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:

11:30 am: Light Darkness Light

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

11:45 am: Shorts: The People Vs.,

Stories About Those Who Fight For A Better Future For All. - Samah Ali

12:00 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

12:15 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

12:30 pm: Patrice: The Movie

Patrice Jetter Found The Love Of Her Life In Garry Wickham. They're Eager To Get Married, But They Learn Of A Penalty In Us Law That Threatens To Cut Off Social Security And Medicaid Benefits If Two People With Disabilities Move In Together. Their Situation Is Dire, But Patrice Confronts It With Optimism And Creativity, Lobbying Politicians To Rethink The Marriage Penalty. What Might Be A Sad Story Becomes More Like A Romantic Comedy. - Thom Powers

1:00 pm: Billy Preston: That's The Way God Planned It

Nyc Premiere Mega-Talented Keyboardist And Songwriter Billy Preston Was Often Referred To As "The Best Musician In The Room." Stylistically Influenced By The Black Church, Preston's Illustrious Career Includes Collaborations With Aretha Franklin, The Rolling Stones, Elton John, The Beatles, And More. A Private Man Who Turned To Drugs To Dull The Pain Of Personal Trauma, His Poignant Story Unfolds Through Insights From Billy Porter, Eric Clapton, And Ringo Starr, Complemented By Rare Footage And An Original Score By Robert Glasper. - Karen Mcmullen

1:30 pm: Flavors Of Iraq

North american Premiere French-Born Journalist Feurat Alani Narrates This Animated Documentary About His Complicated Connection To Iraq, The Country Of His Parents. With Gripping Storytelling And Startling Images, Director Léonard Cohen And Writer Alani Present The Middle Eastern Perspective On Us Military Involvement In The Region, From The Iraqi Invasion Of Kuwait To america's Incursion Into Iraq. With Touching Vulnerability, Alani Depicts His Connection To His Revolutionary Father, Who Was Exiled From His Homeland But Never Lost His Love For Her. - Murtada Elfadl

1:45 pm: A New Kind Of Wilderness

Nik And Maria, A British Bohemian And A Norwegian Photographer, Fall In Love And Decide To Raise Their Children In A Non-Traditional Environment, Learning From Nature Instead Of Textbooks And School Desks. Tragically, Maria Passes Away Young, Upending The Family's Bucolic Existence. As The Remaining Parent, Nik Works To Hold True To The Vision He Shared With His Life Partner, Despite Outside Pressure, While Navigating The Challenges Of Being Unmoored By Loss.- Jaie Laplante

2:00 pm: Moses - 13 Steps

Nyc Premiere For Nine Years, Nine Months And Nine Days, Track Superstar Edwin Moses Went Unbeaten In The Notoriously Difficult 400-Meter Hurdles.The Olympic Champion Devised His Method While A Physics Major At Morehouse College, Calculating The Appropriate Steps Needed To Dominate The Event. Featuring Interviews With Fellow Morehouse Alums Samuel L. Jackson And Spike Lee, The Film Shares Moses' Triumphs On And Off The Track. - Brandon Harrison

2:00 pm: Turtle Walker

World Premiere In The 1970s, Satish Bhaskar Became A Turtle Walker: He Walked Nearly The Entire Coastline Of India And The Spectacular Andaman And Nicobar Islands In Search Of Sea Turtles. Carrying A Camera And A Notepad, He Documented Turtles' Nesting Areas And Tried To Save Them From Extinction. Then The 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami Struck, Putting All His Work And The Creatures He Loved In Peril. - Bedatri D. Choudhury

3:15 pm: Homegrown

Nyc Premiere This Harrowing Documentary Embeds With Three Trump Supporters—A New Father, A Conservative Latino Ex-Military, And A Proud Boy—Leading Up To And Following The January 6 Attack On The Us Capitol. The Film Chillingly Captures The Raw, Unsettling Scenes Of The Rioters, Steeped In Pro-Trump Zeal. Through Rallies Touting Maga Values And Conspiracy Theories, We Witness First-Hand The Far Right's Fervent Mission To Reclaim "Their Country." A Timely Film That Is Both Sobering And Revelatory. - Karen Mcmullen

3:30 pm: The Falling Sky

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

3:45 pm: Stone Mountain

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

3:55 pm: Plunderer

World Premiere "It's Not Every Day That You Meet An Old Nazi." So Begins american Historian Jonathan Petropoulos, Recalling The Day In 1998 When He Met Bruno Lohse, Who Was Hermann Göring's Art Agent In Paris During World War Ii. In This Riveting Account, Petropoulos Details Lohse's Role In Stealing Countless Masterpieces From Prominent French And Dutch Families, While Evading Meaningful Punishment, And Continuing To Deal Art Profitably For Most Of The Rest Of His Life. This Explosively Compelling Tale Calls The International Art Market To Task For Its Continuing Lack Of Regulation.  - Jaie Laplante

4:15 pm: Beyond The Gaze: Jule Campbell's Swimsuit Issue

Nyc Premiere In The World Of Magazine Publishing, There Is No Annual Publication More Anticipated Than The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Chic And Controversial, The Mastermind Behind This Titillating Page Turner Was Founding Editor Jule Campbell. A Creative Trailblazer Who Navigated A Male-Dominated Workplace While Simultaneously Rebuffing Accusations Of Objectification Campbell Transformed A Struggling Magazine With Her Vision To Showcase Female Beauty In A Tasteful, Artistic Manner. - Brandon Harrison

4:30 pm: Shorts: Profiles

Portraits And Profiles Of Unique Individuals With Filmmaking To Match.  - Samah Ali

4:45 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

5:15 pm: Googoosh - Made Of Fire

Us Premiere To Generations Of Iranians, She Is A Legend - Culturally On Par With Icons Such As Barbra Streisand Or Catherine Deneuve. The Magnetic Singer And Actress Googoosh Rose To Fame During The 1960s And ?70s, But Her Career Ended With The Iranian Revolution, When She Was Placed Under House Arrest. Now Living In The Us, Googoosh Staged A Comeback In The 1990s, Touring To Epic International Audiences. She Continues Using Her Stature To Speak Out About The Current Iranian Regime's Most Oppressive Excesses. - Jaie Laplante

6:00 pm: Bad Reputation

North american Premiere Karina Is A Charismatic Sex Worker, A Feminist, And Activist Who Establishes A Union For Current And Former Sex Workers In Uruguay. As She Tries To Find A Different Line Of Work, Always Taking On Life's Difficulties With A Sense Of Humor, This Observational Film Follows Her Fight To Prevent Future Workers From Enduring The Horrors Of Child Sexual Exploitation, Trafficking, Abuse, Stigmatization, And Spousal Murder. - Ruth Somalo

6:15 pm: Conbody Vs Everybody (Episodes 1 And 2)

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

6:15 pm: Death And Taxes

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

6:45 pm: The Basement

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

6:55 pm: Isla Familia

World Premiere Co-Director And Protagonist Abraham Jiménez, One Of The Most Important Voices Of Cuban Independent Journalism, Is Expecting A Baby With His Wife, Producer/Co-Director Claudia Calviño. As They Become More And More Exhausted And Depressed From The Constant Harassment Of The Cuban Government, The Young Family Embarks On A Journey Off The Island And Become Political Exiles In Spain. A Heartfelt, Intimate Look At Daily Life In Cuba And The Measures Taken By One Family To Protect Their Freedom. - Ruth Somalo

7:00 pm: Shorts: Gathered Echoes

The Past Reverberates In Our Present Reality In These Conceptual Documentaries. - Dewitt Davis

7:15 pm: Shorts: Collections

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

8:00 pm: We All Bleed Red

World Premiere The Intimate Relationship That A Photographer Develops With The People Whose Photos He's Taking Is At The Heart Of This Film. New York-Based Martin Schoeller Won Acclaim For His Ultra Close-Up Portraits Of Figures Like George Clooney, Barack Obama, And Taylor Swift, Yet Here Director Josephine Links Focuses On His Work Featuring People Who Are Not In The Public Eye, Including Homeless People And Death Row Exonerees. Through Testimonies From Everyday People He's Interested In Capturing, This Documentary Shows How Some Of Us Survive On The Margins Of Society. - Murtada Elfadl

8:30 pm: Yalla Parkour

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

8:45 pm: Front Row

World Premiere Bertolt Brecht Asked Whether There Would Be Singing In The Dark Times. In The Throes Of War, The United Ukrainian Ballet Company Defiantly Insists There Will Be Dancing, Too. Far From The Land They Call Home, Young Dancers Take Quiet Comfort From Art. For A While, Their Work Feels Like The Old Days, Except There Is A New Troupe Member: A Soldier Learning To Dance With Prosthetic Legs. - Bedatri D. Choudhury

8:45 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: My Sweet Land

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

9:15 pm: Petra Kelly - Act Now!

North american Premiere Activist Petra Kelly Was Convinced That A Single Person Could Change The World And, As Co-Founder Of The German Green Party, She Did. Director Doris Metz Crafts An Enlightening Portrait Of One Of The Most Influential Political Figures Of The 20th Century. Weaving Historical Archives That Showcase Her Creative Tactics To Fight For Disarmament, The Environment, And Human Rights With Intimate And Revealing Testimonies From Her Inner Circle, The Film Demonstrates That Kelly's Spiritual Legacy Continues To Resonate Today. - Ruth Somalo

9:25 pm: Balomania

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

9:30 pm: Shorts: Our Bodies

A Program Dedicated To Learning And Loving Our Bodies. - Samah Ali

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