2025 SHORT LISTS, WINNER’S CIRCLE & SELECTS ENCORE
DOC NYC is proud to complete the announcement of its full lineup by unveiling titles in the remaining four sections of its 16th Edition — Short List: Features, Short List: Shorts, Winner’s Circle and Selects Encore, running in-person from November 12 – 20 at IFC Center, SVA Theatre and Village East by Angelika, and continuing online through November 30. The 2025 festival showcases more than 200 films and dozens of events, including in-person appearances by filmmakers at most screenings.
Binge on all 200+ films in the 2025 program with the All Film Pass for only $699 through October 18th! Ticket packs and individual film tickets for in-person and online screenings are also now available.
The DOC NYC Short List for documentary features was launched in 2012 and has a long history of being a predictor of other awards—from critics’ prizes and top-ten lists to the Oscars. For 13 of the last 14 years, DOC NYC has screened the documentary feature that went on to win the Academy Award, and the festival has screened 59 of the last 70 Oscar-nominated documentary features.
2000 METERS TO ANDRIIVKA
Fri, Nov 14 at IFC Center
Director: Mstyslav Chernov Producers: Alexis Bloom, Alex Gibney, Raviv Druck Mstyslav Chernov, Michelle Mizner, Raney Aronson-Rath
After taking us through the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in his Oscar-winning 20 Days in Mariupol, Mstyslav Chernov and his creative team give us a perspective of the war more than a year on.
APOCALYPSE IN THE TROPICS
Thurs, Nov 13 at IFC Center
Director: Petra Costa Producers: Petra Costa, Alessandra Orofino
Christian fundamentalism has seized political discourse in Brazil, and this clear-eyed, deeply troubling, and internationally resonant distillation examines the implications.
CO-EXISTENCE, MY ASS!
Fri, Nov 14 at Village East Cinema
Director: Amber Fares Producers: Rachel Leah-Jones, Amber Fares
Disillusioned with politics, Noam Shuster Eliassi pivots to the world of stand-up comedy as a means of communicating her “radical” message that Palestinians and Israelis deserve equal human rights.
COME SEE ME IN THE GOOD LIGHT
Thurs, Nov 13 at Village East Cinema
Director: Ryan White
Producers: Ryan White, Jessica Hargrave, Tig Notaro, Stef Willen
A poignant and unexpectedly funny love story about poets Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley facing an incurable cancer diagnosis with joy, wit, and an unshakable partnership.
COVER-UP
Fri, Nov 14 at Village East Cinema
Director: Laura Poitras, Mark Obenhaus
Producers: Yoni Golijov, Laura Poitras, Mark Obenhaus, Olivia Streisand
A chronicle of Seymour Hersh’s groundbreaking investigative journalism, exposing systemic deception within US military and intelligence agencies, blending personal narrative with an examination of institutional accountability.
CUTTING THROUGH ROCKS
Thurs, Nov 13 at IFC Center
Director/Producers: Sara Khaki, Mohammadreza Eyni
In rural Iran, a trailblazing councilwoman empowers girls through motorcycles and activism—but when her motives are questioned, her fight against patriarchy becomes a deeply personal reckoning.
HEIGHTENED SCRUTINY
Thurs, Nov 20 at Village East Cinema
Director: Sam Feder
Producers: Amy Scholder, Sam Feder, Paola Mendoza
As a transphobic firestorm sweeps American culture and legislatures, ACLU lawyer Chase Strangio becomes the first trans man to argue a case before the Supreme Court.
MISTRESS DISPELLER
Thurs, Nov 21 at Village East Cinema
Directors: Elizabeth Lo
Producers: Emma D. Miller, Elizabeth Lo, Maggie Li
Desperate to save her marriage, a woman in China hires a professional to go undercover and break up her husband’s affair.
MR. NOBODY AGAINST PUTIN
Thurs, Nov 13 at IFC Center
Directors: David Borenstein, Pasha Talankin
Producers: Helle Faber
Amid Russia’s wartime propaganda, a teacher secretly films the militarization of education, risking everything to expose the state’s manipulation of youth—and the quiet courage of those who defy it.
MY MOM JAYNE: A FILM BY MARISKA HARGITAY
Sat, Nov 15 at Village East Cinema
Director: Mariska Hargitay
Producer: Mariska Hargitay, Trish Adlesic
Mariska Hargitay embarks on a deeply personal journey to uncover the real Jayne Mansfield—her iconic mother—through rare footage, intimate interviews, and a search for lost memories.
ORWELL: 2+2=5
Fri, Nov 14 at IFC Center
Director: Raoul Peck
Producer: Alex Gibney, Raoul Peck, George Chignell, Nick Shumaker
A stirring depiction of the dangers of power and the fragility of so-called civilized society, told through the vision of George Orwell (1984), who just might hold the key to the world’s future.
THE PERFECT NEIGHBOR
Thurs, Nov 13 at Village East Cinema
Director: Geeta Gandbhir
Producer: Alisa Payne, Geeta Gandbhir, Nikon Kwantu, Sam Bisbee
Raw police bodycam footage provides a shocking, clear-eyed chronicle of a neighborhood dispute’s tragic escalation in Florida, examining the deadly consequences of “stand your ground” laws and systemic racial tensions.
PREDATORS
Thurs, Nov 13 at Village East Cinema
Directors: David Osit
Producers: Jamie Gonçalves, Kellen Quinn, David Osit
Nearly 20 years after the NBC Dateline show “To Catch a Predator” went off the air in scandal, filmmaker David Osit contemplates the complicity of both host and viewer in our “society of the spectacle.”
PUT YOUR SOUL ON YOUR HAND AND WALK
Thurs, Nov 13 at Village East Cinema
Director: Sepideh Farsi
Producers: Javad Djavahery, Annie Ohayon-Dekel
A powerful act of witness and remembrance, this urgent, deeply personal documentary unfolds through video calls between filmmaker Sepideh Farsi and 25-year-old Palestinian photojournalist and poet Fatma Hassona.
THE TALE OF SILYAN
Thurs, Nov 13 at Village East Cinema
Director: Tamara Kotevska
Producers: Tamara Kotevska, Jean Dakar, Anna Hashmi, Jordanco Petkovski
A magical Macedonian folktale comes to life when an unlikely savior rescues a wounded white stork, transforming both of their lives for the better.
The Short List: Shorts showcase of 15 titles is now in its eighth year at DOC NYC. The selection process is overseen by Artistic Director Jaie Laplante, Director of Special Projects Thom Powers, and consultant Samah Ali. In 2024, the showcase included The Only Girl in the Orchestra, which went on to win the Oscar.
WOMEN ARE THE STRENGTH
Fri, Nov 14 at Village East Cinema
Films include: Am I the Skinniest Person You’ve Ever Seen?, The Devil is Busy, Last Days on Lake Trinity (pictured), and Maybe It’s Just the Rain.
SPEAKING UP
Thurs, Nov 13 at IFC Center
Films include: Children No More: Were and Are Gone, The Reality of Hope and Songs of Black Folk (pictured).
RECORDS OF THEN AND NOW
Thurs, Nov 13 at IFC Center
Films include: All the Walls Came Down, Oh Yeah! (pictured), Qotzuñi: People of the Lake, and Tessitura.
FAMILY ALBUMS
Fri, Nov 14 at IFC Center
Films include: All the Empty Rooms, Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud, Tiger and We Were the Scenery (pictured).
The DOC NYC Winner’s Circle for documentary features, introduced in 2019, highlights films that arrive at DOC NYC with significant awards pedigrees already in place. Past films shown in Winner’s Circle that all went on to further acclaim include Writing with Fire, The Mole Agent, A House Made of Splinters, Hollywoodgate, In the Rearview, Bad Axe, Midnight Family, and Advocate. To qualify for inclusion in this category, films must have won a major award at a significant international or US film festival.
BELOW THE CLOUDS
Sun, Nov 16 at IFC Center
Director: Gianfranco Rosi
Producers: Donatella Palermo, Gianfranco Rosi, Paolo Del Brocco
Under Naples’ skies and Vesuvius’ shadow, voices rise in a black‑and‑white tableau – everyday lives and history unearthed, memory and ruin fuse into a haunting meditation on what remains unseen. Winner, Special Jury Prize, Venice International Film Festival.
HOLDING LIAT
Sun, Nov 16 at Village East Cinema
Director: Brandon Kramer
Producers: Darren Aronofsky, Lance Kramer, Yoni Brook, Ari Handel, Justin A. Gonçalves
An intimate following of a family’s fight for their abducted loved one in Israel, revealing the fragile threads of hope and grief amid the devastation of geopolitical violence. Winner, Berlinale Documentary Award, Berlin International Film Festival.
THE LIBRARIANS
Fri, Nov 14 at Village East Cinema
Director: Kim A. Snyder Producer: Kim A. Snyder, Janique L. Robillard, Maria Cuomo Cole, Jana Edelbaum
In our politically polarized era, librarians across America have found their profession under siege as an unprecedented wave of book banning hits Texas, Florida, and beyond. Winner, Best Documentary Feature, Dallas International Film Festival.
LIFE AFTER
Tues, Nov 18 at IFC Center
Directors: Reid Davenport
Producer: Colleen Cassingham
A gripping investigative documentary exposing the tangled web of moral dilemmas, ableism, and profit motives surrounding assisted dying. Winner, U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award, Sundance Film Festival.
SECRET MALL APARTMENT
Fri, Nov 14 at Village East Cinema
Director: Jeremy Workman
Producers: Jeremy Workman, Matthew Spain
In 2003, eight young Rhode Island artists created a secret apartment in a hidden space inside a mall. Their act of defiance against gentrification becomes a bold expression of ingenious creativity. Winner, Grand Jury Prize: Documentary, Independent Film Festival Boston.
SEEDS
Fri, Nov 14 at IFC Center
Directors: Brittany Shyne
Producer: Danielle Varga, Sabrina Gordon
Following Black generational farmers in the American South, Seeds weaves intimate moments into a poetic tribute to legacy, land, and the enduring ties that bind family and community. Winner, U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary, Sundance Film Festival.
Selects Encore, new for 2025, showcases a selection of films that screened at DOC NYC Selects, the festival’s ongoing screening series extension that runs annually from late winter through summer. The films chosen for Selects Encore represent works that continue to be present in the season’s awards conversations.
IT’S NEVER OVER, JEFF BUCKLEY
Thurs, Nov 13 at IFC Center
Director: Amy Berg
Producers: Ryan Heller, Christine Connor, Mandy Chang, Matthew Roozen, Jennie Bedusa, Amy Berg
An exploration of loved ones’ perspectives and personal archives of Jeff Buckley, whose ethereal voice and songs have riveted audiences and emerging musicians for decades.
MONK IN PIECES
Weds, Nov 19 at Village East Cinema
Directors: Billy Shebar, David C. Roberts
Producer: Billy Shebar, David C. Roberts, Susan Margolin
A cinematic rendition of NYC-based artist Meredith Monk’s work and life, mirroring her artistic style and featuring interviews with Björk and David Byrne.
ONE TO ONE: JOHN & YOKO
Fri, Nov 14 at Village East Cinema
Director: Kevin Macdonald, Sam Rice-Edwards
Producers: Peter Worsley
An intimate and revelatory look at John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s life in Greenwich Village in the early 1970s, including never-before-seen material and newly restored footage of the couple’s only full-length concert.
SUBURBAN FURY
Tues, Nov 18 at IFC Center
Directors: Robinson Devor
Producer: Robinson Devor, Jason Reid, Zachariah Sebastian
In recounting the strange case of Sara Jane Moore and US President Gerald Ford, a tightrope of tension—between the ideals of America and the realities we are living through—becomes a stranglehold.
The 2025 DOC NYC festival will take place both in person and online starting on Wednesday, November 12, with in-person screenings and events held at IFC Center, SVA Theatre and Village East by Angelika through Thursday, November 20. The festival’s online offerings will continue through Sunday, November 30, 2025. The All Film Pass, which allows access to all in-person and online DOC NYC screenings, is now available.
