NYC PREMIERE In his 2011 Oscar-nominated Pina, the legendary Wim Wenders employed stunning 3D camerawork to cinematically approximate the creativity of the great German choreographer Pina Bausch. Twelve years later, Wenders gives us an even more breathtaking 3D look into the world of visual artist Anselm Kiefer, focusing not only on his expansive canvases and […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
WORLD PREMIERE In 2015, three young Muslims were murdered in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. 36 SECONDS documents the heartbreaking aftermath in that community, and reflects on what it means to be Muslim in the American South, where the country’s gun laws and Islamophobia intersect. Through the devastation and heartbreak of the film emerges a portrait […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NEW YORK PREMIERE The ubiquitous cultural cachet of Star Wars is under attack, not by an intergalactic warlord, but from 1978’s absurdly campy “Star Wars Holiday Special.” The program aired a single time on CBS, never to be shown again, and is considered one of the worst pieces of Star Wars media ever made. Despite […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
WORLD PREMIERE One of the world’s youngest elite rock climbers, Ashima Shiraishi spent her formative years breaking numerous age-based climbing milestones, spurred on by her number one fan and coach, her father, Poppo a retired Butoh dancer and avant-garde performer with no formal climbing experience. When these New Yorkers travel to South Africa to conquer […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE Director Ana Ramón Rubio becomes obsessed with cryptocurrency trading to the point where her family is worried. She agrees to seek addiction therapy as long as she can make a film about her experience and demonstrate how to finance a film with tokens. Funded by bitcoin and other crypto in less than 24 […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NEW YORK PREMIERE Director Lina Soualem traces the history of four generations of Palestinian women in her family by pointing the camera at her mother, actress Hiam Abbas, of Succession fame. In playfully recreating moments from Abbas’ life in Palestine, Soualem pays tribute to her mother while creating a record of the political and cultural […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
WORLD PREMIERE Candace Parker’s journey has taken her from the neighborhood courts of Naperville, Illinois, to WNBA superstardom and beyond. A high school phenom that lived up to and surpassed all expectations, Parker redefined what is possible for female athletes in the 21st century. A dedicated mother, loving wife, and Hall of Fame player, Parker […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
WORLD PREMIERE As Daniel Radcliffe’s stunt double in the Harry Potter films, David Holmes’ work has been seen worldwide by millions of people. Tragically an on-set accident ended what David calls “the best job in the world,” leaving him paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair. Like the on-screen character he helped bring to life, David […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NYC PREMIERE DEFIANT is a defining survey of the Ukrainian experience during the first 18 months of the 2022 Russian full-scale invasion. With Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba as a central figure, DEFIANT tracks the Ukrainian fighting spirit in both diplomatic circles and on the front lines as ordinary civilian life is turned upside down by […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE This documentary illuminates the overlooked life of a remarkable composer, Fanny Mendelssohn. Born in 1800’s Berlin, hindered by societal constraints on women, her talents remained buried until feminist scholars uncovered her impressive body of work. Overshadowed by her brother Felix, she was confined at home while he soared to fame. The film, punctuated […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
US PREMIERE The existential Gen-X movie we didn’t know we wanted. Chris Wilcha digs into his lived experience – career stops and starts, documentary films begun and abandoned, cross-country relocations, and his relationship with a certain New Jersey secondhand record store – to weave an emotional reckoning with his state of being. While shooting a […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
WORLD PREMIERE Garland Jeffreys, the mixed-race Brooklyn native whose music defied industry norms, receives long-overdue recognition in this enlightening documentary. His unique fusion of folk, soul, and rock earned him accolades abroad, yet left him underrated at home. Jeffreys’ story, narrated from his NYC home and featuring interviews with fans like Harvey Keitel, Laurie Anderson, […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NYC PREMIERE This observational chronicle is an immersive exploration of Uganda’s grasshopper industry. Following the hardships of a group of trappers in pursuit of the nutritious delicacy, this atmospheric film grapples with capitalism and sustainability while meditating on the way humans engage with the natural world. The otherworldly nighttime cinematography, based on Michele Sibiloni’s highly […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
WORLD PREMIERE Finding your tribe is one of life’s greatest pleasures—and losing it is one of the greatest sorrows. In Amy Nicholson’s beautifully observed film, working-class Americans gather every summer at a seaside trailer park in Chincoteague, Virginia, to enjoy the simple pleasures of a scrappy, no-frills vacationland, and each others’ company. When a developer […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
WORLD PREMIERE Through interviews, recited poetry, and quirky interstitials, this engaging documentary charts the unlikely presence of oysters in NYC, the myriad waterways surrounding the city, the scourge of pollution, and triumphant revitalization efforts. Poetic filming of familiar city scenes combine with fascinating archival photos for a watery love letter to the city. Lovingly crafted and […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
WORLD PREMIERE Norman Mailer, a towering figure in American literature, had a life that was certainly stranger than fiction. From his formative years in Brooklyn, through his career as a preeminent cultural voice, we follow Mailer’s life through 6 marriages, 9 children, 11 bestselling books and 2 Pulitzer Prizes as he solidifies his place in the […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NYC PREMIERE New Jersey’s own Jesselyn Silva, a three-time national boxing champion, is on her way to superstardom, dominating the junior ranks at the age of 15. With her every step of the way is her father, Pedro, a single parent who helps her navigate coaches, training schedules, and the angst of teenage life. When […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
WORLD PREMIERE Until Reese Witherspoon’s Oscar-winning portrayal of her in the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line, most contemporary audiences were unfamiliar with June Carter Cash. Kristen Vaurio’s comprehensive documentary June offers a much fuller understanding of the multitalented artist, singer, songwriter, comedian, and actress. Delightful, never-before-seen archival material reveals June’s firecracker wit and charisma […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE This delightful portrait of Liv Ullmann brims with intimate memories and profound reflections on her hopes, fears, grief, rejections, dreams pursued, and lessons learned. An indomitable character as an actor, writer, director, and activist is revealed through her own writings and the accounts of close friends and collaborators like Jessica Chastain, Cate Blanchett, […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
WORLD PREMIERE A fresh spin on the story of high school sports as the path to transformation and redemption, Lucha takes us inside the Taft High School women’s wrestling team on their journey to a championship. Personal challenges abound, from unsupportive families to homelessness, but these four young women from the Bronx—Shirley, Nyasia, Mariam, and Alba—find […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
WORLD PREMIERE Bunny Yeager was a trailblazing model, designer, and photographer who popularized the bikini, invented the selfie, discovered Bettie Page, and introduced feminist agency in sexy pictures in the ’50s. With the testimonies of cultural icons that include photographer Bruce Weber, Dita Von Teese, and Larry King, the film reinstates Bunny as an iconic artist […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
WORLD PREMIERE With the conservative movement conspiring to take away healthcare and bodily autonomy from all, “Daily Show” co-creator Lizz Winstead brings us on the road with Abortion Access Front and her merry band of activists and comedians as they crisscross the U.S. to support abortion clinics and providers. An urgent and humorous account of […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE Loïe Fuller was a master dancer of the early 20th century whose use of fabric and light created stunning visuals that influenced many in art and fashion. Directors Sabine Krayenbühl and Zeva Oelbaum create a visual poem that pays homage to Fuller’s specific artistic achievement. Mixing a kaleidoscope of entrancing images with the […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NEW YORK PREMIERE On Alaska’s remote St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea, shy teenager Agra Chris Apassingok is the best hunter in his village, but warming seas have made the annual whale hunt, which supplies food and resources for his village for most of the year, that much tougher. When he proudly shares a […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NEW YORK PREMIERE Charting the remarkable journey of poet and wordsmith Paul Muldoon, this film weaves his life’s chapters through the artistry of renowned actors, musicians, and artists. From his humble roots in Ireland through prestigious positions at institutions like Oxford and Princeton, Muldoon’s story unfolds like a vivid tapestry. The lyrical narrative features a […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE Can people truly change? In Hanka Nobis’s engrossing observational film, she follows a 22-year-old Polish man named Antek as he goes from membership in a far-right, anti-LGBTQ group called The Brotherhood to, four years later, joining his girlfriend for a Gay Pride march he formerly protested against. What happens to Antek in those […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
WORLD PREMIERE The Electric Circus nightclub was a drug-fueled, multicultural oasis of dance and creativity in 1960’s NYC, frequented by icons like Jimi Hendrix, Timothy Leary, and Sly & the Family Stone. Against a hallucinogenic backdrop of hippies, Hell’s Angels, and circus performers, club founders Stan Freeman and Jerry Brandt share memories of the club’s rise […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
WORLD PREMIERE The Lunachicks, an all-female punk band renowned for their unabashed humor and unwavering pro-women ethos, made their mark on NYC’s underground music scene in the ‘90s. A rollercoaster of drugs, romances, and creative conflicts ultimately led to their 2000 breakup, but can love of the music reunite them for one last show? Buoyed […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
WORLD PREMIERE Scooter LaForge, heir to the artistic legacies of Basquiat and Haring, believes an artist’s duty is to have fun. Influenced by Pollack, surrealism, and Saturday morning cartoons, Scooter’s queer, punk-rock aesthetic was embraced by downtown fashion designer Patricia Field, and his bespoke painted clothing has been worn by icons like Debbie Harry, Beyoncé, and […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE When Russian forces invaded Ukraine and filmmaker Stanislav Kapralov’s parents fled the country, his beloved dog Nika ran away. In a heroic attempt to find Nika he goes back to Kyiv and joins several volunteers on a mission to rescue pets left behind during Russia’s brutal attacks. This lucid and riveting portrait of […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
WORLD PREMIERE Shari Lewis was a dancer, singer, and magician but is best known as the ventriloquist behind sock puppets Charlie Horse, Hush Puppy and, of course, Lamb Chop. This lively doc charts the life, loves, and career hits and misses of this spunky perfectionist, who forever changed the face of children’s television. Featuring ventriloquists […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
A glimpse into the artistic process behind brilliant creators across disciplines. The Promise of Spring | Director: Anna Andersen | Producer: Katie Rose VaughanNEW YORK PREMIERE Prolific backdrop artist Sarah Oliphant hopes to guide her daughter Violet in artistic pursuits of her own. – DD (USA, 14 MIN) Love, Jamie | Director: Karla Murthy | […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
A selection of tenderhearted films about taking care of memories, heirlooms, and family members. Caretaker | Director/Producer: Verónica Rose WoodWORLD PREMIERE In this exploration of sacrifice, we see how love endures as Antonio’s sister moves to Texas to take care of him after he loses his sight. – AR (USA, 9 MIN) The Medallion | […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
The backstories of under-recognized people and cultural institutions. Black Godfather of Scuba | Director: Matt Kay | Producer: Andrew CarverWORLD PREMIERE Marine biologist and diver Dr. Albert Jose “Doc” Jones dove into the first lost slave ship ever to be recovered, and co-founded the National Association of Black Scuba Divers. – SA (UK/USA, 24 MIN) Jack […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
Honest vignettes of the prison industrial complex. The Bus | Director: Sandra Reina | Producers: Valérie Delpierre, Jaume Fargas CollNEW YORK PREMIERE As the passengers settle on a bus, we overhear many odd conversations about their upcoming weekend. – DD (Spain, 30 MIN) Tito | Directors: Kervens Jimenez, Taylor McIntosh | Producers: Corbin J. Stone, Jean […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
Women share their stories from in front of, and behind, the camera. Bear | Director: Morgane Frund | Producer: Volko KamenskyNEW YORK PREMIERE A student helps a filmmaker with his nature doc, and confronts him with the unexpected footage she discovers in his archive. – AR (Switzerland, 19 MIN) A Home on Every Floor | […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE This fun caper movie explores the true story behind the rumors that, at the height of the Cold War, the U.S. government rigged the most influential art exhibition, the Venice Biennale. With an extraordinary cast of experts and insiders from the art world and extensive archival footage, the film reveals the plans […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE Directors Núria Clavero and Aitor Palacios humanize the political debate around border control through the story of one family’s quest for a better life. The camera follows pregnant Yuri, her partner, Mike, and young son, Santi, as they flee Honduras, capturing the nuances of why they undertook this perilous trek. Though it […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
WORLD PREMIERE Monty Roberts, a California horse trainer nearing 90 and showing no signs of slowing down, recounts his life with horses, starting from his earliest days working in Hollywood westerns of the 1940s. Repelled by the accepted style of “breaking a horse’s spirit,” Roberts developed his own gentle approach to human interaction with horses in […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
US PREMIERE Through a thick layer of snow in the forests of Russia, historian Yuri Dmitriev searches for unmarked and lost graves. His singular efforts have uncovered mass burial sites of those who were killed under Stalin’s “Great Terror” of 1937. With no help from official channels, he traces the dead and rescues their memory […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
A groundbreaking all-archival documentary film about Lady Bird Johnson, one of the most influential and least understood first ladies. Beautifully honed from 123 hours of Lady Bird’s intimate audio diary, the film brings her to life and reveals her as a shrewd political strategist who preserved natural resources for the American people through her policies […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
WORLD PREMIERE NFL Hall of Famer Reggie White was known as much for his dogmatic religiosity as for his devastating sacks at the time of his tragic death in 2004 at 43. However, during a little-known interview shortly before his passing, White questioned his indoctrination and revealed his journey to discover the meaning of his faith. […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
WORLD PREMIERE Alan Dershowitz is a fierce criminal defense attorney known for representing infamous clients like Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein, and whose unwavering defense of constitutional rights and civil liberties is both admirable and divisive. The film explores his notable victories and lesser-known losses, as well as his court battles with one of Epstein’s […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NYC PREMIERE As many remember, 1999 presented a strange existential crisis in which we didn’t know what the next year and the new millennium would bring. Well-traveled on the festival circuit, this archival time capsule captures the unprecedented frenzy of Y2K just as the internet begins to transform the world. – Bedatri Choudhury The first […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
WORLD PREMIERE This portrait of photographer James Hamilton, one of the great chroniclers of the cultural history of America, goes well beyond his creative and technical process. Through the stories behind his work at Harper’s Bazaar, The New York Observer, and The Village Voice about his iconic portraits and assignments —from Patti Smith, Liza Minnelli, Lou […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE Seniors from around the country hold back the hands of Father Time by taking on the elegant sport of synchronized swimming. Sue, Ellen, Cris, Luther, Monica, and Joyce find themselves pushing their physical boundaries in preparation for the annual U.S. Masters Artistic Swimming Championship. While some go for gold and others simply for […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NEW YORK PREMIERE In South Africa, Sharon-Rose Khumalo and Dimakatso Sebidi, two intersex individuals, find strength and support in each other, while tackling their society’s misunderstanding and prejudices about their bodies. – Jaie Laplante “A call for empathy and understanding – in the end, difference is what you make of it.” (Screen) The first screening […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NYC PREMIERE In his book Stamped From the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America, author Dr. Ibram X. Kendi explored the history of anti-Black racist ideas and their impact on the United States. Oscar-winning filmmaker Roger Ross Williams takes inspiration from Kendi’s work to explore those themes with an array of powerful […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
Lawand is a deaf 5-year-old boy from Iraq whose extraordinary family goes to great lengths to move to England and enroll him at the Royal School for the Deaf Derby. There, he learns British Sign Language (BSL) and begins to blossom. But will the British government allow Lawand to stay and continue his education? Filmmaker […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
One of the greatest injustices ever committed on North American soil is examined in sweeping historical detail by filmmakers Jesse Shortbull and Laura Tomaselli. As American settlers moved west, the U.S. government signed treaty after treaty with Lakota and other Indigenous tribes, only to continually break their legal and moral commitments with complete impunity. As […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
Intertwining two nail-biting stories of dangerous escape attempts from North Korea, BEYOND UTOPIA shows us the reality of life in one of the most repressive totalitarian countries on Earth. Filmmaker Madeleine Gavin takes us on a harrowing journey, crosscutting between jaw-dropping cellphone video, and anguished cellphone audio, as she examines the high-stakes operation of an […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
For a class assignment in 2009, film student Lea Glob begins documenting a young bohemian painter from France. The assignment blossoms into something deeper, that spans 13 years in the life of a talented artist and her circle, from Paris to New York and Los Angeles and back again. Lea finds in Apolonia Sokol a […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NYC PREMIERE Musician Jon Batiste was riding high in 2022 with 11 Grammy nominations and a planned event at Carnegie Hall to present a new composition called “American Symphony.” But the year grows more complex when his life partner Suleika Jaouad, a writer and musician, learns that her cancer has returned after a decade in […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
With the film’s first image of a lone elderly man trekking through an untouched snowy landscape, we sense that director Margreth Olin is taking us somewhere special. The man is her father Jørgen who shares his journey to stunning vistas of glaciers, waterfalls, and fjords. The film’s artistry has won the support of executive producers […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
Oscar-nominated filmmaker Raoul Peck (I Am Not Your Negro) chronicles the way real estate developers work in blatant and subtle ways to divest Black families from inherited property. He focuses on the case of the Reels family in North Carolina who resisted intimidation tactics and dubious legal maneuvers over several decades. The film draws upon […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
Feminist sexologist Shere Hite helped change public perception toward masturbation, clitorial orgasm and more with her groundbreaking research in the 1970s and 80s. Her books rank among the biggest best-selling nonfiction titles of all time. Oscar-nominated filmmaker Nicole Newnham (Crip Camp) explores Hite’s rise and fall from prominence. The film uncovers a treasure trove of […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM