DOC NYC kicks off on Thursday, and will have tons of women-centric and women-directed offerings. We’ve put together a few of the titles that have piqued our interest — just a few. This list is far from exhaustive. Sci-fi/fantasy writer Ursula K. Le Guin, activist basketball player Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir, and Commander Arian of YPJ are among the incredible women profiled in the featured documentaries.
The DOC NYC line-up will also present the intimate lives of trans individuals in “Little Miss Westie” and “Family in Transition.” The former, co-directed by Joy E. Reed, sees a young trans girl competing in a beauty pageant and being coached by her brother, who is also trans. The latter centers on a trans woman and explores the effect her transition has had on her wife and children.
Several stories will focus on immigration and the treatment of refugees. Barbara Kopple’s “New Homeland” traces the experiences of young Syrian and Iraqi refugees at a summer camp in Canada. “The Great Mother” follows Nora Sandigo, who serves as the legal guardian for more than 2,000 children whose parents have been deported.
DOC NYC will run November 8-15 in New York City. You can find tickets and more information on the fest’s website.
In no particular order, here are 10 films we’re particularly looking forward to seeing. Plot synopses courtesy of DOC NYC.
“The Candidates” – Directed by Alexandra Stergiou and Lexi Henigman
“The Candidates”: DOC NYC
What it’s about: 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.
Why we’re excited: Often you hear a particular narrative about millennial and Gen-Z youth, one lamenting their lack of civic and political engagement. In “The Candidates” this could not be further from the truth. In 2016, directors Alexandra Stergiou and Lexi Henigman followed students from Townsend Harris High School as they recreated their own version of the 2016 presidential election. The students are incredibly invested in their roles, hosting rallies, holding bake sale fundraisers on behalf of their campaigns, and doing interviews over their school’s broadcast system.
When asked about what they would like audiences to take away from the film in an upcoming interview, the directing duo told us “We want people to leave optimistic about the future and younger generations. Civic education is so important and the film shows that.” They added, “These students are so intelligent and truly care about educating themselves about policy and the ins and outs of the political system. If more people approached politics in as thoughtful a way as these students we’d have a much kinder world.” Equal parts entertaining and inspiring, “The Candidates” is sure to leave you feeling hopeful at a time we need it most.
“Family in Transition”
“Family in Transition”: DOC NYC
What it’s about: In a small Israeli town, a husband and father of four undergoes a gender transition that has rippling effects on the family.
Why we’re excited: Now more than ever, we have seen brilliant works by and about LGBTQ people in both documentary and feature film. Ofir Trainin’s doc is yet another complex portrait of love seen through the eyes of not only a transitioning woman, Amit, but one who is considering the needs and intricacies of her relationship with her wife and children. It also delves into the uncertainties of love and partnership that Galit, Amit’s wife, contends with.
The film won the Howard Gilman Award for the Best Israeli Documentary this year, for “the intimate dynamic [Trainin] has formed with his subjects and for choosing to make their voices heard, unmediated.” “Family in Transition” promises to challenge audiences’ existing understanding of the nuances of gender and relationships.
“New Homeland” – Directed by Barbara Kopple
What it’s about: Refugee boys from war-torn Syria and Iraq attend a Canadian summer camp where some thrive while others struggle.
Why we’re excited: In this fraught time of virulent racism and anti-immigrant rhetoric, it is easy to become disillusioned by the current state of the world. However, Barbara Kopple shines a new light on the situation by adding what seems to be a radical characteristic amidst all of the politics of the discussion: hope.
The Canadian refugee sponsorship program has given Canadian families the ability to privately sponsor and thereby assist families as they transition into a new country and environment. Kopple — who has won Oscars for “Harlan County,USA” about a Kentucky miners strike, and “American Dream,” about a strike at Hormel Foods in Minnesota — is an apt fit to tell this story of refugees. Her sensitivity and depth allow for an intimate portrayal of a group of Syrian and Iraqi boys as they attend their first session of summer camp. The documentary explores not only the boys’ struggles to fit in alongside their lingering traumas, but showcases the true resilience of these children and their families.
“Life Without Basketball”
“Life Without Basketball”
What it’s about: Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir fights the International Basketball Federation to wear the hijab during Division I competition.
Why we’re excited: Counting Barack Obama among her many fans, Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir made history as the first Division I basketball player to play wearing a hijab. “Life Without Basketball” sees the 5’2″ player challenging a FIBA (International Basketball Federation) uniform rule that ends her chances of playing professionally. She’s dedicated much of her life to basketball — and now the star athlete begins to contemplate her life without it.
The doc follows Abdul-Qaadir as she seeks answers from FIBA and empowers girls at a Muslim school, teaching them the fundamentals of basketball and imparting life lessons. “Be confident in who you are,” she says in an exclusive clip of the film we premiered. “It doesn’t matter that you look different.”
Abdul-Qaadir launched her career in basketball, but it’s clear that she still has plenty to contribute off the court.
“Little Miss Westie” – Directed by Joy E. Reed and Dan Hunt
“Little Miss Westie”: DOC NYC
What it’s about: In Connecticut, Ren is the first out trans girl to compete in the Little Miss Westie Pageant, coached by her transgender brother.
Why we’re excited: As the current administration becomes more and more hell-bent on legally defining gender in binary, biologically-determined terms, “Little Miss Westie” has the power to remind everyone of the complexities of each person’s gender identity. The film has already inspired viewers to think more deeply — and compassionately — about trans individuals and their experiences. “A gay colleague of mine who watched an early cut said that this film challenged his assumptions about gender and made him rethink a few things,” co-director Joy E. Reed told us in an upcoming interview. “If folks walk out of the theater understanding that being transgender is just a tiny facet of what these whole, complicated, wonderful kids are, and that they deserve all the basic human rights and protections afforded to cisgender kids, I’ll feel pretty good. If they’re moved to action to ensure it happens, I’ll feel even better.” Let’s hope that’s exactly what happens.
“To Kid or Not to Kid” – Directed by Maxine Trump
What it’s about: Filmmaker Maxine Trump (no relation) explores women like herself who face societal stigma for choosing not to have children.
Why we’re excited: It’s 2018, but some people still treat having kids as an inevitability instead of an option. Women — and men, but mostly women — are asked “when” they’ll be expanding their families — not if. Or whether they are able to. “There is a myth that if you don’t have children, you’re weird, selfish, or somehow wrong,” Trump said in a soon-to-be published interview with us. The director was inspired to tell the story because she had a relationship end over differing opinions about having kids.”[The situation] made me very aware of how hard it can be to bring this subject up, even with the people closest to you,” she recalled.
“To Kid or Not to Kid” will help open the floodgates of conversation, addressing aging and fertility, voluntary sterilization, and other pressing issues that are often discussed in hushed tones, if at all.
“I Am the Revolution” – Directed by Benedetta Argentieri
What it’s about: Three women in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria lead the fight for gender equality and freedom in this empowering portrait.
Why we’re excited: Nothing gets us fired quite like a documentary about real-life women doing their damndest to change the world. “I Am the Revolution” follows politician Selay as she educates women about their rights in Afghanistan, Yanar as she advocates for parliamentary reform and oversees women’s shelters in Iraq, and Rojda as she leads 60,000 Syrian Democratic Army troops in the fight against ISIS. As bad, or just plain terrifying, news builds up every day, it can feel as if change is impossible, even pointless. “I Am the Revolution” suggests otherwise. Selay, Yanar, and Rojda are being the change they want to see in the world — and we can be, too.
“Commander Arian: A Story of Women, War & Freedom” – Directed by Alba Sotorra
“Commander Arian”: DOC NYC
What it’s about: Under threat from ISIS, Commander Arian gathers her all-women Kurdish battalion to rescue enslaved civilians in northern Syria.
Why we’re excited: In 2015, when Barcelona-based filmmaker Alba Sotorra heard about an all-female army, the YPJ — the Women Protection Units — fighting in Syria against ISIS, she knew she wanted to tell their story. Sotorra herself had to be smuggled across the border at night, just to gain entrance into the country. Upon arriving she met Commander Arian, a woman she felt represented the spirit of many of the women fighting in this war. Told through footage from trainings, battles, and interviews with Commander Arian herself, her story is a powerful message about strength, resilience, and believing in a cause greater than oneself.
In an interview with Women and Hollywood, Sotorra said, “There are thousands of women like Arian fighting in Syria for women’s freedom. Their struggle is for justice, equality, and democracy. Hundreds of them gave their life for it, and thousands are wounded. I hope my film makes people aware of this reality, and makes us reflect on the importance of showing solidarity with them. Their cause is [for] all women; [it’s] all people’s cause. Like Arian, we should never give up in fighting for a better world.”
“The Great Mother”
“The Great Mother”: DOC NYC
What it’s about: Nora Sandigo has more than 2,000 kids, acting as the legal guardian for U.S.-born children of undocumented immigrants.
Why we’re excited: The United States’ racist, hateful immigration policy and its shameful policy of separating children from their parents as a deterrent to potential illegal immigration have been dominating the news cycle lately. “The Great Mother” provides a micro look at the issue via Nora Sandigo, an activist taking care of over 2,000 kids whose parents have been deported, so they won’t be taken into foster care.
When we discuss immigration, we often talk about immigrants as if they are just a political topic, not actual people. This documentary puts a human face on the subject. We can speak about immigrants in terms of statistics, civil rights, and politics, but “The Great Mother” reminds us they are people who love and are loved. They are parents — and deportation is as much a punishment for their children as it is for them.
“Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin” – Directed by Arwen Curry
“Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin”
What it’s about: A moving and intimate profile of feminist sci-fi/fantasy author Ursula K. Le Guin, featuring interviews with admirers like Neil Gaiman and David Mitchell.
Why we’re excited: A trailblazer in a genre dominated by men, Ursula K. Le Guin recognized that it took some time for her to resist patriarchal narratives in her own work. “What I’d been doing as a writer was being a woman pretending to think like a man … I had to rethink my entire approach to writing fiction … it was important to think about privilege and power and domination, in terms of gender, which was something science fiction and fantasy had not done,” she acknowledged. Her outlook — and work — evolved, and the prolific author went on to become one of the most celebrated feminist novelists of the century.
Le Guin died earlier this year, and her many fans, including Margaret Atwood and Nnedi Okorafor, paid tribute to the “Left Hand of Darkness” author for her groundbreaking words, works, and worlds. Arwen Curry’s “Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin” promises to offer new insights and access to Le Guin’s admirers and will hopefully introduce the great’s novels to a new generation.
