DOC NYC proves — yet again — that plenty of women-directed films are ready to be programmed at fests. This year’s edition of America’s largest documentary festival features two feature competition lineups: Viewfinders and Metropolis. The former includes nine films, seven of which are helmed or co-helmed by women. The latter is comprised of seven titles, and two are directed by women. Overall, 16 features are screening in competition, and women directed or co-directed eight of them — AKA 50 percent.
“A Little Wisdom,” Yuqi Kang’s portrait of young Tibetan monks living in a monastery, and “Decade of Fire,” Vivian Vazquez and Gretchen Hildebran’s exploration of the story behind the burning of the Bronx in the 1970s, are among the competition titles.
Features screening in other programs include “Hillbilly,” Sally Rubin and Ashley York’s doc about a proud and diverse community in Appalachia, and “New Homeland,” Barbara Kopple’s story of refugee boys from war-torn countries attending a summer camp in Canada.
DOC NYC runs from November 8-15. Check out all of the women-directed and co-directed features screening in competition below. For the complete lineup and more information, head over to DOC NYC’s website.
Viewfinders Program
COOKED: SURVIVAL BY ZIP CODE
Dir: Judith A. Helfand (WORLD PREMIERE)
Director Judith A. Helfand (Blue Vinyl) investigates the victims and profiteers in extreme weather catastrophes like Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy.
GHOST FLEET
Dirs: Shannon Service, Jeffrey Waldron (NYC PREMIERE)
This suspenseful high-seas adventure follows a team of activists who rescue modern-day slaves in Thailand’s illegal fishing industry.
HEARTBOUND
Dirs: Janus Metz, Sine Plambech (NYC PREMIERE)
Janus Metz (Borg vs McEnroe) and Sine Plambech explore the surprising cross-cultural marriages between Danish men and Thai women over a decade.
THE KLEPTOCRATS
Dirs: Havana Marking, Sam Hobkinson (WORLD PREMIERE)
Investigative journalists uncover how $3.5 billion was plundered from the Malaysian government for a spending spree that included funding The Wolf of Wall Street.
A LITTLE WISDOM
Dirs: Yuqi Kang (NYC PREMIERE)
In a Tibetan Buddhist monastery, young novice monks try to balance rituals and discipline with the distractions of modern life and childhood.
THE SMARTEST KIDS IN THE WORLD
Dir: Tracy Droz Tragos (WORLD PREMIERE)
Based on Amanda Ripley’s bestselling book, four American teenagers go abroad to study in nations that outperform the US in education.
Metropolis Program
THE CANDIDATES
Dirs: Alexandra Stergiou, Lexi Henigman (WORLD PREMIERE)
In a Queens high school, a mock Presidential election sees a Russian-American as Donald Trump face off against a Pakistani-American as Hillary Clinton.
DECADE OF FIRE
Dirs: Vivian Vazquez, Gretchen Hildebran (WORLD PREMIERE)
The true, inside story behind the burning of the Bronx in the 1970s and how the community resisted, remained and rebuilt.
