The second of two feature competitions closes out today’s preview of DOC NYC 2014: Metropolis, focused on quintessentially NYC subjects and stories.
DOC NYC Metropolis Competition
COMING HOME
Director: Viko Nikci
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
Finally released from prison, an innocent man attempts to repair his relationship with his daughter and to confront the man who committed the crime for which he was punished.
Expected to attend: Viko Nikci, film subject Angel Cordero
THE HAND THAT FEEDS
Directors: Rachel Lears & Robin Blotnick
NYC PREMIERE
An Upper East Side Hot & Crusty bakery serves as the unlikely setting for an old-fashioned David vs. Goliath story, as service workers demand better working conditions and wages.Expected to attend: Rachel Lears, Robin Blotnick, film subjects Mahoma Lopez and family
HOMME LESS
Director: Thomas Wirthensohn
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
From all outside appearances, Mark seems to have the glamorous New York City life that many would envy… but he harbors a secret.
Expected to attend: Thomas Wirthensohn, producers Karol Martesko-Fenster and Wolfgang Ramml, film subject Mark Reay
PENTHOUSE NORTH
Director: Johanna St Michaels
NYC PREMIERE
In her heyday, Swedish bombshell Agneta ruled the world from her fabulous Central Park West apartment, but times—and her finances—have changed.
Expected to attend: Johanna St Michaels
RUBBLE KINGS (pictured above)
Director: Shan Nicholson
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
Confronting a bankrupt, decaying city and the dashed hopes of the civil rights generation, African-American and Latino teenagers violently took over the streets of 1970s New York.
Expected to attend: Shan Nicholson, executive producers Nick Quested and David Kennedy, producers Michael Aguilar, Cristina Esteras, and Dito Montiel, film subjects Benji Melendez, Lloyd Murphy, Jee Sanchez, Rolly Rodriguez, and D.S.R.
THE SEVEN FIVE
Director: Tiller Russell
NYC PREMIERE
NYPD officer Michael Dowd was at the center of an infamous cop corruption scandal of the early 1990s.
Expected to attend: Tiller Russell, producers Eli Holzman, Aaron Saidman
SOME KIND OF SPARK
Director: Ben Niles
WORLD PREMIERE
Illustrating the transformative power not only of music, but of mentorship, this film is an uplifting look at Juilliard’s Music Advancement Program for inner-city youth.
Expected to attend: Ben Niles, select cast
STOP
Director: Spencer Wolff
WORLD PREMIERE
After David Ourlicht was stopped and searched by the NYPD for no discernible reason, he filed a class-action suit against the City of New York, alleging racial profiling in the police department’s stop-and-frisk policy.
Expected to attend: Spencer Wolff
TOUGH LOVE
Director: Stephanie Wang-Breal
NYC PREMIERE
Having lost custody of their children to Child Protective Services, two parents in New York City and Seattle fight to win back the trust of the courts and reunite their families.
Expected to attend: Stephanie Wang-Breal, film subjects Hasna Siddique, Phillip Toribio, Patrick Brown, Teresa Bachiller, Bevanjae Kelley, Judge Patricia Clark
Why You Should Attend:
Previous Metropolis competition award-winners include THE PLEASURES OF BEING OUT OF STEP, RADIOMAN, GIRL WITH BLACK BALLOONS, and TO BE HEARD.
Representing the diversity of the city and the concerns of its denizens, this year’s selections address housing and homelessness, crime and its aftermath, immigration and labor rights, the NYPD and its scandals, gang history, the city’s music and culture, and the court system, all while introducing unforgettable personalities.
More Info:
To purchase tickets, click on the individual titles above, and follow links for ticketing; or check out the new options for Passes.
what (not) to doc 