NYC PREMIERE A cinéma vérité glimpse into the lives of an eccentric New York family, Charm Circle follows filmmaker Nira Burstein as she attempts to bridge the fractured relationships between herself, her two sisters, and her parents. Emotional and accomplished, especially in the way it weaves together decades-old home videos and contemporary footage, the film […]
WORLD PREMIERE Adrienne Shelly starred in over twenty films including Hal Hartley’s indie classics The Unbelievable Truth and Trust. She also wrote and directed several shorts and feature films including the critically acclaimed Waitress. A devoted young mother, her life was right on track until her husband Andy Ostroy found her murdered. With Adrienne, Andy […]
US PREMIERE A peek into the vibrant lives of an assortment of centenarians from across the globe—an antique seller, a practicing physician, a former comedian, a drummer, a farmer, and a sex therapist. Filmmaker Heddy Honigmann shares the stories, histories, and life philosophies of these delightful, active, sharp-minded elders. In our youth-obsessed culture, this engaging […]
2020 METROPOLIS GRAND JURY PRIZE After making the dangerous journey from his native Guatemala to New York City, 15-year-old Luis struggles to balance attending school and finding work to support his family back home. Meanwhile, Judy, a Cuban-American ICE agent, faces her own internal conflict with the shifting enforcement priorities of her longtime career, from […]
US PREMIERE | For a brief but wondrous time in the late 1960s, Tiny Tim was, improbably, a household name. Generating attention for his distinctive falsetto vocal stylings and unusual appearance, the performer began appearing on various television programs, culminating in his wedding on The Tonight Show, which was watched by more than 40 million people. […]
Runner Up: Audience Award DOC NYC 2020 For more than 500 performances, Derek DelGaudio left New York City audiences moved and astonished by his one-man show combining the art of illusion and storytelling. Filmmaker Frank Oz turns DelGaudio’s intimate live performances into an unforgettable film about redemption and identity that builds with both emotion […]
On John Belushi’s 30th birthday, he had the top TV show in Saturday Night Live, the top film in Animal House, and the top record with The Blues Brothers. But his insatiable appetites and anarchic energy were fraught with danger. Filmmaker R.J. Cutler (The September Issue) combines footage of Belushi’s legendary acts with rare footage […]
Films from and about women. (TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 86 MIN) Making the Case | Director: Jennifer Callahan Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, for whom legal arguments are daily currency, examines her handbags, revealing a corner of a mind that has argued and won historic cases. (USA, 10 MIN) First Move | Director: Arielle Edelman A Washington Heights elementary […]
An exploration of who we are and where we come from. (TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 79 MIN) Motherland | Director: Ellen Evans Two young men are forcibly returned to Jamaica after a lifetime in Britain, as part of a controversial government policy on national identity. (UK, 13 MIN) Crescendo! | Director: Alex Mallis Acclaimed operatic tenor Michael Fabiano […]
Stories of New Yorkers’ grit and resilience. (TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 80 MIN) A Week in June | Director: Jay Sansone Three young Black Lives Matter leaders are filmed on the streets of New York City during the first week of the George Floyd protests. (USA, 6 MIN) Road to Roxham | Director: Cristian Gomes In Plattsburgh, […]