• By Mabel Pais

Screening

Director ASIF KAPADIA’s ‘2073’

Directors NISHTHA JAIN & AKASH BASUMATARI’s ‘Farming the Revolution’

And many, many more

DOC NYC, America’s largest documentary festival — celebrating its 15th anniversary in-person, November 13-21 at IFC Center, SVA Theatre and Village East by Angelika and continuing online through December 1.

The 2024 festival presents more than 110 feature-length documentaries (including yet-to-be-announced Short List and Winner’s Circle titles) among over 200 films and dozens of events, with filmmakers expected in person at most screenings.

“DOC NYC is honored to connect superb documentary art and artists with an appreciative public in New York City and across the U.S. in our virtual theater,” said the festival’s artistic director Jaie Laplante. “The filmmakers of this year’s official selection have gifted us with engaging, vigorous work that provides us with new ways of looking at our world.”

Included in the Festival lineup are 31 World Premieres and 24 U.S. premieres, with eight of those presented in the U.S. Competition, for new American-produced nonfiction films, and another eight featured in International Competition, for work from around the globe. The Kaleidoscope Competition for new essayistic and formally adventurous documentaries continues, while the festival’s long-standing Metropolis Competition, showcasing New York stories and personalities, also returns. In addition, the festival includes thematically organized sections that spotlight new films on music, sports, activism, and more.

Included in the U.S. premieres is Nishtha Jain’s ‘Farming the Revolution’ from India.

Domestic stories from New York City and the U.S. make up many of this year’s World premieres.

Several filmmakers from DOC NYC’s seventh annual 40 Under 40 cohort, spotlighting young creatives that are making an impact in the field of documentary, have featured film work in this year’s festival.

Short-form content continues to be represented in the festival’s Shorts Competition (94 films), DOC NYC U Competition (12 films representing student work from nine NYC schools), and an out-of-competition special presentation of the forthcoming Season 3 of Firelight Media/American Masters’ acclaimed In The Making series (8 films).

Returning this year to partner with DOC NYC is Subject Matter, which will award a $20,000 grant to support one social issue documentary’s marketing and impact campaigns, alongside a $20,000 grant to a nonprofit working on the issue featured in the film.

DOC NYC 2024 Festival Lineup

Programme (by Section):

The following is a breakdown of programming by section (for screening details visit www.docnyc.net):

SPECIAL EVENTS

Opening Night

BLUE ROAD – THE EDNA O’BRIEN STORY (US Premiere)

Director: Sinead O’Shea; Producers: Claire McCabe, Katie Holly, Barbara Broccoli

Feminist writer Edna O’Brien’s diaries are brought to life, revealing her extraordinary writing and experiences in Ireland, London, and New York, and gifting us with her final testimony.

Closing Night

DROP DEAD CITY – NEW YORK ON THE BRINK IN 1975 (World Premiere)

Directors/Producers: Peter Yost, Michael Rohatyn

Set in 1970s NYC, this gripping documentary reveals the city’s fall from working-class haven to fiscal disaster, featuring firsthand accounts and vivid archival footage of a city on the brink.

Centerpiece Screening

ALL GOD’S CHILDREN (World Premiere)

Director: Ondi Timoner; Producers: Ondi Timoner, David Turner, Anthony Ervolino

In Brooklyn, a rabbi and a Baptist pastor seek common ground – and mutual understanding – while working to combat conflicts they see escalating in their communities. (Also part of the U.S. Competition.) 

SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS

Director/Co-Producer Asif Kapadia’s ‘2073’ makes its NYC Premiere.

Other Special presentations include

Victor Kossakovsky’s ‘ARCHITECTON’ (NYC Premiere);

Directors Samuel Habib & Dan Habib’s ‘THE RIDE AHEAD’ (NYC Premiere); Director Reiner Holzemer’s ‘THOM BROWNE: THE MAN WHO TAILORS DREAMS’ (World Premiere).

U.S. COMPETITION

Eight films are presented in this category.

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION

Eight films are featured in this competition.

METROPOLIS COMPETITION

Featuring NEW YORK STORIES in this section are eight films.

KALEIDOSCOPE COMPETITION

Featuring NEW DOCUMENTARY VISIONS are five films.

AMERICAN STORIES

Featuring STATES OF BEING IN THE UNION are eight films.

COME AS YOU ARE

Featuring STRIVING TO FIND YOUR PLACE are eight films.

FIGHT THE POWER

Featuring STORIES OF ACTIVISM are seven films.

GAME FACE CINEMA

Featuring THE DRAMA OF SPORT are four films.

INVESTIGATIONS

Featuring EXPOSING THE TRUTH are seven films.

PORTRAITS

Featuring PROFILES OF SINGULAR INDIVIDUALS are eight films.

RESILIENCE

Featuring STANDING STRONG IN THE FACE OF TRAUMA are four films.

SONIC CINEMA

Featuring MOVIES ABOUT MUSIC are ten films.

VOICES OF CANADA

A showcase of the Canadian titles that are represented throughout the festival’s sections.

There are four feature films and twelve short films.

SHORTS PROGRAMS

There are 94 shorts participating in the juried Shorts Competition, in the following 20 programs:

SHORTS: THE AMERICAN DREAM

Calling out the contradictions – and sometimes hypocrisies – of the American Dream.

SHORTS: ARTSCAPES

Glimpses into the artistic processes of brilliant creators across disciplines.

SHORTS: CARETAKERS

Tenderhearted people taking care of each other.

SHORTS: A CHILD’S EYE

Witnessing life through the eyes of youth.

SHORTS: CLIMATE COUNTDOWN

The ticking clock of our climate crisis.

SHORTS: COLLECTIONS

Dedicated to the art of collecting toys, memorabilia, and works of art.

SHORTS: FAR FROM HOME

Humans on the move!

SHORTS: GATHERED ECHOES

The past reverberates in our present reality in these conceptual documentaries.

SHORTS: GENERATIONS

What binds and separates generations of families. 

SHORTS: HIDDEN HISTORIES

Discovering the illuminating backstories of various touchstones in our culture.

SHORTS: INSIDE AND OUT

Identifying the borders and institutions that divide us.

SHORTS: LET’S EAT

Dine on these delicious food films.

SHORTS: LOVE FOR THE GAME

Sports stories with clear eyes and full hearts.

SHORTS: MAKE ME LAUGH

Three humorous shorts that will make you laugh and cry at the same time.

SHORTS: NEW YORK, NEW YORK

Our beloved city through the eyes of many.

SHORTS: OUR BODIES

A program dedicated to learning and loving our bodies.

SHORTS: THE PEOPLE VS.

Stories about those who fight for a better future for all.

SHORTS: A PLACE LIKE THIS

Capturing the magic of the places that bring us together.

SHORTS: PROFILES

Portraits and profiles of unique individuals with filmmaking to match.

SHORTS: SHE STORIES

Women share their stories from in front of, and behind, the camera.

DOC NYC U COMPETITION

DOC NYC U features 12 short documentaries from students across the five boroughs. These two programs showcase competition finalists from Brooklyn College, City University of New York, Fashion Institute of Technology, Hunter College, The New School, New York Film Academy, New York University, Pratt Institute, and the School of Visual Arts.

DOC NYC U: COMMUNITY

This collection of student shorts capture the essence of community, whether it’s the sounds of a city, or the people we meet along the way.

DOC NYC U: FAMILY MATTERS

Students from the five boroughs document family stories across the globe.

SHORTS: IN THE MAKING

Screening as an out-of-competition special presentation, Season 3 of this short film series from American Masters and Firelight Media follows artists on their way to becoming masters of their disciplines.

TICKETS & PASSES

Festival tickets and passes may be purchased at docnyc.net.

DOC NYC

Learn more at docnyc.net.

(Mabel Pais writes on The Arts and Entertainment, Social Issues, Spirituality, Cuisine, Health & Wellness, Business, and Education)