a deep dive into doc nyc shorts
the 12th edition of DOC NYC starts november 10th spotlights 12 shorts programs, seven student showcases, and 15 short list contenders. let's discuss!
It’s the most wonderful time of the year: another season of DOC NYC presenting the largest scale of documentaries films in the United States!
After working for the festival over the past four years, I succeeded the marvelous Opal H. Bennett as the festival’s Short Programmer and worked with longstanding Associate Programmer Dewitt Davis and newcomer Elyse Wang to curate a monster program for the 2021 season.
We screened over 1000 shorts and landed on 127 films that stood out from the rest. Finally, the time has come for us to share these gems with you and more importantly boost these brilliant filmmakers into the light they rightfully deserve!
Curating any film festival is no small feat. This year, we kept our resident shorts blocks focusing on New York City, artists, families, social justice, female filmmakers, the environment, and intimate portraits — and we added more audacious programs that commended attention!
This year, I saw recurring themes documenting the importance of caretaking, the many stages of grief, rhythmic storytelling, unjust penalization on people, and, of course, the pandemic we are living through. And so was born: NEW YORK, NEW YORK; THE ARTISTS; MODERN FAMILY; THE PEOPLE VS.; SHE STORIES; OUR IMPACT/OUR CRISIS; PROFILES; CARETAKERS; LAMENTING LOSS; SOUNDSCAPES; UNSANCTIONED SURVIVAL; and COVIDEOS.
The best way to experience all 127 shorts is with the Online Shorts Pass, one of the benefits of a hybrid film festival. Watch unlimited shorts on the DOC NYC TV App across the US, or if you want to join us in New York theaters individual tickets and passes can be purchased as well.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK features four stories the city has to offer.
From Jay Rosenblatt’s intimate personal essay WHEN WE WERE BULLIES to a detailed look into Andrew Yang’s Mayoral Race in THE ANDREW YANG SHOW, this block paints the diverse stories New York City brings out in all of us.
THE ARTISTS is the quintessential block for all things creative.
This program has the most eclectic stories of creative insights and inspirations that drive people around the world to explore their craft in innovative ways. A special acknowledgement goes to Sam Martin’s DEAFYING GRAVITY, where an aerial artist learns new ways to practice as hearing loss encourages her to evolve her performance.
MODERN FAMILY paints the good, bad, and unexpected tales of our family.
Each filmmaker delicately opens their lives and welcomes you to their born and chosen family. The tender NASIR captures intimate calls with family members as main character Nasir explores what it means to transition genders as a public figure and musician at home.
THE PEOPLE VS. are documentaries that defiantly identify social inequities that harm our society at large.
Getting to the heart of documentaries, these films clearly define wrongdoings, whether past or present, and what is being done to effect change.
SHE STORIES is a spotlight on female filmmaking.
Dynamic close ups in the lives of women and femme-identifying folks. The docs in this program vary in length and subject matter, with informative stories like Aurora Brachman and Jessie Zinn’s THE GALLERY THAT DESTROYS ALL SHAME to essential female history like NO MAN’S LAND directed by Anna Andersen and Gabriella Canal.
OUR IMPACT/OUR CRISIS holds us accountable for our actions on this earth, both environmentally and socially.
This is a standout block with films that stay with you long after watching. Featuring Daniel Lombroso’s latest short doc AMERICAN SCAR and chilling juxtapositions in Sunniva Sundby and Andreas J. Riiser’s GREETINGS FROM MYANMAR, you do not want to miss this selection.
TRIGGER WARNING: THEMES OF SEXUAL ASSAULT IN TRAILER
There is nothing like the age old close up on a person, place, or thing: PROFILES.
Varied, slice of life portraits that offer something fresh to the classic subject of documentary filmmaking. Special features include Cal Murphy Barton’s THE MAN FROM TORMENTOR and Anissa Latham’s MISSING MAGIC.
CARETAKERS is a block dedicated to those zooming in on how we nurture ourselves and others during hardships.
Bringing this themed program to life came from the heart of many films that urged my team to consider what care looks like. They are evocative and emotional explorations into self care, plant care, and human care.
In the same vein, LAMENTING LOSS considers how we work through grief.
Whether it’s the loss of a parent, opportunity, or town, I found myself emotional enthralled in each story in this program. Heartwrenching and touching, docs like STILL PROCESSING by Sophy Romvari underline how loss is a lifelong journey.
SOUNDSCAPES feature movies with a pulse.
Rhymthic story telling through poetry, music, and editing, it’s clear these filmmakers have a specific and eclectic way of documenting. Joseph Gatti’s PHENOMENA is unlike anything I have ever seen, which makes it a great joy to show in this year’s line up.
UNSANCTIONED SURVIVAL is a special block focused on migration and the government.
Hot off the tales of STATELESS, director Michèle Stephenson offers us a close up with ELENA, a young woman fighting to keep her family in Dominican Republic. First time filmmaker Seth Freed Wessler brings THE FACILITY, the jawdropping documentary zooming in on one Immigration and Customs Enforcement center in Georgia during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Finally, COVIDEOS wraps up almost two years of the global health pandemic that shifted our life as we know it.
This program is the best of the best COVID short documentaries of the year. Fresh perspectives on what was can be a tired and triggering time, we see charming and lighthearted films like NO PLACE LIKE KASAMA by Kerri Pang that capture one couple’s fine dining restaurant weather through the storm of lockdowns in Chicago.
Curating the 2021 shorts line up was an honour and working with my beloved team made the experience even better. This deep dive is simply just a glance at our programs, but you can learn more of my Short List Picks here and DOC NYC U here.
Over the next month, I’ll be running around New York back in the festival groove, leading filmmaker Q&As and attending industry sessions — but this time in a mask. Whether you watch online, in-person, or skip this edition of DOC NYC, definitely check out our line up and see where you can catch these amazing docs over the next few months as we warm up for festival season.
Until then…