MAN FROM PRETENTIA

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.