? Together with award winning journalists Kevin Armstrong and Dan Wetzel, director Geno McDermott and Blackfin uncover the full, never before seen story of one of the most tragic figures in sports. Featuring exclusive interviews with those closest to Hernandez, as well as hundreds of hours of never before seen archival footage (including from 100 hours of Hernandez’s multiple court cases and surveillance camera from the night of his murders), My Perfect World: The Aaron Hernandez Story recounts the step by step process that took Hernandez from a young football star in Bristol, Connecticut to an early grave at age 27.
ABOUT DIRECTOR GENO MCDERMOTT
Geno McDermott is a New York-based director and executive producer, wielding a rare and versatile ability to film, edit and produce thus bringing a holistic approach to filmmaking. After spending several years roaming America’s heartland in search of unique characters and compelling stories for documentary series, Geno launched Blackfin in 2014 from a small WeWork office at 28 years of age. Now, just five years later Blackfin is one of Manhattan’s thriving independent production companies with clients such as Netflix, National Geographic, Discovery, History, CNN, Paramount, AMC and Investigation Discovery. Early 2017 marked Geno and Blackfin’s entrance into the feature documentary world by self-financing development and production of My Perfect World: The Aaron Hernandez Story for the festival circuit, all while producing the film BAD HENRY which aired on Investigation Discovery in July 2018.
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RUDEBOY: THE STORY OF TROJAN RECORDS to US Premiere at DOC NYC [Trailer]

Rudeboy: The Story of Trojan Records documents the origins and the ongoing love affair between Jamaican and British Youth culture – all told through the prism of one the most iconic record labels in history, Trojan Records. Trojan Records’ 50th anniversary celebrations continue with the announcement that Rudeboy: The Story of Trojan Records has been unveiled as part of the line-up for DOC NYC. The 2018 DOC NYC Festival will run November 8to 15, 2018 – and the film’s US Premiere will take place on Wednesday, November 14. The film had its World Premiere on October 12 at the 62nd BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express®. Directed by Nicolas Jack Davies, Rudeboy: The Story of Trojan Records charts the rise and impact of the legendary reggae, ska and rock steady label and its influence on music and subculture in Britain from the early ‘60s through to the late ‘70s. Defining a movement that brought cultures together through the power of music, the birth and journey of Trojan Records, and its wider impact on society, feels as vital as ever 50 years later. Named after the flatbed truck that revered producer Duke Reid used to transport his soundsystem around Jamaica, Trojan was launched in 1968 by London based, Jamaican expats Lee Gopthal and Chris Blackwell. Growing rapidly during its’ early years – due in no small part to the development of the skinhead working class youth movement that embraced Jamaican music as part and parcel of its culture – the Trojan bandwagon quickly rolled into the 1970’s, with the likes of Desmond Dekker and The Maytals flying high in the UK Pop Charts. This important story is effortlessly brought to life by director Nicolas Jack Davies with fascinating archive footage, alongside freshly shot drama and new interviews with legendary artists including Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, Toots Hibbert, Ken Boothe, Neville Staple, Marcia Griffiths, Dave Barker, Dandy Livingstone, Lloyd Coxsone, Pauline Black, Derrick Morgan and many more. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEQdklk3LvE
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BEYOND THE BOLEX, Epic Story of Bolex Inventor Jacques Bolsey, to World Premiere at DOC NYC

In the 1920s inventor Jacques Bolsey aimed to disrupt the early film industry with a motion picture camera for the masses: the iconic Bolex. 90 years later, filmmaker Alyssa Bolsey discovers a stash of boxes that belonged to her enigmatic great-grandfather, and over 12 years pieces together the fragments of a forgotten family archive to reveal his epic story in the documentary, Beyond the Bolex, which will World Premiere at DOC NYC, America’s largest documentary festival, on Thursday, November 8 at 9:15 p.m at Cinepolis Chelsea. As Alyssa delves into the treasure trove, among the items she finds is an old movie camera with the word “Bolex” embossed on its side, and a dangling tag with the date, “1927.” She also discovers reels of 16mm films inside rusty cans that are too brittle to run through a projector. Once the films are restored, she is captivated by their casual style as commonly seen today with digital cameras and smartphones. When Alyssa finds Jacques journal she learns of the trials he faced both as an idealistic inventor and as an immigrant. In his words and films, she finds a man living stateless in Switzerland, torn from his homeland by the Russian Revolution. After many years of inventing in Switzerland and still unable to gain acceptance, Jacques finds his way to the US and settles in New York City, where he creates a new generation of military cameras for the fight against fascism. Alyssa travels to Switzerland – the birthplace of the Bolex and Jacques’ two sons. She traces her own roots to her great-grandmother Sima’s apartment in Geneva, visits the Paillard factory where the Bolex Model H was designed and built, and makes a pilgrimage to the current headquarters of Bolex International. Along the way, Alyssa seeks insight from camera collectors, historians and renowned filmmakers who explain how the Bolex reached the farthest corners of the globe, unleashed the imagination and became synonymous with creative freedom. Simple and functional, it became a perfect tool for a diverse range of filmmakers. Alyssa speaks to Wim Wenders, Jonas Mekas, Barbara Hammer, Bruce Brown and others, who share their stories of how this camera has inspired and nurtured their creative potential and careers. She also discovers the enthusiasm his pioneering invention continues to have with filmmakers today. “Curiosity was the catalyst for making Beyond the Bolex,” said director Alyssa Bolsey. “But what I didn’t see coming was the emotional journey I would go on while discovering my great grandfather’s deep desire for roots; this during one of the most tumultuous times in history. His was an immigrant struggle that we see playing out yet again today. And his story shows the power and ingenuity that many immigrants bring to their new home. Along with planting seeds that have grown for generations with his Bolex camera, he also laid down roots that would contribute to the technology that has become part of our daily lives in the modern world.”
About the Director: Alyssa Bolsey
Alyssa Bolsey began writing and directing short films as a kid. While still in High School, she directed a short documentary entitled “Wild Horses.” This work was screened at various art galleries in the US and was described by KPBS as “an insightful look at the artistic process.” In University, her fictional short “I. Hero” was featured in rotation on the San Diego, California television show, “The Short List” from 2007-2010. Alyssa graduated Cum Laude from San Diego State University with a degree in Television, Film and New Media, with an emphasis on directing. She spent the next two years working at Creative Artists Agency, starting in the mailroom. She left CAA to direct a feature documentary about her great-grandfather Jacques Bolsey, the inventor of the iconic Bolex camera. Beyond the Bolex is making its World Premiere at DOC NYC 2018.
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Brainstorm Media to Release Save-Our-Shows TV Fan Documentary UNITED WE FAN

Ahead of its DOC NYC premiere, UNITED WE FAN, the documentary that chronicles the stories of passionate television fans and their unique crusades to save their beloved shows from cancellation, has been acquired by Brainstorm Media, and will hit VOD on December 4. Fans, stars, creators and more come together to explore the history and evolution of TV’s save-our-show fan campaigns in Michael Sparaga’s (The Missing Ingredient) humorous and heartfelt feature documentary that made its World Premiere earlier this year at Hot Docs and U.S. Premiere at AFI Docs. From the letter-writing and product mail-ins of yesterday to the social media and crowdfunding campaigns of today, United We Fan goes beyond the headlines to give viewers deeper insights into fandom, community and identity. Fans in New York City will get a sneak peek of the film when it celebrates its New York premiere at DOC NYC on Monday, Nov. 12 at 7:45 p.m. at Cinepolis Chelsea followed by a Q&A with director Michael Sparaga and film subjects. In Los Angeles, fans will have the opportunity to catch a special preview screening of United We Fan at the Laemmle Ahrya Fine Arts Theater in Beverly Hills on Wednesday, Nov. 28 at 7:30 p.m. The filmmakers and several of the film’s subjects will be on hand for a post-screening Q&A. For most viewers, it’s simply a disappointment when their favorite TV series is cancelled. But the fans of some series take the loss a lot harder. And they fight back. United We Fan chronicles the stories of those passionate individuals and their unique crusades to save their beloved shows. When married sci-fi fans Bjo and John Trimble organized their unprecedented letter-writing campaign to force NBC to renew the original “Star Trek” back in 1967, they couldn’t have known that they were also planting the seeds of fan activism that would forever change the relationship between TV viewers and networks. Fast-forward to 1983, when Dorothy Swanson, a Michigan schoolteacher, besieged CBS with letters to stop them from unceremoniously cancelling her favorite series “Cagney & Lacey.” Emboldened by her success, Dorothy formed the fan advocacy group Viewers for Quality Television, whose dedicated members fought to save multiple other “quality” series over their 15-year history. Today, 26-year-old Kaily Russell has picked up the fan activism mantle in her fight for the recently axed CBS series “Person of Interest.” Kaily spends every waking hour online, rallying the troops and trying to convince a new broadcaster or streaming service to pick up the series. Kaily’s tools and targets might be vastly different, but she is taking her cue from the methods of fan activism from all those that came before her. Declared “a joy to watch” by POV Magazine, United We Fan intertwines the remarkable stories of Kaily, Dorothy and the Trimbles while also taking time to delve into the inspiring campaigns to save “Designing Women,” “Quantum Leap,” “Chuck,” “Longmire,” “Jericho,” “Veronica Mars,” “Roswell” and others. “United We Fan is not a movie about television’s wackiest fans,” said director Michael Sparaga, “rather, it’s a love letter to the inspiring people who have formed communities and fought tirelessly against seemingly impossible odds to give viewers everywhere more seasons of some of television’s most iconic shows.” Interviewees include: Bjo and John Trimble (known as “the couple that saved ‘Star Trek’), Dorothy Swanson (founder of Viewers for Quality Television), and Kaily Russell (currently fighting to resurrect “Person of Interest”); series’ stars: Nichelle Nichols (“Star Trek”), Zachary Levi (“Chuck”), Scott Bakula (“Quantum Leap”), Amy Acker (“Person of Interest”), Adam Bartley (“Longmire”), Skeet Ulrich (“Jericho”), and Enrico Colantoni (“Veronica Mars”); series’ creators: Tom Fontana (“St. Elsewhere”), Barney Rosenzweig (“Cagney & Lacey”), Harry Thomason (“Designing Women”), Donald P. Bellisario (“Quantum Leap”), Rob Thomas (“Veronica Mars”), Jon Steinberg and Dan Shotz (“Jericho”), Matt Miller (“Chuck”), Jason Katims (“Roswell”), and Jonah Nolan and Greg Plageman (“Person of Interest”).
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THE PROVIDERS, Documentary on Health Care Providers in Rural America to Premiere at DOC NYC [Trailer]

[caption id="attachment_32116" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] The Providers[/caption] The Providers, the award-winning documentary film directed by Laura Green and Anna Moot-Levin about health care providers in rural America will have its New York City premiere at the 2018 DOC NYC festival on Friday, November 9 at 5:30pm at Cinepolis Chelsea, and on Monday, November 12 at 12:45pm at IFC Center. The Providers had its World Premiere at the 2018 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, and went on to screen at the San Francisco DocFest (where it won the Spirit of Activism Award), AFI DOCS, Santa Fe Independent Film Festival, and many other festivals. Set against the backdrop of the physician shortage and opioid epidemic in rural America, The Providers follows three healthcare providers – a doctor, a nurse practitioner, and a physician assistant – in northern New Mexico. They work at El Centro, a group of safety-net clinics that offer care to all who walk through the doors, regardless of ability to pay. Amidst personal struggles that reflect those of their patients, the journeys of The Providers unfold as they work to reach rural Americans who would otherwise be left out of the healthcare system. With intimate access, the documentary shows the transformative power of providers’ relationships with marginalized patients. Watch trailer on VIMEO
Directors’ Statement — Laura Green & Anna Moot-Levin
Given the political and discursive tension over the future of American health care, this film has a particular urgency at this historical juncture. New Mexico is one of the country’s poorest and most rural states and opted to expand medicaid under the ACA. However, the challenges in rural healthcare go far beyond the ameliorating effects of the ACA. The Providers reflects the ways poor health is created at the structural level by a lack of public health resources and access to care – in 2016, there were 70,000 preventable deaths in rural areas, and on average life expectancy in rural areas is two years shorter than in urban areas. Set on the frontlines of rural healthcare under the medicaid expansion, the film takes an intimate journey with those who remain marginalized and difficult to reach within traditional healthcare delivery models. We hope the film will inspire more young people to go into rural healthcare, and we are developing an outreach campaign that will target both rural high schools and medical education institutions, including medical schools, nurse practitioner prog
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2018 DOC NYC Announces Full Lineup, Closes with BRESLIN AND HAMILL

[caption id="attachment_32107" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Breslin and Hamill: Deadline Artists[/caption] DOC NYC, America’s largest documentary festival, returns for its ninth edition with 135 feature-length documentaries among over 300 films and events overall. The festival takes place November 8 to 15 at in New York at the IFC Center in Greenwich Village and Chelsea’s SVA Theatre and Cinepolis Chelsea. Special Events include Closing Night Film, the world premiere of HBO’s Breslin and Hamill: Deadline Artists, about the beloved New York City journalists Jimmy Breslin and Pete Hamill, directed by Jonathan Alter, John Block and Steve McCarthy; and the festival’s Centerpiece presentation, the world premiere of Original Cast Album: Co-op, an episode in the upcoming season of IFC’s Documentary Now! series inspired by D.A. Pennebaker’s Original Cast Album: Company, followed by a conversation with creators Seth Meyers and Rhys Thomas, director Alex Buono, writer and star John Mulaney, and star Renee Elise Goldsberry (Hamilton). The NYC premiere of John Chester’s Telluride and Toronto hit The Biggest Little Farm will open the festival. World premieres at the festival include Lady Parts Justice in the New World Order, following The Daily Show co-creator Lizz Winstead on a “Vagical Mystery Tour” to fight for reproductive rights; New Homeland, the newest film from two-time Academy Award winner Barbara Kopple, following refugee boys to a summer camp; Cracked Up, a revealing portrait of Saturday Night Live alumnus Darrell Hammond; Olympia, on Academy Award winning actress Olympia Dukakis; Buzz, about Friday Night Lights author Buzz Bissinger; Afterward, a candid exploration of complex tensions between Germans, Jews and Palestinians; Creating a Character: The Moni Yakim Legacy, on the legendary Juilliard drama teacher who trained Meryl Streep and Viola Davis among countless other talents; Beyond the Bolex, a personal history of the iconic camera; and The Show’s the Thing: The Legendary Promoters of Rock, which reveals an untold chapter of rock history. Among this year’s U.S. premieres are Screwball, a hilarious exposé of Alex Rodriguez’s doping scandal; The Insufferable Groo, on a prolific low-budget filmmaker who recruits Jack Black for his latest opus; Evelyn, Oscar-winner Orlando von Einsiedel’s reckoning with a family tragedy; Rudeboy: The Story of Trojan Records, the fascinating tale about the popularization of Jamaican music worldwide; Barbara Rubin & the Exploding NY Underground, on an influential but little-recognized member of the 1960s film and art world; and The Artist & the Pervert, on the controversial relationship between a world renowned composer and a sex educator. The festival is curated in 21 sections that include five new strands: Series Showcase, offering world premieres of new episodic programs, including Showtime’s Enemies: The President, Justice & the FBI, exploring the contentious relationship between U.S. presidents and the FBI; and SundanceTV’s Jonestown: Terror in the Jungle, commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Jonestown Massacre. Photography on Film, which includes the world premiere of Last Stop Coney Island: The Life and Photography of Harold Feinstein, on the seven-decade career of the NYC photographer. Portraits, which presents the world premieres of The Great Mother, a profile of a woman serving as the legal guardian for 2,000 children of undocumented immigrants; and Welcome to the Beyond, the surprising story of a fashion model and a cult. In the System, offering an inside look at institutions, including sexism in the restaurant world in The Heat: A Kitchen (R)evolution; and the financial industry on the cusp of the economic recession in Inside Lehman Brothers. True Love, which presents the world premiere of Dennis and Lois, about a punk rock-loving older couple; and the U.S. premiere of China Love, which explores China’s $80 billion pre-wedding photo industry. In the festival’s two feature competition sections, nine films appear under the Viewfinders section for distinct directorial visions. They include the world premieres of Cooked: Survival by Zip Code, a radical reframing of natural disasters and their link to poverty; Out of Omaha, a coming-of-age story executive produced by musician J. Cole; The Smartest Kids in the World, an exploration of the shortcomings of the U.S. education system; and The Kleptocrats, an investigation of the Malaysian financial scandal that helped finance The Wolf of Wall Street. In the Metropolis competition section, seven films are dedicated to stories set in New York City. They include the world premieres of Jay Myself, about acclaimed photographer Jay Maisel; Decade of Fire, on the notorious series of fires that devastated the Bronx in the 1970s; See Know Evil, about a young photographer who left an indelible mark on fashion in the 1990s; and The Candidates, which follows an elaborate mock U.S. presidential election at a Queens high school. Other returning sections include high-profile Special Events; national and global takes inAmerican Perspectives and International Perspectives; and thematic sections Centerstage (on performance), Jock Docs (on sports), Science Nonfiction (on science and technology), Wild Life (on animals), Modern Family (on unconventional families), Behind the Scenes (on filmmaking), Fight the Power (on activism), Sonic Cinema (on music) and Docs Redux (revisiting classic nonfiction). Short-form content (92 films in total) is represented by the festival’s Shorts Competition and DOC NYC U (showcasing student work), selected by Programmer Opal H. Bennett. These sections join the Short List: Features titles, highlighting 15 of the year’s award contender documentary features; Short List: Shorts, an inaugural list of 12 of the year’s leading nonfiction shorts; and the eight-day DOC NYC PRO conference, doubled in size from 2017, focusing on panels and masterclasses. DOC NYC will welcome over 500 filmmakers and special guests in attendance for Q&As after most screenings and for DOC NYC PRO panels. Among the notable guests expected to appear in person are Jakob Dylan for Echo in the Canyon, Darrell Hammond for Cracked Up, Jeffrey Wright for We Are Not Done Yet, Sandra Lee for RX: Early Detection, J.Cole for Out of Omaha, Christo for Walking on Water, Alex Sharp for Creating a Character, Lizz Winstead for Lady Parts Justice in the New World Order and more to be announced in the coming weeks. For this year’s Short List section of awards season frontrunners, filmmakers presenting their work in person at the festival include Rashida Jones and Alan Hicks (Quincy), Wim Wenders (Pope Francis: A Man of His Word), Michael Moore (Fahrenheit 11/9), Morgan Neville (Won’t You Be My Neighbor?), Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin (Free Solo), Betsy West and Julie Cohen (RBG), Rudy Valdez (The Sentence), Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg (Reversing Roe), Susan Lacy (Jane Fonda in Five Acts), Bing Liu (Minding the Gap), Tim Wardle (Three Identical Strangers), Sandi Tan (Shirkers), Alexandria Bombach (On Her Shoulders), RaMell Ross (Hale County This Morning, This Evening) and Stephen Maing (Crime + Punishment). Filmmakers will also take part in the Short List Day of panel conversations on Nov. 9 at DOC NYC PRO. Notable documentarians will also be honored at the Visionaries Tribute Awards event on Nov. 8: Wim Wenders and Orlando Bagwell will receiveLifetime Achievement Awards while Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin will receive the Robert and Anne Drew Award for observational filmmaking. Tabitha Jackson, director of the Documentary Film Program at Sundance Institute, will receive theLeading Light Award for distinguished service to documentary in a role outside filmmaking. The following is a breakdown of programming by section:
SPECIAL EVENTS
OPENING NIGHT THE BIGGEST LITTLE FARM Dir: John Chester (NYC PREMIERE) For over eight years, John and Molly Chester struggle to work with nature to establish a biodynamic farm, like a modern-day Little House on the Prairie. CLOSING NIGHT BRESLIN AND HAMILL: DEADLINE ARTISTS Dirs: Jonathan Alter, John Block and Steve McCarthy (WORLD PREMIERE) Legendary newspaper columnists Jimmy Breslin and Pete Hamill are profiled in this essential look at journalism in New York City. CENTERPIECE Documentary Now! Presents ORIGINAL CAST ALBUM: CO-OP Dir: Alex Buono (WORLD PREMIERE) IFC’s comedy series Documentary Now!, which pays homage to nonfiction classics, presents an episode inspired by D.A. Pennebaker’s Original Cast Album: Company.
VIEWFINDERS
COOKED: SURVIVAL BY ZIP CODE Dir: Judith A. Helfand (WORLD PREMIERE) Director Judith A. Helfand (Blue Vinyl) investigates the victims and profiteers in extreme weather catastrophes like Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy. GHOST FLEET Dirs: Shannon Service, Jeffrey Waldron (NYC PREMIERE) This suspenseful high-seas adventure follows a team of activists who rescue modern-day slaves in Thailand’s illegal fishing industry. HEARTBOUND Dirs: Janus Metz, Sine Plambech (NYC PREMIERE) Janus Metz (Borg vs McEnroe) and Sine Plambech explore the surprising cross-cultural marriages between Danish men and Thai women over a decade. THE KLEPTOCRATS Dirs: Havana Marking, Sam Hobkinson (WORLD PREMIERE) Investigative journalists uncover how $3.5 billion was plundered from the Malaysian government for a spending spree that included funding The Wolf of Wall Street. A LITTLE WISDOM Dirs: Yuqi Kang (NYC PREMIERE) In a Tibetan Buddhist monastery, young novice monks try to balance rituals and discipline with the distractions of modern life and childhood. OUT OF OMAHA Dir: Clay Tweel (WORLD PREMIERE) A coming-of-age tale of twin African-American brothers filmed over eight years by director Clay Tweel (Gleason) and executive produced by musician J. Cole. THE SMARTEST KIDS IN THE WORLD Dir: Tracy Droz Tragos (WORLD PREMIERE) Based on Amanda Ripley’s bestselling book, four American teenagers go abroad to study in nations that outperform the US in education. UNDER THE WIRE Dir: Chris Martin (NYC PREMIERE) A gripping, first-hand account of the mortal peril faced by war correspondent Marie Colvin and photographer Paul Conroy while reporting from within Syria. WALKING ON WATER Dir: Andrey Paounov (NYC PREMIERE) After the death of his partner, Jeanne-Claude, the visionary artist Christo, known for The Gates of Central Park, realizes his dream of The Floating Piers in Italy.
METROPOLIS
BARBARA RUBIN & THE EXPLODING NY UNDERGROUND Dir: Chuck Smith (U.S. PREMIERE) The untold story of an influential figure who defied sexist conventions and enabled surprising connections in the 1960s New York underground film scene. THE CANDIDATES Dirs: Alexandra Stergiou, Lexi Henigman (WORLD PREMIERE) In a Queens high school, a mock Presidential election sees a Russian-American as Donald Trump face off against a Pakistani-American as Hillary Clinton. CREATING A CHARACTER: THE MONI YAKIM LEGACY Dir: Rauzar Alexander (WORLD PREMIERE) Legendary Juilliard acting teacher Moni Yakim, who taught Meryl Streep, Viola Davis, Patti LuPone and countless others, gets his time in the spotlight. DECADE OF FIRE Dirs: Vivian Vazquez, Gretchen Hildebran (WORLD PREMIERE) The true, inside story behind the burning of the Bronx in the 1970s and how the community resisted, remained and rebuilt. JAY MYSELF Dir: Stephen Wilkes (WORLD PREMIERE) For five decades, photographer Jay Maisel created an artistic wonderland in a six-story building on the Bowery, but now it’s time to move. SEE KNOW EVIL Dir: Charles Curran (WORLD PREMIERE) At a young age, photographer Davide Sorrenti took New York City by storm in the 1990s and left an indelible imprint on the fashion world. THE WORLD BEFORE YOUR FEET Dir: Jeremy Workman (NYC PREMIERE) This charming portrait captures urban explorer Matt Green on his mission to walk every block of New York City.
AMERICAN PERSPECTIVES
THE BLESSING Dirs: Hunter Robert Baker, Jordan Fein (NYC PREMIERE) Deep in the Navajo Nation, one family struggles with contradictions as a coal company offers employment while destroying the community’s sacred homeland. CITY OF JOEL Dir: Jesse Sweet (NYC PREMIERE) In Monroe, NY, 50 miles north of NYC, a fast-growing Hasidic community sets off a turf war with political, economic and religious implications. THE CITY THAT SOLD AMERICA Dir: Ky Dickens (NYC PREMIERE) A playful and informative look at the key role Chicago has played in modern advertising and its impact on pop culture. Screening with Ross Kauffman’s short Still Plays with Trains: John reconstructs his idyllic 1950s childhood through one of the world’s largest model train sets. EMANUEL Dir: Brian Ivie (NYC PREMIERE) In the aftermath of the 2015 church shooting in Charleston, South Carolina, a community grapples with justice, faith and forgiveness. HARVEST SEASON Dir: Bernardo Ruiz (NYC PREMIERE) Set in California’s Napa and Sonoma Valley wine country, this film celebrates the unsung workers and small producers, from vine to vintage. HILLBILLY Dirs: Sally Rubin, Ashley York (NYC PREMIERE) Ashley York returns to her hometown in Appalachia where, contrary to dismissive stereotypes, she shows a diverse, complex and proud community. NORTH POLE, NY Dir: Ali Cotterill (NYC PREMIERE) Upstate New York’s Santa’s Workshop theme park struggles to overcome economic challenges and a con man who tries to steal Christmas. THE PROVIDERS Dirs: Anna Moot-Levin, Laura Green (NYC PREMIERE) In rural New Mexico, healthcare workers serve a community hard hit by the opioid crisis and still reeling from the 2008 recession. VERY SENIOR: ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING Dir: Susan Gluth (WORLD PREMIERE) In Sun City, Arizona, seniors in a retirement community demonstrate the art of aging gracefully while making one’s own choices. Screening with Rachel Mills and Maya Tippett’s short Magnitudinous Illuminous: Meet Pete, a 66-year-old Brooklyn bartender and self-proclaimed philosopher. WHILE I BREATHE, I HOPE Dir: Emily Harrold (NYC PREMIERE) Young, African-American and a Democrat, Bakari Sellers faces an uphill struggle as he runs for lieutenant governor in South Carolina.
INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES
AFTERWARD Dir: Ofra Bloch (WORLD PREMIERE) Disturbed by the resurgence of anti-Semitism worldwide, the filmmaker travels to Germany, Israel and Palestine to confront lasting tensions and contradictions. BRAVE GIRLS Dirs: Yashaswi Desai, Ellie Walton (WORLD PREMIERE) Three young Indian women in a conservative Muslim town seek to change their futures through education and self-determination. Screening with Guille Isa and Angello Faccini’s short Dulce: A mother teaches her daughter how to swim, essential to survival in their Colombian village. EXIT Dir: Karen Winther (NYC PREMIERE) What makes someone join neo-Nazis, Jihadists or other hate groups, and what makes them decide to leave? THE INTERPRETERS Dirs: Andres Caballero, Sofian Khan (NYC PREMIERE) Interpreters who worked for US military forces in Afghanistan and Iraq face retribution while they await promised but long-delayed special visas into the US. NEW HOMELAND Dir: Barbara Kopple (WORLD PREMIERE) Refugee boys from war-torn Syria and Iraq attend a Canadian summer camp where some thrive while others struggle. OF FATHERS AND SONS Dir: Talal Derki (NYC PREMIERE) In this Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner, director Talal Derki (Return to Homs) gains access to a radical Syrian jihadist and his family for two years. THE OTHER RIO Dir: Émilie B. Guérette (U.S. PREMIERE) In Rio de Janeiro, squatters live in an abandoned government building under the rule of drug dealers, but exhibit a remarkable resilience. TAKUMI: A 60,000 HOUR STORY ON THE SURVIVAL OF HUMAN CRAFT Dir: Clay Jeter (WORLD PREMIERE) Profiles of devoted artisans including a chef, a traditional paper cut artist, a car factory inspector and a carpenter.
SERIES SHOWCASE
ENEMIES: THE PRESIDENT, JUSTICE & THE FBI Dir: Jed Rothstein (WORLD PREMIERE) A preview of the new Showtime series, inspired by Tim Weiner’s Enemies: A History of the FBI, with an episode on the Iran-Contra affair plus an extended Q&A. JONESTOWN: TERROR IN THE JUNGLE Dir: Shan Nicholson (WORLD PREMIERE) Based on Jeff Guinn’s book The Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and Peoples Temple, the first half of the new SundanceTV series is previewed, with an extended Q&A. LADY PARTS JUSTICE IN THE NEW WORLD ORDER Dir: Ruth Leitman (WORLD PREMIERE) Lizz Winstead, co-creator of The Daily Show, organizes activists and comedians for a satire-infused advocacy tour for reproductive rights.
PHOTOGRAPHY ON FILM
INSTANT DREAMS Dir: Willem Baptist (NYC PREMIERE) After the Polaroid company stops production, three enthusiasts are determined to keep alive the magical wonder and technology of instant cameras. THE LAST RESORT Dirs: Dennis Scholl, Kareem Tabsch (NYC PREMIERE) Photographers Andy Sweet and Gary Monroe captured Miami Beach’s aging Jewish population for a decade, even as the city transformed around them. LAST STOP CONEY ISLAND: THE LIFE AND PHOTOGRAPHY OF HAROLD FEINSTEIN Dir: Andy Dunn (WORLD PREMIERE) Photographer Harold Feinstein captured the beauty, joy and diversity of New Yorkers over seven decades. WITKIN & WITKIN Dir: Trisha Ziff (NYC PREMIERE) Gifted twin brothers—photographer Joel-Peter Witkin and painter Jerome Witkin—reunite for a joint show after decades of estrangement.
PORTRAITS
BUZZ Dir: Andrew Shea (WORLD PREMIERE) While co-writing Caitlyn Jenner’s biography, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Buzz Bissinger (Friday Night Lights) tests his marriage with surprising revelations. COMMANDER ARIAN: A STORY OF WOMEN, WAR & FREEDOM Dir: Alba Sotorra (NYC PREMIERE) Under threat from ISIS, Commander Arian gathers her all-women Kurdish battalion to rescue enslaved civilians in northern Syria. THE FEMINIST Dir: Hampus Linder (INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE) This starkly intimate portrait of Sweden’s feminist trailblazer politician Gudrun Schyman serves as a rallying call in today’s political climate. THE GREAT MOTHER Dirs: Dave LaMattina, Chad Walker (WORLD PREMIERE) Nora Sandigo has more than 2,000 kids, acting as the legal guardian for US-born children of undocumented immigrants. I’M LEAVING NOW Dirs: Lindsey Cordero, Armando Croda (U.S. PREMIERE) Felipe, an undocumented immigrant in NYC who has long struggled to support his family in Mexico, faces the limits of self-sacrifice. LAILA AT THE BRIDGE Dirs: Elizabeth Mirzaei, Gulistan Mirzaei (NYC PREMIERE) Self-proclaimed badass Laila offers salvation to drug addicts in Kabul, running a clinic with her brother, himself a recovered addict. WELCOME TO THE BEYOND Dir: Brent Huff (WORLD PREMIERE) The surprising story of Hoyt Richards, the world’s first male supermodel… and secretly a member of the Eternal Values cult. WORLDS OF URSULA K. LE GUIN Dir: Arwen Curry (NYC PREMIERE) A moving and intimate profile of feminist sci-fi/fantasy author Ursula K. Le Guin, featuring interviews with admirers like Neil Gaiman and David Mitchell.
IN THE SYSTEM
ALICIA Dir: Maasja Ooms (NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE) A gem of observational cinema, Maasja Ooms’ film portrays the emotional roller coaster experienced by a girl in foster care longing for love. FALSE CONFESSIONS Dir: Katrine Philp (NYC PREMIERE) A dogged defense attorney is on a crusade to put a stop to coerced false confessions, exposing their destructive consequences. THE HEAT: A KITCHEN (R)EVOLUTION Dir: Maya Gallus (NYC PREMIERE) Seven female chefs are profiled in a no-holds-barred exploration of the struggles faced by women in the restaurant industry. INSIDE LEHMAN BROTHERS Dir: Jennifer Deschamps (NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE) Ten years after Wall Street’s meltdown, Lehman Brothers whistleblowers look back on their efforts to sound an alarm. OWNED: A TALE OF TWO AMERICAS Dir: Giorgio Angelini (NYC PREMIERE) An investigation of how greed, flawed economics and systemic racism have distorted the American dream of homeownership. THE SCHOOL IN THE CLOUD Dir: Jerry Rothwell (NYC PREMIERE) The brainchild of TED Prize winner Sugata Mitra, a state of the art learning lab connects children in remote areas to teachers via the Internet. SEE YOU TOMORROW, GOD WILLING! Dir: Ainara Vera (NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE) Seventeen octogenarian Franciscan nuns in Spain take care of each other in this beautifully observed and often humorous portrait. Screening with Leah Galant’s short Death Metal Grandma: A 97-year-old Holocaust survivor prepares a death metal audition for America’s Got Talent. SOMEWHERE TO BE Dir: Peter Odabashian (WORLD PREMIERE) In NYC’s Greenwich House, seniors from all walks of life share stories in this heartwarming portrait that redefines the meaning of a good life.
TRUE LOVE
THE ARTIST & THE PERVERT Dirs: Beatrice Behn, René Gebhardt (U.S. PREMIERE) In this provocative exploration of sexual kinks, composer Georg Friedrich Haas and sex educator Mollena Williams redefine norms of love and ownership. CHINA LOVE Dir: Olivia Martin-McGuire (INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE) In modern-day Shanghai, engaged couples go on a fantasy ride of glitz, excess and glamour in search of the perfect wedding photo. DENNIS AND LOIS Dir: Chris Cassidy (WORLD PREMIERE) Forty years after meeting at CBGB, aging superfans Dennis and Lois still live life to its fullest, traveling all over to support their favorite bands. SILICONE SOUL Dir: Melody Gilbert (NYC PREMIERE) Profiling individuals who form relationships with eerily lifelike dolls, this film sensitively explores the need for companionship and emotional connection.
CENTERSTAGE
CARE TO LAUGH Dir: Julie Getz (NYC PREMIERE) Jesus Trejo funnels his experiences as a caregiver to his elderly parents into disarmingly funny material for his stand-up routine. CRAFTING AN ECHO Dir: Marco Williams (WORLD PREMIERE) Choreographer Andonis Foniadakis struggles to stage an ambitious work with the Martha Graham Dance Company with no shortage of behind-the-scenes drama. Screening with Dime Davis’ short Wild Wild West: A Beautiful Rant by Mark Bradford: A provocative artist explains where artists come from. THE ICE KING Dir: James Erskine (NYC PREMIERE) A profile of 1976 Gold medal-winning figure skater John Curry, arguably the first openly gay Olympic athlete and the creator of ice dancing. OLYMPIA Dir: Harry Mavromichalis (WORLD PREMIERE) Follow Academy Award winner Olympia Dukakis behind the scenes in this affectionate profile of a stalwart New Yorker and beloved stage and screen treasure. WE ARE NOT PRINCESSES Dirs: Bridgette Auger, Itab Azzam (WORLD PREMIERE) Refreshingly candid Syrian women find personal connections to Greek tragedy during a theater workshop in a Lebanese refugee camp. WHEN ARABS DANCED Dir: Jawad Rhalib (NYC PREMIERE) Jawad Rhalib profiles artists in the Muslim world—including his mother, a Moroccan dancer—who seek freedom from stereotypes and repression.
JOCK DOCS
LIFE WITHOUT BASKETBALL Dirs: Tim O’Donnell, Jon Mercer (WORLD PREMIERE) Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir fights the International Basketball Federation to wear the hijab during Division I competition. MEMORY GAMES Dirs: Janet Tobias, Claus Wehlisch (WORLD PREMIERE) Inside the world championship of memory athletes, the abilities on display are unforgettable. MY PERFECT WORLD: THE AARON HERNANDEZ STORY Dir: Geno McDermott (WORLD PREMIERE) Sports journalists Dan Wetzel and Kevin Armstrong track the scandal of New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez as he spiraled from stardom to infamy. SCREWBALL Dir: Billy Corben (U.S. PREMIERE) From the makers of Cocaine Cowboys, this true crime comedy exposes baseball player Alex Rodriguez’s doping scandal with a hilarious profile of his drug supplier.
SCIENCE NONFICTION
BEHIND THE CURVE Dir: Daniel J. Clark (NYC PREMIERE) A profile of passionate advocates of the Flat Earth theory reveals the deep-seated need for community and the hazards of believing in alternative facts. PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF DESIRE Dir: Hao Wu (NYC PREMIERE) This SXSW Grand Jury winner goes behind the scenes of China’s live-streaming showrooms, where web stars seek fans and financial rewards. THE TRUTH ABOUT KILLER ROBOTS Dir: Maxim Pozdorovkin (NYC PREMIERE) The director of Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer investigates how robots are becoming more human and humans more robotic.
WILD LIFE
THE ANCIENT WOODS Dir: Mindaugas Survila (NYC PREMIERE) Ten years in the making, a biologist-turned-filmmaker documents an old-growth forest with immersive cinematography and sound design. THE CAT RESCUERS Dirs: Rob Fruchtman, Steven Lawrence (NYC PREMIERE) A profile of street-smart volunteers working tirelessly in Brooklyn to help save as many street cats in need as possible. ELEPHANT PATH/NJAIA NJOKU Dir: Todd McGrain (NYC PREMIERE) In the forests of the Central African Republic, one of the last wild herds of elephants struggles for survival. FIRE ON THE HILL: THE COWBOYS OF SOUTH CENTRAL LA Dir: Brett Fallentine (NYC PREMIERE) Three black cowboys seek to preserve a unique culture of horse-riding in the last public stable in South Central LA. FOR THE BIRDS Dir: Richard Miron (NYC PREMIERE) Kathy, an obsessive bird lover in upstate New York, struggles to maintain over 200 chickens, geese, ducks and turkeys. OF FISH AND FOE Dirs: Heike Bachelier, Andy Heathcote (U.S. PREMIERE) Wildlife preservation clashes with family tradition when one of Scotland’s last salmon fishing families is accused of animal rights violations. STARS IN THE SKY: A HUNTING STORY Dir: Steven Rinella (WORLD PREMIERE) Set in the Alaskan wilderness, this thought-provoking film explores controversies over the sport of hunting. Screening with Orlando Mora Cabrera’s short Olga: After years of taking in street cats, Olga has more than she can handle.
MODERN FAMILY
COLOSSUS Dir: Jonathan Schienberg (WORLD PREMIERE) Born in the US, 15-year-old Jamil copes with the deportation to Honduras of his undocumented parents and older sister. EVELYN Dir: Orlando von Einsiedel (INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE) Oscar-winning filmmaker Orlando von Einsiedel (The White Helmets) turns the camera on his family as they cope with a tragic loss. FAMILY IN TRANSITION Dir: Ofir Trainin (INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE) In a small Israeli town, a husband and father of four undergoes a gender transition that has rippling effects on the family. GLOBAL FAMILY Dirs: Melanie Andernach, Andreas Köhler (U.S. PREMIERE) A family, scattered across the globe in their escape from Somalia’s civil war, faces challenges when they must find a caregiver for their matriarch. LITTLE MISS WESTIE Dir: Joy E. Reed, Dan Hunt (WORLD PREMIERE) In Connecticut, Ren is the first out transgirl to compete in the Little Miss Westie Pageant, coached by her transgender brother. REFUGEE Dir: Alexander J. Farrell (WORLD PREMIERE) Syrian refugee Raf’aa seeks to be reunited with her family who are blocked by closed borders in this poignant story about today’s migration crisis. A SISTER’S SONG Dir: Danae Elon (NYC PREMIERE) In this real-life psychological thriller, an Israeli woman tries to convince her sister to leave the religious order which has kept them separated for 20 years. TO KID OR NOT TO KID Dir: Maxine Trump (WORLD PREMIERE) Filmmaker Maxine Trump (no relation) explores women like herself who face societal stigma for choosing not to have children. TRE MAISON DASAN Dir: Denali Tiller (NYC PREMIERE) This profile of three boys cut off from parents who are in prison poses meaningful questions about the effects of mass incarceration. WRESTLING GHOSTS Dir: Ana Joanes (NYC PREMIERE) A young mother tries to unravel her conflicted feelings around parenthood, inviting the viewer into her counseling sessions to heal past trauma.
BEHIND THE SCENES
BEYOND THE BOLEX Dir: Alyssa Bolsey (WORLD PREMIERE) Alyssa Bolsey explores the iconic Bolex camera, invented by her great-grandfather, Jacques Bolsey, who was a Russian refugee during World War I. CRACKED UP Dir: Michelle Esrick (WORLD PREMIERE) With courage and humor, comedian and Saturday Night Live alumnus Darrell Hammond reveals his dark history of child abuse. THE EYES OF ORSON WELLES Dir: Mark Cousins (NYC PREMIERE) Mark Cousins (The Story of Film) takes a novel approach to Orson Welles by studying the legendary filmmaker’s paintings, drawings and doodles. THE GHOST OF PETER SELLERS Dir: Peter Medak (NYC PREMIERE) Director Peter Medak (The Ruling Class) revisits his ill-fated 1973 pirate film with Peter Sellers in a classic insider’s tale of movie-making madness and folly. THE GREENAWAY ALPHABET Dir: Saskia Boddeke (NYC PREMIERE) Peter Greenaway (The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover) is profiled with an alphabetical word association, directed by his multimedia artist wife. Screening with Chuck Workman’s short Moments of Truth: A masterful montage of moments from 100 documentary films. THE INSUFFERABLE GROO Dir: Scott Christopherson (NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE) Stephen Groo, a Utah-based filmmaker of outlandish low-budget genre films with admirers like Jack Black, attempts an opus that may be his undoing. THE ORANGE YEARS: THE NICKELODEON STORY Dir: Scott Barber, Adam Sweeney (WORLD PREMIERE) A nostalgic and entertaining look back at the early years of Nickelodeon, the TV network that let kids enjoy being kids. THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING Dir: Tom Donahue (NYC PREMIERE) Meryl Streep, Jessica Chastain, Shonda Rhimes and Geena Davis join a who’s who of Hollywood in this investigation of the entertainment industry’s systemic sexism. UNITED WE FAN Dir: Michael Sparaga (NYC PREMIERE) Looking at fandom culture that rallied around shows like Star Trek or Cagney and Lacey,this film reflects on the meaning of pop culture devotion. WHAT SHE SAID: THE ART OF PAULINE KAEL Dir: Rob Garver (NYC PREMIERE) A nuanced portrait of controversial and influential film critic Pauline Kael revisits late-twentieth-century cinema through her words, followed by an extended Q&A.
FIGHT THE POWER
BEI BEI Dirs: Rose Rosenblatt, Marion Lipschutz (NYC PREMIERE) In Indiana, the murder trial of Chinese immigrant Bei Bei Shuai poses a disturbing legal precedent for terminating a pregnancy. BLEED OUT Dir: Steve Burrows (WORLD PREMIERE) In this legal drama meets medical mystery, Steve Burrows seeks justice for his mother, who suffers catastrophic complications after routine surgery. BOYS WHO LIKE GIRLS Dir: Inka Achté (NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE) In the aftermath of the infamous Delhi gang rape, a man works to change the way Indian boys view females. Screening with Thomas Winston’s short Casting in Jagüey Grande: Cuban kids attempt to master the art of fly fishing with their mentor and father figure. GRIT Dirs: Cynthia Wade, Sasha Friedlander (NYC PREMIERE) In East Java, Indonesia, a mother and daughter battle a corporation over a man-made catastrophe that’s displaced more than 60,000 people. I AM THE REVOLUTION Dir: Benedetta Argentieri (WORLD PREMIERE) Three women in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria lead the fight for gender equality and freedom in this empowering portrait. PATRIMONIO Dirs: Lisa F. Jackson, Sarah Teale (NYC PREMIERE) In Baja, Mexico, local fishermen face off against the development of a luxury resort, which will have a radical impact on the environment and on their livelihood. THE RESCUE LIST Dirs: Alyssa Fedele, Zachary Fink (NYC PREMIERE) On Ghana’s Lake Volta, activists work to rescue victims of a child-slavery industry and help them transition back to normal life. Screening with Nicholas Brennan’s short Mama: Gertrude has dedicated her life to delivering children in her rural Ugandan village.
SONIC CINEMA
THE 5 BROWNS: DIGGING THROUGH THE DARKNESS Dir: Ben Niles (NYC PREMIERE) Siblings and Juilliard-trained piano virtuosos, the 5 Browns confront a disturbing secret and use music to recover from its impact on their family. 16 BARS Dir: Samuel Bathrick (NYC PREMIERE) Grammy winner Todd Thomas—aka “Speech” of Arrested Development—leads a unique collaborative music workshop in a Virginia state penitentiary. ECHO IN THE CANYON Dir: Andrew Slater (NYC PREMIERE) Musician Jakob Dylan of The Wallflowers explores the 1960s musicians who fostered folk rock tradition in the community of Laurel Canyon. I USED TO BE NORMAL: A BOYBAND FANGIRL STORY Dir: Jessica Leski (NYC PREMIERE) Profiling the ardent fans who find joy in their devotion of boy bands such as New Kids on the Block, N*Sync, One Direction and The Beatles. IT MUST SCHWING! THE BLUE NOTE STORY Dir: Eric Friedler (NYC PREMIERE) Executive produced by Wim Wenders and featuring a swinging jazz soundtrack, this history of Blue Note Records profiles the company’s two Jewish German refugee founders. RUDEBOY: THE STORY OF TROJAN RECORDS Dir: Nicolas Jack Davies (U.S. PREMIERE) Set to great Jamaican music, a creative exploration of the pioneering 1960s label behind “Rudy, A Message to You,” “You Can Get if You Really Want” and more. THE SHOW’S THE THING: THE LEGENDARY PROMOTERS OF ROCK Dir: Molly Bernstein, Philip Dolin (WORLD PREMIERE) This untold chapter of rock history reveals the influential live music promoters behind the rise of the Rolling Stones, Simon & Garfunkel, David Bowie and more. TEDDY PENDERGRASS: IF YOU DON’T KNOW ME Dir: Olivia Lichtenstein (NYC PREMIERE) This definitive bio, set to a soulful soundtrack, tells the story of Teddy Pendergrass, poised to be the biggest R&B artist ever—until tragedy struck.
DOCS REDUX
A HYMN FOR ALVIN AILEY (1999) Dir: Orlando Bagwell A classic film by DOC NYC Lifetime Achievement Award-winner Orlando Bagwell, celebrating the legacy of pioneering choreographer Alvin Ailey.
SHORTS PROGRAMS
SHORTS: THE BIG APPLE New York, NY. It’s a helluva town. Seven films explore the city, from the lives of immigrant cabbies to the World Trade Center memorial. The Accidental Activist (Samia Khan) Footprint (Sara Newens) The Sheriff of Goodtimes (Brad Hinkle) A Sharper Sword (Olivier Bernier) I’ve Never Been a Fisherman (Joe Stankus) King of the Night (Molly Brass, Stephen Tyler) Vilaayat (Ansh Vohra) SHORTS: THE CREATIVE SPARK On artists, performers and designers. Eight films profile graffiti to woodworking, architecture to art in Havana. Painting the Town (William Higbie) Barbara Kruger: Part of the Discourse (Ian Forster) Perspective. (Allyssa Agro) Thomas Fire Architect (Nicholas Weissman) Cuban Canvas (Kavery Kaul) Don’t Define Me (Don Casper) Tapume (Hugo Faraco) My Paintbrush Bites (Joel Pincosy, Joe Egender) SHORTS: DRAWN TOGETHER Life, animated. Nine films offer a creative use of animation to tell stories about Christmas, clowns, film pioneers and more. Santa Is a Psychedelic Mushroom (Matthew Salton) Music & Clowns (Alex Widdowson) Obon (Andre Hoermann, Anna Samo) Tightly Wound (Shelby Hadden) For A Better Life (Yasmin Mistry) Carlotta’s Face (Valentin Riedl, Frédéric Schuld) Lon (Nina Landau) Lotte That Silhouette Girl (Elizabeth Beecherl, Carla Patullo) The Likes and Dislikes of Marj Bagley (Taylor Stanton) SHORTS: GENERATION Z The hopes and dreams of the youngest generation. Seven films detail young love, youth activism, refugee life and more. True Love in Pueblo Textil (Horatio Baltz) Station 15 (Kira Akerman, Sophie Tintori) Share (Barna Szász, Ellie Wen) Listen (Astrid Bussink) Osama and Ayman (Sam Price-Waldman, Ben Mullinkosson, Chris Cresci) We Became Fragments ( Luisa Conlon, Hanna Miller, Lacy Jane Roberts) Hallo Salaam (Kim Brand) SHORTS: I’M A SURVIVOR Contemplating life and death and finding grace. Six films offer hope in the face of life’s curveballs, from illness to accident. Grace (Rachel Pikelny) Sister Hearts (Mohammad Gorjestani) Crannog (Isa Rao) I Was Here (Julian Dalrymple) Prince’s Tale (Jamie Miller) The Pull (Paul Szynol) SHORTS: LEGACY History is made, for better or worse. Three films explore the legacy of both private and public actions. The Happiness Machine (Rebecca B. Blumhagen) In the Absence (Yi Seung-Jun) Father K (Judd Ehrlich) SHORTS: QUEERLY BELOVED Life, loud and proud. Four films detail the diversity of LGBTQ experience. The Journey: Gay Officers Action League (Det. John Giretti, Andrew Sklar) Landline (Matt Houghton) Almost Liam (Sapir Rokach) Transformations (Alonso Mayo) SHORTS: SPACES UNKNOWN Unexpected moments and unusual discoveries. Six surprising stories about fake news, rhino guardians and more. Fake News Fairytale (Kate Stonehill) The Traffic Separating Device (Johan Palmgren) Tungrus (Rishi Chandna) The Mauritania Railway: Backbone of the Sahara (MacGregor) Black Line (Mark Olexa, Francesca Scalisi) The Black Mambas (Bruce Donnelly) SHORTS: THIS IS AMERICA, 2018 The states of the nation. Seven stories offer seven stories about Alabama quilters, a Texas pastor, New Orleans politicians and more. Lonesome Willcox (Ryan Maxey, Zack Wright) Sole Doctor (Paula Bernstein) While I Yet Live (Maris Curran) Cats Cradle (Jonathan Napolitano) LA Stories (Sara Newens, Josh Polon) Last Sermon at George’s Creek (Spencer Creigh, Bobby Moser) All Skinfolk Ain’t Kinfolk (Angela Tucker) SHORTS: THIS SPORTING LIFE Athletes, on and off the field. Six portraits of boxing, climbing, football and more. El Gallo (Michael Medoway) Big Wall (Jennifer Law-Smith) Concussion Protocol (Josh Begley) This Is Yarra (Lydia Rui) Black 14 (Darius Clark Monroe) Junction (Brendan Young)
DOC NYC U
The festival’s long-running section offers showcases of some of the city’s top student documentary filmmaking programs. Five programs reveal the nonfiction filmmakers of tomorrow, with work from Columbia University, Hunter College, New York Film Academy, New York University and School of Visual Arts. Columbia Journalism School’s Documentary Project showcase includes: The Lifehouse (Heba Elorbany, Kimberly Flores Guzmàn) Love, Mommy (Tala Hadavi, Yeong-Ung Yang) Hunter’s MFA Program in Integrated Media Arts showcase includes: After… After… (Access) (Jordan Lord) Dick’s Decoys (Sean Hanley) Cranberry Lake (Zoya Baker) Gentrification Express: Breaking Down the BQX (Samantha Farinella, Amanda Katz) Postcards from Miss Universe (CG Foisy) NYFA’s Documentary Department showcase includes: Cricket Liu (Julia Cheng) I Love You, Wally (Simona Kubasova Prakash) Keliling Bali (Gary Bencheghib, Aitor Mendilibar) The Trolls & I (Charlotte Madvig Schmidt) NYU’s NewsDoc showcase includes: An Edited Life (Mathieu Faure) Trafficked In Paradise (Olivia Wilson) SVA’s MFA Social Documentary Film showcase includes: Bird (Kate Fisher) Bob Man (Olivia Garzon) The Calling (Padcha Ithijarukul) Dressed to Fight (Naijie Wang) In the Right Frame of Mind (Veronique Engel) Noodle Soul (Hong Shanjia) On Track (Yunhong Pu)
SHORT LIST: SHORTS
’63 BOYCOTT Dir: Gordon Quinn In 1963, more than 250,000 students boycotted Chicago’s public schools to protest racial segregation. Combining period footage with reflections from participants, ‘63 Boycott links the past with present-day concerns around inequality in the education system. Courtesy of Kartemquin. EARTHRISE Dir: Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee In 1968, the first image of the Earth was captured from space, an iconic photograph that had an immediate and transformative impact around the globe. Earthrise explores the memories of the Apollo 8 astronauts responsible for the image, and their experience of awe in viewing the Earth framed against the void of space. Courtesy of New York Times Op-Docs/POV. END GAME Dirs: Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman A moving film about the passage from life to death, End Game is a portrait of the last days of those in palliative care in two San Francisco Bay Area medical facilities pioneering new paradigms for end-of-life decisions. Courtesy of Netflix. THE GIRL AND THE PICTURE Dir: Vanessa Roth 80 years ago, Xia Shuqin witnessed the murder of her family during the Nanjing Massacre.The Girl and the Picture uncovers how an American missionary’s camera serendipitously captured Xia and her sister, binding his family and theirs forever. Courtesy of USC Shoah Foundation/Cause & Affect Media. THE HEAD & THE HAND Dir: Marc Serpa Francoeur A meditative portrait of two women who confronted great adversity with a profound bond and remarkable positivity, The Head & The Hand presents a rich exploration of disability, independence and sisterhood. Courtesy of Lost Time Media. LESSONS FROM A SCHOOL SHOOTING: NOTES FROM DUNBLANE Dir: Kim A. Snyder In the aftermath of the Sandy Hook school shooting, local priest Father Bob Weiss connects with Father Basil O’Sullivan of Dunblane, Scotland, from a community which could uniquely relate to Newtown’s trauma. Kim A. Snyder’s film explores the power of resilience through the bond forged between these two priests. Courtesy of Netflix. MY DEAD DAD’S PORNO TAPES Dir: Charlie Tyrell Following the death of his emotionally distant father, filmmaker Charlie Tyrell seeks to better understand him through the personal belongings he left behind… including a stack of dirty VHS tapes. Courtesy of New York Times Op-Docs. RX: EARLY DETECTION, A CANCER JOURNEY WITH SANDRA LEE Dir: Cathy Chermol Schrijver After an annual mammogram results in a diagnosis of breast cancer, Emmy-winning TV host and lifestyle expert Sandra Lee sets out to discover the best options for treatment and recovery, opening up her private journey to share the importance of early detection with other women. Courtesy of HBO Documentary Films. SIDELINED Dir: Galen Summer In 1978, inspired by the popularity of NFL cheerleaders, Playboy organized a pictorial feature approved by team management happy for the media exposure. But when the resulting pictures set off a critical backlash, cheerleaders were fired, exposing society’s hypocrisy around female sexuality. Courtesy of A&E IndieFilms/Lifetime Films. TAKE BACK THE HARBOR Dirs: Kristi Jacobson, Roger Ross Williams On Governor’s Island, an ambitious program works to restore once-bountiful oysters and the environmental benefits they bring to New York Harbor. Take Back the Harbor highlights students at a remarkable public high school where environmental stewardship is part of the curriculum. Courtesy of Discovery/Motto Pictures. WE ARE NOT DONE YET Dir: Sareen Hairabedian US veterans and active-duty service members come together through a workshop led by poet Seema Reza to combat their traumatic military pasts via the written word. Sharing fears, vulnerabilities and victories, their writing becomes a tool for empowerment and healing culminating in the live performance of a collaborative poem under the direction of Jeffrey Wright. Courtesy of HBO Documentary Films. ZION Dir: Floyd Russ Born without legs and growing up in the foster care system, Zion Clark moved from one home to another as he grew up. Floyd Russ’ inspiring portrait reveals how his discovery of wrestling in the second grade provided not only a therapeutic outlet, but a sense of family.Courtesy of Netflix.
SHORT LIST: FEATURES
CRIME + PUNISHMENT Dir: Stephen Maing With unparalleled access to the whistle-blowing NYPD 12, this compelling Sundance prize-winner exposes systemic police corruption. Courtesy of IFC Films/Hulu. FAHRENHEIT 11/9 Dir: Michael Moore “One of Moore’s best and most incisively funny films” (Rolling Stone) seeks to understand the rise of Donald Trump and the resistance against him. Courtesy of State Run Films/Briarcliff Entertainment. FREE SOLO Dirs: Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi & Jimmy Chin Alex Honnold aims to be the first climber to ascend free solo–without safety ropes–the 3,000-foot cliff of El Capitan in California’s Yosemite Park. Courtesy of National Geographic Documentary Films. HALE COUNTY THIS MORNING, THIS EVENING Dir: RaMell Ross In this lyrical portrait of two young African-American men in the American South, “you witness a new cinematic language being born” (Village Voice). Courtesy of Cinema Guild. JANE FONDA IN FIVE ACTS Dir: Susan Lacy This candid and entertaining portrait explores Jane Fonda’s many facets: sex symbol, Academy Award winner, controversial activist, tycoon’s wife and fitness mogul. Courtesy of HBO Documentary Films. MINDING THE GAP Dir: Bing Liu Bing Liu films his skateboarding friends Zack and Keire over a decade, capturing the legacy of troubled relationships with their fathers. Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures/Hulu. ON HER SHOULDERS Dir: Alexandria Bombach Before Nadia Murad was awarded the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize, this portrait captures the young Yazidi activist as she advocates for her minority community. Courtesy of Oscilloscope Laboratories/RYOT. POPE FRANCIS: A MAN OF HIS WORD Dir: Wim Wenders The Oscar-nominated director of Pina and Buena Vista Social Club now trains his camera on the Argentine pontiff who leads the Catholic Church. Courtesy of Focus Features. QUINCY Dirs: Rashida Jones, Alan Hicks Following the now 85-year-old producer Quincy Jones over three years on the road as he reflects on collaborators, from Frank Sinatra to Michael Jackson. Courtesy of Netflix. RBG Dirs: Betsy West, Julie Cohen In this vivid history, we watch Ruth Bader Ginsburg go from trailblazing ACLU lawyer to the key liberal voice on the conservative Supreme Court. Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures/Participant Media/CNN Films. REVERSING ROE Dirs: Ricki Stern, Annie Sundberg Acclaimed filmmakers Annie Sundberg and Ricki Stern trace the legacy of Roe v. Wade as reproductive rights are increasingly at risk. Courtesy of Netflix. THE SENTENCE Dir: Rudy Valdez For ten years, Rudy Valdez captures the lives of his nieces while their mother serves a harsh prison term due to mandatory minimum sentencing. Courtesy of HBO Documentary Films. SHIRKERS Dir: Sandi Tan Sundance Directing Award winner Sandi Tan solves a mystery from her youth in Singapore, when her mysterious older mentor stole her first film. Courtesy of Netflix. THREE IDENTICAL STRANGERS Dir: Tim Wardle When triplets separated at birth discovered each other in 1980, it was a media sensation, but the truth behind their past proves both surprising and disturbing. Courtesy of NEON/CNN Films. WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR? Dir: Morgan Neville Oscar-winning filmmaker Morgan Neville (20 Feet from Stardom) tells the story of Fred Rogers, who influenced generations of children through his pioneering TV program.Courtesy of Focus Features.
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“OH, RICK!”, “THE STRANGER”, “ANTONIO LOPEZ 1970” Win 2017 DOC NYC Awards

[caption id="attachment_25696" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Antonio Lopez 1970: Sex Fashion & Disco[/caption] Earlier this month three juries selected films from each of the 2017 DOC NYC festival’s Viewfinders, Metropolis and Shorts sections to recognize for their outstanding achievements. Festival audiences voted for the DOC NYC Audience Award, and a panel of industry professionals voted to select the winner of this year’s DOC NYC PRO Pitch Perfect Award, given to a work-in-progress. The winner of last year’s DOC NYC PRO Pitch Perfect Award, Naila and the Uprising from director Julia Bacha, had its World Premiere at the 2017 festival with a sold out screening in the festival’s largest venue, the SVA Theatre.
Viewfinders Competition
Films chosen for their distinct directorial visions. Grand Jury Prize Winner: The Stranger, directed by Nicole N. Horanyi, follows a 25-year-old single mother who meets the man of her dreams on Facebook, but she soon discovers that the charming, worldly man has secrets. Jurors’ statement: “For its multilayered approach to storytelling and challenge to the definition of nonfiction the Viewfinders jury awards The Stranger by filmmaker Nicole N. Horanyi.”
Metropolis Competition
Films that exemplify the diverse range of stories in New York City. Grand Jury Prize Winner: Antonio Lopez 1970: Sex Fashion & Disco, directed by James Crump, is a portrait of the most influential fashion illustrator of 1970s New York and Paris, known for discovering talents such as Pat Cleveland and Grace Jones. Jurors’ statement: “For rescuing a vital figure in the fashion industry from the background of New York in the 1970s, when the joy and diversity of a new creative vision helped the city emerge from darkness, the Metropolis jury awards Antonio Lopez 1970: Sex Fashion & Disco by filmmaker James Crump.”
Shorts Competition
Grand Jury Prize Winner: Traffic Stop, directed by Kate Davis, exposes a problematic police force using dashcam footage as a forensic recounting of a routine traffic stop turned brutal assault of Breaion King. Jurors’ statement: “For its powerful portrait of a woman at the center of one of America’s most important current issues, the Shorts jury awards Traffic Stop by filmmaker Kate Davis.” Special Mention: Winter’s Watch, directed by Brian Bolster, about a hotel caretaker embracing the solitude of the off-season. The 2017 winning Short film qualifies for consideration in the Documentary Short Subject category of the annual Academy Awards® without the standard theatrical run, provided the film otherwise complies with the Academy rules.
Audience Award
Winner: Oh, Rick!, directed by Dustin Sussman and Aaron Rosenbloom, profiles comedian Rick Crom, the long-running emcee at Greenwich Village’s Comedy Cellar, and features Ray Romano, Colin Quinn, Sarah Silverman and Wanda Sykes.
DOC NYC PRO Pitch Perfect Award
Recognizes the best pitch given during DOC NYC PRO’s Pitch Perfect Day, based on the pitch itself, as well as the viability of the project, and is determined by industry professionals taking part in the daylong pitch event. Winner: Blue Code of Silence, directed by Magnus Skatvold and Gregory Mallozzi, tells the forty-year-old story of when policeman Bob Leuci brought down New York City’s most corrupt police unit, but at a grave personal cost.
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VIDEO: Watch a Clip from Parenting Documentary FAR FROM THE TREE Featuring Andrew Solomon

Check out a new clip – on discovering the true nature of family featuring Andrew Solomon, from new parenting documentary Far From The Tree, directed by Emmy-winning filmmaker Rachel Dretzin. Far From The Tree will World Premiere at the 2017 DOC NYC on Friday, November 10, 2017. More than a decade ago, acclaimed author Andrew Solomon embarked on a remarkable journey that was at once intensely personal and unmistakably universal. Inspired by his family’s difficulty in accepting his differences from them, Solomon began researching children who fall “Far From The Tree” in a variety of ways. The result was Solomon’s bestselling book Far From The Tree: Parents, Children and the Search for Identity. Based on Solomon’s award-winning book, the new documentary Far From The Tree explores the difficulties and rewards of raising and being a child whose experience of the world is vastly different from their parents. Directed and produced by Emmy-winning filmmaker Rachel Dretzin, it follows families coping with the challenges presented by Down syndrome, dwarfism, autism and even having a child in prison as they share their intimate stories with touching candor in an illuminating look at a complex bond. Each family tells a unique story, but Dretzin deftly uncovers parallels that touch on issues of community, understanding and self-acceptance. Deeply compassionate, the film illustrates how families that face extraordinary challenges meet them in the most ordinary ways: with love, empathy, and a desire to understand one another, and encourages us to cherish loved ones for all they are, not who they might have been. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KI1L-Fwm7NY
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