DOC NYC Selects is a new in-person, ongoing screening series that serves as an extension of DOC NYC’s annual fall festival. The Summer 2023 edition of the series will feature six films over five consecutive weeks, July 11 – August 8, 2023, at New York’s IFC Center, with filmmakers in person for all shows.
DOC NYC Selects offers audiences a variety of advance premieres of highly anticipated documentary features and series, many of them screening in New York City for the first time, and include on-stage post-screening conversations with creators and subjects. The Summer 2023 edition of DOC NYC Selects is co-presented by Pure Nonfiction, the documentary podcast hosted by DOC NYC’s Director of Special Projects (and founding Artistic Director) Thom Powers. Each screening will extend beyond the theater for discounted drinks at the West Village favorite Oppa Bistro.
Ticket Information
DOC NYC Selects: Summer 2023 events are on sale now at the links below. Single screening tickets are $18 ($14 for seniors and $12 for IFC Center members) each. A Series Season Pass, good for all six Summer 2023 screenings in the DOC NYC Selects series, is available at $80 ($55 for IFC Center members). For questions about accessibility at the screening, please email accessibility@docnyc.net.
DOC NYC SELECTS LINEUP
Following the overturning of Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022, red state legislatures across the U.S. have rushed to severely restrict access for women and their right to choose. The already-crucial work of the grassroots organization Plan C, which provides knowledge of and access to abortion pills, has become that much more essential in the year since. Award-winning filmmaker Tracy Droz Tragos (Rich Hill, DOC NYC 2014) takes us deep inside this determined network, revealing the inner workings of the network’s pipeline, the criticisms they face, and the hope they provide for American women.
DOC NYC’s Visionaries Drew Award for Documentary Excellence winner for 2021, Peter Nicks expands his perceptive view on the Bay area to one of its most famous residents: the basketball superstar Stephen Curry. Nicks discovers that Curry’s story is a remarkable and wholly unexpected trajectory from a kid with the “wrong” dimensions to a surprising flowering at a Division I college to four-time NBA champion with the Golden State Warriors – and with much unfinished business, even as Curry works to anchor a modern sports dynasty.
Ravish Kumar is an award-winning journalist hosting one of India’s leading prime-time news shows. His courage and objectivity have remained unswayed by government changes. As we witness the financial, organizational and emotional risks journalists navigate, the challenges Kumar faces resonate far beyond India.
Jerry Hsu, a retired, divorced Taiwanese immigrant living an unassuming life in central Florida, shocks his family when he tells them that he is working as a spy for the Chinese police in an international money laundering scheme and is in danger of being arrested. Jerry’s three, far-flung adult sons jump into action and begin documenting his ordeal – only to discover that not everything is as it seems (it’s even weirder). Filmmaker Law Chen delivers a genre-busting suspense story that “could just as easily drive conversations about elderly abuse and the immigrant experience, with its escapist framework as a necessary Trojan Horse” (Indiewire).
Periodical tells the unexpected story of the human body by exploring the marvel and mystery of the menstrual cycle, from first period to last. But this is not your middle school sex-ed class. Bringing you stories from soccer champions to scientists, from celebrities like Gloria Steinem and Naomi Watts to young activists, Lina Lyte Plioplyte’s innovative mixed media storytelling uncovers shocking truths, challenges taboos, and celebrates the end of centuries of societal-enforced stigma. (MSNBC Films)
In their youth, Augusto and Paulina had vibrant cultural vocations – he as a television social commentator and reporter who called for his nation to never forget its traumatic political legacy, she as an acclaimed actress and later Minister of Culture for Chile. Now in their autumn years, they contend with Augusto’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis and Paulina’s fears of impending loss. Oscar-nominated filmmaker Maite Alberdi (The Mole Agent, 2021) brings her wise and compassionate eye to the couple’s challenges, revealing their profoundly moving love and their commitment to individual and collective remembrance in the face of life’s tempests. (MTV Documentary Films)
DOC NYC Selects: Summer 2023 – Program Details and Schedule
Tuesday, July 11, 7pm
Series Opening Night
PLAN C
Director and Producer: Tracy Droz Tragos
Following the overturning of Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022, red state legislatures across the U.S. have rushed to severely restrict access for women and their right to choose. The already-crucial work of the grassroots organization Plan C, which provides knowledge of and access to abortion pills, has become that much more essential in the year since. Award-winning filmmaker Tracy Droz Tragos (Rich Hill, DOC NYC 2014) takes us deep inside this determined network, revealing the inner workings of the network’s pipeline, the criticisms they face, and the hope they provide for American women.
The screening was be followed by an on-stage conversation with filmmaker Tracy Droz Tragos, Executive Producer Jess Jacobs, Cinematographer Derek Howard and two doctors who were instrumental in getting NY to pass the shield law: Dr. Jane Doe and Dr. Lina Prine.
Wednesday, July 19, 7pm
STEPHEN CURRY: UNDERRATED (NYC Premiere)
Director: Peter Nicks
Producers: Peter Nicks, Ryan Coogler, Sean Havey, Erick Peyton, Marissa Torres Ericson, Ben Cotner
DOC NYC’s Visionaries Drew Award for Documentary Excellence winner for 2021, Peter Nicks expands his perceptive view on the Bay area to one of its most famous residents: the basketball superstar Stephen Curry. Nicks discovers that Curry’s story is a remarkable and wholly unexpected trajectory from a kid with the “wrong” dimensions to a surprising flowering at a Division I college to four-time NBA champion with the Golden State Warriors – and with much unfinished business, even as Curry works to anchor a modern sports dynasty.
The screening will be followed by an on-stage conversation with producer Marissa Torres Ericson and producer/director of photography Sean Havey.
Thursday, July 20, 7pm
WHILE WE WATCHED*
Director: Vinay Shukla
Producers: Vinay Shukla, Khusboo Ranka, Luke Moody
Ravish Kumar is an award-winning journalist hosting one of India’s leading prime-time news shows. His courage and objectivity have remained unswayed by government changes. As we witness the financial, organizational and emotional risks journalists navigate, the challenges Kumar faces resonate far beyond India.
*Rush line only – advance tickets sold out.
The screening will be followed by an on-stage conversation with director Vinay Shukla and the protagonist Ravish Kumar.
Tuesday, July 25, 7pm
STARRING JERRY AS HIMSELF (NYC Premiere)
Director: Law Chen
Producers: Law Chen, Jon Hsu
Jerry Hsu, a retired, divorced Taiwanese immigrant living an unassuming life in central Florida, shocks his family when he tells them that he is working as a spy for the Chinese police in an international money laundering scheme and is in danger of being arrested. Jerry’s three, far-flung adult sons jump into action and begin documenting his ordeal – only to discover that not everything is as it seems (it’s even weirder). Filmmaker Law Chen delivers a genre-busting suspense story that “could just as easily drive conversations about elderly abuse and the immigrant experience, with its escapist framework as a necessary Trojan Horse” (Indiewire).
The screening will be followed by an on-stage conversation with filmmaker Law Chen and producer Jon Hsu.
Tuesday, August 1, 7pm
PERIODICAL (NYC Premiere)
Director: Lina Lyte Plioplyte
Producer: Pegah Farrahmand
Periodical tells the unexpected story of the human body by exploring the marvel and mystery of the menstrual cycle, from first period to last. But this is not your middle school sex-ed class. Bringing you stories from soccer champions to scientists, from celebrities like Gloria Steinem and Naomi Watts to young activists, Lina Lyte Plioplyte’s innovative mixed media storytelling uncovers shocking truths, challenges taboos, and celebrates the end of centuries of societal-enforced stigma.
The screening will be followed by an on-stage conversation with filmmaker Lina Lyte Plioplyte.
Tuesday, August 8, 7pm
THE ETERNAL MEMORY (NYC Premiere)
Director: Maite Alberdi
Producers: Maite Alberdi, Juan de Dios Larraín, Pablo Larraín, Rocío Jadue
In their youth, Augusto and Paulina had vibrant cultural vocations – he as a television social commentator and reporter who called for his nation to never forget its traumatic political legacy, she as an acclaimed actress and later Minister of Culture for Chile. Now in their autumn years, they contend with Augusto’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis and Paulina’s fears of impending loss. Oscar-nominated filmmaker Maite Alberdi (The Mole Agent, 2021) brings her wise and compassionate eye to the couple’s challenges, revealing their profoundly moving love and their commitment to individual and collective remembrance in the face of life’s tempests.
The screening will be followed by an on-stage conversation with filmmaker Maite Alberdi.
Note: Guest participation subject to change.