NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE For archivists, the world of avant-garde theater and cinema in early 1970s NYC is a rich cauldron of no-safety-net experimentation and creativity—the time of legends such as Jack Smith, Jonas Mekas, and David Johansen—and Theater of the Ridiculous. The latter was particularly well-documented by the Argentine photographer Leandro Katz. Now very late […]
NYC PREMIERE While preparing to play Hamlet in an intense NYC production, actor Oscar Isaac learns that his mother has fallen ill with an aggressive cancer—at the same time he and partner, filmmaker Elvira Lind, are imminently expecting their firstborn. As Elvira’s camera quietly captures Oscar at rehearsal, at home, and with extended family, her […]
NYC PREMIERE Sonia Manzano, best known as “Maria” on Sesame Street, shares her inspiring journey from childhood in the Bronx to becoming a trailblazing television icon. Through her own words, and with appearances by Stephen Schwartz, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, and more, STREET SMART celebrates Manzano’s groundbreaking work as an actress and Emmy-winning writer while exploring […]
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE Jo, a trans man, meets Allie, a trans woman—and sparks fly. As the relationship of these two New Yorkers evolves through busy careers, raising children, and their ongoing gender transitions, the couple makes plans to get married—“the most traditional progressive wedding” ever, proclaims their presiding minister. Having come so far as individuals, […]
WORLD PREMIERE When COVID-19 quarantine restrictions force the 2020 cancellation of Lincoln Center’s annual holiday production of The Nutcracker for the first time since 1964, a group of unemployed New York City Ballet dancers find an unexpected haven at a fairy-tale estate in the Hudson Valley. With an original staging for a masked and largely […]
WORLD PREMIERE Purchasing a house together in 1950s NYC, three female artists defied societal norms and prioritized their art over traditional roles as wives and mothers. Through interviews with the women, now in their 90s, as well as their grown children, the film explores the emotional complexities of being an artist and a parent. A […]
NY PREMIERE Sheila Turner Seed was an award-winning New York City-based, journalist in the 1970s who interviewed such photography luminaries as Henri Cartier-Bresson, Gordon Parks, Cecil Beaton, and Lisette Model. When she passed away suddenly and tragically, she left behind an infant daughter, Rachel. More than 30 years later, Rachel has herself become a filmmaker, […]
WORLD PREMIERE This insightful documentary delves into the life and work of Art Spiegelman, the Queens-raised artist who revolutionized comics by exploring dark, complex themes. Shaped by his Holocaust-survivor parents and inspired by MAD magazine’s irreverent satire, Spiegelman’s most famous work, MAUS, is a poignant Holocaust narrative that redefined the medium. The film showcases his […]
WORLD PREMIERE This documentary exposes housing injustice in NYC, following the David-and-Goliath battles between ordinary renters and powerful developers. Through stories from neighborhoods across the boroughs, the film reveals the harsh realities of unsafe housing, unethical landlords, and an overwhelmed housing court system. It also uncovers a troubling pattern of desirably located properties being seized […]