Today at DOC NYC

Start your week off right with DOC NYC! The emotional films Undefeated and Ballymun Lullaby will lift your spirits; the two films in Shorts: Views on Japan will transport you to another world. See more brand new films and replays of those you’ve missed, Monday at DOC NYC.

Monday’s Highlights:

Like a real-life Friday Night Lights, Undefeated paints an enthralling portrait, whether or not you care about football. Volunteer coach Bill Courtney takes over a beleaguered high school program in urban Memphis where players are more likely to go to jail than to college. Filmmaker Dan Lindsay and T.J. Martin follow the team’s season with masterful camerawork, vivid characters, and gripping plot twists.

The Ballymun housing estate in Dublin, Ireland has a reputation for failure. Six of its seven high-rise towers have been demolished. Yet music teacher Ron Cooney never gave up on the area’s youth. In the U.S. Premiere of Ballymun Lullaby, director Frank Berry follows him as he enlists a composer to create a world-class collection of music for students to perform and to overturn negative views of the area. Despite his own health problems, Cooney leads the music program to unexpected heights that will send viewers soaring.

Two shorts transport us to Japan. Minka (16 min, Davina Pardo) reflects on the relationship between Associated Press correspondent John Roderick and his adopted son Yoshihiro Takishita. The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom (40 min, in Japanese; Lucy Walker) examines the country in the wake of the recent disaster during cherry blossom season, from the Oscar-nominated director of Wasteland.

Plus, see more of Richard Leacock’s work, new films like Standing Silent, replays of some of DOC NYC’s hottest films, including Kumare and Scenes of a Crime, and more!

See today’s full schedule here.