AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED!
Winners for Grand Jury Prizes, Audience Award & More Just Announced!
2024 FESTIVAL MAIN SLATE ANNOUNCED!
Discover the lineups for DOC NYC’s US, International and Metropolis Competitions and more, including more than 50 US and World Premieres! (Pictured: SECRET MALL APARTMENT)
OPENING NIGHT: BLUE ROAD – THE EDNA O’BRIEN STORY
The life and legacy of the Irish feminist literary legend. US Premiere.
CLOSING NIGHT: DROP DEAD CITY – NEW YORK ON THE BRINK IN 1975
A portrait of NYC in some of its darkest days and its struggle to overcome fiscal disaster. World Premiere.
CENTERPIECE: ALL GOD’S CHILDREN
In Brooklyn, a rabbi and a Baptist pastor seek common ground in Ondi Timoner’s (Last Flight Home) new film. World Premiere.
WINNER’S CIRCLE & SHORT LISTS ANNOUNCED!
The Short Lists and Winner's Circle sections showcase International award-winners and the year's top award contenders.
HOW TO RUSH
Don’t worry if you couldn’t get an advance ticket – a few last-minute seats are released for almost all festival screenings.
ALL FILM PASS ON SALE NOW!
The All Film Pass unlocks exclusive access to all 200+ films in the DOC NYC 2024 lineup, including all in-person and virtual screenings
Industry Accreditation
DOC NYC 2024 Industry accreditation is now open!
MSNBC’S THE SING SING CHRONICLES TO HAVE WORLD PREMIERE AT DOC NYC
Dawn Porter's new docuseries examines Jon-Adrian "JJ" Velazquez's wrongful conviction
VOICES OF CANADA INDUSTRY ROUNDTABLES
These six exemplary Canadian work-in-progress documentaries are headed to NYC for a day of curated meetings and industry feedback. (Pictured: THE ART OF ADVENTURE)
MONDAY MEMO
Rory Kennedy to Receive Pennebaker Award at Critics Choice Documentary Awards
WEEKEND WATCH
SOUNDTRACK TO A COUP D'ETAT, NO OTHER LAND, LUTHER: NEVER TOO MUCH
NEXT FESTIVAL: NOV 13 – DEC 1, 2024
U.S. Competition
Directed by Ondi Timoner
WORLD PREMIERE Concerned about escalating tensions between Jewish and Black Brooklynites, the spiritual leaders of Congregation Beth Elohim in Park Slope and Antioch Baptist Church in Bed-Stuy embark on a radical experiment to bring the change they hope to see in their communities. The rabbi and the pastor lead delegations to their places of worship to learn from each other, but soon tensions emerge, testing their dreams of unity. Tackling their complex histories head on, these two New York City devotional institutions find communal traction, fighting side by side for justice and compassion. – Jaie Laplante
All God’s Children is also in the US Competition.
The first and second screening will be followed by a Q&A with director/producer Ondi Timoner, executive producer Travon Free, and film subjects Rabbi Rachel Timoner and Reverend Dr. Robert Waterman. The first screening will be moderated by MSNBC’s Ari Melber and the second screening will be moderated by director Barbara Kopple.
All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.
Directed by Alina Simone
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE When we read profiles of courage in newspapers, we probably don’t read of Natalia Zubkova. A citizen journalist and mother, Zubkova is an army of one who first exposes and then fights the rampant corruption of the Russian government and its coal mafia, despite surveillance, harassment, and threats. In this investigative thriller, witness the story of an environmental warrior who risks it all in her pursuit of justice and accountability from an authoritarian regime. – Bedatri D. Choudhury
The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Alina Simone.
This film contains the following accessibility options for viewers:
Closed Captioning for online screenings
All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.
Directed by Justin Schein
WORLD PREMIERE A renowned and successful record company CEO, known for his brilliance—and his combativeness, Harvey Schein lived a rags-to-riches story that embodied the American Dream. But over time he also became obsessed with how to pass on his wealth to his heirs while avoiding taxes. Director Justin Schein turns the camera on his father as a case study in America’s long and problematic history of tax benefits for the wealthy. This timely film deftly interweaves complex family dynamics with American economic policy, illustrating how the rich stay rich and what it costs our country to keep them that way. – Karen McMullen
The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with director and producer Justin Schein, co-director and producer Robert Edwards, editors Purcell Carson and Brian Redondo, and special guests.
The second screening will be followed by a Q&A with director and producer Justin Schein, co-director and producer Robert Edwards, editor Brian Redondo, and special guests.
This film contains the following accessibility options for viewers:
Closed Captioning for in-person screenings at IFC Center and Village East by Angelika
Closed Captioning for online screenings
All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.
Directed by Landon Van Soest
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE After living in darkness for nearly 40 years, Ian Nichols, a blind Anglican priest, becomes one of the first people in the world to receive an experimental bionic eye implant. At 76 years old, Nichols grapples with the profound change, as the groundbreaking scientific advancement offers hope alongside perplexing technical limitations. Audiences see what Nichols sees, as director Landon Van Soest presents impressionistic visualizations of Nichols’ enhanced sight, inviting questions about the nature of our perception. – Brandon Harrison
The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Landon Van Soest, animator Paul Trillo, editor L. Frances Henderson, and producers Jo Budzilowicz and Stacey Kleiger.
All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.
Accessibility alert for NOV 17, 11:30AM screening:
Due to a recent equipment failure at Village East Cinemas, the room where this film screens is currently not accessible to patrons using wheelchairs. We apologize for the inconvenience. However the film is available to view at home as part of DOC NYC’s online festival. Please reach out to [email protected] with any questions.
Directed by Sareen Hairabedian
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE The hopes and dreams of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians are sprung anew in the generation represented by an ebullient 11-year-old boy named Vrej, as charismatic a documentary subject as there ever was. Yet the dark clouds of historic conflict rumble again over Vrej’s beloved homeland, and his idyllic childhood is interrupted when his family flees for a brief exile as war erupts between Armenia and Azerbaijan. When the war ends, Vrej returns home to confront devastation, unexploded mines, and the new reality of having to train for future battles himself – but with his characteristic pluck, hope for a better future remains. – Jaie Laplante
The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Sareen Hairabedian, producer Azza Hourani, and executive producer Beth Levison. The second screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Sareen Hairabedian.
This film contains the following accessibility options for viewers:
Closed Captioning for in-person screenings at IFC Center and Village East by Angelika
Closed Captioning for online screenings
All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.
Directed by Ashley Tyner, William Tyner
WORLD PREMIERE After the Black Lives Matter movement sees an international tipping point in the summer of 2020, three young Minneapolis community leaders intersect in their local activism to preserve the legacy of George Floyd, fight systemic injustice, and strive for meaningful change. Jeanelle and her team of caretakers work to transform offerings from the recent uprising into artifacts for the Black historical archive; Robin works to replace the police with a new approach to community safety; and Toshira focuses on demanding justice and accountability for lives stolen by policing. These committed women find they must dig deep to disrupt complacency and reconcile nuanced contradictions within their own communities. – Jaie Laplante
The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with film subject Jeanelle Austin, film subject Robin Wonsley, film subject Toshira Garraway, co-director Ashley Tyner, and co-director William Tyner.
All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.
Directed by Daniel Kaufman
US PREMIERE The spectre of the Confederacy stands high over Stone Mountain, Georgia, engraved in granite. The community lives in the shadow of a controversial carving, larger than a football field, of rebel leaders Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. Stone Mountain is shot with a vivid cinematic approach that captures intimate conversations of those for and against the Confederate iconography. From Oscar-winning executive producer Roger Ross Williams, this exploration of Georgia’s number one tourist attraction serves as a microcosm of America’s civic discourse. – Brandon Harrison
The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Daniel Newell Kaufman, executive producer Roger Ross Williams, and film subjects Meymoona Freeman and Richard Rose.
All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.
Directed by Eddie Huang
US PREMIERE With a free-wheeling, irreverent approach, author/chef/TV personality/cultural commentator Eddie Huang embarks on a biting look at the rise and fall of the NYC-based Vice Media empire, which was at one time valued at over $4 billion before falling into bankruptcy in 2023. For Huang it’s personal: Of his multitudinous ventures, his own series for Vice’s lifestyle channel Viceland offered him unrivaled creative joy but it soured when Vice’s owners started selling off multimillion-dollar stakes to corporate interests. Channeling the spirit of his late hero Anthony Bourdain, Huang turned his back on thousands of dollars in outstanding residuals from Vice to win back autonomy over his creative work and to inoculate the next generation of cool kids against the tragic cycle of selling out. – Jaie Laplante
The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with director, producer, and film subject Eddie Huang.
All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.
International Competition
Directed by Sarah McCarthy
WORLD PREMIERE With the help of golden retrievers and palomino horses at an animal therapy retreat, a group of Ukrainian children who had been abducted by the Russian army and rescued by their family members get a chance to heal. Deep in a forest by the Baltic Sea, the families portrayed in this tender and poetic film overcome their traumatic experiences. A timely cinematic reminder of what love and nature can do for the soul in a time of war. – Ruth Somalo
The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Sarah McCarthy, producer Olha Beskhmelnytsina and film subjects Inna Sidoruk, Yvgeny Matveii, Sviatoslava and Sasha Mezhevoy. The Q&A will be moderated by Shelia Nevins.
This film contains the following accessibility options for viewers:
Closed Captioning for in-person screenings at IFC Center and Village East by Angelika
Closed Captioning for online screenings
All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.
Directed by Sissel Morell Dargis
US PREMIERE This jaw-dropping celebration of Brazilian baloeiros – secret groups of men who craft and launch elaborate hot-air balloons – is a first-rate big-screen experience. The immensely talented filmmaker Sissel Morrell Dargis spent years winning the trust of the outlawed subculture to create an epic portrayal of free-spirited artistry. Beyond the spectacle of ever-more mammoth and elaborate balloon launches, Morrell Dargis takes on a parallel journey into the vulnerable and volatile emotions of Brazilian masculinity in a brotherhood ricocheting between fierce and fraught loyalties. – Jaie Laplante
The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Sissel Morell Dargis.
This film contains the following accessibility options for viewers:
Closed Captioning for in-person screenings at IFC Center and Village East by Angelika
All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.
The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Sissel Morell Dargis.
This film contains the following accessibility options for viewers:
Closed Captioning for in-person screenings at IFC Center and Village East by Angelika
All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.
Directed by Roman Blazhan
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE The sweet taste of life returns to the village of Yahidne in northern Ukraine, after almost 400 villagers endured a month-long confinement and torture by Russian troops. Even as they realize the war is far from over, even as they mourn family members, neighbors, and animals who were killed during the ordeal, all generations of Yahidnians unite to rebuild their community and their psyches. One villager, Olha, kept a journal during their imprisonment, fearing no one would live to tell their story. As we hear her words read aloud, this beautifully shot film reminds us to embrace life as a daily gift. – Jaie Laplante
All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.
Accessibility alert for NOV 17, 6:45PM screening:
Due to a recent equipment failure at Village East Cinemas, the room where this film screens is currently not accessible to patrons using wheelchairs. We apologize for the inconvenience. However the film is available to view at home as part of DOC NYC’s online festival. Please reach out to [email protected] with any questions.
Directed by Nishtha Jain, Akash Basumatari
US PREMIERE In 2020-21, Indian farmers mounted a protest against the government, demanding the repeal of exploitative farm laws. Braving surging COVID numbers, inclement weather, and state-sponsored violence, millions of farmers remain undeterred as they leave their homes and set up tents on the fringes of New Delhi. In this film, Nishtha Jain, one of India’s foremost documentary filmmakers, records the untiring resilience of a working class resistance mounted against a Goliath-like government. —Bedatri D. Choudhury
The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Nishtha Jain
.
This film contains the following accessibility options for viewers:
Closed Captioning for in-person screenings at IFC Center and Village East by Angelika
All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.
The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Nishtha Jain
.
This film contains the following accessibility options for viewers:
Closed Captioning for in-person screenings at IFC Center and Village East by Angelika
All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.
Directed by Lidia Duda
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE When Polish couple Asia and Marek decide to move to a remote cabin in Bialowieza Forest and home-school their children Marysia, Ignacy, and Franek, they imagine an innocent paradise far from the modern world’s problems. The woods are a mysterious, magical place to explore and learn, and the children delight in images of the wild bison and moose captured on their trap cameras. Then the forest reveals an unexpected, frightening presence. Europe’s humanitarian crisis and oppressive border politics enters their idyll, testing the family’s resolve. – Jaie Laplante
The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Lidia Duda, producer Patryk Sielecki, and cinematographer Zuzanna Zachara-Hassaira.
This film contains the following accessibility options for viewers:
Closed Captioning for in-person screenings at IFC Center and Village East by Angelika.
All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.
Accessibility alert for NOV 14, 7:00PM screening:
Due to a recent equipment failure at Village East Cinemas, the room where this film screens is currently not accessible to patrons using wheelchairs. We apologize for the inconvenience. However the film is available to view at home as part of DOC NYC’s online festival. Please reach out to [email protected] with any questions.
Directed by Mónica Taboada-Tapia
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE A poetic, character-driven road movie about the indomitable Georgina, a woman in her early seventies who is transgender and a member of the indigenous Wayúu tribe. After decades of solitary exile from her community and forever awaiting the identification she needs to collect food aid, she embarks on a journey across the desert to find the family that rejected her and learn about the challenges facing the tribe as a result of corruption in Colombia. An exceptional and moving portrait about identity, defiance, and joy. – Ruth Somalo
The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Mónica Taboada-Tapia, and producer Beto Rosero.
This film contains the following accessibility options for viewers:
Closed Captioning for online screenings
All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.
Directed by Hind Meddeb
US PREMIERE Following four young activists during the Sudanese revolution of 2019, director Hind Meddeb conjures a narrative about collective hope and possible seismic change. Armed with just their words, ideas, poetry, and art, the subjects of this documentary inspire themselves and the audience with their perseverance and clarity of their just demands. In a time when Sudan is facing almost 18 months of violent war, famine, and the indifference of the rest of the world, this film acts as a beacon of hope and confirmation that the people of Sudan will persist and insist on a bright future. – Murtada Elfadl
The first and second screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Hind Meddeb.
This film contains the following accessibility options for viewers:
Closed Captioning for in-person screenings at IFC Center and Village East by Angelika
All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.
Accessibility alert for NOV 14, 1:00PM screening:
Due to a recent equipment failure at Village East Cinemas, the room where this film screens is currently not accessible to patrons using wheelchairs. We apologize for the inconvenience. However the film is available to view at home as part of DOC NYC’s online festival. Please reach out to [email protected] with any questions.
Directed by Areeb Zuaiter
WORLD PREMIERE When filmmaker Areeb Zuaiter lost her Palestinian mother, she lost her connection to Gaza. With all the memories from her childhood destroyed, she sets out on a quest to connect with a young man she sees in a video doing parkour among ruins in Gaza. With Ahmed as her guide, she explores life in Gaza, and rebuilds her memories of her mother and her childhood. In this time when Gaza and its people are being devastated every day, here’s a portrait of a tormented city and the perseverance of its people. – Murtada Elfadl
The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Areeb Zuaiter, producer Basel Mawlawi, and protoganist Ahmed Matar.
The second screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Areeb Zuaiter.
All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.
Accessibility alert for NOV 16, 4:30PM screening:
Due to a recent equipment failure at Village East Cinemas, the room where this film screens is currently not accessible to patrons using wheelchairs. We apologize for the inconvenience. However the film is available to view at home as part of DOC NYC’s online festival. Please reach out to [email protected] with any questions.
Metropolis Competition
Directed by Wendy Lobel
WORLD PREMIERE Emmy-winning producer Wendy Lobel makes her feature debut with this side-splitting, piercingly perceptive look at anxiety through a group of contemporary comedians who channel their experiences into their acts…and their everyday lives. Part therapy, part behind-the-scenes take on stand-up acts, and all-brilliant, Lobel’s revelatory film is a rarity. – Jaie Laplante
The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with director and producer Wendy Lobel and film subjects Tiffany Jenkins, Eva Victor, Natalie Noel, and Baron Vaughn.
The second screening will be followed by a Q&A with Wendy Lobel, Tiffany Jenkins, and Natalie Noel.
All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.
Directed by Molly Bernstein, Philip Dolin
WORLD PREMIERE This insightful documentary delves into the life and work of Art Spiegelman, the Queens-raised artist who revolutionized comics by exploring dark, complex themes. Shaped by his Holocaust-survivor parents and inspired by MAD magazine’s irreverent satire, Spiegelman’s most famous work, MAUS, is a poignant Holocaust narrative that redefined the medium. The film showcases his resistance to fascism, from Nazis to Trump, and features rich illustrations from his comics, highlighting his significant impact as an artist and cultural critic. – Karen McMullen
The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Molly Bernstein, director Philip Dolin, film subject Art Spiegelman, and film subject Françoise Mouly.
The second screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Philip Dolin.
All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.
Directed by Debra Granik
NYC PREMIERE Debra Granik’s forthcoming limited series Conbody vs Everybody is at once a story of the school-of-tough-knocks education of a charismatic ex-con, Coss Marte, as he tries to rebuild his life, and a portrait of the teeming life and energy of New York City’s Lower East Side, captured with the authenticity of atmosphere that only master artists such as Granik can locate. Filmed over eight years, the series follows formerly incarcerated people as they slip in and out of Coss’s life and his business, each of them fascinating and magnetic on screen. DOC NYC presents episodes one and two of the five-part series back-to-back, shown to the public for the first time since their launch at Sundance earlier this year. – Jaie Laplante
The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Debra Granik, film subject Coss Marte, editor Victoria Stewart, cinematographer Eric Phillips-Horst, and cinematographer Kefentse Johnson.
This film contains the following accessibility options for viewers:
Closed Captioning for in-person screenings at IFC Center and Village East by Angelika
Closed Captioning for online screenings
All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.
Directed by Anna Toomey
NYC PREMIERE – Left Behind illuminates the struggles of NYC schoolchildren with dyslexia, following a diverse group of parents who, frustrated by the lack of support, founded the Literacy Academy Collective. Driven by the stark reality that 1 in 5 people are dyslexic and nearly 50% of prison inmates share this diagnosis, these passionate advocates fight to de-stigmatize dyslexia and secure proper education for their kids. The film reveals the power of grassroots activism, offering an eye-opening and uplifting message of hope and resilience. – Karen McMullen
The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Anna Toomey, producer Sian Edwards- Beal, and Co-Founder Literacy Academy Collective Naomi Pena, moderated by CNN’s Erica Hill.
The second screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Anna Toomey, editor Brittany Kaplan, and Matthew Cruger from the Child Mind Institute.
All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.
Accessibility alert for NOV 20, 7:15PM screening:
Due to a recent equipment failure at Village East Cinemas, the room where this film screens is currently not accessible to patrons using wheelchairs. We apologize for the inconvenience. However the film is available to view at home as part of DOC NYC’s online festival. Please reach out to [email protected] with any questions.
Directed by Chih Hsuan Liang
WORLD PREMIERE This documentary paints a portrait of Paul Bridgewater, a quirky, charming, gay NYC art dealer who hitchhiked to Manhattan at 18, eventually becoming a beloved figure in the art world. As Paul preps gallery shows and cooks gourmet meals in his tiny East Village apartment, his passion for art shines. While his impeccable eye for discovering artistic talent shaped careers, his disregard for money ultimately would prove ruinous. A warm, nostalgic tribute to an eccentric art lover. – Karen McMullen
The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Chih Hsuan Liang, producers Penny Arcade and Steve Zehentner, producer and cinematographer Joe Duva. The second screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Chih Hsuan Liang, producers Penny Arcade and Steve Zehentner, producer and cinematographer Joe Duva and editor Li-Shin Yu
All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.
Directed by Rachel Elizabeth Seed
NY PREMIERE Sheila Turner Seed was an award-winning New York City-based, journalist in the 1970s who interviewed such photography luminaries as Henri Cartier-Bresson, Gordon Parks, Cecil Beaton, and Lisette Model. When she passed away suddenly and tragically, she left behind an infant daughter, Rachel. More than 30 years later, Rachel has herself become a filmmaker, photographer, and writer. A Photographic Memory marks a moving attempt to navigate grief and nostalgia as Rachel deep-dives into Shelia’s archives, much of which had been forgotten. – Jaie Laplante
The screenings will be followed by Q&As with filmmaker Rachel Elizabeth Seed and executive producer Kirsten Johnson. The second Q&A will be moderated by Alan Berliner.
In conjunction with this screening, DOC NYC is proud to support a panel discussion on Thursday, Nov. 14th at the International Center for Photography, https://www.icp.org/
All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.
Accessibility alert for NOV 18, 3:15 screening:
Due to a recent equipment failure at Village East Cinemas, the room where this film screens is currently not accessible to patrons using wheelchairs. We apologize for the inconvenience. However the film is available to view at home as part of DOC NYC’s online festival. Please reach out to [email protected] with any questions.
Directed by Steph Ching, Ellen Martinez
WORLD PREMIERE This documentary exposes housing injustice in NYC, following the David-and-Goliath battles between ordinary renters and powerful developers. Through stories from neighborhoods across the boroughs, the film reveals the harsh realities of unsafe housing, unethical landlords, and an overwhelmed housing court system. It also uncovers a troubling pattern of desirably located properties being seized for luxury developments in low-income neighborhoods, often with the system’s complicity. Slumlord Millionaire is both empowering and sobering, highlighting grassroots activism in the fight against relentless gentrification. – Karen McMullen
Each screening will be followed by a Q&A with directors Steph Ching and Ellen Martinez, and film subjects Fabian Bravo, Janina Davis, Moumita Ahmed, and Ren Ping Chen.
All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.
Accessibility alert for NOV 16, 9:45PM screening:
Due to a recent equipment failure at Village East Cinemas, the room where this film screens is currently not accessible to patrons using wheelchairs. We apologize for the inconvenience. However the film is available to view at home as part of DOC NYC’s online festival. Please reach out to [email protected] with any questions.
Directed by Manon Ouimet, Jacob Perlmutter
NYC PREMIERE Late in life, two strangers – Bronx-born photographer Joel Meyerowitz and British artist/writer Maggie Barrett – meet and fall in love. Growing old is not for the faint of heart, and Joel and Maggie must face the specter of the end of life. At the same time, they are working to stay together and learn the hard lessons from previous relationship failures. First-time documentary feature filmmakers Manon Ouimet and Jacob Perlmutter, themselves creative partners and photographers, deliver a profound and deeply felt exploration of life’s biggest questions. – Jaie Laplante
The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with directors Manon Ouimet and Jacob Perlmutter, and film subjects Maggie Barrett and Joel Meyerowitz.
The second screening will be followed by a Q&A with film subjects Joel Meyerowitz and Maggie Barrett.
This film contains the following accessibility options for viewers:
Closed Captioning for in-person screenings at IFC Center and Village East by Angelika
Closed Captioning for online screenings
All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.
Kaleidoscope Competition
Directed by Birgitte Staermose
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE A poetic and haunting film about the daily struggles of a group of children who grew up in war-torn Kosovo. A dark coming of age story filmed over a period of 15 years, which solemnly observes and reflects on the long-term repercussions of war. Birgitte Staermose expertly introduces performative interludes that highlight the intimate artistic collaboration with the film’s protagonists by giving them the space to address and confront the audience in their own terms. – Ruth Somalo
The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Birgitte Stærmose.
This film contains the following accessibility options for viewers:
All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.
Accessibility alert for NOV 16, 6:30PM screening:
Due to a recent equipment failure at Village East Cinemas, the room where this film screens is currently not accessible to patrons using wheelchairs. We apologize for the inconvenience. However the film is available to view at home as part of DOC NYC’s online festival. Please reach out to [email protected] with any questions.
Directed by Eryk Rocha, Gabriela Carneiro da Cunha
NY PREMIERE An immersive and poetic film centered on iconic shaman Davi Kopenawa and the Yanomami community of Watoriki in the Brazilian rainforest. Based on the book co-authored by Davi Kopenawa and anthropologist Bruce Albert, the film invites us to participate in the sacred ritual of Reahu, and challenges all of us existing in a capitalist system (“the People of Merchandise”) who exploit nature for financial gain to rebel against the damage wrought by the industrial world on the Amazon rainforest. – Ruth Somalo
The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with director, producer, and cinematographer Eryk Rocha, and Yanomami Shaman Davi Kopenawa.
All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.
The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with director, producer, and cinematographer Eryk Rocha, and Yanomami Shaman Davi Kopenawa.
All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.
Directed by Loran Batti
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE Drug-stricken Gottsunda is an underprivileged suburb of the city of Uppsala, Sweden, which has turned into a ghetto for immigrant families. In this first-person essay film that alternates observational scenes with experimental interludes shot in Super8, director Loran Batti crafts 21 elegant, self-reflexive scenes about his memories, his background, his encounters with his friends going in and out of prison, and the day-to-day gang activities he witnesses. – Ruth Somalo
The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Loran Batti and film subject Maria Theanoar.
All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.
Accessibility alert for NOV 14, 6:50PM screening:
Due to a recent equipment failure at Village East Cinemas, the room where this film screens is currently not accessible to patrons using wheelchairs. We apologize for the inconvenience. However the film is available to view at home as part of DOC NYC’s online festival. Please reach out to [email protected] with any questions.Due to a recent equipment failure at Village East Cinemas, the room where this film screens is currently not accessible to patrons using wheelchairs. We apologize for the inconvenience. Please reach out to [email protected] with any questions.
Directed by Daniel Mann
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE Intrigued that the 1988 Sylvester Stallone war movie Rambo III was filmed in Israel’s Negev Desert, Daniel Mann begins investigating. Mann writes letters to Stallone, and also encounters self-taught artist Bashir, a Palestinian Bedouin dispossessed from his tribal land, who had been hired to work on the movie. Shifting between sharp irony and penetrating reflections on the Israeli occupation, the film provides a lucid look at the region’s past and present. – Ruth Somalo
The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with DOC NYC senior programmer Ruth Somalo.
This film contains the following accessibility options for viewers:
Closed Captioning for in-person screenings at IFC Center and Village East by Angelika
Closed Captioning for online screenings
All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.
Accessibility alert for NOV 15, 6:30PM screening:
Due to a recent equipment failure at Village East Cinemas, the room where this film screens is currently not accessible to patrons using wheelchairs. We apologize for the inconvenience. However the film is available to view at home as part of DOC NYC’s online festival. Please reach out to [email protected] with any questions.
Directed by Andrés Jurado
NYC PREMIERE A constellation of archival footage, historical documents, and sound recordings presents a fascinating counter history of Colombia’s role in space exploration. Among the rare scenes, we witness fascinating Cold-War era footage of a NASA boot camp built in the jungle to teach astronauts how to survive in a hostile environment. Constructed through artful editing and manipulation of the fragmented reality, this playful, spectral narrative raises critical questions about colonization and extractivism. – Ruth Somalo
The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Andrés Jurado, and producer Maria Rojas Arias.
This film contains the following accessibility options for viewers:
Closed Captioning for in-person screenings at IFC Center and Village East by Angelika
All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.
Accessibility alert for NOV 19, 8:30PM screening:
Due to a recent equipment failure at Village East Cinemas, the room where this film screens is currently not accessible to patrons using wheelchairs. We apologize for the inconvenience. However the film is available to view at home as part of DOC NYC’s online festival. Please reach out to [email protected] with any questions.