2026 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 17th Edition — Short List: Features, Short List: Shorts, Winner’s Circle and Selects Encore, running in-person from November 11 – 19 at IFC Center, SVA Theatre and Village East by Angelika, and continuing online through November 29. The 2026 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 2026 program with the All Film Pass for only $699 through October 17th! 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 14 of the last 15 years, DOC NYC has screened the documentary feature that went on to win the Academy Award, and the festival has screened 64 of the last 75 Oscar-nominated documentary features.
AMERICAN DOCTOR
Thurs, Nov 12 at Village East by Angelika
Director: Poh Si Teng
Producers: Poh Si Teng, Kirstine Barfod, Reem Haddad
A visceral, unflinching film following three notable U.S. physicians as they provide in-person support at a Gaza hospital treating victims of mass-casualty events from the Israeli war campaign.
THE BEND IN THE RIVER
Thurs, Nov 12 at Village East by Angelika
Director: Robb Moss
Producers: Lisa Remington, Kristin Feeley
A masterful meditation on the eternal, the temporal and the inevitable, from veteran filmmaker Robb Moss.
EVERYBODY TO KENMURE STREET
Thurs, Nov 12 at Village East by Angelika
Director: Felipe Bustos Sierra
Producers: Ciara Barry
An uplifting portrayal of resistance focuses on an incident in 2021 when immigration officers conducted a raid on Glasgow’s Kenmure Street.
A FOX UNDER A PINK MOON
Fri, Nov 13 at Village East by Angelika
Director: Mehrdad Oskouei, Soraya Akhlaghi
Producers: Mehrdad Oskouei
A young, talented Afghan woman living under the thumb of the patriarchy in Iran channels her emotions into unforgettable expressions of art.
THE GREAT EXPERIMENT
Fri, Nov 13 at IFC Center
Director: Stephen Maing, Eric Daniel Metzgar Producers: Stephen Maing, Eric Daniel Metzgar, Farihah Zaman
Traversing the U.S. from 2016 to 2020, patient observational filmmaking becomes a temperature check on American democracy—what George Washington described as the last great experiment in promoting human happiness in civil society. Co-director Stephen Maing will receive the Robert and Anne Drew Award for Documentary Excellence at this year’s DOC NYC Visionaries Tribute.
MUSK
Thurs, Nov 12 at Village East by Angelika
Director: Alex Gibney
Producers: Alex Gibney, Jessie Deeter, Erin Edeiken, Zhang Xin, Joey Marra, Nick Shumaker, Jessica Grimshaw, Dana O’Keefe
An epic work profiling the world’s first trillionaire, Elon Musk. Director Alex Gibney will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s DOC NYC Visionaries Tribute.
NAZA
Thurs, Nov 12 at Village East by Angelika
Directors: Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor
Producers: Harry Davies, Lindsay Poulton, James Wilson
Anonymous members of the Israel Defense Force candidly reflect on their attitudes toward civilian casualties, known as NAZA, and how they process the meaning of genocide.
ONCE UPON A TIME IN HARLEM
Fri, Nov 13 at Village East by Angelika
Directors: David Greaves
Producers: Liani Greaves, Anne de Mare
A glorious night, capturing a vital period of American culture, when luminaries who had been active in the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s recount their memories
ONE IN A MILLION
Thurs, Nov 12 at IFC Center
Director: Itab Azzam, Jack MacInnes
Producer: Will Anderson, James Bluemel, Andrew Palmer, Raney Aronson-Rath
A chronicle of one Syrian daughter’s journey in fleeing war and seeking refuge in Germany, and how over ten years, new pressures and opportunities present themselves.
SOUL PATROL
Fri, Nov 13 at Village East by Angelika
Director: J.M. Harper
Producer: Sam Bisbee, Danielle Massie, J.M. Harper, Nasir Jones, Peter Bittenbender
A hidden chapter of American military history—the Vietnam War’s first Black special ops team, an elite unit operating deep behind enemy lines.
TIME AND WATER
Thurs, Nov 12 at IFC Center
Director: Sara Dosa
Producer: Shane Boris, Elijah Stevens, Jameka Autry, Sara Dosa
TO HOLD A MOUNTAIN
Thurs, Nov 12 at Village East by Angelika
Directors: Biljana Tutorov, Petar Glomazić
Producers: Biljana Tutorov, Petar Glomazić, Quentin Laurent, Rok Biček
In the remote highlands of Montenegro, the spirit of motherhood, the violence of men, and the sacredness of the mountain collide and reconcile.
WILD INSIDE
Thurs, Nov 12 at Village East by Angelika
Director: Penny Lane
Producers: Gabriel Sedgwick, Nickolas Hasse
In 2023, Flaco the Eurasian Eagle Owl became an international folk hero and a mythological figure for a world in which so many find themselves living in circumstances far away from their roots.
YOU CAN SEE EVERYTHING
Thurs, Nov 17 at Village East by Angelika
Director: Nathan Fielder, Lance Oppenheim
Producers: Nathan Fielder, Lance Oppenheim, Tatiana Bears, Maggie Ambrose, Jack Davis
As she prepares to begin serving her federal prison sentence, disgraced Silicon Valley tycoon Elizabeth Holmes continues to claim she has never lied, as America’s premiere absurdist documentarians record her every word.
The Short List: Shorts showcase of 15 titles is now in its ninth 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 2025, the showcase included All The Empty Rooms, which went on to win the Oscar.
DEDICATION & DETERMINATION
Thurs, Nov 12 at IFC Center
Films include: The Oath (pictured), The Tuners (Stroiciele), and They’re Here.
LEGACIES
Thurs, Nov 12 at IFC Center
Films include: Buckskin, Listen (pictured), The Grandfather Puzzle and The Revolution Against Death .
DENY, DEFLECT, DISMISS
Sat, Nov 14 at Village East by Angelika
Films include: A Derailment, An Open Field, and La Tierra del Valor (The Home of the Brave) (pictured).
DIVISIONS
Fri, Nov 13 at IFC Center
Films include: Outposts: Nothing Here is Yours (pictured) and Water Cooler.
SPIRIT OF AMERICA
Sat, Nov 14 at Village East by Angelika
Films include: One Last Order (pictured), The Baddest Speechwriter of All, and The Boys and the Bees.
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.
AMERICAN PACHUCO: THE LEGEND OF LUIS VALDEZ
Sun, Nov 15 at IFC Center
Director: David Alvarado
Producers: David Alvarado, Lauren DeFilippo, Everett Katigbak, Amanda Pollak
Against political resistance and industry skepticism, Luis Valdez pushes Chicano storytelling forward, creating iconic works that challenge, celebrate, and expand America’s story. Winner, Audience Award: U.S. Documentary and Festival Favorite Award, 2026 Sundance Film Festival.
BUCKS HARBOR
Sun, Nov 15 at Village East by Angelika
Director: Pete Muller
Producers: Pete Muller, Nathan Golon, Noel Paul
Striking cinematography marks this observant, verite film about men in East Maine, the traditions of their elders, and their complex inner lives. Winner, Golden Eye Award for Best Documentary Film, 2026 Zurich Film Festival.
CLOSURE
Thurs, Nov 12 at Village East by Angelika
Director: Michał Marczak Producer: Monika Braid, Remi Grellety, Michał Marczak, Katarzyna Szczerba, Karolina Marczak
A haunting portrait of what it means to seek closure that’s a testament to parental love. Winner, Golden Alexander International Competition Award, 2026 Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival.
AN EYE FOR AN EYE
Mon, Nov 16 at Village East by Angelika
Directors: Tanaz Eshaghian, Farzad Jafari
Producer: Christoph Jorg, Katayoon Arsanjani, Gelareh Kiazand, Joey Marra
A tense examination of Iran’s justice system and one family torn asunder by a legacy of abuse and mariticide, unfolding like a Shakespearean tragedy. Winner, Grand Prize Impact Documentary, 2026 Fipadoc.
GIVE ME THE BALL!
Fri, Nov 13 at IFC Center
Director: Liz Garbus, Elizabeth Wolff
Producers: Liz Garbus, Elizabeth Wolff, Chris James, Dan Cogan, Dominic Crossley-Holland, Gentry Kirby
NUISANCE BEAR
Fri, Nov 13 at Village East by Angelika
Directors: Gabriela Osio Vanden, Jack Weisman
Producer: Will N. Miller, Michael Code, Teddy Leifer, Jack Weisman, Gabriela Osio Vanden
The modern clash between human beings and polar bears takes on an ironic meaning when an Inuit elder shares his perspectives on the ancient belief and customs of his people. Winner, U.S. Documentary: Grand Jury Prize, 2026 Sundance Film Festival.
REHEARSALS FOR A REVOLUTION
Fri, Nov 13 at Village East by Angelika
Director: Pegah Ahangarani
Producers: Parnian Farnam, Pegah Ahangarani, Arash Ashtiani
STEAL THIS STORY, PLEASE!
Weds, Nov 11 at IFC Center
Directors: Carl Deal, Tia Lessin
Producer: Carl Deal, Tia Lessin, Karen Ranucci, Diana Cohn, Caren Spruch
Selects Encore 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.
DAYLIGHT
Fri, Nov 13 at IFC Center
Director: Jon Kasbe
Producers: Jon Kasbe, Zoe Rogovin
Serving a life sentence for murder, Joe Garcia finds unexpected refuge in Taylor Swift’s lyrics. When an essay he writes about love and music goes viral, it cracks open the past and rekindles a connection, opening the door to a life and love he thought were lost forever.
A LIFE ILLUMINATED
Tues, Nov 17 at IFC Center
Directors: Tasha Van Zandt
Producer: Tasha Van Zandt, Sebastian Zeck, Jessica Harrop, Kathryn Everett
A daring quest to document a bioluminescent phenomenon that could forever change how we understand life on Earth.
MANHOOD
Tues, Nov 17 at IFC Center
Director: Daniel Lombroso
Producers: Kerry Mack, Rebecca Shaid
Manhood explores shame, sex, and the fragile myths of American masculinity, with dark humor and unexpected empathy.
MARY OLIVER: SAVED BY THE BEAUTY OF THE WORLD
Sat, Nov 14 at Village East by Angelika
Director/Producer: Sasha Waters
If poetry had a pop icon, Mary Oliver would be it, and Sasha Waters’ beguiling portrait is as poetic as its protagonist.
SCENES FROM THE DIVIDE
Fri, Nov 13 at IFC Center
Director: Alison Klayman
Producers: Alison Klayman, Courtney Powell
A fierce battle among American Jews over identity, history, and responsibility is revealed in the homes of New Yorkers on both sides of Zohran Mamdani’s 2025 mayoral campaign.
WHO MOVES AMERICA
Sat, Nov 14 at Village East by Angelika
Director: Yael Bridge
Producers: Yael Bridge, Jeremy Flood, Yoni Golijov, Mars Verrone
Examines the tense 2023 contract negotiations between UPS and its 340,000 unionized workers, as a microcosm for the larger struggles of labor justice in the U.S.A.
The 2026 DOC NYC festival will take place both in person and online starting on Wednesday, November 11, with in-person screenings and events held at IFC Center, SVA Theatre and Village East by Angelika through Thursday, November 19. The festival’s online offerings will continue through Sunday, November 29, 2026. The All Film Pass, which allows access to all in-person and online DOC NYC screenings, is now available.
