WORLD PREMIERE This entertaining documentary traces the evolution of Yacht Rock, a genre that rocks, but not too hard. Starting with Steely Dan in 1976 Los Angeles, the film highlights the rise of key players like Toto, Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins, and Christopher Cross, their sophisticated musicianship, and their collaborations with rock and R&B artists. […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NYC PREMIERE A prescient and urgent documentary that shows how climate change can directly lead to conflict; when resources dwindle, battles arise. In Laikipia, Kenya, the ranchers, mostly white descendants of British colonizers, and local nomadic pastoralists find themselves adrift when drought hits the land they share. Tensions that have been kept at bay for […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
Our beloved city through the eyes of many. – Samah Ali The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with director and producer Joshua Charow, filmmakers and special guests. This film contains the following accessibility options for viewers: All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
Discover the illuminating backstories of various touchstones in our culture. – Samah Ali The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with film subject Gay Talese, filmmakers and special guests. This film contains the following accessibility options for viewers: All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NYC PREMIERE – Left Behind illuminates the struggles of NYC schoolchildren with dyslexia, following a diverse group of parents who, frustrated by the lack of support, founded the Literacy Academy Collective. Driven by the stark reality that 1 in 5 people are dyslexic and nearly 50% of prison inmates share this diagnosis, these passionate advocates […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
DOC NYC U features 12 short documentaries from students across the five boroughs. These two programs showcase competition finalists from Brooklyn College, City University of New York, Fashion Institute of Technology, Hunter College, The New School, New York Film Academy, New York University, Pratt Institute, and the School of Visual Arts. This first collection of […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
Women share their stories from in front of, and behind, the camera. – Samah Ali The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with filmmakers and special guests. This film contains the following accessibility options for viewers: All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
Season 3 of this short film series from American Masters and Firelight Media follows artists on their way to becoming masters of their disciplines. The screening will be followed by a Q&A featuring the filmmakers behind the series as well as select artists featured in the films. This film contains the following accessibility options for […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
A selection of tenderhearted films about people taking care of each other. – Samah Ali The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with filmmakers and special guests. This film contains the following accessibility options for viewers: All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
Witness life through the eyes of youth in this collection of shorts. – Samah Ali The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with filmmakers and special guests. This film contains the following accessibility options for viewers: All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
Stories about those who fight for a better future for all. – Samah Ali The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Hannah Rosenzweig, film subject Jamal Holtz, director John Ortiz, director Tom Clement, filmmakers and special guests. This film contains the following accessibility options for viewers: All in-person screening venues provide […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
This program documents what bonds and separates generations of a family. – Samah Ali The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with filmmakers and special guests. This film contains the following accessibility options for viewers: All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
A program dedicated to learning and loving our bodies. – Samah Ali The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with filmmakers and special guests. This film contains the following accessibility options for viewers: All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
Three humorous shorts that will make you laugh and cry at the same time. – Samah Ali The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with filmmakers and special guests. This film contains the following accessibility options for viewers: All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
Five films dedicated to the art of collecting toys, memorabilia, and works of art. – Samah Ali The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with filmmakers and special guests. This film contains the following accessibility options for viewers: All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
This collection of stories point to the hypocrisy of the American Dream. – Samah Ali The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with filmmakers and special guests. This film contains the following accessibility options for viewers: All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
Dine on these delicious food films. – Samah Ali The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with filmmakers and special guests. This film contains the following accessibility options for viewers:All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices. […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
Three short documentaries about the ticking clock of our climate crisis. – Samah Ali The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with filmmakers and special guests. This film contains the following accessibility options for viewers: All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
The past reverberates in our present reality in these conceptual documentaries. – DeWitt Davis The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with filmmakers and special guests. This film contains the following accessibility options for viewers: All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
Sports stories with clear eyes and full hearts. – Samah Ali The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with filmmakers and special guests. This film contains the following accessibility options for viewers: All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
These powerful shorts identify the borders and institutions that divide us. – Samah Ali The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with filmmakers and special guests. This film contains the following accessibility options for viewers: All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
DOC NYC U features 12 short documentaries from students across the five boroughs. These two programs showcase competition finalists from Brooklyn College, City University of New York, Fashion Institute of Technology, Hunter College, The New School, New York Film Academy, New York University, Pratt Institute, and the School of Visual Arts. Students from the […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
WORLD PREMIERE In the pristine Bristol Bay area of Alaska, two sets of siblings are alarmed when they learn of plans for the proposed Pebble Mine in the vicinity of their homes. The Salmon sisters, Native Alaskans, work on the regulatory front – pushing the federal EPA to block the project, and remaining hyper-vigilant to […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
These stories are all about humans on the move. – Samah Ali The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with filmmakers and special guests. This film contains the following accessibility options for viewers: All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NYC PREMIERE As we face the climate crisis, the filmmakers look back to a hopeful period when leading scientists, government officials, heads of international conglomerates and, most importantly, the American people agreed there was a problem at hand. Spanning the presidential administrations of Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and George H.W. Bush, the film uses archival […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE Intrigued that the 1988 Sylvester Stallone war movie Rambo III was filmed in Israel’s Negev Desert, Daniel Mann begins investigating. Mann writes letters to Stallone, and also encounters self-taught artist Bashir, a Palestinian Bedouin dispossessed from his tribal land, who had been hired to work on the movie. Shifting between sharp irony […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE The sweet taste of life returns to the village of Yahidne in northern Ukraine, after almost 400 villagers endured a month-long confinement and torture by Russian troops. Even as they realize the war is far from over, even as they mourn family members, neighbors, and animals who were killed during the ordeal, […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NYC PREMIERE A timely, lyrical film that follows college students as they grapple with questions of sex, consent, identity, and power. The students spend a year creating an immersive play from their real-life experiences, building characters and scenes based on the sexual politics of their campus. A film that respectfully captures vulnerable and fascinating young […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE Activist Petra Kelly was convinced that a single person could change the world and, as co-founder of the German Green Party, she did. Director Doris Metz crafts an enlightening portrait of one of the most influential political figures of the 20th century. Weaving historical archives that showcase her creative tactics to fight […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NYC PREMIERE For nine years, nine months and nine days, track superstar Edwin Moses went unbeaten in the notoriously difficult 400-meter hurdles.The Olympic champion devised his method while a physics major at Morehouse College, calculating the appropriate steps needed to dominate the event. Featuring interviews with fellow Morehouse alums Samuel L. Jackson and Spike Lee, […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
WORLD PREMIERE From his harsh childhood in the burnt-out Lower East Side, musician Harley Flanagan burst onto the punk music scene at age 11 as drummer for his aunt’s band, the Stimulators. The founder of the Cro-Mags tells his inconceivable story, with interviews with hard rockers and icons like Flea, Ice-T, Henry Rollins, Michael Imperioli, […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
WORLD PREMIERE With his witty wordplay and wacky props, Leo Gallagher became one of the biggest comedy acts of the 1980s. The comedian’s most famous bit: smashing a watermelon with a giant mallet to the messy delight of audiences. His signature act was a gift and a curse, shooting him to superstardom while breeding both […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE This rock doc traces Steppenwolf’s journey from their Little Richard- and blues-inspired beginnings in Toronto to their rise as hard-rock pioneers. Despite initial industry skepticism, the band evolved to become top performers with hits like “Born to be Wild” and “Magic Carpet Ride.” The film explores their genesis and triumphs, and the […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NYC PREMIERE An adoptee raised in the Netherlands, Mieke’s life is very different from the one she might have led if her Korean family had not been pressured to give her up as a baby. When her birth parents track down the adult Mieke, their reunion unleashes a whirlwind of guilt, joy, regret, and ambivalence. […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
WORLD PREMIERE Concerned about escalating tensions between Jewish and Black Brooklynites, the spiritual leaders of Congregation Beth Elohim in Park Slope and Antioch Baptist Church in Bed-Stuy embark on a radical experiment to bring the change they hope to see in their communities. The rabbi and the pastor lead delegations to their places of worship […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE Two young Kurdish men make their living by smuggling goods across the treacherous border between Iraq and Iran. First-time filmmaker Arash Rakhsha conjures a poignantly cinematic perspective out of this intriguing and previously untold story. Elevating the stirring narrative with striking images, patient observation, and astute insight into the people and the […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE A poetic and haunting film about the daily struggles of a group of children who grew up in war-torn Kosovo. A dark coming of age story filmed over a period of 15 years, which solemnly observes and reflects on the long-term repercussions of war. Birgitte Staermose expertly introduces performative interludes that highlight […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NY PREMIERE The extreme mental and physical rigor required of US Navy SEALs takes its toll post-service. This film follows a cohort of veterans, skilled at navigating the danger and adrenaline of deployment, but struggling in civilian life. Plagued by PTSD, survivor’s guilt, traumatic brain injury, chronic pain, and depression, the men try an experimental, […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE French-born journalist Feurat Alani narrates this animated documentary about his complicated connection to Iraq, the country of his parents. With gripping storytelling and startling images, director Léonard Cohen and writer Alani present the Middle Eastern perspective on US military involvement in the region, from the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait to America’s incursion […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
Portraits and profiles of unique individuals with filmmaking to match. – Samah Ali The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with filmmakers and special guests. This film contains the following accessibility options for viewers: All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NYC PREMIERE An intimate portrait of a small community of iconic gauchos (cowboys and cowgirls) who proudly preserve their traditions despite changing modern customs.The sacred bond they share with their animals is forged while facing the rigors of the wild together. With superb black-and-white cinematography and exquisite sound design, directors Dweck and Kershaw conjure a […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
WORLD PREMIERE The intimate relationship that a photographer develops with the people whose photos he’s taking is at the heart of this film. New York-based Martin Schoeller won acclaim for his ultra close-up portraits of figures like George Clooney, Barack Obama, and Taylor Swift, yet here director Josephine Links focuses on his work featuring people […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NYC PREMIERE In this poignant documentary, poet Stacyann Chin confronts the lingering scars of being abandoned by her mother as a baby. As she navigates motherhood with her own daughter, Stacyann’s journey becomes a powerful act of healing and self-discovery. The film captures her life as an artist in NYC and her periodic travels abroad […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE The hopes and dreams of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians are sprung anew in the generation represented by an ebullient 11-year-old boy named Vrej, as charismatic a documentary subject as there ever was. Yet the dark clouds of historic conflict rumble again over Vrej’s beloved homeland, and his idyllic childhood is interrupted when his family […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NYC PREMIERE In China, Mrs. Li thought her personal life was on solid emotional ground, only to discover with a shock that her husband is having an affair with a younger woman. Feeling unmoored, she hires an agency to help save her marriage. The film unfolds like a novel, providing intimate details with remarkable candor; […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
WORLD PREMIERE This documentary paints a portrait of Paul Bridgewater, a quirky, charming, gay NYC art dealer who hitchhiked to Manhattan at 18, eventually becoming a beloved figure in the art world. As Paul preps gallery shows and cooks gourmet meals in his tiny East Village apartment, his passion for art shines. While his impeccable […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
US PREMIERE Choreographer and dancer Hadar Ahuvia interrogates the Zionist mythologies she learned as a child using Israeli folk dance-inspired contemporary dance as a point of entry. Seeking to understand the meaning behind traditional dance, which can be weaponized to oppress and marginalize, Hadar explores the complexities of the Palestinian and Israeli relationship with the […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NYC PREMIERE When the AI tool Project December opened to the public, writer Joshua Barbeau pursued a bold and morally questionable goal: using the application to “speak” with his fiancee who had died 8 years before. The success of this morbid experiment attracted a rush of other users who hoped to imbue their deceased loved […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
WORLD PREMIERE With the help of golden retrievers and palomino horses at an animal therapy retreat, a group of Ukrainian children who had been abducted by the Russian army and rescued by their family members get a chance to heal. Deep in a forest by the Baltic Sea, the families portrayed in this tender and […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
WORLD PREMIERE After the Black Lives Matter movement sees an international tipping point in the summer of 2020, three young Minneapolis community leaders intersect in their local activism to preserve the legacy of George Floyd, fight systemic injustice, and strive for meaningful change. Jeanelle and her team of caretakers work to transform offerings from the […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NYC PREMIERE In the world of magazine publishing, there is no annual publication more anticipated than the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Chic and controversial, the mastermind behind this titillating page turner was founding editor Jule Campbell. A creative trailblazer who navigated a male-dominated workplace while simultaneously rebuffing accusations of objectification Campbell transformed a struggling magazine […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NYC PREMIERE What does a woman do when political institutions police every aspect of her life, from the way she dresses to what she does for a living? Filmmaker Farahnaz Sharifi takes her 8mm camera and records an alternate life, one lived behind closed doors where her family and friends choose for themselves. This powerful […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
WORLD PREMIERE A community of mothers in a Nigerian village struggle to persevere while grieving for their daughters, who were kidnapped by Boko Haram. Intertwining the stories of multiple families, the filmmakers show how life continues in the wake of unspeakable horror. At once cinematically gripping and emotionally stirring, this story of endurance shows the […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
WORLD PREMIERE When filmmaker Areeb Zuaiter lost her Palestinian mother, she lost her connection to Gaza. With all the memories from her childhood destroyed, she sets out on a quest to connect with a young man she sees in a video doing parkour among ruins in Gaza. With Ahmed as her guide, she explores life […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE A poetic, character-driven road movie about the indomitable Georgina, a woman in her early seventies who is transgender and a member of the indigenous Wayúu tribe. After decades of solitary exile from her community and forever awaiting the identification she needs to collect food aid, she embarks on a journey across the […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NYC PREMIERE In 1937 more than 20,000 Haitian people living in the Dominican Republic were systematically murdered on orders of the state. A theater troupe brings together actors from both sides of this genocide to reckon with this horrific event, recreating the past in order to process it and heal. This provocative and honest film […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
WORLD PREMIERE In 1949, philosopher and novelist Simone de Beauvoir wrote the groundbreaking The Second Sex, launching a disruptive discourse on women’s oppression and second-class citizenship. This film dissects the origins and relevance of this bible of feminism, charting de Beauvoir’s fact-finding journey across the US to research her book. The timely and fascinating film […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NYC PREMIERE Mega-talented keyboardist and songwriter Billy Preston was often referred to as “the best musician in the room.” Stylistically influenced by the Black church, Preston’s illustrious career includes collaborations with Aretha Franklin, the Rolling Stones, Elton John, the Beatles, and more. A private man who turned to drugs to dull the pain of personal […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
WORLD PREMIERE Janis Ian had one of the most remarkable debuts in modern music history. At the age of 13, she began performing her original songs at New York City gigs alongside future legends. From there, the precocious teenager turned fearless singer-songwriter built a career with many chapters–winning Grammys while navigating personal and professional highs […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
US PREMIERE Following four young activists during the Sudanese revolution of 2019, director Hind Meddeb conjures a narrative about collective hope and possible seismic change. Armed with just their words, ideas, poetry, and art, the subjects of this documentary inspire themselves and the audience with their perseverance and clarity of their just demands. In a […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NYC PREMIERE A constellation of archival footage, historical documents, and sound recordings presents a fascinating counter history of Colombia’s role in space exploration. Among the rare scenes, we witness fascinating Cold-War era footage of a NASA boot camp built in the jungle to teach astronauts how to survive in a hostile environment. Constructed through artful […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NYC PREMIERE At 100 years old, Dr. Howard Tucker has been recognized by Guinness World Records as the world’s oldest practicing doctor. Told through the eyes of his loving grandson, the film follows the spirited, curious, elegant, and quirky neurologist as he begins to slow down and grapple with aging, social media, and computer technology […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NYC PREMIERE Late in life, two strangers – Bronx-born photographer Joel Meyerowitz and British artist/writer Maggie Barrett – meet and fall in love. Growing old is not for the faint of heart, and Joel and Maggie must face the specter of the end of life. At the same time, they are working to stay together […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
WORLD PREMIERE In the 1970s, Satish Bhaskar became a turtle walker: He walked nearly the entire coastline of India and the spectacular Andaman and Nicobar Islands in search of sea turtles. Carrying a camera and a notepad, he documented turtles’ nesting areas and tried to save them from extinction. Then the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami […]
NY PREMIERE Armenian fairy tales often start with the same sentence, “There was, there was not,” suggesting an existence that is as present as it is absent. In the Republic of Artsakh, four women live their lives in the shadowy twilight of war and peace, past and present, remembrance and oblivion. Each chooses her own […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NYC PREMIERE This music-filled documentary follows The Black Keys, from their parents’ garages in Ohio to global fame. Geeky Pat and popular Dan develop a unique musical chemistry and style influenced by Mississippi blues, and embark on tour in a minivan. During their rise, they gain fans, wives, acclaim, and well-timed boosts from collaborators like […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
US PREMIERE In the harsh climate of the Chilean Tierra Del Fuego, Toto has labored for 40 years in the gold mines. The work is arduous, and after suffering a stroke at age 60, he fears his working days are numbered. With his father’s health and financial future at risk, his cowboy son, Jorge, devises […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NY PREMIERE An immersive and poetic film centered on iconic shaman Davi Kopenawa and the Yanomami community of Watoriki in the Brazilian rainforest. Based on the book co-authored by Davi Kopenawa and anthropologist Bruce Albert, the film invites us to participate in the sacred ritual of Reahu, and challenges all of us existing in a […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
WORLD PREMIERE Produced by Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Ronan Farrow, the film uncovers the insidious ways in which our daily lives are being surveilled by the state. In a gripping chase, Farrow travels across the world following breadcrumbs and finally exposing a dark world of spywares, hacking, and peddling of private information, where activists and […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NYC PREMIERE Refusing to give up their rights over their sacred land, Native Hawaiian mothers and daughters band together to stop the construction of a massive telescope on Mauna Kea. What emerges is a study of resilience and the ways wisdom and healing are passed from one generation to another. Underlying their spirited resistance is […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
US PREMIERE The spectre of the Confederacy stands high over Stone Mountain, Georgia, engraved in granite. The community lives in the shadow of a controversial carving, larger than a football field, of rebel leaders Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. Stone Mountain is shot with a vivid cinematic approach that captures intimate conversations […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
WORLD PREMIERE This documentary exposes housing injustice in NYC, following the David-and-Goliath battles between ordinary renters and powerful developers. Through stories from neighborhoods across the boroughs, the film reveals the harsh realities of unsafe housing, unethical landlords, and an overwhelmed housing court system. It also uncovers a troubling pattern of desirably located properties being seized […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
WORLD PREMIERE Linda and Carla each care for their beloved spouses who are living with Lewy body dementia. Eager to learn and share information with others, Linda starts a podcast with Curry, who has the disease, and a community of support groups begins to grow. Linda and Jim decide to go on an epic road […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
WORLD PREMIERE A valuable history lesson and a propulsive narrative, this follow-up to Henry Hampton’s legendary series examines America’s recent history since the election of Barack Obama. DOC NYC will premiere the final episode in the six-part series, which focuses on the creation of the Black Lives Matter movement and the disparate people and organizations […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
US PREMIERE In 2020-21, Indian farmers mounted a protest against the government, demanding the repeal of exploitative farm laws. Braving surging COVID numbers, inclement weather, and state-sponsored violence, millions of farmers remain undeterred as they leave their homes and set up tents on the fringes of New Delhi. In this film, Nishtha Jain, one of […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NYC PREMIERE As an awkward, bullied yet rebellious kid, Diane Warren found refuge in music and went on to become one of the most prolific and successful songwriters in America, as legendary for her eccentric personality as for her exceptional talent. A laundry list of America’s top singers, and Diane herself, recount the joys and […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE When we read profiles of courage in newspapers, we probably don’t read of Natalia Zubkova. A citizen journalist and mother, Zubkova is an army of one who first exposes and then fights the rampant corruption of the Russian government and its coal mafia, despite surveillance, harassment, and threats. In this investigative thriller, […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NYC PREMIERE Debra Granik’s forthcoming limited series Conbody vs Everybody is at once a story of the school-of-tough-knocks education of a charismatic ex-con, Coss Marte, as he tries to rebuild his life, and a portrait of the teeming life and energy of New York City’s Lower East Side, captured with the authenticity of atmosphere that […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
US PREMIERE This jaw-dropping celebration of Brazilian baloeiros – secret groups of men who craft and launch elaborate hot-air balloons – is a first-rate big-screen experience. The immensely talented filmmaker Sissel Morrell Dargis spent years winning the trust of the outlawed subculture to create an epic portrayal of free-spirited artistry. Beyond the spectacle of ever-more […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NYC PREMIERE Groundbreaking trans soul singer Jackie Shane was on the cusp of stardom when she turned away from the music industry and the world. After her death, family members who never knew their pioneering aunt, piece together her remarkable life, uncovering her personal struggles, immense talent, and unmistakable voice. Through never before heard audio […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
US PREMIERE To generations of Iranians, she is a legend – culturally on par with icons such as Barbra Streisand or Catherine Deneuve. The magnetic singer and actress Googoosh rose to fame during the 1960s and ?70s, but her career ended with the Iranian Revolution, when she was placed under house arrest. Now living in […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE Drug-stricken Gottsunda is an underprivileged suburb of the city of Uppsala, Sweden, which has turned into a ghetto for immigrant families. In this first-person essay film that alternates observational scenes with experimental interludes shot in Super8, director Loran Batti crafts 21 elegant, self-reflexive scenes about his memories, his background, his encounters with […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NY PREMIERE Sheila Turner Seed was an award-winning New York City-based, journalist in the 1970s who interviewed such photography luminaries as Henri Cartier-Bresson, Gordon Parks, Cecil Beaton, and Lisette Model. When she passed away suddenly and tragically, she left behind an infant daughter, Rachel. More than 30 years later, Rachel has herself become a filmmaker, […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
WORLD PREMIERE Bertolt Brecht asked whether there would be singing in the dark times. In the throes of war, the United Ukrainian Ballet Company defiantly insists there will be dancing, too. Far from the land they call home, young dancers take quiet comfort from art. For a while, their work feels like the old days, […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NYC PREMIERE In 1982, Kenneth Cole burst onto the American fashion scene. Unable to afford a traditional showroom during the New York Shoe Expo, the enterprising founder registered his footwear business as a film production, enabling him to sell thousands of pairs of shoes out of a trailer in midtown Manhattan. Cole’s unwavering determination fueled […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NY PREMIERE If you could go back in time and change the course of history, what would you do? Oscar-winning filmmaker Asif Kapadia flips that idea on its head with a great deal more urgency: if we knew what the future would be, what could we do now? In this hybrid film, fictional footage from […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NYC PREMIERE In 1982, a whale collided with Steven Callahan’s single man sailboat, Napoleon Solo, leaving him stranded on a life raft in the Atlantic Ocean. This first-person account, from executive producer Ang Lee, based on a New York Times bestseller, details Callahan’s life alone at sea for nearly three harrowing months. Forced to reckon […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
WORLD PREMIERE Yankee Stadium has seen a plethora of legends over the franchise’s storied history, but few have left a legacy as unique as Jim Abbott’s. On September 4, 1993, the pitcher, who was born without a right hand, threw a no-hitter in front of the Yankee faithful. This astonishing achievement is merely one in […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
WORLD PREMIERE Astronaut Eileen Collins is the first woman to pilot and command the space shuttle. From her small town beginnings, she went on to smash many glass ceilings at NASA in her career, culminating in four dramatic and dangerous space shuttle missions. Through sensational archival materials and intimate interviews, Hannah Berryman’s nail-biting film considers […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
These shorts capture the magic of the places that bring us together. – Samah Ali The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with filmmakers and special guests. This film contains the following accessibility options for viewers: All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
WORLD PREMIERE “It’s not every day that you meet an old Nazi.” So begins American historian Jonathan Petropoulos, recalling the day in 1998 when he met Bruno Lohse, who was Hermann Göring’s art agent in Paris during World War II. In this riveting account, Petropoulos details Lohse’s role in stealing countless masterpieces from prominent French […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
WORLD PREMIERE What if you lived in a coastal city never knowing that the ocean hid a deadly poison? That’s exactly what LA residents did for decades, until a scientist alerted LA Times journalist Rosanna Xia to a problem ignored by officials for years. They discover that as many as half a million barrels of […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE After living in darkness for nearly 40 years, Ian Nichols, a blind Anglican priest, becomes one of the first people in the world to receive an experimental bionic eye implant. At 76 years old, Nichols grapples with the profound change, as the groundbreaking scientific advancement offers hope alongside perplexing technical limitations. Audiences […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
WORLD PREMIERE Co-director and protagonist Abraham Jiménez, one of the most important voices of Cuban independent journalism, is expecting a baby with his wife, producer/co-director Claudia Calviño. As they become more and more exhausted and depressed from the constant harassment of the Cuban government, the young family embarks on a journey off the island and […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE When Polish couple Asia and Marek decide to move to a remote cabin in Bialowieza Forest and home-school their children Marysia, Ignacy, and Franek, they imagine an innocent paradise far from the modern world’s problems. The woods are a mysterious, magical place to explore and learn, and the children delight in images […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
WORLD PREMIERE After decades in prison, Todd Scott, Chad Campbell, and Carlos Rebollo navigate the complex bureaucracy of the parole system and deal with its psychological toll. All three men, incarcerated as teens, wrestle with the weight of their crimes, questioning how they can appropriately express their deep remorse to a parole board that will […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
WORLD PREMIERE The Bibi Files is an urgent journalistic exposé, based on never-before-seen leaked footage and new interviews with key Israeli figures. The film details the corruption cases that resulted in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu being indicted for charges of breach of trust, bribery, and fraud in 2019. Many Israelis believe that Netanyahu’s attempts […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
Off the coast of South Korea’s Jeju Island, a community of fisherwomen known as haenyeo have been harvesting seafood for centuries. They are like mermaids, trained to free dive by holding their breath for up to two minutes. The Last of the Sea Women explores how their tradition is at risk due to generational changes […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
In this magnificent essay film, Johan Grimonprez explores the riveting historical rollercoaster of the Congo after its independence from colonial control. Richly illustrated with eyewitness accounts, official government memos, testimonies from mercenaries and CIA operatives, and a veritable pantheon of jazz icons, Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat interrogates Cold War history to tell an urgent […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
Unmarked graves, found at a British Columbia boarding school that Indigenous children were forced to attend, expose the school’s horrific abuses. The filmmakers investigate the 1959 trial of a student accused of abandoning her newborn, and the generational trauma the incident caused for members of the nearby Sugarcane Reserve. A landmark for its sensitive insistence […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
These four films question the pillars of justice and democracy when confronted with decisions and actions by the people and countries we live in. The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with filmmakers and special guests. This film contains the following accessibility options for viewers: All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
Three moving short documentaries reflect on what the meaning of life is about when faced with regrets, deceptions, and mortality. The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with filmmakers and special guests. This film contains the following accessibility options for viewers: All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
This collection of films will bring you to tears and have you rooting for everyone on screen. PLEASE NOTE: The Turnaround is not included in the online screening of this shorts program.
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
This collection of shorts captures brilliant vignettes of amazing people and their extraordinary lives. Please note: JULIA’S STEPPING STONES and THE ONLY GIRL IN THE ORCHESTRA are not available as part of this online screening. This film contains the following accessibility options for viewers: All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
Jenna grew up in the desolate Siberian town of Magadan, and did what innumerable queer young people around the world do— depart for a major urban center that promises a more inclusive environment. Except in Putin’s Russia, the criminalization of LGBTQIA+ people renders even a Moscow art school hostile to Jenna’s elaborately original, creative art […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
What is worth fighting for, if not culture? Three Ukrainian artists take up arms when Russia invades their country, but refuse to put down their drive to create. After enlisting to defend their beloved homeland, Slava, Anya and Andrey channel their art into their new roles on the front lines, and demonstrate their pride in […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
Directed by a collective of Palestinian and Israeli activists, No Other Land chronicles the resistance of the Palestinian community of Musafer Yatta in the southern West Bank to continuing violence from Israeli settlers and soldiers. Filmed over several years, the film chronicles a bond of friendship between Basel Adra and Yuval Abraham as they unite […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
An ecologist and her assistant from the indigenous Bugun community in the eastern Himalayas work at night to research the vibrant, colorful world of moths. As they study the changes in behavior of these vibrant, spellbinding creatures, their findings have implications for other species in the region, as irreversible climate change patterns begin to show […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
After foreign troops withdraw from Afghanistan in 2021, the filmmaker is given permission to follow and film two Taliban military men for a year as they take hold of the weapons and aircraft left behind by American troops. Through careful observation of the Taliban’s efforts to build their new military regime, an understanding slowly develops […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
Lhakpa Sherpa is the first Nepali woman to summit and descend Mount Everest – but how she navigates her life as a single mother and immigrant is an even more heroic tale. Oscar-nominated filmmaker Lucy Walker illuminates the inspiring world of a remarkable woman who continues to venture forth from her new life in Connecticut […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
NYC PREMIERE Oscar-nominated filmmaker Raoul Peck has done it again. In this rousing, elegant documentary, Peck opens the life and works of a seminal artist of the 20th century, South African photographer Ernest Cole. Denouncing apartheid with the publication of his 1967 photo book House of Bondage, Cole then lived in exile in the US, […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
Twenty-six priceless Beninois artifacts, looted by the French, are repatriated to Benin by the French government. Filmmaker Mati Diop examines the impact of the restitution, imagining the personification of an artifact and documenting the power the treasures have on current generations of Beninois. The occasion is both monumental and penurious: Just 26 objects, out of […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM
Nik and Maria, a British bohemian and a Norwegian photographer, fall in love and decide to raise their children in a non-traditional environment, learning from nature instead of textbooks and school desks. Tragically, Maria passes away young, upending the family’s bucolic existence. As the remaining parent, Nik works to hold true to the vision he […]
Wed Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 PM