DOC NYC

Do I Sound Gay?

DOC NYC, announced the full line-up for its fifth edition, running November 13-20 at the IFC Center in Greenwich Village and Chelsea’s SVA Theatre and Bow Tie Chelsea Cinemas in New York CIty. Representing a dramatic growth from last year’s edition, the 2014 festival will showcase 153 films and events, with over 200 documentary makers and special guests expected in person to present their films to New York City audiences.

The Yes Men Are Revolting

Joining the US premiere of Opening Night Film Do I Sound Gay? as a Gala presentation, is this year’s Closing Night Film, the US premiere of The Yes Men Are Revolting, directed by Laura Nix and The Yes Men. Both films made their debut in September at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Among the world premieres are the debuts of An Open Secret, an exposé about sexual abuse in Hollywood, by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Amy Berg (Deliver Us from Evil, West of Memphis); Still Dreaming, in which the residents of an actors’ retirement home perform Shakespeare, by Hank Rogerson and Jilann Spitzmiller; and Almost There, a portrait of an outsider artist with a surprising past, by Dan Rybicky and Aaron Wickenden.

In addition to an expanded Short List—DOC NYC’s selection of the best docs of the year—and the increase of the festival’s panel series, Doc-A-Thon, by two days, this year’s event debuts four new thematic programming strands: Fight the Power celebrates activism,Centerstage highlights performance, Jock Docs focuses on sports, and Docs Redux revisits classic films.

The following is a breakdown of programming by section:

GALAS

Opening Night: Do I Sound Gay?
Dir: David Thorpe, 2014, US Premiere
After a breakup with his boyfriend, journalist David Thorpe embarks on a hilarious and touching journey of self-discovery, confronting his anxiety about “sounding gay.” In person: David Thorpe

Closing Night: The Yes Men Are Revolting
Dirs: Laura Nix, The Yes Men, 2014, US Premiere
A chronicle of the past five years of pranksters The Yes Men, the infamous activists known for duping the media with their impersonations of corporate shills and government stooges. In person: Laura Nix, The Yes Men

SPECIAL EVENTS – Seven standout films coupled with high-profile conversations with the directors and special guests.

Above and Beyond
Dir: Roberta Grossman, 2014, NYC Premiere
Reveals the hidden history behind the creation of Israel’s air force. International Film Circuit, opens Jan. 30. In person: Producer Nancy Spielberg

Back On Board: Greg Louganis
Dir: Cheryl Furjanic, 2014, NYC Premiere
This strikingly candid profile explores the triumphs and tragedies of Olympian Greg Louganis, considered by many the greatest diver of all time. In person: Cheryl Furjanic, film subject Greg Louganis

Banksy Does New York
Dir: Chris Moukarbel, 2014, NYC Premiere
Last October, when infamous street artist Banksy revealed his New York City residency, he set off a daily scavenger hunt among curious fans, would-be art collectors and, of course, the police. HBO Documentary Films, broadcasts Nov. 17. In person: Chris Moukarbel

Enquiring Minds: The Untold Story of the Man Behind the National Enquirer
Dir: Ric Burns, 2014, NYC Premiere
Serving up a sensational exposé in line with his juicy subject, acclaimed multiple-Emmy Award-winner Ric Burns uncovers the strange history of the National Enquirer and the tabloid’s legendary publisher, Generoso Pope Jr. In person: Ric Burns

I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story
Dirs: Dave LaMattina & Chad Walker, 2014, NYC Premiere
Sesame Street‘s Big Bird may be one of the world’s most recognizable characters, but far less familiar is Caroll Spinney, the man who has brought to life the yellow-feathered Muppet—as well as the irascible Oscar the Grouch—since 1969. In person: Dave LaMattina & Chad Walker, film subjects Caroll & Debra Spinney

An Open Secret
Dir: Amy Berg, 2014, World Premiere
Every year, thousands of children swarm Hollywood in search of fame, but what they often find under the surface is a deep and disturbing underbelly of manipulation and abuse. In person: Amy Berg

Soul Boys of the Western World
Dir: George Hencken, 2014, NYC Premiere
Spandau Ballet, one of the bands that defined the 1980s, tell their own story, set against a backdrop of evocative period footage, including never-before-seen home movies. In person: George Hencken and all the band members from Spandau Ballet—their first time in New York since 1983!

VIEWFINDERS – Juried Competition. Ten films notable for their distinct directorial visions.

Almost There
Dirs: Dan Rybicky & Aaron Wickenden, 2014, World Premiere
After the filmmakers meet octogenarian artist Peter Anton, they become enmeshed in his life, helping to stage an exhibition of his work.

Cairo Drive
Dir: Sherief Elkatsha, 2013, NYC Premiere
Shot before, during and after the revolution, this entertaining film explores Cairo from the street level through the perspectives of its drivers.

In Country
Dirs: Mike Attie & Meghan O’Hara, 2014, NYC Premiere
By now, the idea of Civil War re-enactment is familiar, but the subjects of this intriguing film relive the battles of a far more surprising conflict: Vietnam.

Kasamayaki
Dir: Yuki Kokubo, 2014, World Premiere
Following the devastation of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, Yuki visits her estranged parents in Kasama, Japan, a rural artist community, in the hopes of making sense of their past.

The Life and Mind of Mark Defriest
Dir: Gabriel London, 2014, NYC Premiere
Sentenced to four years in prison in 1978, Mark DeFriest’s numerous escapes have kept him incarcerated for over three decades.

Meet the Patels
Dirs: Geeta V. Patel & Ravi V. Patel, 2014, NYC Premiere
Nearing 30, first-generation Indian-American Ravi Patel breaks up with his secret, white girlfriend to seek the Indian woman of his parents’ dreams—who should also be named Patel, keeping with tradition. Sundance Selects, opens Mar. 14.

Monsieur Le Président
Dir: Victoria Campbell, 2013, World Premiere
Volunteering in Haiti in the immediate aftermath of the devastating 2010 earthquake, the filmmaker encounters Gaston, a charming voodoo priest who shows leadership during the emergency.

No Control
Dir: Jessica Solce, 2014, World Premiere
A provocative exploration of the contentious issue of gun control through profiles of two men at opposite ends of the debate.

Song From the Forest
Dir: Michael Obert, 2013, NYC Premiere
An American musicologist who abandoned modern civilization to join an African pygmy tribe brings his son to New York City. Film Collaborative, opens Spring 2015.

The Wound and the Gift
Dir: Linda Hoaglund, 2014, US Premiere
All over the world, people save animals that were bred, abused or sold on the black market, with an impact on both rescuer and rescued.

METROPOLIS – Juried Competition. Nine quintessentially New York stories.

Coming Home
Dir: Viko Nikci, 2014, North American Premiere
Finally released from prison, an innocent man attempts to repair his relationship with his daughter and to confront the man who committed the crime for which he was punished.

The Hand That Feeds
Dirs: Rachel Lears & Robin Blotnick, 2014, NYC Premiere
An Upper East Side “Hot & Crusty” bakery serves as the unlikely setting for an old-fashioned David vs. Goliath story, as service workers demand better working conditions and wages.

Homme Less
Dir: Thomas Wirthensohn, 2014, North American Premiere
From all outside appearances, Mark seems to have the glamorous New York City life that many would envy… but he harbors a secret.

Penthouse North
Dir: Johanna St Michaels, 2014, NYC Premiere
In her heyday, Swedish bombshell Agneta ruled the world from her fabulous Central Park West apartment, but times—and her finances—have changed.

Rubble Kings
Dir: Shan Nicholson, 2014, North American Premiere
Confronting a bankrupt, decaying city and the dashed hopes of the civil rights generation, African-American and Latino teenagers violently took over the streets of 1970s New York.
Rubble Kings screens with the short film The Chaperone (Fraser Munden & Neil Rathbone,14 min.). An action-packed, animated retelling of what happened when a drunken motorcycle gang invaded a 1970s school dance.

The Seven Five
Dir: Tiller Russell, 2014, NYC Premiere
NYPD officer Michael Dowd was at the center of an infamous cop corruption scandal of the early 1990s.

Some Kind of Spark
Dir: Ben Niles, 2014, World Premiere
Illustrating the transformative power not only of music, but of mentorship, this film is an uplifting look at Juilliard’s Music Advancement Program for inner-city youth.

Stop
Dir: Spencer Wolff, 2014, World Premiere
After David Ourlicht was stopped and searched by the NYPD for no discernible reason, he filed a class-action suit against the City of New York, alleging racial profiling in the police department’s stop-and-frisk policy.

Tough Love
Dir: Stephanie Wang-Breal, 2014, NYC Premiere
Having lost custody of their children to Child Protective Services, two parents in New York City and Seattle fight to win back the trust of the courts and reunite their families.

AMERICAN PERSPECTIVES – Nine films present a virtual tour around the United States.

The Age of Love
Dir: Steven Loring, 2014, NYC Premiere
An unprecedented speed-dating event for seniors serves as the backdrop for this alternately poignant and funny look at love among the 70+ set.

All American High Revisited
Dir: Keva Rosenfeld, 2014, NYC Premiere
Thirty years after he profiled the senior class of a typical California high school, the filmmaker revisits several members of the class of 1984 to see how they turned out.

Florence, Arizona
Dir: Andrea B. Scott, 2014, World Premiere
A resonant work of modern Americana, this film paints a rich and often humorous portrait of a cowboy town set in the heart of Arizona’s prison industry.

Grazers: A Cooperative Story
Dirs: Lisa F. Jackson & Sarah Teale, 2014, World Premiere
With interest in farm-to-table food on the rise, a small band of upstate New York farmers sees an opportunity to hold on to their endangered farms by raising and selling grass-fed beef.

Hotline
Dir: Tony Shaff, 2014
Even in our increasingly disconnected digital age, telephone hotlines continue to bring strangers together for a multiplicity of reasons. Gravitas, VOD Nov. 18.

Little White Lie
Dir: Lacey Schwartz, 2014, NYC Premiere
Growing up in an upper-middle-class Jewish household, Lacey Schwartz knew she looked different from the rest of her family, but never suspected the truth.
Little White Lie screens with the short film Mirror Image (Danielle Schwartz, Israel, 11 min.). An attempt to establish the provenance of an Israeli family’s heirloom becomes a debate over language and history.

Matt Shepard is a Friend of Mine
Dir: Michele Josue, 2013, NYC Premiere
While the world remembers Matthew Shepard’s death at the hands of homophobic attackers, this poignant film celebrates his life.

A Murder in the Park
Dirs: Shawn Rech & Brandon Kimber, 2014, World Premiere
A college journalism class’s re-examination of a murder case leads to the exoneration of an innocent man… or does it?

Sex and Broadcasting, a film about WFMU
Dir: Tim K. Smith, 2014, World Premiere
A portrait of New Jersey’s WFMU, which has occupied a unique position as an independent, commercial-free, listener-supported radio station since its inception in the late 1950s.

INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES – Eight films go globetrotting.

Every Last Child
Dir: Tom Roberts, 2014, World Premiere
After the Taliban bans polio vaccinations and spreads misinformation, Pakistan suffers devastating outbreaks of the disease, prompting strategic problem-solving from the World Health Organization.

The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness
Dir: Mami Sunada, 2013, NYC Premiere
Offering animation fans a rare look inside Japan’s Studio Ghibli, this fascinating film profiles its most famous creators, Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away), and his friendly rival and business partner, Isao Takahata (Pom Poko). GKIDS, opens Nov. 28.

Marmato
Dir: Mark Grieco, 2014, NYC Premiere
Exploring the intersection of economic development, environmental impact and globalization, this is an intimate and richly observed portrait of Marmato, a rural mining town threatened with destruction.

Miss Tibet: Beauty in Exile
Dir: Norah Shapiro, 2014, World Premiere
A Tibetan teenager travels from Minneapolis to India to compete in a most unlikely beauty pageant.

The Return
Dir: Adam Zucker, 2014
How does one claim an identity in a vacuum? Living in Poland, the four young women in this engaging film learned of their Jewish roots after growing up Catholic. Seventh Art Releasing.

A Small Section of the World
Dir: Lesley Chilcott, 2014, NYC Premiere
In equal measures inspiring and endearing, this film spotlights a group of Costa Rican village women who form a coffee-growing collective—despite not knowing the first thing about growing coffee. FilmBuff, opens Dec. 5.
A Small Section of the World screens with the short film Santa Cruz del Islote (Luke Lorentzen, 19 min.). Inhabitants of a remote Colombian island paradise face an uncertain future in changing times.

Vessel
Dir: Diana Whitten, 2014, NYC Premiere
Moved by the plight of desperate women in countries with restrictive reproductive rights, a Dutch physician uses laws governing international waters to bring much-needed abortion and contraceptive services on the high seas.

When People Die They Sing Songs
Dir: Olga Lvoff, 2014, NYC Premiere
Under the watchful eyes of her dutiful daughter Sonia, Regina recalls the Yiddish and French songs of her youth through music therapy sessions following a stroke.
When People Die They Sing Songs screens with the short film The Lion’s Mouth Opens(Lucy Walker, 28 min.). A young woman is about to learn whether she has inherited her father’s incurable, terminal disease.

CENTERSTAGE – New section! Four films put the spotlight on performance.

Capturing Grace
Dir: David Iverson, 2014, NYC Premiere
Recognizing that music and rhythmic activity can help those suffering from Parkinson’s disease achieve greater control of their mobility, two dancers from New York’s Mark Morris Dance Group lead a dance workshop.
Capturing Grace screens with the short film The Astronaut’s Secret (Zach Jankovic, 30 min.). After his 1996 mission in space, astronaut Rich Clifford and NASA kept a secret for 17 years.

The Last Impresario
Dir: Gracie Otto, 2014, NYC Premiere
From The Rocky Horror Picture Show to Monty Python and the Holy Grail, producer Michael White has helped bring enduring cultural touchstones to Broadway, London’s West End and the silver screen over the last four decades, but the bon vivant may be the most famous person you’ve never heard of. FilmBuff, opens Dec. 5.

Still Dreaming
Dirs: Hank Rogerson & Jilann Spitzmiller, 2014, World Premiere
Located just outside of Manhattan, the Lillian Booth Actors Home provides a most resonant setting for the staging of a classic play in which nothing is what it seems.

Us, Naked: Trixie & Monkey
Dir: Kirsten D’Andrea Hollander, 2014, World Premiere
A pair of acrobatic burlesque performers attempt to juggle art, love and financial stability in this perceptive portrait.

JOCK DOCS – New section! Five films focused on sports and athletes.

9-Man
Dir: Ursula Liang, 2014
A variant of volleyball developed by Chinese immigrants to America as both an athletic pastime and a social outlet in a time of widespread anti-Chinese sentiment, discrimination and segregation, now serves to unite young men with their culture.

Althea
Dir: Rex Miller, 2014, World Premiere
In the 1950s, long before Arthur Ashe or Venus and Serena Williams, Althea Gibson was the first African-American tennis player to win Grand Slam tournaments.

Hardy
Dir: Natasha Verma, 2014, NYC Premiere
Although Brooklyn’s Heather “The Heat” Hardy has only been boxing for a few years, she’s a world champion in the making—but first she has to be given the chance to prove herself in a sport that has been slow to open its doors to female athletes.

Opposite Field
Dir: Jay Shapiro, 2014, World Premiere
In its nearly 70-year history, the Little League World Series has never hosted a team from Africa. The Ugandan team hopes to change that.

Top Spin
Dirs: Sara Newens & Mina T. Son, 2014, World Premiere
Three driven teenage athletes attempt to go for Olympic gold in the perpetually popular but underappreciated game of table tennis.

FIGHT THE POWER – New section! Six films celebrate the power of activism.

Brothers of the Black List
Dir: Sean Gallagher, 2014, NYC Premiere
In the fall of 1992, despite efforts to recruit minority students, SUNY Oneonta set off a firestorm of controversy that led to the longest litigated civil-rights case in US history.

Disruption
Dir: Pamela Yates, 2013, NYC Premiere
Recognizing the persistence of income inequality in South America, a group of activist economists join together to offer an alternative path to eliminating poverty.

Divide in Concord
Dir: Kris Kaczor, 2014, NYC Premiere
A feisty octogenarian, concerned about the environmental impact of our disposable culture, is on a mission to ban the local sale of plastic bottled water, facing off against her celebrity publicist-turned-pundit nemesis.

Limited Partnership
Dir: Thomas G. Miller, 2014, NYC Premiere
A poignant portrait of four decades of devotion despite overwhelming odds, this film follows a transnational LGBT couple’s immigration battle.

She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry
Dir: Mary Dore, 2014, NYC Premiere
Through a treasure trove of archival material and profiles of several outspoken pioneers of the women’s movement, we revisit the remarkable eruption of activism in the late 1960s and early 1970s that signaled the arrival of modern feminism. International Film Circuit, opens Dec. 5.

Soft Vengeance: Albie Sachs and the New South Africa
Dir: Abby Ginzberg, 2014, NYC Premiere
At the height of apartheid, noted South African activist, author and attorney Albie Sachs was driven into exile, yet still faced threats to his life that cost him dearly.

SONIC CINEMA – Six films explore music and musicians.

Béla Fleck: How to Write a Banjo Concerto
Dirs: Béla Fleck and Sascha Paladino, 2014, NYC Premiere
Commissioned to create a first-of-its-kind concerto for the banjo and an 80-piece symphony orchestra, virtuoso musician Béla Fleck faces an intensely personal challenge of collaboration and composition. Argot Pictures, opens Winter 2015.

Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten: Cambodia’s Lost Rock & Roll
Dir: John Pirozzi, 2014, NYC Premiere
A fascinating exploration of history as reflected through a nation’s popular culture, this film excavates Cambodia’s lost era of American-inflected music. Argot Pictures, opens Spring 2015.

Heaven Adores You
Dir: Nickolas Rossi, 2014, NYC Premiere
An artful tribute to the too-soon departed singer/songwriter Elliott Smith.

Jingle Bell Rocks!
Dir: Mitchell Kezin, 2013, NYC Premiere
An entertaining quest to locate the top twelve strangest holiday songs you’re likely to ever hear, from “Santa Claus Was a Black Man” to “Christmas in Vietnam.” 
Oscilloscope Laboratories.

Salad Days: A Decade of Punk in Washington, DC (1980-1990)
Dir: Scott Crawford, 2014, US Premiere
An exploration of the development and evolution of the Washington, DC punk scene, and how it shaped independent music and popular culture in the decade that followed.

Songs for Alexis
Dir: Elvira Lind, 2014, NYC Premiere
Eighteen-year-old hopeless romantic Ryan, a young transgender man, writes songs about his sixteen-year-old girlfriend Alexis as the couple navigates a long distance relationship between Long Island and San Francisco.

DOCS REDUX – New section! Revisit seven past nonfiction favorites, including several films by this year’s DOC NYC Visionaries Tribute recipients.

The Chair
Filmmakers: Drew Associates, 1962
This classic follows the attorney Louis Nizer as he attempts to save prisoner Paul Crump from the electric chair.

David 
Filmmakers: DA Pennebaker & William Ray, 1961
Rare 35mm screening of Drew Associates’ portrait of a jazz trumpeter struggling through drug rehab.

High School
Dir: Frederick Wiseman, 1968
Wiseman’s classic look at an urban Philadelphia high school, capturing interactions between students, teachers, parents and administrators.

Hoop Dreams
Dir: Steve James, 1994
Twentieth anniversary restoration. Two Chicago teens are followed over their four years of high school as they aspire to use their basketball skills to create better futures for their families.

Kings Of Pastry
Dirs: Chris Hegedus & DA Pennebaker, 2009
Sixteen French pastry chefs put their reputations at stake in a prestigious competition.

Metallica: Some Kind of Monster
Dirs: Joe Berlinger & Bruce Sinofsky, 2004
Tenth anniversary. The members of the heavy metal band go through group therapy to save not only the band, but themselves.

Salesman
Dirs: Albert Maysles, David Maysles & Charlotte Zwerin, 1968
This breakthrough documentary follows door-to-door Bible salesmen as they ply their trade from Boston to Chicago to Miami.

MIDNIGHT DOCS – Three films worth staying up late to see.
 
Haunters
Dir: Anthony Morrison, 2014, World Premiere
A Michigan family-run business sets out to create the scariest haunted house in the state.

Love and Terror on the Howling Plains of Nowhere
Dir: Dave Jannetta, 2014, NYC Premiere
Imagine a This American Life episode devoted to a real-world Twin Peaks, and you might approximate the stranger-than-fiction story of small-town Chadron, Nebraska.

Sex(Ed)
Dir: Brenda Goodman, 2014, NYC Premiere
Revisit the health class of your awkward teenage years in this fun survey of sexual education films. First Run Features, VOD/DVD Feb. 3.

SHORTS PROGRAMS – Six thematic groupings of the best in short nonfiction filmmaking. DOC NYC is now an Academy Awards®-qualifying festival, with this year’s winning short film qualifying for consideration in the Documentary Short Subject category.

Art + Design
Ways of seeing and interacting with the world, ranging from interior design and fonts to artisanal craftwork and custom yarmulkes.

Life + Death
An exploration of beginnings and endings, including the healing power of music, the recording of life’s major moments and the ethics of euthanasia.

Lost + Found
Unexpected discoveries and hidden histories, from secret presidential recordings and the lost payphones of NYC, to fancy cats and the world’s longest yard sale.

Parts + Labor
A series of shorts about making a living, offering portraits of workers and their work—selling pickles, raising buffalo, stuffing animals, cobbling, and casting manhole covers.

Point + Shoot
Views through the photographic lens, focusing on blind creators, unconventional beauty, Warhol history, and war photography.

Show + Tell
Kids offer their perspectives on NYC snow days, middle-school heavy metal, dog shows, and North Dakota’s oil boom.

SHORT LIST – Our newly expanded section offers our picks for awards-season contenders. Last year, nine of our ten selections made that other short list.

The Case Against 8
Dirs: Ben Cotner & Ryan White, 2014
Following the fight for marriage equality all the way to the Supreme Court, as former legal foes, progressive David Boies and ultra-conservative Ted Olson, join forces. HBO Documentary Films.

CITIZENFOUR
Dir: Laura Poitras, 2014
A real-life thriller chronicling how Edward Snowden blew the whistle on the massive covert surveillance programs run by the NSA and other intelligence agencies.
RADiUS/Participant Media/HBO Documentary Films, opens Oct 24.

E-Team
Dirs: Katy Chevigny & Ross Kauffman, 2014
A look at the dangerous but life-affirming work performed by the Human Rights Watch Emergency Team, or E-Team, a compelling group of intrepid investigators willing to enter hostile territories to document crimes against humanity that might otherwise go unreported. Netflix.

Finding Vivian Maier
Dirs: John Maloof & Charlie Siskel, 2013
When Vivian Maier died in 2009 at age 83, she left behind more than 100,000 negatives of her street photography—images that she’d scarcely shared with anyone. Sundance Selects.

The Great Invisible
Dir: Margaret Brown, 2014
An examination of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and its impact on fishermen, oilmen and survivors. RADiUS/Participant Media, opens Oct. 29.

Happy Valley
Dir: Amir Bar-Lev, 2014
An exploration of the Penn State scandal, focusing on hero worship and the court of public opinion, and their impact on everyday people caught in their wake. Music Box Films, opens Nov. 19.

Keep On Keepin’ On
Dir: Alan Hicks, 2014
Celebrating mentorship as much as music, this inspirational and poignant film explores the common bonds between a 92-year-old jazz legend and his 23-year-old protégé. RADiUS.

Last Days in Vietnam
Dir: Rory Kennedy, 2014
In the final weeks of the Vietnam War, with the invasion of Saigon imminent, the White House ordered the evacuation of U.S. citizens—but their South Vietnamese allies flooded onto embassy grounds seeking help. American Experience Films/PBS.

Life Itself
Dir: Steve James, 2014
Acclaimed filmmaker Steve James pays tribute to the late Roger Ebert and to the love of movies. Magnolia Pictures.

Merchants of Doubt
Dir: Robert Kenner, 2014
The director of Food, Inc reveals how corporations affect what we think, exploring the shadow world of experts who stake claims contrary to scientific consensus. Sony Pictures Classics/Participant Media, opens March 6.

The Overnighters
Dir: Jesse Moss, 2014
Pastor Jay Reinke offers newcomers seeking employment the chance to sleep in his church, setting off a controversy within his small North Dakota town and his congregation. Drafthouse Films.

Red Army
Dir: Gabe Polsky, 2014
This emotional look at the Soviet hockey team blends politics, sports and human drama. Sony Pictures Classics, opens Jan. 23.

Rich Hill
Dirs: Tracy Droz Tragos & Andrew Droz Palermo, 2014
With roots in the eponymous, impoverished Missouri town, filmmaker cousins bring a sensitive touch to this richly observed and sublimely shot portrait of three boys. The Orchard.

The Salt of the Earth
Dirs: Wim Wenders & Juliano Ribeiro Salgado, 2014
An insider and outsider’s perspective on photographer Sebastiao Salgado and the nature preserve Instituto Terra. Sony Pictures Classics, opens Apr. 3.

Tales of the Grim Sleeper
Dir: Nick Broomfield, 2014
In one of his finest films, Nick Broomfield digs into a true crime story of a Los Angeles serial killer that raises larger questions about gender, race and class inequalities. HBO Documentary Films, 2015 broadcast.

DOC-A-THON – Newly expanded from four to six days, DOC NYC’s panel and masterclass series for both emerging and established filmmakers offers 24 events, organized by daily themes. All Doc-A-Thon panels take place at the IFC Center.

For the First-Time Filmmaker
Thursday, Nov. 13
Essential information for new filmmakers, with panels on “Mapping Out Your Film,” “Funding,” “Post-Production,” and “Distribution & Outreach.”

All About the Short
Friday, Nov. 14
A focus on short-form storytelling, with panels on “Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Short Filmmaking But Were Afraid To Ask,” “Who’s Buying Doc Shorts,” “Shorter Forms for Ever Shorter Attention Spans,” and “Nonfiction Shorts & the Festival Audience.”

Shoot Your Doc
Monday, Nov. 17
A series of masterclasses exploring production, including “Cinematography,” “Producing,” “Music Rights,” and “Casting for Nonfiction.”

Finish Your Doc
Tuesday, Nov. 18
Masterclasses offering critical advice for post-production, including “Editing,” “How to Produce an Award-Winning Archival Documentary,” “Sound Design,” and “Graphics & Animation.”

Fund Your Doc
Wednesday, Nov. 19
Learn who is funding nonfiction and what they’re looking for, with panels on “Lessons on Creative Funding & Audience Building,” “Social-Action Filmmaking,” Pitch Workshop,” and “The ‘Documatrix’ of HBO,” a conversation with HBO Documentary Films’ Sheila Nevins.

Reach Your Audience
Thursday, Nov. 20
Panels illuminating the importance of audience engagement, including “Social-Media Workshop,” “How to Maximize Digital Distribution,” “Documentaries are Narrative,” and “Making a Living as a Documentary Filmmaker.”

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The new documentary BREASTMILK directed/produced by Dana Ben-Ari and executive produced by Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein, will screen at the 4th annual DOC NYC, the largest documentary festival in the U.S. BREASTMILK follows five New York City mothers from late pregnancy until their babies are a year old. Filmed in in a cinéma vérité style, the film is an intimate, frank exploration of the truth, sexuality, politics, and emotions surrounding modern breastfeeding.

During DOC NYC, BREASTMILK will screen on Saturday, November 16 at 4:30pm at the School of Visual Arts Theatre in Chelsea (333 W. 23^rd Street, NYC) with Q&A to follow with Dana Ben-Ari, Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein and Tuesday, November 19 at 11:30am at IFC Center in the West Village (323 6th Avenue) with a Q&A to follow with Dana Ben-Ari.

BREASTMILK is the first film to explore the full range of the breastfeeding experience. With unexpected humor and an unflinching camera, first-time director Dana Ben-Ari documents the journeys of new parents, bringing to light their pain, their honest revelations, and a surprising amount of fun.  Many women today are wrestling with questions of their maternal and reproductive health and their roles in society as mothers and women. BREASTMILK speaks to those concerns in a direct, surprising way.

The film is unrated with a running time of 90 minutes. It is produced by Aleph Pictures. Executive Producers are Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein, the filmmakers behind the 2008 documentary The Business of Being Born.

BREASTMILK is also hosting a limited number of community screenings in the US and Canada. Find or request a screening at www.breastmilkthemovie.com.

http://youtu.be/0Zkq_Sr5NYQ

via press release

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THE UNKNOWN KNOWN

DOC NYC documentary festival returns for its fourth year to the IFC Center in Greenwich Village and Chelsea’s SVA Theatre in New York City from November 14 to 21, 2013.  DOC NYC will showcase 131 films and events, including screenings of 72 feature-length films and 39 shorts as well as 20 doc-related panel discussions and masterclasses. The festival opens on November 14th with the NYC premiere of THE UNKNOWN KNOWN, presented by director Errol Morris, in which he engages in a verbal duel with former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld over recent history.

GALAS – Opening Night (Nov. 14): the NYC premiere of The Unknown Known, presented by director Errol Morris, in which he engages in a verbal duel with former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld over recent history. Centerpiece (Nov. 17): the US premiere of Finding Vivian Maier (dirs. John Maloof & Charlie Siskel), which uncovers one of the 20th century’s greatest photographers who kept her work secret.Closing Night (Nov. 21): the world premiere of Is the Man Who is Tall Happy? An Animated Conversation with Noam Chomsky, presented by director Michel Gondry and Noam Chomsky, in which Gondry interviews the esteemed linguist and brings his ideas to life with drawings. Also playing as a gala: the NYC premiere of Marvin Hamlisch: What He Did for Love (Nov. 17, dir. Dori Berinstein) about the hit-making songwriter behind “The Way We Were,” “A Chorus Line” and more, presented by the director along with Broadway star Donna McKechnie and songwriter Rupert Holmes.

SPECIAL EVENTS – Five standout films coupled with high-profile conversations with the directors and special guests. Oliver Stone presents the never-broadcast prologue to his epic Showtime series The Untold History of the United States, which looks at events leading up to World War II. Two world premiere events: White Gold is a frontline exposé of the modern-day ivory trade, presented with an extended conversation with director Simon Trevor and producer Arne Glimcher (founder of Pace Gallery); and Inside the Mind of Leonardo 3D (dir. Julian Jones) is a hybrid documentary featuring the actor Peter Capaldi (Doctor Who) performing passages from the notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci. Two NYC premieres: Emptying the Skies(dir. Douglas Kass) chronicles the rampant poaching of migratory birds in Europe, based on the New Yorker essay by Jonathan Franzen who will participate in a Q&A; and What is Cinema? (dir. Chuck Workman) creates a visual essay from film clips of boundary-pushing cinema combined with eclectic interviews. In addition to the above special events, four free panels will be announced in the days to come.

VIEWFINDERS COMPETITION – Seven films notable for their distinct directorial visions including the world premiere of WEB (dir. Michael Kleiman), which follows Peruvian children in remote regions who participate in the One Laptop per Child program. US premiere: The Dark Matter of Love (dir. Sarah McCarthy) looks at an American family that adopts Russian children prior to Vladimir Putin’s ban. Five NYC premieres: Sole Survivor (dir. Ky Dickens) profiles four people who were the only survivors of major airline crashes. Uranium Drive-In (dir. Suzan Beraza) focuses on a Colorado town with its economic hopes pinned on a new uranium mine. A Will for the Woods (dirs. Amy Browne, Jeremy Kaplan, Tony Hale & Brian Wilson) highlights the green burial movement. We Always Lie to Strangers (dirs. AJ Schnack & David Wilson) portrays the lives of performers in the popular family tourist destination of Branson, Missouri. A World Not Ours (dir. Mahdi Fleifel) brings a humorous and personal perspective on a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon. 

METROPOLIS COMPETITION – Nine films rooted in New York City including the world premiere of Patrolman P (dir. Ido Mizrahy), which re-opens a controversial NYPD corruption case from the 1970s. Two US premieres: Exposed (dir. Beth B) delves into the world of modern burlesque performers; and The Sarnos: A Life in Dirty Movies(dir. Wiktor Ericsson) profiles Joe Sarno who flourished making softcore porn in the 1960s and ‘70s. Six NYC premieres: A Fragile Trust: Plagiarism, Power and Jason Blair at The New York Times (dir. Samantha Grant) interviews the main players behind the 2003 newspaper scandal. Here One Day (dir. Kathy Leichter) uncovers a box of hidden audiotapes by the director’s mother, the wife of a New York State Senator, illuminating a troubled history. I Learn America (dirs. Jean-Michel Dissard & Gitte Peng) goes inside a Brooklyn public high school dedicated to newly arrived immigrants. Lucky (dir. Laura Checkoway) follows a homeless single mother who dreams of bettering her life. Misfire: The Rise and Fall of the Shooting Gallery(dir. Whitney Ransick) examines the history of the New York film company responsible for Sling Blade and other indie hits. The Pleasures of Being Out of Step(dir. David L. Lewis) profiles Nat Hentoff, the renowned jazz critic and free speech advocate.

AMERICAN PERSPECTIVES – Eleven films that represent the country’s diversity including the world premiere of Kids for Cash (dir. Robert May), which uncovers the shocking story of a Pennsylvania judge who incarcerated young people at an alarming rate; and the US premiere of How to Lose Your Virginity (dir. Therese Shechter), a humorous look at ideas around virginity in modern culture. Eight NYC premieres:Breastmilk (dir. Dana Ben-Ari), presented by executive producer Ricki Lake in person, uses humor and candor to explore misconceptions around mother’s milk.American Commune (dirs. Rena Mundo Croshere & Nadine Mundo) follows the filmmaker siblings back to the counterculture commune, The Farm, where they were born. American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs (dir. Grace Lee) profiles the 98-year-old social activist from Detroit who will attend in person. Citizen Koch (dirs. Carl Deal & Tia Lessin) examines the Wisconsin standoff between state employees and Governor Scott Walker who was bankrolled by rightwing billionaires David and Charles Koch. Geraldine Ferraro: Paving the Way (dir. Donna Zaccaro) traces the history of the first-ever female vice-presidential candidate. HBO’s Toxic Hot Seat (dirs. James Redford & Kirby Walker) uncovers disturbing claims about products containing flame retardants that have become commonplace. Unorthodox (dir. Anna Wexler & Nadja Oertelt) examines three diverse Modern Orthodox American Jews who spend a year studying at a Yeshiva in Israel. Town Hall (dir. Sierra Pettengill & Jamila Wignot) looks at two Pennsylvania Tea Party activists in the lead-up to the 2012 election. The final title is Rebuilding the World Trade Center(dir. Marcus Robinson), which captures the six-year task of construction at Ground Zero.

INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES – Doubling in size from last year, this section has eight titles that take us around the globe, including the US premieres of Things Left Behind (dir. Linda Hoaglund), which focuses on a Japanese art exhibit about the atomic bomb; and The Traces of Dr. Ernesto Guevara (dir. Jorge Denti), which draws from Che Guevara’s personal journals to trace his second journey across Latin America in 1952-53. Six NYC premieres: The Abominable Crime (dir. Micah Fink) examines violent homophobia in Jamaica. Brave Miss World (dir. Cecilia Peck) follows an Israeli former Miss World campaigning against sexual violence. The Manor(dir. Shawney Cohen) looks at a dysfunctional family that runs a Canadian strip club.The Road to Fame (dir. Hao Wu) captures Beijing students adapting the Broadway musical Fame. Touba (dir. Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi) uses breathtaking cinematography to document a Senegalese pilgrimage. The Stuart Hall Project (dir. John Akomfrah) blends Miles Davis music and eclectic archival footage to profile the British cultural theorist. 

SONIC CINEMA – Seven films that explore a wide range of music, including three world premieres: Revenge of the Mekons (dir. Joe Angio) explores the endurance of the punk band the Mekons over four decades; We Don’t Wanna Make You Dance(dir. Lucy Kostelanetz) captures a white funk band over a long span of time, like a rock version of Michael Apted’s 7 Up; and Harlem Street Singer (dirs. Trevor Laurence & Simeon Hutner) profiles the blind guitar player Reverend Gary Davis who influenced a generation of folk and blues musicians. NYC premieres: The Punk Singer (dir. Sini Anderson) focuses on Kathleen Hanna, a leader of the Riot Grrrl movement with bands like Bikini Kill and Le Tigre; and Mercedes Sosa: The Voice of Latin America (dir. Rodrigo H. Vila) goes deep into the history of the singer who became a 20th century icon. Death Metal Angola (dir. Jeremy Xido) journeys to the African country of Angola where a couple holds the first-ever rock concert to raise funds for an orphanage. Folk (dir. Sara Terry) crafts a love letter to a musical genre and an intimate portrait of contemporary musicians.

ART + DESIGN – In this new section, we present seven films engaging with artists, including the world premiere of Men of the Cloth (dir. Vicki Vasilopoulos), which looks at master tailors whose craft is in danger of vanishing; and the US premiere ofGrey City (Cidade Cinza) (dirs. Marcelo Mesquita & Guilherme Valiengo), which explores the work of renowned graffiti artists Os Gêmeos, Nunca, and Nina. Three NYC premieres: Magical Universe (dir. Jeremy Workman) takes us inside the world of an outsider artist who builds Barbie doll dioramas. Levitated Mass: The Story of Michael Heizer’s Monolithic Sculpture (dir. Doug Pray) chronicles the artist Michael Heizer’s attempt to transport a 340-ton boulder for an installation. In No Great Hurry: 13 Lessons in Life with Saul Leiter (dir. Tomas Leach) profiles one of the pioneers of the New York school of photography from the ‘40s and ‘50s. If You Build It (dir. Patrick Creadon) documents the impact of a design class in an impoverished North Carolina town. Tiny: A Story About Living Small (dirs. Merete Mueller & Christopher Smith) tracks a couple building a small house as part of an environmentally conscious movement.

MIDNIGHT DOCS – Four films selected to keep you awake late. Kink (dir. Christina Voros) goes behind the scenes of the world’s most popular sexual fetish site in a film produced by James Franco. The Final Member (dirs. Jonah Bekhor & Zach Math) takes a funny and bizarre look at the Icelandic Phallological Museum. Hungry (dirs. Jeff Cerulli & Barry Rothbart) delves into the world of competitive eating and one of its controversial stars, Takeru Kobayashi. Shooting Bigfoot (dir. Morgan Matthews) follows attempts by cryptozoologists to track down the legendary man-beast.

SHORTS PROGRAMS – Six thematic groupings of short documentaries will be presented in the programs “Blood is Thicker,” on the bonds of family; “The Kids are All Right,” on the honesty and wisdom of youth; “Man & Beast,” on people and animals; “Obsessions,” on collectors, curiosity seekers and compulsives; “People & Places,” on unexpected environments; “Then & Now,” on nostalgia and changing times.

DOC-A-THON PANELS – Sixteen masterclasses and panels with esteemed filmmakers and industry leaders are organized into four thematic days. Shoot Your Doc day (Nov. 18) has masterclasses on “Cinematography,” “Producing,” “Filming Outside Your Turf,” plus “Cara Mertes In Conversation” with the head of the Ford Foundation JustFilms program. Finish Your Doc day (Nov. 19) has masterclasses on “Editing,” “Dig Into Archives,” “Your Subjects at Risk,” and “Graphics & Animation.”Fund Your Doc day (Nov. 20) has panels entitled “Lessons in Crowd-Funding,” “Tap Into TV,” plus masterclasses on “Get Funded & Stay in Control,” and “Advice From the Experts.” Reach Your Audience day (Nov. 21) features the panels “Meet the Distributors,” “How to Maximize Digital Distribution,” “Leveraging Your Press” and “Making the Most of Festivals.”

SHORT LIST – Ten films selected by DOC NYC programmers as ones to watch this awards season (* indicates director in person): 20 Feet From Stardom (dir. Morgan Neville*); The Act of Killing (dir. Joshua Oppenheimer*); Blackfish (dir. Gabriela Cowperthwaite); The Crash Reel (dir. Lucy Walker*); Dirty Wars (dir. Richard Rowley*); First Cousin Once Removed (dir. Alan Berliner*); Gideon’s Army (dir. Dawn Porter*); God Loves Uganda (dir. Roger Ross Williams*); The Square (dir. Jehane Noujaim*); Stories We Tell (dir. Sarah Polley*).

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[caption id="attachment_1766" align="alignnone" width="550"]The Island President[/caption]

The Doc NYC Film Festival is kicking off at the IFC Center on 6th Avenue on November 2nd through November 10th 2011. Vimooz’s Francesca McCaffery is covering the Festival, and here are some of the first highlights of what is proving to be a truly inspiring, not-to-be-missed line-up:

The Island President: If you only go see a few films at the Doc NYC Film Festival this year, Jon Shenk’s “The Island President” should be at the very top of your list. Focusing on the pint-sized President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives Islands (the country comprised of a thousand scattered islands, South of India) and his amazing quest to crush the threat of global warming- which is literally threatening the life of the Island’s inhabitants. (The Maldives are literally sinking at a stomach-lurching rate, due to the additional CO2 in the air, which is raising ocean water levels.) Learning about his twenty years as a political activist and political prisoner before he was elected- this movie is a tribute to a brilliant, illuminating spirit, and absolutely MUST be seen. (Radiohead does the soundtrack, another great reason to see it!) 

[caption id="attachment_1767" align="alignnone" width="550"]Kumare[/caption]

Kumare: Kumare is the story of a young, hip Indian-American filmmaker (Vikram Gandhi) who initially started out making a doc about spiritual leaders around the world. Quietly demoralized by many of their “fake” attributes, inauthenticity and very Western appetites, he sets upon an experiment: With two pretty young “assistants,” he gets his yoga certification, grows out his long, black beard, moves to Phoenix, AZ (where no one knows him) and literally remakes himself into a spiritual guru named “Kumare.” He then begins teaching self-created meditation and yoga techniques and life-enriching “seminars” at a local yoga studio. Soon, he has up to twenty students, all who start confiding in him their problems, anxieties and general fears about their lives, loves and relationships. The filmmaker now faces a great dilemma: How is he going to “reveal” his true self without breaking everyone’s heart, including his own? The film is being billed as a Borat-style stunt- and perhaps, it may have been originally conceived as such. But the message the filmmaker decides to make the crux of his highly inventive film is a beautiful one- and the film itself is a hilarious, warm, and extraordinarily thought-provoking. Please make sure to check it out!

[caption id="attachment_1768" align="alignnone" width="550"]Lemon[/caption]

Lemon: Another wonderful doc at the Doc NYC Film Festival this year, “Lemon” (directed by Laura Brownson and Beth Levinson) focuses upon the tough upbringing and truly resilient, genius spirit of performer Lemon Andersen, discovered By Russell Simons (and placed on both television and Broadway through the Def Poetry Jam series-winning Andersen an ensemble Tony award for the stage version) and chronicles his ups and downs, as well as his tragic Brooklyn childhood and fight to come up from the projects and become a star. The wonderful thing about watching this film is actually getting to observe an artist at work- we see the countless rehearsals of Lemon’s one -man show, his frustrations as he tries to find funding for it, what he must let go off in order to take the show to the next level, (to the historic Public Theatre) and his incredible drive to succeed. Through it all, we see that Lemon is not just a star performer, but a deft and dazzling poet, and we root for him all the way through. A well-conceived and stylized take on the American Dream, and what one has to do if they truly want to attain it. Also- the film is simply fun and beautiful to watch, just gorgeously well produced. You can say you saw it here first, because this will certainly be at a theater near you or on HBO, very soon.

[caption id="attachment_1683" align="alignnone" width="550"]Into the Abyss, A Tale of Death, A Tale of Life: Werner Herzog [/caption]

Into the Abyss, A Tale of Death, A Tale of Life: Werner Herzog

Herzog again self-narrates another documentary- this time, a strange and stilted journey into the state of Texas, where he interviews two young men imprisoned for murder, one of them on Death Row, as well as the families of three of their victims. In this extensive investigation into the inhabitants of the small town, the family members, and the killers themselves, it is hard not to focus on the fact that these murders seemed to driven not by love, lust or greed, but by the need simply to possess, of all things, a new sports car. Herzog is not making a simple judgment call on materialism and society, or our literally wasted, orphaned-in-spirit youth. He seems be asking, simply: “Why do we kill? And why do states kill?” As Michael Perry proclaims, and scarily correct days before his execution, “The state of Texas wants to murder me!” I found a smaller film to be much more interesting and actually relevant, which was Grober Babcock’s and Blue Hadaegh’s “Scenes of a Crime.” This doc painstakingly picks apart the gaping holes in a grueling police interrogation of a father whose infant son has died in his care. As we learn how remiss the detectives were in this case, it makes one reflect upon the pressure we put upon our civil servants to keep our lives and our society tightly in line. This was a far more devastating commentary on how, as one hard-working lawyer for the defense put it, “Very few people put in the position of administering justice seem to really care about doing so.”

We will have continuing highlights and coverage of this wonderful documentary film fest. Please stay tuned, and please go to www.docnyc.net to get your tickets now!

By Francesca McCaffery

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