THE MORTICIAN OF MANILA
Filipino mortician Orly manages and lives at a 24-hour funeral home, where he has a sobering perspective on the lives impacted by President Duterte’s “war on drugs.”
Asian/Asian American
WHAT WE LEFT UNFINISHED
NYC PREMIERE In this artfully constructed project, a set of unfinished films commissioned by the state during communist-era Afghanistan revisits a nation that only existed in celluloid. Recovered reels, accompanied by the reflections of filmmakers, actors and critics, reveal genre films whose stories of love, war and history offer great insight into the heartbeat of […]
BEI BEI
NYC PREMIERE This high-stakes legal drama focuses on Bei Bei Shuai, a depressed, pregnant Chinese immigrant who is put on trial for the murder of her unborn child after attempting suicide. The case captivates the nation, and in particular the state of Indiana, as it sets a disturbing legal precedent for women who terminate their […]
CHINA LOVE
INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE A must for any newly engaged Chinese couple is the pre-wedding photo shoot. A marked break from the austere, purely functional weddings of the generation who grew up in the shadow of the Cultural Revolution, this multibillion dollar industry is the ultimate display of romance, status and wealth. Take a trip through modern-day Shanghai […]
DOC NYC U: NEW YORK FILM ACADEMY SHOWCASE
New York Film Academy Documentary Department students learn to make films by making films. Hands-on, intensive MFA and one-year Conservatory programs pair rigorous instruction with close mentoring by a world class faculty to support students from around the world as they create their own documentary films. Alumni have received an Emmy® Award, multiple Academy Award®- […]
DOC NYC U: SCHOOL OF VISUAL ARTS SHOWCASE
The School of Visual Arts’ MFA Social Documentary Film program teaches the artistic skills and techniques needed to tell compelling true stories that stimulate meaningful dialogue. SocDoc not only teaches the fundamentals of good storytelling, but guides students toward a career in the thriving documentary industry. The award-winning faculty is helmed by producer Maro Chermayeff […]
GHOST FLEET
NYC PREMIERE Acclaimed at Telluride and the Toronto International Film Festival, this suspenseful high-seas adventure follows a team of activists who rescue modern-day slaves in Thailand’s illegal fishing industry. Thai activist Patima Tungpuchayakul was nominated for the Nobel Prize for her work rescuing thousands of victims. We follow her as she tracks down escaped slaves […]
THE GIRL AND THE PICTURE
80 years ago, Xia Shuqin witnessed the murder of her family during the Nanjing Massacre. The Girl and the Picture uncovers how an American missionary’s camera serendipitously captured Xia and her sister, binding his family and theirs forever. Courtesy of USC Shoah Foundation/Cause & Affect Media
GRIT
NYC PREMIERE In 2006 a rush of molten mud exploded in East Java, Indonesia, flooding 16 villages and displacing more than 60,000 people; 12 years later the hot sludge is still flowing. Grit profiles one girl’s awakening to activism as her family campaigns against the corporation responsible for the man-made catastrophe. Cynthia Wade and Sasha […]
HEARTBOUND – A DIFFERENT KIND OF LOVE STORY
NYC PREMIERE Janus Metz is known for his war documentary Armadillo (DOC NYC 2010) and his recent fiction film Borg vs McEnroe. For ten years, he’s worked with anthropologist Sine Plambech on this longitudinal study of a Danish town where many of the local men have married women from Thailand. Heartbound follows several Danish-Thai couples […]