If you want to see some of the best documentaries from around the world — short and feature-length — mark your calendar for DOC NYC, known as “the festival for documentaries.” Now celebrating its 16th edition, DOC NYC runs Nov. 12—20 at IFC Center, SVA Theatre, and Village East by Angelika, and continues online through November 30.
The announcement includes more than 115 feature-length documentaries (with Short List, Winner’s Circle, and Selects Encore sections still to be announced), featuring 30 world premieres and 34 U.S. premieres, among more than 200 films and dozens of events. Filmmakers are expected to appear in person at most screenings.
Opening the festival on Nov. 12 at SVA Theatre will be the U.S. premiere of Christopher Nelius’s paean to inclusiveness and mutual support, “Whistle,” a celebration of the Masters of Musical Whistling festival, where the world’s top whistlers gather to connect and honor their craft.
Closing the festival on Nov. 20, also at SVA Theatre, will be the NYC premiere of Ivy Meeropol’s “Ask E. Jean,” an explosive look at the ordeals of writer and cultural icon E. Jean Carroll and her lawsuits against Donald Trump after he accused her of lying about her sexual assault allegations.
“In this period of rapid change, DOC NYC is proud to present a collection of films that speak to urgent global, national, and personal matters,” said the festival’s artistic director, Jaie Laplante. “What binds the filmmakers of this year’s official selection are their illuminations of shared humanity.”
The festival’s two Centerpiece screenings are the NYC premiere of “Steal This Story, Please!” (Nov. 13, SVA Theatre), directed by Tia Lessin and Carl Deal — a profile of beloved Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman — and the world premiere of Celia Aniskovich’s delightful look at NYC’s Christmas tree trade, “The Merchants of Joy” (Nov. 14, SVA Theatre).
The Special Presentations program includes three world premieres. DOC NYC’s 2024 Lifetime Achievement honoree Alan Berliner returns with “Benita,” and Oscar-nominated alumna Rory Kennedy debuts “The Trial of Alec Baldwin.” Another alumna, Paula Eiselt, brings a piece of Catskills history to immersive life in “We Met at Grossinger’s.” A 20th anniversary screening of the NYC classic “Mad Hot Ballroom” will also take place, featuring filmmakers Marilyn Agrelo and Amy Sewell, along with some of the original fifth graders and teachers from the film — reflecting on lessons in ambition, discipline, respect, and perspective, all to the beats of merengue, rumba, tango, and more.
Other world premiere highlights include Jessica Dimmock and Zackary Canepari’s “Thoughts & Prayers,” a sharp critique of America’s failure to prevent school shootings; Irene Taylor’s “Siren: The Voices of Shelley Beattie,” in which Oscar-winning actress and activist Marlee Matlin explores the parallels between her own life and that of a Deaf former American Gladiator; Eugene Yi’s “The A List: 15 Stories from Asian and Pacific Diasporas,” featuring Sandra Oh, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, Kumail Nanjiani, Connie Chung, and others sharing reflections on identity and belonging; Tyler Measom and Craig Williams’s “If These Walls Could Rock,” with Bruce Springsteen, Ringo Starr, Cyndi Lauper, Sharon Osbourne, Sheryl Crow, Dave Grohl, Gene Simmons, and Billy Bob Thornton recalling the legendary days of L.A.’s Sunset Marquis; and “SantaCon,” the latest exploration of American quirks from Seth Porges (“Class Action Park”).
The festival also celebrates numerous international productions making major premieres, including the Cannes L’Oeil d’Or winner “Imago” from French/Chechen director Déni Oumar Pitsaev; “Black Is Beautiful: The Kwame Brathwaite Story” by British-Nigerian filmmaker Yemi Bamiro, honoring the great Harlem photographer; Aisling Chin-Yee’s “The Pink Pill: Sex, Drugs & Who Has Control” and Denis Côté’s “Paul,” both from Canada; “Palestine Comedy Club” by Alaa Aliabdallah; and “Reggae Girlz,” chronicling the Jamaican women’s World Cup soccer team, from twice Oscar-nominated Pakistani filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Emmy-nominated director Trish Dalton.
From its Telluride premiere, the festival welcomes Elvira Lind’s observational “King Hamlet,” documenting a pivotal year for her partner Oscar Isaac as he navigates family transitions while preparing for a Public Theater production; Cannes L’Oeil d’Or special jury prize recipient “The Six Billion Dollar Man” by Eugene Jarecki; double Oscar winner Ben Proudfoot with “The Eyes of Ghana”; and actor-turned-author Ben McKenzie with the crypto expose “Everyone Is Lying to You for Money.”
Short-form work will also be showcased in DOC NYC’s Academy Award- and BAFTA-qualifying “Shorts Competition” (87 films).
Returning this year is DOC NYC’s partnership with Subject Matter, which will award a $25,000 grant to support one social issue documentary’s marketing and impact campaign, along with a $25,000 grant to a nonprofit working on the issue featured in the film.
Senior programmers oversee specific sections: Karen McMullen (Metropolis Competition, Sonic Cinema, Shorts Competitions), Murtada Elfadl (Resilience), Brandon Harrison (Game Face Cinema), and Ruth Somalo (Kaleidoscope). They are joined by senior feature programmer Bedatri D. Choudhury and shorts programmers DeWitt Davis and Anita Raswant.
Here are a few films that stood out and may be worth considering.
FILMS
“Black Is Beautiful: The Kwame Brathwaite Story” (North American Premiere) Director: Yemi Bamiro Producers: Joanna Boateng, Lizzie Gillett, Ian Bonhôte, Andrew Calof In photos of celebrities and everyday people, Kwame Brathwaite captured the joy and beauty of African Americans and popularized the phrase that defined a movement: Black is Beautiful.
“Traces of Home” (World Premiere) Director: Colette Ghunim Producers: Sara Maamouri, Dan Rybicky, Capella Fahoome An American filmmaker, daughter of a Mexican mother and Palestinian father, explores the meaning of home amid a rising tide of anti-immigrant rhetoric.
“Wayumi” (World Premiere) Director: Andrew Balcof Producers: Andrew Balcof, David Good, Elius Kim A heartfelt story of love, distance, and reconciliation as a son attempts to reunite with his Indigenous mother living in the Amazon.
“Y Vãn: The Lost Sounds of Saigon” (World Premiere) Directors: Khoa Ha, Victor Velle Producer: Douglas Emerson In uncovering the musical genius of her famous grandfather, a filmmaker discovers an under-examined side of Vietnamese history.
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION (Co-presented by IndieWire)
“El Canto de las Manos” (U.S. Premiere) Director: María Valverde Producers: Cristina Oliva, María Valverde, Martí Font Isern, Gustavo Dudamel Partnering with Coro de Manos Blancas, a choir of Deaf Venezuelan performers, renowned conductor Gustavo Dudamel stages Beethoven’s Fidelio.
“I, Poppy” (U.S. Premiere) Director: Vivek Chaudhary Producers: Vivek Chaudhary, Xavier Rocher In eastern Rajasthan’s poppy fields, an activist son and a farmer mother work to free themselves from oppressive circumstances.
“The Lama’s Son” (North American Premiere) Director: Kesang Tseten Producer: Loel Guinness As the younger generation moves out and development creeps into Nepal’s Mustang District, an old way of life is in danger of dying out.
“Loss Adjustment” (U.S. Premiere) Director: Miguel Calderón Producer: Andrea Paasch A biting examination of exploitation and survival, as a Mexican insurance adjuster haunted by corruption finds refuge in the art world, only to discover its own deceptions.
For more info and for tickets and passes, visit docnyc.net.