Runner Up: Audience Award DOC NYC 2020 Hélène and her son Aurélien produce wine on an idyllic French vineyard that’s been in their family for centuries. Kevin and his son Cona, hailing from a family of outlaws, are now legal purveyors of sun-grown cannabis in Humboldt County, California. Rebecca Richman Cohen’s film parallels the joys […]
Fed up with misdeeds committed by Chicago law enforcement and a political system unwilling to hold anyone accountable, two millennial Black women take action. Spoken-word artist Bella and PhD candidate Janaé work tirelessly rallying the community and challenging a power structure that historically turns a deaf ear to young, Black, female voices. Over the course […]
Runner Up: Audience Award DOC NYC 2020 An intimate, inspiring, and timely portrait of Congresswoman Barbara Lee, a true pioneer of American civil rights who was the lone voice in opposition to the authorization of military force after the September 11th attacks. A unique selection of political commentators, activists, politicians, and family members add depth […]
In this provocative look at strange political bedfellows, Israeli filmmaker Maya Zinshtein (Forever Pure, DOC NYC 2016) investigates the political alliance between American evangelicals and Israel’s right wing, and their influence on the Trump administration’s foreign policy. Why do American church leaders encourage parishioners to make donations to Israel, even from poor communities? Because they […]
Artists Steina and Woody Vasulka escaped the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia to find refuge in New York City. There, they founded the legendary art and performance gallery The Kitchen. Their groundbreaking installations were at the heart of New York’s art scene in the 1960s, where they shared wild nights with the likes of Andy Warhol, […]
Youngstown, Ohio, once a booming steel and mining town, is now the epitome of post-industrial decline. Plunging population, derelict housing, and crime plague the city, but a new crop of industrious entrepreneurs and community activists refuse to accept defeat, nor will they abandon their beloved hometown. Together they rise up to restore homes, generate business, […]
In an increasingly common scheme to steal their land, land-owning Kenyan elders are being accused of witchcraft by younger family members and sent away. Responding to a bizarre Facebook message that his beloved grandmother is killing children, Karisa visits his family compound in rural Kenya to investigate. This unhurriedly paced, visually engaging story explores complex […]
Runner Up: Audience Award DOC NYC 2020 NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE | In 1970, off the coast of Cape Cod, Lithuanian sailor Simas Kudirka jumped from his Soviet ship onto a US Coast Guard vessel seeking asylum. Denied refuge by the American crew, Simas was sentenced to a Soviet labor camp for treason, sparking an international cause […]
In this timely and radical film about female desire, gender politics, and sexuality, director Maria Finitzo invites us to share intimate conversations with women on a mission to reverse a patriarchal legacy that excludes female empowerment through omissions and distortions. Sophia Wallace’s artwork on “cliteracy” acts as a powerful framing device as the film explores […]
With debates on income inequality and healthcare becoming increasingly prevalent, and figures like Senator Bernie Sanders rising to prominence, socialism has found a new relevance. As Americans confront 21st century issues, the allure of the economic system attracts politicians and everyday citizens alike to its cause. Through a comprehensive history and expert interviews, Yael Bridge’s […]