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:

12:30 pm: Short List Shorts: Extraordinary People

This Collection Of Shorts Captures Brilliant Vignettes Of amazing People And Their Extraordinary Lives.

12:45 pm: Will And Harper

Will And Harper Follows Comedian Will Ferrell And His Friend Harper Steele Taking A Road Trip Across america. Harper, A Former Saturday Night Live Writer, Recently Came Out As A Woman And Wonders How Her Transition Might Affect Her Friendships. On Their Journey, Harper Experiences Moments Of Acceptance In Unexpected Places, But Also Acts Of Fear And Hatred. Will And Harper Deploy Their Gifts With Humor To Help Dispel Fear And Ignorance.

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.

1:00 pm: Vice Is Broke

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

1:00 pm: Sudan, Remember Us

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

1:15 pm: Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary

World Premiere This Entertaining Documentary Traces The Evolution Of Yacht Rock, A Genre That Rocks, But Not Too Hard. Starting With Steely Dan In 1976 Los Angeles, The Film Highlights The Rise Of Key Players Like Toto, Michael Mcdonald, Kenny Loggins, And Christopher Cross, Their Sophisticated Musicianship, And Their Collaborations With Rock And Randb Artists. Filled With Fascinating Anecdotes, The Film Celebrates These Universally Appealing, Sometimes Mocked, Yet Well-Loved Songs, Revealing Their Enduring Cultural Impact. - Karen Mcmullen

3:15 pm: Dahomey

Twenty-Six Priceless Beninois Artifacts, Looted By The French, Are Repatriated To Benin By The French Government. Filmmaker Mati Diop Examines The Impact Of The Restitution, Imagining The Personification Of An Artifact And Documenting The Power The Treasures Have On Current Generations Of Beninois. The Occasion Is Both Monumental And Penurious: Just 26 Objects, Out Of Thousands Looted.

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.

3:30 pm: Shorts: Climate Countdown

Three Short Documentaries About The Ticking Clock Of Our Climate Crisis. - Samah Ali

3:30 pm: Black Box Diaries

A Journalist Upends Japan's Entrenched Codes Of Silence When She Brings Sexual Assault Charges Against A Well-Connected Member Of The Japanese Media Elite. Against The Wishes Of Many Of Those Closest To Her, Shiro Ito Presses On With Her Case, Bravely Confronting An Entire System. Her Case Becomes A Landmark In Japan, And Her Choices A Riveting Reminder Of The Insidiousness Of Sexism And Patriarchal Oppression Anywhere.

3:45 pm: Sugarcane

Unmarked Graves, Found At A British Columbia Boarding School That Indigenous Children Were Forced To Attend, Expose The School's Horrific Abuses. The Filmmakers Investigate The 1959 Trial Of A Student Accused Of Abandoning Her Newborn, And The Generational Trauma The Incident Caused For Members Of The Nearby Sugarcane Reserve. A Landmark For Its Sensitive Insistence On Addressing The Residential School System's Secrets, Julian Brave Noisecat And Emily Kassie's Sugarcane Is A Riveting And Immeasurably Important Film.

3:45 pm: The Remarkable Life Of Ibelin

Confined To A Wheelchair And Suffering From A Degenerative Muscular Disease, A Young Norwegian Man Was Believed To Be Living In Relative Isolation In A Physically Limited  World. Yet As Ibelin, His Alter Ego Inside The World Of Warcraft Online Game, Mats Steen Created A Full Universe For Himself, Where He Lived, Loved, Strove And Hoped To The Greatest Extent His Soul Could Muster. It's An Axiom That We Can Never Really Know What Another Person Is Going Through, And Benjamin Ree's Film Is A Fresh Reminder Of That Truth.

6:00 pm: Two Strangers Trying Not To Kill Each Other

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

6:15 pm: 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

6:30 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

6:30 pm: All God's Children

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

6:45 pm: Man From Pretentia

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

6:45 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

6:50 pm: G - 21 Scenes From Gottsunda

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

7:00 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

8:35 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

9:00 pm: Gallagher

World Premiere With His Witty Wordplay And Wacky Props, Leo Gallagher Became One Of The Biggest Comedy Acts Of The 1980s. The Comedian's Most Famous Bit: Smashing A Watermelon With A Giant Mallet To The Messy Delight Of Audiences. His Signature Act Was A Gift And A Curse, Shooting Him To Superstardom While Breeding Both Dismissive Detractors And Imitators, Including His Own Brother. As Tastes Change, The Aging Gallagher Seeks The Respect He Deserves As An Innovator In The Art Of Stand-Up Comedy. - Brandon Harrison

9:00 pm: The Bibi Files

World Premiere The Bibi Files Is An Urgent Journalistic Exposé, Based On Never-Before-Seen Leaked Footage And New Interviews With Key Israeli Figures. The Film Details The Corruption Cases That Resulted In Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Being Indicted For Charges Of Breach Of Trust, Bribery, And Fraud In 2019. Many Israelis Believe That Netanyahu's Attempts To Delay His Own Trial Are Key To Understanding Recent Events. Netanyahu Went To Court Trying To Block This Film From Being Seen - Unsuccessfully.

9:15 pm: Soul Of The Desert (Alma Del Desierto)

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

9:15 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

9:30 pm: Harley Flanagan: Wired For Chaos

World Premiere From His Harsh Childhood In The Burnt-Out Lower East Side, Musician Harley Flanagan Burst Onto The Punk Music Scene At Age 11 As Drummer For His Aunt's Band, The Stimulators. The Founder Of The Cro-Mags Tells His Inconceivable Story, With Interviews With Hard Rockers And Icons Like Flea, Ice-T, Henry Rollins, Michael Imperioli, And Surprising Guests. Featuring Gritty Footage Of Nyc's Downtown 1970s And '80s Music Scene, This Passionate Film Showcases Harley's Against-The-Odds Transformation From Chaos To Peace, Driven By Music, Family, And Personal Growth. - Karen Mcmullen

9:30 pm: Shorts: Let's Eat

Dine On These Delicious Food Films. - Samah Ali

9:30 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

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