DOC NYC is proud to complete the announcement of its full lineup by unveiling titles in the remaining three sections of its 15th Edition — Short List: Features, Short List: Shorts, and Winner’s Circle, running in-person from November 13 – 21 at IFC Center, SVA Theatre and Village East by Angelika, and continuing online through December 1. The 2024 festival showcases more than 200 films and dozens of events, including in-person appearances by filmmakers at most screenings.

Binge on all 200+ films in the 2024 program with the All Film Pass for only $699 through October 18th! Ticket packs and individual film tickets for in-person and online screenings are also now available.

Mk2 Sparks Backlash Among French Distributors with Kaizen
Rebecca Leffler reports at Screen Daily: "Mk2’s documentary feature about a French YouTube star climbing Mount Everest has become an event film box-office phenomenon in France with 368,000 tickets sold in 24 hours, but has ignited a backlash from the local industry. The film was able to skip France’s media chronology trajectory by obtaining an ‘exceptional visa’ from the CNC allowing the film to screen in cinemas for a maximum 500 times. However, mk2 could be slapped with a €45,000 fine since the film ended up playing on nearly double the allotted allowance. A French court will have the final word on the specific sanctions. The film’s unconventional release – additionally, it will air on broadcaster TF1 on October – and subsequent success have incited heated debates as the country’s top distributors, exhibitors and industry figures gather in Deauville for the annual FNCF conference.“

Undercover Film Exposing UK Far-right Activists Pulled from London Festival
Vanessa Thorpe reports for The Guardian: "A documentary that lifts the lid on a ‘race science’ network of far-right activists in Britain and its links to a rich American funder of eugenics research has been pulled from the London Film Festival (LFF) at the last minute due to safety concerns. The organisers have taken the ‘heartbreaking decision’ to cancel the planned screening of the ‘exceptional’ Undercover: Exposing the Far Right this weekend due to fears about the welfare of audiences, staff and security working in the festival venues. Havana Marking, the director of the film – which made headlines last week for identifying the backer of research into so-called race science and highlighting the racist views of former London mayoral candidate Nick Scanlon – has criticised the decision to pull the premiere as ‘a very unfortunate outcome’.“

Hot Docs Unveils 2025 Festival Plans, Seeks Buyer for Cinema
Pat Mullen reports at POV Magazine: "Hot Docs has officially given the green light for its 2025 festival. After a roller-coaster year and a shaky outlook, the organization announced today that the festival would return in its regular spring window and run from April 24 to 4. Film submissions are now open. Audiences can expect a slimmed down programming, though, as Hot Docs noted in a release that it would showcase 100 documentaries from Canada and around the world. That’s down from 168 docs that screened at the 2024 festival. Hot Docs added that Programming Director Heather Haynes will lead the selections. There is no word yet whether the programmers who departed earlier this year will return…Of particular note, however, is the news regarding Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema. The independent theatre on Bloor Street will resume regular programming on December 4 after re-opening in a limited capacity in September following a pause since June. The theatre, which Hot Docs has been operating since 2011, was bought by the festival with a gift from the Rogers family in 2016.”

Searching for Amani wins top doc at first Dokumentale
Nick Cunningham reports at Business Doc Europe: "Searching for Amani, directed by Nicole Gormley and Debra Aroko, won the Dokumentale Competition prize, valued at €20,000, as doors closed on the festival’s inaugural roll-out. Ten films, including nine German premieres and one international premiere, were nominated for the award. The international competition jury, consisting of Marie Erbs Ørbæk (CPH:DOX), Mara Prohaska Marković (Beldocs), and director Ibrahim Nash’at (Hollywoodgate), commented:  ‘Searching for Amani is a multi-layered film that begins with journalistic investigations into the death of Simon Ali’s father and then seamlessly transitions into a story that addresses culture, tradition, identity, and the climate crisis, which affects all of us – though some more directly than others. Through Simon Ali, whose personality seems to leap off the screen, we are drawn into his search for justice and peace. At the same time, he shows us how the drought caused by climate change has devastating effects on people like him and his family.‘“

Porto/Post/Doc Announces First Titles for 2024 Festival
Modern Times Review reports: “The upcoming edition of the Porto/Post/Doc festival has unveiled several sections of its programme. Spread across multiple strands, this year’s festival confronts issues of identity, memory, history, and cultural expression. One of the central highlights of the festival is the thematic program, ‘Europe Does Not Exist, I’ve Been There’. This program addresses the complex question of European identity by examining whether Europe is a culturally and politically coherent entity, or if it is marked by fragmentation and competing narratives. The title of the program, borrowed from the famous quote by Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek, sets the tone for a provocative exploration of European integration, nationalism, and the evolving nature of borders. Through a selection of films, the program aims to question how Europe is perceived from both within and beyond its borders.”

newportFILM’s Documentary Cinematography Lab Returned For Fourth Year
Announced via press release: “newportFILM’s renowned Cinematography Lab, which provides creative support and mentorship to emerging documentary cinematographers positioned to have lasting impact within the industry, returned for its fourth year. newportIFILM is focused on cultivating image-centered filmmakers, creating a dedicated platform to amplify fresh talent industry-wide. Bringing together six emerging documentary cinematographers, this immersive weekend created a vital space for participants to share work, reflect on their process and connect around the aesthetic and industry issues confronting DPs working today. This year’s lab was held October 18-20.”

Mother Vera Wins BFI London Film Festival Grierson Award
Georg Szalai writes for The Hollywood Reporter: "Mother Vera, directed by Cécile Embleton and Alys Tomlinson, won the LFF Grierson Award in the LFF documentary competition. It is about a young Orthodox nun who must confront her past as she faces her desires and an uncertain future. The special mention in the doc competition went to Eloise King’s The Shadow Scholars, which shines a light on the multi-billion-dollar global underworld of academic essay writing, ‘where overqualified yet underemployed young Kenyans write essays for students across the globe.’”

7 Uplifting Sundance-Supported Docs the DFP Team Recommends This Fall
Jessica Herndon writes at Sundance Institute: “Life can be chaotic and rough, so when it’s time to watch a film, we understand the urge to cue up a feel-good flick. Luckily, our Documentary Film Program has had the privilege of supporting storytellers who have created works that are incredibly uplifting. These films ultimately fill us with hope, perk us up, and can rouse laughs along the way. This fall, seven inspiring nonfiction stories with ties to Sundance Institute through different stages of development with our Documentary Fund, Documentary Film Producers Track, and labs and intensives are reaching wider audiences through theatrical releases, TV broadcasts, and streaming services.“

Second Building Bridges Fellowship Cohort Announced
Announced via press release: “The Doris Duke Foundation, Islamic Scholarship Fund, and Sundance Institute are pleased to announce the 6 new artists selected as part of the second cohort of the Building Bridges Fellowship, aimed at expanding Muslim storytelling in the United States. The fellowship provides financial and creative resources, mentorship, and support to filmmakers, focused on telling U.S. Muslim stories while also offering community and network support with other creatives in the industry. Projects by artists across a variety of backgrounds, tell stories of self-discovery, complex relationships, family dynamics, grief, and more. The Building Bridges Fellowship represents a significant opportunity for emerging diverse filmmakers to hone their craft, receive mentorship from industry professionals, and access valuable resources to sustain their career and bring their projects to fruition.”

Can the Branch Known for Snubbing Frontrunners Finally Embrace Popular Titles?
Clayton Davis writes at Variety: "The race for best documentary feature is always full of surprises, and this year, no single nonfiction film has yet emerged as ‘the one to beat.’ Let’s not forget we’re dealing with the Documentary Branch — the always famously unpredictable and never without a few painful snubs. This is the same group that has shocked us by overlooking favorites like Apollo 11, Jane, Three Identical Strangers, and American Symphony. One interesting piece of trivia to remember: Since 2000, only two filmmakers who’ve won Best Documentary Feature have managed to score another nomination after their victory. Michael Moore won for 2002’s Bowling for Columbine and was later nominated for 2007’s Sicko. Similarly, Laura Poitras won for 2014’s Citizenfour and received another nod for 2022’s All the Beauty and the Bloodshed. It’s surprising how many previous winners have been omitted since, including big names like Davis Guggenheim (Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie), Alex Gibney (Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief, Totally Under Control), and Morgan Neville (Won’t You Be My Neighbor?). Could this frustrating trend continue, or will this year break the mold?”

How This Documentary Filmmaker Got Immersed in a World
Jon Ornoy shares his process via No Film School: “It’s funny how little choices you make in a time and place that seem inconsequential and end up having huge impacts on your life. Back in 2019, when I happened to see an ad for a run of shows that two-time world champion magician Shawn Farquhar was hosting in my hometown of Vancouver and decided it would be a fun thing to do for my birthday. There’s no way that I could’ve guessed back then how just how profoundly that impulse would shape the last five years of my life, but I’m so happy that it did. I’d seen Shawn on TV before, but there’s something entirely different about having all of these incredible, impossible things happening right in front of your face, especially when he seems just as amazed by what’s happening as you are, so, emboldened, I reached out to him a few days later to invite him for a drink. The rest is history.”