New York's Documentary Festival

New York's Documentary Festival

Doc Nyc Celebrates Documentary Filmmaking By Connecting Artists And Audiences Through Powerful Stories And Diverse Voices. The 2024 Festival Will Be Held In-Person From November 13 - 21, 2024, And Online From November 13 - December 1, 2024.

Schedule Of Events:

12:00 pm: Eternal You

Nyc Premiere When The Ai Tool Project December Opened To The Public, Writer Joshua Barbeau Pursued A Bold And Morally Questionable Goal: Using The Application To "Speak" With His Fiancee Who Had Died 8 Years Before. The Success Of This Morbid Experiment Attracted A Rush Of Other Users Who Hoped To Imbue Their Deceased Loved Ones With A Sort Of Immortality In The Digital Realm. As The Proliferation Of Ai Models And Sophisticated Avatar Programs Forges Onward, Tech Leaders, Programmers, Psychologists And Everyday Consumers Confront The Ethical Concerns Of This Revolutionary Technology.  - Brandon Harrison

12:00 pm: The Last Of The Sea Women

Off The Coast Of South Korea's Jeju Island, A Community Of Fisherwomen Known As Haenyeo Have Been Harvesting Seafood For Centuries. They Are Like Mermaids, Trained To Free Dive By Holding Their Breath For Up To Two Minutes. The Last Of The Sea Women Explores How Their Tradition Is At Risk Due To Generational Changes And Increasing Pollution. Nobel Peace Prize Winner Malala Yousafzai Picked This Project To Launch Her New Venture Into Film Producing. - Thom Powers

12:15 pm: Short List Shorts: Human Spirit

This Collection Of Films Will Bring You To Tears And Have You Rooting For Everyone On Screen.

12:15 pm: The People's Way

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

12:45 pm: Forest

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

1:00 pm: Black Snow

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

1:30 pm: Southpaw: The Life And Legacy Of Jim Abbott

World Premiere Yankee Stadium Has Seen A Plethora Of Legends Over The Franchise's Storied History, But Few Have Left A Legacy As Unique As Jim Abbott's. On September 4, 1993, The Pitcher, Who Was Born Without A Right Hand, Threw A No-Hitter In Front Of The Yankee Faithful. This Astonishing Achievement Is Merely One In A Lifetime Of Perseverance, As Abbott Continues To Advocate For People With Disabilities. - Brandon Harrison

2:30 pm: 2073

Ny Premiere If You Could Go Back In Time And Change The Course Of History, What Would You Do? Oscar-Winning Filmmaker Asif Kapadia Flips That Idea On Its Head With A Great Deal More Urgency: If We Knew What The Future Would Be, What Could We Do Now? In This Hybrid Film, Fictional Footage From 50 Years In The Future Is Juxtaposed With Documentary Images From Our Present Moment, Following A Cause-And-Effect Style Of Logic To Some Worrisome Conclusions. Kapadia's Message: It's Not Too Late! - Jaie Laplante

2:45 pm: Short List: Shorts Justice And Democracy

These Four Films Question The Pillars Of Justice And Democracy When Confronted With Decisions And Actions By The People And Countries We Live In.

3:15 pm: Shorts: The american Dream

This Collection Of Stories Point To The Hypocrisy Of The american Dream. - Samah Ali

3:15 pm: Daughters

Angela Patton Found A Way For Young Girls Whose Fathers Were Incarcerated To Connect: A Prison-Hosted Dad/Daughter Dance. The Event Was About More Than Just The Day. For The Fathers, Seeing The Impact Of Their Absence From Their Daughter's Lives Provides An Unrivaled Emotional Redemption Opportunity. Working With Co-Director Natalia Rae To Showcase The Now Annual Program, Patton Provides Us With Protagonists Who Face Their Deepest Vulnerabilities With Equal Reserves Of Courage.

3:30 pm: No Other Land

Directed By A Collective Of Palestinian And Israeli Activists, No Other Land Chronicles The Resistance Of The Palestinian Community Of Musafer Yatta In The Southern West Bank To Continuing Violence From Israeli Settlers And Soldiers. Filmed Over Several Years, The Film Chronicles A Bond Of Friendship Between Basel Adra And Yuval Abraham As They Unite To Tell The Story Of Musafer Yatta's Residents. Their Relationship Stands As An Inspiration For Forging Alliances Under Extreme Duress.

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.

4:00 pm: After The Rain: Putin's Stolen Children Come Home

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

4:00 pm: Shorts: New York New York

Our Beloved City Through The Eyes Of Many. - Samah Ali

4:45 pm: Shorts: Let's Eat

Dine On These Delicious Food Films. - Samah Ali

5:30 pm: Shorts: Inside And Out

These Powerful Shorts Identify The Borders And Institutions That Divide Us. - Samah Ali

6:00 pm: The Ride Ahead

Nyc Premiere A Heartwarming, Enlightening Journey About Gen Z Life With A Disability. Samuel Habib, Whom We First Met In The 2022 Emmy-Winning New York Times Op-Doc Short My Disability Roadmap, Is Now Ready For Life As A Twentysomething And The Typical Milestones Of Those Years. With A Rare Neurodevelopmental Disorder Challenging His Speech And Movement, Samuel Seeks Out Mentors In The Disability Community For Advice, Asking Profound Questions About How They've Navigated Their Adult Lives . Samuel's Joyous Thirst For Knowledge And Fearlessness In Facing Challenges - Both In Life And In Making This Film - Are Authentically Galvanizing.  - Jaie Laplante

6:00 pm: The Fabulous Gold Harvesting Machine

Us Premiere In The Harsh Climate Of The Chilean Tierra Del Fuego, Toto Has Labored For 40 Years In The Gold Mines. The Work Is Arduous, And After Suffering A Stroke At Age 60, He Fears His Working Days Are Numbered. With His Father's Health And Financial Future At Risk, His Cowboy Son, Jorge, Devises An Ingenious Machine To Free His Father From His Labors. - Brandon Harrison

6:15 pm: All The Mountains Give

North american Premiere Two Young Kurdish Men Make Their Living By Smuggling Goods Across The Treacherous Border Between Iraq And Iran. First-Time Filmmaker Arash Rakhsha Conjures A Poignantly Cinematic Perspective Out Of This Intriguing And Previously Untold Story. Elevating The Stirring Narrative With Striking Images, Patient Observation, And Astute Insight Into The People And The Terrain, Rakhsha Announces Himself As A Filmmaker To Watch. - Murtada Elfadl

6:30 pm: Under A Blue Sun

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

6:30 pm: Slumlord Millionaire

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

6:30 pm: Anxiety Club

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

6:45 pm: A Photographic Memory

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

7:15 pm: Looking For Simone

World Premiere In 1949, Philosopher And Novelist Simone De Beauvoir Wrote The Groundbreaking The Second Sex, Launching A Disruptive Discourse On Women's Oppression And Second-Class Citizenship. This Film Dissects The Origins And Relevance Of This Bible Of Feminism, Charting De Beauvoir's Fact-Finding Journey Across The Us To Research Her Book. The Timely And Fascinating Film Honors De Beauvoir's Brilliance And Limitations, Connecting Her Revolutionary Ideas To The Pressing Issues Women Face Today. - Karen Mcmullen

7:30 pm: Surveilled

World Premiere Produced By Pulitzer Prize-Winning Investigative Journalist Ronan Farrow, The Film Uncovers The Insidious Ways In Which Our Daily Lives Are Being Surveilled By The State. In A Gripping Chase, Farrow Travels Across The World Following Breadcrumbs And Finally Exposing A Dark World Of Spywares, Hacking, And Peddling Of Private Information, Where Activists And Journalists Are Persecuted, And No One Is Protected From The Watchful And Vicious Eyes Of Authoritarianism. - Bedatri D. Choudhury

8:30 pm: Hollywoodgate

After Foreign Troops Withdraw From Afghanistan In 2021, The Filmmaker Is Given Permission To Follow And Film Two Taliban Military Men For A Year As They Take Hold Of The Weapons And Aircraft Left Behind By american Troops. Through Careful Observation Of The Taliban's Efforts To Build Their New Military Regime, An Understanding Slowly Develops Of The Power Dynamics Of Those Who Worship War And The Pain It Causes For Generations. Hollywoodgate Is Brave, Shocking, And Sobering.

8:45 pm: Porcelain War

What Is Worth Fighting For, If Not Culture? Three Ukrainian Artists Take Up Arms When Russia Invades Their Country, But Refuse To Put Down Their Drive To Create. After Enlisting To Defend Their Beloved Homeland, Slava, Anya And Andrey Channel Their Art Into Their New Roles On The Front Lines, And Demonstrate Their Pride In The Vibrancy, Passion, And Rich Heritage Of Ukraine.

9:00 pm: Eyes On The Prize Iii: We Who Believe In Freedom (Episode 6 /What Comes After Hope? 2008-2015)

World Premiere A Valuable History Lesson And A Propulsive Narrative, This Follow-Up To Henry Hampton's Legendary Series Examines america's Recent History Since The Election Of Barack Obama. Doc Nyc Will Premiere The Final Episode In The Six-Part Series, Which Focuses  On The Creation Of The Black Lives Matter Movement And The Disparate People And Organizations In Florida, Illinois, And Across The Country Who Came Together To Fight For Racial Justice. - Murtada Elfadl

9:00 pm: Thom Browne: The Man Who Tailors Dreams

World Premiere In The World Of Superstar Fashion Designers, Thom Browne Stands Apart With His Theatrical Runway Shows, Dramatic Ready-To-Wear Creations, And Eye-Popping Originality. From His Headquarters In New York City's Fashion District, Browne Recounts His Early Breaks In The Fashion World, How His Work Garnered Support From Celebrity Fans Such As Michelle Obama, Billie Eilish, Zendaya, Lebron James And Anna Wintour, And How His Reconceptualization Of The Classic Men's Business Suit Became His Signature Achievement. Sparkling Highlights From Browne's Personal Archives Showcase The Years Of Growing Wit, Edge, And Mastery, All The While Contrasted With Browne's Humble, Gently Welcoming Persona. - Jaie Laplante

9:15 pm: Disco's Revenge

International Premiere Disco's Revenge Traces The Evolution Of Disco Music From Its Roots In The 1970s New York Underground Gay Club Scene To Its Commercial Peak With Studio 54 And Saturday Night Fever. Through Interviews With Influential Djs And Musicians, The Story Explores The Genre's Rise, The Eventual Backlash, And Its Reinvention As House Music. Featuring Iconic Dance Clubs, Electrifying Performance Clips, And A Killer Soundtrack, The Film Celebrates Disco's Legacy Of Freedom, Inclusivity, And A Vibrant, Multiethnic Community United By Music And Dance. - Karen Mcmullen

9:15 pm: Queendom

Jenna Grew Up In The Desolate Siberian Town Of Magadan, And Did What Innumerable Queer Young People Around The World Do— Depart For A Major Urban Center That Promises A More Inclusive Environment. Except In Putin's Russia, The Criminalization Of Lgbtqia+ People Renders Even A Moscow Art School Hostile To Jenna's Elaborately Original, Creative Art And Activism. Nevertheless, Her Sense Of Loss From Her Severed Roots In Magadan Is Possibly Her Greatest Challenge.

9:30 pm: Shorts: Collections

Five Films Dedicated To The Art Of Collecting Toys, Memorabilia, And Works Of Art. - Samah Ali

9:45 pm: Everything You Have Is Yours

Us Premiere Choreographer And Dancer Hadar Ahuvia Interrogates The Zionist Mythologies She Learned As A Child Using Israeli Folk Dance-Inspired Contemporary Dance As A Point Of Entry. Seeking To Understand The Meaning Behind Traditional Dance, Which Can Be Weaponized To Oppress And Marginalize, Hana Explores The Complexities Of The Palestinian And Israeli Relationship With The Guiding Belief That Everyone Wants And Deserves Peace. This Lyrical And Thought-Provoking Film Is Sure To Engender Reflection And Deep Conversation. - Karen Mcmullen

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