DOC NYC, the largest documentary festival in the U.S., has just announced its slate. The festival will run from November 14–21.
Over 125 documentary filmmakers and and special guests are expected to present and premiere 131 documentary films and events. It will consist of 72 film screenings, 39 shorts and 20 panel discussions and masterclasses.
Below you’ll find the 32 women directed docs that will be playing the festival. At press time, there wasn’t a count for shorts. All text below is courtesy of DOC NYC.
GALAS — The NYC premiere of Marvin Hamlisch: What He Did for Love (dir. Dori Berinstein) about the hit-making songwriter behind “The Way We
Were,” “A Chorus Line” and more, presented by the director along with Broadway star Donna McKechnie and songwriter Rupert Holmes.
VIEWFINDERS COMPETITION — Films notable for their distinct directorial visions.
US premiere: The Dark Matter of Love (dir. Sarah McCarthy) looks
at an American family that adopts Russian children prior to Vladimir Putin’s ban.
NYC premieres: Sole Survivor (dir. Ky Dickens) profiles four
people who were the only survivors of major airline crashes;
Uranium Drive-In (dir. Suzan Beraza) focuses on a Colorado town with its economic
hopes pinned on a new uranium mine;
A Will for the Woods (dirs. Amy Browne, Jeremy Kaplan, Tony Hale & Brian Wilson) highlights the
green burial movement.
METROPOLIS COMPETITION — Films rooted in New York City.
US premiere of Exposed (dir. Beth B) delves into the world of modern burlesque
performers.
NYC premieres: A Fragile Trust: Plagiarism, Power and Jason Blair at The New York Times (dir. Samantha Grant) interviews the main
players behind the 2003 newspaper scandal;
Here One Day (dir. Kathy Leichter) uncovers a box of hidden audiotapes by the director’s mother, the
wife of a New York State Senator, illuminating a troubled history;
I Learn America (dirs. Jean-Michel Dissard & Gitte Peng) goes inside
a Brooklyn public high school dedicated to newly arrived immigrants;
Lucky (dir. Laura Checkoway) follows a homeless single mother who dreams of
bettering her life.
AMERICAN PERSPECTIVES — Films that represent the country’s diversity.
The US premiere of How to Lose Your Virginity (dir. Therese Shechter), a
humorous look at ideas around virginity in modern culture.
NYC premieres: Breastmilk (dir. Dana Ben-Ari), presented by executive producer Ricki
Lake in person, uses humor and candor to explore misconceptions around mother’s milk;
American Commune (dirs. Rena Mundo Croshere & Nadine
Mundo) follows the filmmaker siblings back to the counterculture commune, The Farm, where they were born;
American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs (dir. Grace Lee) profiles the 98-year-old social activist from Detroit who will attend in
person;
Citizen Koch (dirs. Carl Deal & Tia Lessin) examines the Wisconsin standoff between state employees and Governor Scott Walker
who was bankrolled by rightwing billionaires David and Charles Koch;
Geraldine Ferraro: Paving the Way (dir. Donna Zaccaro) traces the history of
the first-ever female vice-presidential candidate;
Town Hall (dir. Sierra Pettengill & Jamila Wignot) looks at two Pennsylvania Tea Party
activists in the lead-up to the 2012 election.
INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES — Titles that take us around the globe.
US premiere of Things Left Behind (dir. Linda Hoaglund), which focuses on
a Japanese art exhibit about the atomic bomb.
NYC premieres: Brave Miss World (dir. Cecilia Peck) follows an Israeli former Miss World campaigning
against sexual violence.
The Manor (dir. Shawney Cohen) looks at a dysfunctional family that runs a Canadian strip club.
Touba (dir.
Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi) uses breathtaking cinematography to document a Senegalese pilgrimage.
SONIC CINEMA — Films that explore a wide range of music.
We Don’t Wanna Make You Dance (dir. Lucy Kostelanetz) captures a white funk band over a
long span of time, like a rock version of Michael Apted’s 7 Up.
NYC premieres: The Punk Singer (dir. Sini Anderson) focuses on Kathleen
Hanna, a leader of the Riot Grrrl movement with bands like Bikini Kill and Le Tigre;
Folk (dir. Sara Terry) crafts a love letter to a musical
genre and an intimate portrait of contemporary musicians.
ART + DESIGN — Films engaging with artists.
World premiere of Men of the Cloth (dir. Vicki Vasilopoulos), which looks at master tailors whose
craft is in danger of vanishing.
Tiny: A Story About Living Small (dirs. Merete Mueller & Christopher Smith) tracks a couple building a
small house as part of an environmentally conscious movement.
MIDNIGHT DOCS — Films selected to keep you awake late.
Kink (dir. Christina Voros) goes behind the scenes of the world’s most popular sexual
fetish site in a film produced by James Franco.
SHORT LIST — Films selected by DOC NYC programmers as ones to watch this awards season:
Blackfish (dir. Gabriela
Cowperthwaite);
The Crash Reel (dir. Lucy Walker*);
Gideon’s Army (dir. Dawn Porter*);
The Square (dir. Jehane Noujaim*);
Stories We Tell (dir. Sarah Polley*)
(*indicates director in person)
