Twenty years after it first charmed its way into audiences’ hearts, DOC NYC presents a retrospective screening of Marilyn Agrelo and Amy Sewell’s classic about NYC public school fifth-graders competing in the extracurricular world of ballroom dancing. The filmmakers followed students from a school in each of Bensonhurst, Tribeca, and Washington Heights as they learned […]
NEW YORK PREMIERE The ubiquitous cultural cachet of Star Wars is under attack, not by an intergalactic warlord, but from 1978’s absurdly campy “Star Wars Holiday Special.” The program aired a single time on CBS, never to be shown again, and is considered one of the worst pieces of Star Wars media ever made. Despite […]
WORLD PREMIERE Oscar winner James Ivory began his storied career making documentaries in India. While screening one at India’s Consulate in New York City, he met his life and business partner, Ismail Merchant. As Merchant Ivory Productions, they made 44 films, including such classics as Howard’s End, A Room with a View, and The Remains of […]
Last year, Stanley Nelson’s film The Black Panthers was on the DOC NYC Short List. This year, as he receives a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Visionaries Tribute, we bring back his breakthrough film The Black Press, which traces the history of African-American journalism. Throughout the 20th century, papers like the Chicago Defender and Pittsburgh […]
In memory of Roland Legiardi Laura, who passed away earlier this year. Three New York teenagers find themselves profoundly changed by a radical poetry workshop. Putting pen to paper they’re able to imagine a future where fathers aren’t in jail, mothers aren’t abusive and college isn’t something you only see on TV. Can their words […]
Claiming a space for representations of lesbian and gay African Americans, and providing an unprecedented opportunity for black families to address issues of sexuality, identity and personal history, Harris’s bold, impressionistic film focuses on three sets of queer siblings, including the director and his brother, artist Lyle Ashton Harris. Accompanied by a Digital Diaspora Family […]
Rothman, the son of a small time crook who grew up to become the kind of lawyer that helps crooks — a New York criminal defense attorney.
WORLD PREMIERE Conrad Milster, 79, chief engineer since 1967 at New York City’s oldest running steam power plant, prepares for his last annual steam whistle show.
NYC PREMIERE Inspired by nostalgia for early 20th-century carnivals and freak shows, Sideshow of the Absurd is a cinematic exploration of a whimsical and fantastical exhibition.
Artists and their art. Sideshow of the Absurd (USA, 14 min., Tina DiFeliciantonio, Jane C. Wagner) profiles antique carnival attractions. Cindy Sherman: “Untitled Film Stills” (USA, 4 min., Douglas Sloan) puts the famed photographer’s early work into focus. Colors of Life (Japan, 14 min., Goro Ushijima) explores the Japanese practice of creating colors found in […]