Just 70 miles north of the Mexican-US border is a land haunted by ghosts. Brooks County, Texas is a barren landscape designed as a deterrent to illegal crossings, but people continue to attempt to cross, and many die trying. The municipality lacks the resources to properly deal with this sad reality, and the numbers keep […]
On September 23, 1994, a group of Colombian separatist guerillas went “miracle fishing,” abducting American journalist Tom Hargrove to hold for ransom. Finding no support from either the US government or the local corrupt authorities, Hargrove’s family were forced to negotiate directly for his release, working with a tight circle of friends—with Hargrove’s 20-year-old son […]
Brothers and gifted musicians, pianist Aldo and violinist Ilmar were separated during childhood after Ilmar left their native Cuba to study abroad, beginning a lifetime of being physically apart, yet alway connected by music. Brief windows of open US/Cuban relations allow the brothers’ joyous reunions where they revel in each others’ company and create beautiful […]
DOC NYC 2020 AUDIENCE AWARD WORLD PREMIERE | Lorine Padilla rose to prominence as the “first lady” of the Savage Skulls gang in 1970s New York City. As the wife of one of its founders, Padilla’s position as surrogate mother led her to push her penchant for organizing into a life of community activism. After […]
Oscar-nominated filmmaker Evgeny Afineevsky (Winter on Fire, DOC NYC 2015) looks at the pressing challenges of the 21st century through the eyes of Pope Francis. Born in Argentina, Francis is the first leader of the Catholic Church to come from the Americas and the Jesuit order. His teachings bring a progressive take on issues like […]
US PREMIERE | A fascinating behind-the-scenes documentary showcasing the production of a narrative film set in the Amazonian forest of Venezuela. With acute lensing and formidable direction, filmmaker Mo Scarpelli returns to DOC NYC with a layered and complex portrait of her life partner Jorge Thielen Armand as he directs a film about the unconventional life of his […]
In the midst of the most devastating attack in American history on US soil, President George W. Bush finds himself in a South Florida classroom with a group of elementary school children. Nearly 20 years later, filmmaker Elizabeth St. Phillip follows these now-grown students and their journey into young adulthood. With their formative years framed […]
2020 VIEWFINDERS SPECIAL JURY RECOGNITION FOR ETHICS OF CARE Night-shift workers and single moms in New Rochelle, NY have angels in their midst: Nunu and husband Patrick run a 24-hour childcare center for parents with no other options. The home-based center provides children with food, fun, and lots of love, but at what cost to […]
The stunning island of Hispaniola is shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti, countries with a complicated history and tense relations. In 2013, the DR’s Supreme Court retroactively stripped the citizenship of residents of Haitian descent, leaving more than 200,000 people stateless, subject to immediate deportation, and devastating loss. In the midst of staggering intolerance, […]
WORLD PREMIERE | Venezuela’s recent political upheavals are made vivid in A La Calle—meaning “to the street.” Covering multiple perspectives in the tradition of epic documentaries such as The Square or Winter on Fire, the film captures history unfolding over several years. Filmmakers Maxx Caicedo and Nelson G. Navarrete—Venezeulan himself—gain close access to Leopoldo López, whose arrest […]