America’s largest documentary film festival returns to New York City for an in-person run from Nov. 9 through Nov. 17.
Over 110 feature-length documentaries and over 200 films, including 29 world premiers and 27 U.S premieres will be shown at IFC Center, SVA Theatre, Cinépolis Chelsea and continuing online through Nov. 27.
The films premiering at DOC NYC are of a wide variety. A number of films center on notable figures like Ellis Marsalis, Jeanette Lee Vs, Corky Lee, Roberta Flack and Stan Smith. Sonic Cinema is a popular part of the festival that highlights music documentaries. Documentaries like “The 50,” “1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted a Culture,” “Big Fight in Little Chinatown,” “Lázaro and the Shark: Cuba Under the Surface,” “Loan Wolves” and “A Witch Story” explore hot topics relevant to today.
Twenty-three films making their U.S. or greater premier are entered in the U.S. competition for American-produced nonfiction films or the International competition for work from around the world. Returning for its second year, The Kaleidoscope Competition highlights new essayistic documentaries and the long-standing Metropolis Competition showcases New York stories and personalities. The Shorts Competition (67 films) awards short-form content, while DOC NYC U is showcasing student work from nine NYC schools totaling 34 films.
New to DOC NYC is the #MyJustice Film Award for a short film with a social justice theme and strong call to action. The winner will receive $10,000 and an Odyssey Impact led National Impact Campaign. Another addition to the festival is the “Meet the Press Film Festival at DOC NYC,” which takes place on Nov. 15. The one-day event will bring filmmakers and NBC News correspondents together for conversation and screenings.
“We are proud to be presenting such an incredible array of outstanding work in this year’s Main Slate,” said the festival’s Artistic Director Jaie Laplante. “These films, representing the diverse perspectives of our programming team, showcase significant premieres from major veterans alongside discoveries of emerging voices.”
The films are divided into sections which are overseen by three senior programmers: Ruth Somalo on Kaleidoscope, Karen McMullen on Metropolis and Sonic Cinema and Brandon Harrison on Game Face Cinema. They select other titles throughout the festival in conjunction with feature associate programmers Bedatri Choudhury and Kim Garcia, who oversee the Investigations and Fight the Power sections. The festival’s Shorts programmer, Samah Ali, works with associate programmers DeWitt Davis and Robert John Torres. All programmers work under the program manager, Anita Ras.
For more information on programming and to buy tickets, visit www.docnyc.net.
