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:

12:15 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

12:15 pm: Spacewoman

World Premiere Astronaut Eileen Collins Is The First Woman To Pilot And Command The Space Shuttle. From Her Small Town Beginnings, She Went On To Smash Many Glass Ceilings At Nasa In Her Career, Culminating In Four Dramatic And Dangerous Space Shuttle Missions. Through Sensational Archival Materials And Intimate Interviews, Hannah Berryman's Nail-Biting Film Considers The Emotional Drama Eileen's Family Experienced, And A Philosophical Question About What Level Of Risk Is Acceptable In Human Endeavor. - Ruth Somalo

12:30 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

12:30 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

1:30 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

3:00 pm: Gaucho Gaucho

Nyc Premiere An Intimate Portrait Of A Small Community Of Iconic Gauchos (Cowboys And Cowgirls) Who Proudly Preserve Their Traditions Despite Changing Modern Customs.The Sacred Bond They Share With Their Animals Is Forged While Facing The Rigors Of The Wild Together. With Superb Black-And-White Cinematography And Exquisite Sound Design, Directors Dweck And Kershaw Conjure A Dreamlike Landscape To Tell A Life-Affirming Story- An Ode To Freedom And Respect For Nature. - Ruth Somalo

3:00 pm: Shorts: She Stories

Women Share Their Stories From In Front Of, And Behind, The Camera. - Samah Ali

3:15 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

3:30 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

4:15 pm: Shorts: Far From Home

These Stories Are All About Humans On The Move. - Samah Ali

6:00 pm: A Mother Apart

Nyc Premiere In This Poignant Documentary, Poet Stacyann Chin Confronts The Lingering Scars Of Being Abandoned By Her Mother As A Baby. As She Navigates Motherhood With Her Own Daughter, Stacyann's Journey Becomes A Powerful Act Of Healing And Self-Discovery. The Film Captures Her Life As An Artist In Nyc And Her Periodic Travels Abroad Seeking Her Elusive Mother, While Discovering Familial Connection In Other Ways. Authentic And Vulnerable, This Film Offers A Moving Exploration Of Forgiveness And The Complexities Of Family. - Karen Mcmullen

6:15 pm: The White House Effect

Nyc Premiere As We Face The Climate Crisis, The Filmmakers Look Back To A Hopeful Period When Leading Scientists, Government Officials, Heads Of International Conglomerates And, Most Importantly, The american People Agreed There Was A Problem At Hand. Spanning The Presidential Administrations Of Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, And George H.W. Bush, The Film Uses Archival Material To Reveal How Our Shared Understanding Of Humanity's Effect On The Climate Tragically Became A Partisan Issue. - Brandon Harrison

6:30 pm: A Man With Sole: The Impact Of Kenneth Cole

Nyc Premiere In 1982, Kenneth Cole Burst Onto The american Fashion Scene. Unable To Afford A Traditional Showroom During The New York Shoe Expo, The Enterprising Founder Registered His Footwear Business As A Film Production, Enabling Him To Sell Thousands Of Pairs Of Shoes Out Of A Trailer In Midtown Manhattan. Cole's Unwavering Determination Fueled His Company's Growth And His Fierce Commitment To Social Activism. This New York Fashion Icon Measures Success By His Contribution To Destigmatizing Hiv/Aids, Advancing Lgbtq Rights, And Fighting For Social Justice. -Brandon Harrison

6:30 pm: Diane Warren: Relentless

Nyc Premiere As An Awkward, Bullied Yet Rebellious Kid, Diane Warren Found Refuge In Music And Went On To Become One Of The Most Prolific And Successful Songwriters In america, As Legendary For Her Eccentric Personality As For Her Exceptional Talent. A Laundry List Of america's Top Singers, And Diane Herself, Recount The Joys And Pains Of Working With The Gifted And Prolific Hitmaker In This Intimate, Music-Rich Portrait. - Karen Mcmullen

6:45 pm: There Was, There Was Not

Ny Premiere Armenian Fairy Tales Often Start With The Same Sentence, "There Was, There Was Not," Suggesting An Existence That Is As Present As It Is Absent. In The Republic Of Artsakh, Four Women Live Their Lives In The Shadowy Twilight Of War And Peace, Past And Present, Remembrance And Oblivion. Each Chooses Her Own Way To Fight For A Land That They Dearly Love But Risk Losing. - Bedatri D. Choudhury

6:45 pm: Ernest Cole: Lost And Found

Nyc Premiere Oscar-Nominated Filmmaker Raoul Peck Has Done It Again. In This Rousing, Elegant Documentary, Peck Opens The Life And Works Of A Seminal Artist Of The 20th Century, South African Photographer Ernest Cole. Denouncing Apartheid With The Publication Of His 1967 Photo Book House Of Bondage, Cole Then Lived In Exile In The Us, Where He Documented New York City And The american South, Observing The Echoes Of The Homeland He Left Behind. Cole's Words Are Voiced With Spooky Vivacity By Another Oscar Nominee, Actor Lakeith Stanfield.

8:30 pm: Shorts: A Place Like This

These Shorts Capture The Magic Of The Places That Bring Us Together. - Samah Ali

8:45 pm: Nature Of The Crime

World Premiere After Decades In Prison, Todd Scott, Chad Campbell, And Carlos Rebollo Navigate The Complex Bureaucracy Of The Parole System And Deal With Its Psychological Toll. All Three Men, Incarcerated As Teens, Wrestle With The Weight Of Their Crimes, Questioning How They Can Appropriately Express Their Deep Remorse To A Parole Board That Will Determine Whether They Are Released. Featuring Access To Intimate Parole Interviews, These Difficult Stories Take Us Into An Under-Examined Aspect Of The Prison System, Begging The Question: Is True Rehabilitation Possible? - Brandon Harrison

9:00 pm: Out Of Plain Sight

World Premiere What If You Lived In A Coastal City Never Knowing That The Ocean Hid A Deadly Poison? That's Exactly What La Residents Did For Decades, Until A Scientist Alerted La Times Journalist Rosanna Xia To A Problem Ignored By Officials For Years. They Discover That As Many As Half A Million Barrels Of Ddt Waste Had Been Dumped Into The Ocean, And Are Finally Able To Connect The Dots Between Sick Sea Lions, A Poisoned Ecosystem, And The Legacy Of Health Issues In All Who've Been Exposed. - Bedatri D. Choudhury

9:15 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

9:15 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

9:30 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

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