Raphaela Neihausen
Executive Director
Raphaela Neihausen
Executive Director
Raphaela Neihausen is the founding Executive Director of DOC NYC. She co-hosts WNYC’s Documentary of the Week and executive produces the podcast Pure Nonfiction. She produced the 2017 Oscar® nominated short film Joe’s Violin and the feature documentary Miss Gulag. She has served as the founding executive director for several festival startups including Split Screens Festival, 51Fest, and the Montclair Film Festival. Prior to her film career, she worked for seven years at Mercer Management Consulting (now Oliver Wyman), advising Fortune 100 companies on strategic growth. She holds a BSFS/MA from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.
Jaie Laplante
Artistic Director
Jaie Laplante
Artistic Director
Jaie joined the DOC NYC team in June, 2022. Prior to that, Jaie served for 12 years as the Miami Film Festival’s Executive Director and Co-Director of Programming, where his achievements included greatly expanding that festival’s documentary selections, as well as launching successful initiatives such as a digital screening platform, the GEMS festival, and the Google Talks on Gender & Racial Gaps in Film & Technology. He simultaneously oversaw year-round programming at the historic Tower Theater in Miami’s Little Havana. He previously served as Associate Director of the New York City Wine & Food Festival and as a programmer at festivals focused on shorts and LGBTQ+ films. He has served on numerous film festival juries, including the U.S. Competition jury at DOC NYC 2021.
Malikkah Rollins
Director of Industry and Education
Malikkah Rollins
Director of Industry and Education
As the new Director of Industry and Education at DOC/NYC, Malikkah will oversee a portfolio of projects including DOC NYC PRO, the festival’s line-up of educational courses and industry networking opportunities; Only In New York industry meetings for filmmakers with works-in-progress; and the 40 Under 40 list. Malikkah brings 15 years of experience in education, counseling, and professional development to the role. As a freelance doc producer, WIFV/DC board member, Sundance Collab Community Leader and D Word Ambassador, Malikkah’s passion is rooted in connecting people and building stronger, more collaborative film communities.
Thom Powers
Director of Special Projects
Thom Powers
Director of Special Projects
Thom Powers is DOC NYC’s Director of Special Projects, a role that includes overseeing the festival’s Visionaries Tribute. He was DOC NYC’s found Artistic Director and served in that position for 12 years. He also works as the documentary programmer for the Toronto International Film Festival now in his 16th year. He hosts the podcasts Pure Nonfiction and WNYC’s Documentary of the Week. He programs for the Miami International Film Festival and teaches at the School of Visual Arts. He is a co-founder of the Montclair Film Festival, Cinema Eye Honors and the Garrett Scott Documentary Development Grant. He previously spent a decade directing documentaries for HBO, PBS, and other outlets.
Ruth Somalo
Senior Programmer, Features
Ruth Somalo
Senior Programmer, Features
Ruth is a Spanish programmer, curator and filmmaker. She has worked with DOC NYC for twelve years, programs for the Architecture and Design Film Festival and often curates independent nonfiction programs like “Holy Fluids” (UnionDocs), “Broken Senses” (Anthology Film Archives) and “The Limit Of Our Gaze” (KJCC). Ruth has programmed for International Festivals like DocumentaMadrid, was the co-director of Impugning Impunity Human Rights Film Festival and serves as President of The Flaherty Board of Trustees.
Karen McMullen
Senior Programmer, Features
Karen McMullen
Senior Programmer, Features
Karen is a Features Programmer at Tribeca Festival, Director of Programming at TIDE and screener for Sundance Film Festival. She’s a juror at Pan African and Bentonville Film Festivals, Black Public Media and Cinema Eye Honors. She moderates for African Film Festival, Pure Nonfiction, Netflix, NYWIFT, HBO and more. She’s a guest speaker on television, radio and at filmmaking organizations. She’s a Brown University graduate and has editing credits on features, documentaries, and short films.
Brandon Harrison
Senior Programmer, Features
Brandon Harrison
Senior Programmer, Features
Brandon Harrison began at DOC NYC as screener, before joining the programming team in 2019. He has curated features, shorts, and series at Brooklyn Film Festival, Nashville, and Tribeca, while also serving on various documentary juries and committees. He is currently a Development Executive at Words+Pictures.
Samah Ali
Senior Programmer, Shorts & DOC NYC U
Samah Ali
Senior Programmer, Shorts & DOC NYC U
Samah Ali is a distributor and film programmer based in New York City and Toronto. A lover of documentaries and virtual reality, she programs for Academy Award qualifying festivals DOC NYC, Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, and Hot Docs Film Festival. She is also the founder of Sisterhood Media, a production and distribution company streaming films on their platform, Sisterhood Media TV. You can interact with her on Twitter @sistersamah.
Bedatri D. Choudhury
Programmer, Features
Bedatri D. Choudhury
Programmer, Features
Bedatri is a culture journalist and documentary film professional. She has managed documentary projects at Doc Society, Working Films, The Gotham Film & Media Institute, and CAAM, among others. An alumna of the NYFF Critics Academy, Sundance and SXSW Press Inclusion Initiatives, the National Critics’ Institute, and Berlinale Talents, she lives in New York City. Presently, she is the Managing Editor of Documentary Magazine.
Murtada Elfadl
Programmer, Features
Murtada Elfadl
Programmer, Features
Murtada Elfadl is a culture writer, critic, and film curator. Originally from Khartoum, Sudan, he is currently based in New York City. His writing has been published at Variety, The A.V. Club, Backstage, among other publications. He hosts the Izzy and Murtada Picture Show podcast. In addition to DOC NYC, Murtada is also a programmer at NewFest, New York’s LGBTQ Film Festival.
DeWitt Davis
Programmer, Shorts
DeWitt Davis
Programmer, Shorts
DeWitt has been working with film and cinema presentations for over 15 years. He has been with DOC NYC since the first year of the festival and an Associate Programmer of Shorts since 2018. Over the years he has worked for multiple North American film festivals in the technical and programming teams. He also worked in film restoration and taught classes in motion picture film for Kodak.
Anita Raswant
Programmer, Shorts & Film Manager
Anita Raswant
Programmer, Shorts & Film Manager
Anita is passionate about telling stories of minorities and having their voices heard through film and art. She is currently the Shorts Programmer and Program Manager for the Nantucket Film Festival and has done stints at Tribeca Film Festival, Hamptons International Film Festival, Philadelphia Film Festival, and more. Anita grew up in Rome, Italy but has been a loyal Queens resident after graduating with a B.A. in Sociology from St. John’s University.
Hannah Tyman
Submissions Manager
Hannah Tyman
Submissions Manager
In addition to serving as DOC NYC’s Submissions Manager, Hannah works as the Festival Coordinator at the Nantucket Film Festival, and at NewFest. A graduate of Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film & Media Arts, she also is a writer and story analyst. Originally from Massachusetts, Hannah resides in Brooklyn.
Asha Phelps
Systems Director
Asha Phelps
Systems Director
Asha Phelps is the Systems Director of DOC NYC, which includes overseeing the festival’s production operations as well as ticketing and passholder programs. The 2021 edition will be her 11th year with the festival! She additionally works for IFC Center as the Director of Administration & Films, specializing in theater and event operations, alternative content programming, accounting and databasing. She was a 2016 participant in the inaugural Industry Academy International U.S., hosted by Film of Lincoln Center and the Locarno International Film Festival. She has a BA in Cinema Studies from NYU. Although a Texas native, she currently lives in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Dana Krieger
Senior Festival Advisor
Dana Krieger
Senior Festival Advisor
Dana Krieger has been with DOC NYC since it all began in 2010. She has spent the past 15 years producing and creating large scale, high profile events, ranging from major film festivals to the Olympics. Dana completed her undergraduate studies at Georgetown University and earned a Masters in Public Administration from Columbia University.
Sarah Modo
Festival Manager
Sarah Modo
Festival Manager
A fan of the arts and self-expression, Sarah has found great joy working in the film festival world. She has been coordinating communications at DOC NYC for the past 7 years. Previously, Sarah worked as series producer for the Pure Nonfiction Podcast, at the Montclair Film Festival and Argot Pictures. She holds a BA from Montclair State University in Television and Digital Media.
Andrew Nealon
Production Manager
Andrew Nealon
Production Manager
Oregon born, but now a full fledged citizen of Greenpoint. Huge fan of both cats & dogs, why would anyone not be!? Drinks coffee anytime of the day or night, and still sleeps like a baby. And always there to give my controversial opinions on AI, and the future we all hope to see one day. I prefer old movies, especially Michelangelo Antonioni, when I’m not binge watching full seasons of office dramedies. Above all else, I have the utmost reverence for Documentary filmmaking, and the subject matters they investigate with so much passion. Been feeling partial to the fine works of Werner Herzog and John Wilson lately. A Sundance / Tribeca / Rooftop / DOC NYC Production veteran, as well as Film & TV on-set Production alum. Returning to the Film Festival world in 2023 after taking a few years off to work on the wildly hilarious show Succession, and a few others that haven’t come out yet… See you at the Movies!
Curt Heiner
Technical Director
Curt Heiner
Technical Director
Curt Heiner is a media artist and professional working in the film production and exhibition industry as a projectionist, technical coordinator, location sound mixer, cinematographer, and editor. He is currently the Festival Director for Mimesis Documentary Festival in Boulder where he earned his BFA in Film Studies from the University of Colorado. His creative work is geared towards analog and experimental filmmaking with a focus on projection performance, installation, and single-channel projects rooted in both documentary and narrative. In addition to his creative work, Curt is involved in the local, national, and international film community, serving as a board member with the Colorado-based nonprofit Process Reversal where he provides support and promotion for film, video, and sound artists through educational workshops, equipment distribution, and screenings.
Isabella Jackson
Cinesend Content Manager
Isabella Jackson
Cinesend Content Manager
Isabella Jackson is a filmmaker, writer and dancer from Pennsylvania. She moved to New York in 2010 to pursue dance at The New School where she received her BA with a double major in Dance Culture & Media studies. Out of undergrad she worked as an Assistant Editor for director Caveh Zahedi on his web series, The Show About The Show. Soon after she attended graduate school at Brooklyn College, graduating in 2020 with her Masters in Screenwriting. She began working in TV in 2020 as a Script Coordinator for the Paramount series, George & Tammy under showrunner, Abe Sylvia. She moved on to become a Writer’s Assistant for Sylvia at Apple TV where she was also the Writer’s Assistant for an upcoming David E. Kelly project. In between writer’s rooms she has worked as an Associate Programmer for the Hamptons International Film Festival and as the Features Programmer for The Rooftop Film Festival.
Fever Content
Marketing Team
Fever Content
Marketing Team
Fever Content is a boutique, full-service digital marketing agency based in Los Angeles. We specialize in reaching audiences not just where they are, but where they are going. We recognize the unique marketing approach that DOC NYC 2020 demands in facing the virtual realm and bringing this year’s event to life. We’re thrilled to be a part of the initiative and excited to apply our strong background in innovative, creatively-driven methodologies to strategically expand the festival’s diverse and national audience. Through social media content, newsletters, PR and partnerships, we can’t wait to connect with you online!
Orange Static
Design Team
Orange Static
Design Team
Orange Static is a boutique design and web development agency that helps bring ideas to life. Since 2010, this team has built a niche in the storytelling community by creating purpose driven solutions that help projects breakthrough, stand out, and be unique in every way.
Joanna Lehan
Publications Manager
Joanna Lehan
Publications Manager
Joanna Lehan is an editor and writer on visual culture. Formally a curator at the International Center of Photography, she produced publications there, as well as at Aperture Foundation. She has taught in ICP-Bard’s MFA program and Barnard College. Joanna holds an MA in Liberal Studies from The Graduate Center, CUNY, where she wrote on the intersection of documentary film and photography.
Allyson Morgan
Visionaries Tribute Luncheon Producer
Allyson Morgan
Visionaries Tribute Luncheon Producer
Allyson Morgan is a writer, producer, performer, and the founder and Executive Director of the award-winning film and theatre collective F*It Club. Her film festival work has included Brooklyn Film Festival, Camden International Film Festival, Hamptons International Film Festival, Indie Street Film Festival, NewFest, and Nantucket Film Festival. She also serves as a producer for Craft Ed. Seminars, hosted by the IFC Center. Allyson was named one of just five winners out of thousands of entrants from over 63 countries in the Bombay Sapphire Imagination Series; her short film Need For Speed (Dating) premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. She has also twice been awarded a Juno Leadership Residency through the Omega Institute. Her short film, Sitting, is making its world premiere at SCAD Savannah Film Festival, followed by the Tallgrass Film Festival in October 2020, and First Date, her newest short film produced by Fox/Disney, is set to premiere on Hulu beginning October 2020.
Jordan Smith
Newsletter Editor
Jordan Smith
Newsletter Editor
Jordan M. Smith is a film critic, curator, and public librarian who has been working in various capacities with DOC NYC since 2015. He currently edits the weekly Monday Memo and Weekend Watch newsletters. His published work focusing mainly on documentary cinema has appeared at Senses of Cinema, Nonfics, Stranger Than Fiction, IONcinema, and Influence Film Club. He also is the director and programmer of Cultivate Cinema Circle. Jordan completed his undergraduate studies at the State University of New York Fredonia and completed his Masters degree at the University at Buffalo.