DOC NYC—the nation’s largest documentary festival—returns for its 14th edition this month, running in-person from November 8th until 16th at Manhattan’s IFC Center, SVA Theatre, and Village East by Angelika. The fest continues online US-wide until November 26th, with most films available digitally to US viewers. Ahead of opening night, we take a look at the LGBTQ+ highlights including some of this year’s most prominent docs alongside several world, international, US, and New York premieres.
FEATURES:
MERCHANT IVORY – directed by Stephen Soucy – World Premiere
Oscar winner James Ivory began his storied career making documentaries in India. While screening one at India’s Consulate in New York City, he met his life and business partner, Ismail Merchant. As Merchant Ivory Productions, they made 44 films, including such classics as Howard’s End, A Room with a View, and The Remains of the Day. Jaw-dropping behind-the-scenes stories of their creative process and impact are shared here in fresh interviews with Vanessa Redgrave, Emma Thompson, Helena Bonham Carter, and more—and, of course, the spry 95-year-old Ivory himself.
Screens Saturday, November 11th at 5:45pm at Village East and Sunday, November 12th at 5:15pm at Village East. Both screenings will be followed by a Q&A with James Ivory and director Stephen Soucy. Also available to US viewers on the DOC NYC virtual platform.
CANDACE PARKER: UNAPOLOGETIC – directed by Joie Jacoby – World Premiere
Candace Parker’s journey has taken her from the neighborhood courts of Naperville, Illinois, to WNBA superstardom and beyond. A high school phenom that lived up to and surpassed all expectations, Parker redefined what is possible for female athletes in the 21st century. A dedicated mother, loving wife, and Hall of Fame player, Parker opens up about her life and struggles as her nearly 20-year career approaches its end.
Screens Wednesday, November 8th at 7:15pm at SVA and Thursday, November 9th at 2:30pm at IFC Center. The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Joie Jacoby, subject Candace Parker, and producers Giselle Rodriguez and Julie Lilleby. Also available to US viewers on the DOC NYC virtual platform.
CATERPILLAR – directed by Liza Mandelup – New York Premiere
A 50-something queer man who always had issues with his looks, David, becomes obsessed with the idea of changing his eye color. When he finds a company that can perform this surgery, he believes has finally found solace. Vacillating between destructive vanity and admirable resilience, David is a fascinating subject in a film that examines societal notions of physical beauty and how they manifest in people’s psychology, while uncovering the dark side of the international plastic surgery industry.
Screens Thursday, November 9th at 9pm at Village East and Friday, November 10th at 9pm at Village East. Both screenings will be followed by a Q&A with director Liza Mandelup and subject David Taylor. Also available to US viewers on virtual platform.
DALTON’S DREAM – directed by Kim Longinotto & Franky Murray Brown – US Premiere
Singer Dalton Harris, winner of The X-Factor in 2018, shares an emotional journey of self-acceptance against the backdrop of a fickle music industry. The film follows Harris over three years as he moves from Jamaica to London to capitalize on his newfound fame, while hiding his sexuality and battling anxiety and depression. Dalton’s story is a poignant reflection on the violence of homophobia and the possibility of personal growth.
Screens Friday, November 10th 6:30pm at Village East followed by a Q&A with co-director Franky Murray Brown, producer Lorine Plagnol and executive producer Kevin Jennings. Also available to US viewers on virtual platform.
EVERY BODY – director Julie Cohen
The term Intersex covers a broad range of people who are born with reproductive anatomy that doesn’t easily fit the categories of male or female. Often their stories have been shrouded in mystery and shame by the medical establishment and media. Oscar-nominated filmmaker Julie Cohen (RBG) captures a new generation of Intersex people who are living loudly and proudly. The film covers the history, science, and politics of a movement advocating against medically unnecessary surgeries on Intersex children.
Screens Wednesday, November 15th at 4pm at Village East followed by a Q&A with director Julie Cohen.
KOKOMO CITY – directed by D. Smith
From the film’s opening monologue about a sex worker wrestling with a client over a gun, Kokomo City is riveting. Filmmaker D. Smith makes a stellar debut as director, cinematographer, editor, and composer as she profiles four Black transgender sex workers in New York City and Atlanta. The women are raw and hilarious as they celebrate their self-realization in the face of discrimination and violence. Read our ★★★★ review of the film from its world premiere at Sundance and our exclusive interview with filmmaker D. Smith.
Screen Saturday, November 11th at 9:30pm at Village East followed by a Q&A with director D. Smith.
LITTLE RICHARD: I AM EVERYTHING – directed by Lisa Cortés
Lisa Cortés’ Sundance opening night documentary tells the story of the queer Black origins of rock ‘n’ roll, exploding the whitewashed canon of American pop music to reveal the innovator—the originator—Richard Penniman. Through a wealth of archive and performance that brings us into Richard’s complicated inner world, the film unspools the icon’s life story with all its switchbacks and contradictions. In interviews with family, musicians, and cutting-edge Black and queer scholars, the film reveals how Richard created an art form for ultimate self-expression, yet what he gave to the world he was never able to give to himself. Read our ★★★★ review from Sundance and our exclusive interview with filmmaker Lisa Cortés.
Screens Tuesday, November 14th at 5:15pm at Village East followed by a Q&A with director Lisa Cortés.
NEIRUD – directed by Fernanda Faya – International Premiere
Growing up, filmmaker Fernanda Roth Faya knew Neirud as her “aunt,” a family member close to her grandmother. What Faya uncovers after Neirud’s death is a mysterious and colorful life, from her time as a wrestler and circus performer to her secret and complicated love triangle. Neirud is a fascinating story about race and identity, and queer life in last century’s Brazil.
Screens Saturday, November 11th at 8:30pm at Village East followed by a Q&A with director Fernanda Faya. Also available to US viewers on virtual platform.
POLISH PRAYERS – directed by Hanna Nobis – North American Premiere
Can people truly change? In Hanka Nobis’s engrossing observational film, she follows a 22-year-old Polish man named Antek as he goes from membership in a far-right, anti-LGBTQ group called The Brotherhood to, four years later, joining his girlfriend for a Gay Pride march he formerly protested against. What happens to Antek in those four years reveals much about the character of those who traffic in hate as a means of identification.
Screens Saturday, November 11th at 6:45pm at IFC Center followed by a Q&A with director Hanka Nobis and producer Esther van Messel. Also available to US viewers on virtual platform.
WE ARE FIRE! (DRAW FOR CHANGE!) directed by Karen Vázquez Guadarrama – International Premiere
Maremoto (Mar) is a young illustrator in Mexico City struggling to make sense of a town where 11 women are murdered daily, and 95,000 people have gone missing, with no one held accountable. Her feminist drawings support her community in dealing with the emotional trauma left by the femicides and galvanize them to fight to get the government forces to act. With her work, Mar also creates a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community and teaches self-acceptance.
Screens Monday, November 13th at 5:30pm at Village East followed by a Q&A with director Karen Vazquez. Also available to US viewers on virtual platform.
WHO I AM NOT – directed by Tunde Skovran – New York Premiere
In South Africa, Sharon-Rose Khumalo and Dimakatso Sebidi, two Intersex individuals, find strength and support in each other, while tackling their society’s misunderstanding and prejudices about their bodies. Executive producer Patricia Arquette says of the film, “The subjects are heartbreakingly honest as they take us through their journeys of overcoming insurmountable challenges in the quest for self- love and societal acceptance. This important film illuminates the often under-examined Intersex sector of the population with love, hope, dignity, and respect.”
Screens Tuesday, November 14th at 6pm at IFC Center followed by a Q&A with director Tunde Skovran, subject Sharon Rose Khumalo, and producer Andrei Zinca. Also available to US viewers on virtual platform.
HOLDING BACK THE TIDE – directed by Emily Packer – World Premiere
Through interviews, recited poetry, and quirky interstitials, this engaging documentary charts the unlikely presence of oysters in NYC, the myriad waterways surrounding the city, the scourge of pollution, and triumphant revitalization efforts. Poetic filming of familiar city scenes combine with fascinating archival photos for a watery love letter to the city. Lovingly crafted and scored with flair, the film both embraces humor and nods to the genderfluid nature of oysters.
Screens Sunday, November 12th at 8:30pm at Village East and Monday, November 13th at 2pm at IFC Center. The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Emily Packer, actor Dragonfly Robin LaVerne Wilson, subject Moody Harney, and archival producer Josh Margolis. Also available to US viewers on virtual platform.
SHORT FILMS:
JUST STORY HOUR – directed by Lu Yao
Drag queen Harmonica Sunbeam is an affable storyteller at a time where Drag Story Hour is a source of controversy and protests.
Screens Thursday, November 16th at 1pm at Village East as part of the SHORTS: DOC NYC U – PORTRAITS program. The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with filmmakers and special guests. Also available to US viewers on virtual platform.
THE DADS – directed by Luchina Fisher
This touching short film captures fathers sharing the love of their children over the course of an afternoon of fishing and dining. Read our review from SXSW.
Screens Friday, November 10th at 12pm at Village East as part of the SHORT LIST SHORTS: THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT program. Also available to US viewers on virtual platform.
TED & NOEL – directed by Julia Alcamo – International Premiere
The iconic activist, Ted Brown, reflects on his love for his partner Noel, and his more than 50-year fight for LGBTQ+ rights.
Screens Monday, November 13th at 5:45pm at Village East and Tuesday, November 14th at 2:30pm at Village East as part of the SHORTS: LOVE LETTERS program. The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with filmmakers and special guests. Also available to US viewers on virtual platform.
LOVE, JAMIE – directed by Karla Murthy – New York premiere
Follow a journey and celebration of resiliency through Jamie Diaz, an incarcerated transgender artist, whose art reaches beyond prison walls.
Screens Friday, November 10th at 12:45pm at IFC Center, Saturday, November 11th at 4pm at IFC Center, and Monday, November 13th at 1:30pm at Village East as part of the SHORTS: ARTSCAPES program. The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with filmmakers and special guests. Also available to US viewers on virtual platform.
THE QUEEN VS TEXAS – directed by Emil Lozada & Raemonn James – World Premiere
Follow Hermajestie the Hung as she performs her infamous drag show and fights for social justice in Texas.
Screens Saturday, November 11th at 11:45am at Village East as part of the SHORTS: THE WISE ONES program followed by a Q&A with filmmakers and special guests. Also available to US viewers on virtual platform.
HOUSE OF TULIP – directed by Cydney Tucker – New York Premiere
This short follows two Black trans activists run for office to protect their community in the deep South state of Louisiana.
Screens Saturday, November 11th at 8:45pm at Village East and Tuesday, November 14th at 12:30pm at Village East as part of the SHORTS: PROFILES program. The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with filmmakers and special guests. Also available to US viewers on virtual platform.
MnM – directed by Twiggy Pucci Garçon – New York Premiere
Mermaid and Milan showcase their talents and confident personas at Kiki balls as they navigate the nonbinary community.
Screens Sunday, November 12th at 3:30pm at Village East as part of the SHORTS: FAMILY MATTERS program followed by a Q&A with filmmakers and special guests. Also available to US viewers on virtual platform.
AND THEN I WAS HERE – directed by Alexandra Stergiou – New York Premiere
A genderqueer person navigates the end of high risk pregnancy, first-time parenthood, and the biases against their identity.
Screens Monday, November 13th at 5:45pm at Village East and Tuesday, November 14th at 2:30pm at Village East as part of the SHORTS: LOVE LETTERS program. The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with filmmakers and special guests. Also available to US viewers on virtual platform.
For the full DOC NYC 2023 lineup and to purchase tickets and passes head to DOCNYC.net. Film descriptions courtesy of DOC NYC.
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