2017 DOC NYC in Focus: Short List

My DOC NYC profiles begin to wind down with a closer look at the our picks for this year’s top nonfiction awards contenders:

Short List

ABACUS: SMALL ENOUGH TO JAIL

ABACUS: SMALL ENOUGH TO JAIL
Director: Steve James
Steve James (HOOP DREAMS) profiles a small, family-run Chinatown bank – the only financial institution indicted following the 2008 financial crisis.

THE B-SIDE: ELSA DORFMAN’S PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY

THE B-SIDE: ELSA DORFMAN’S PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY
Director: Errol Morris
DOC NYC’s Visionaries Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Errol Morris (THE FOG OF WAR) profiles legendary large-format photographer Elsa Dorfman.

CHASING CORAL

CHASING CORAL
Director: Jeff Orlowski
Following his acclaimed film CHASING ICE, director Jeff Orlowski sets out to chronicle the environmental devastation happening to the world’s coral reefs.

CITY OF GHOSTS

CITY OF GHOSTS
Director: Matt Heineman
Anonymous Syrian citizen journalists risk their lives to stand up against ISIS and report the truth about the Syrian conflict.

DINA

DINA
Directors: Antonio Santini and Dan Sickles
An unforgettable couple, both on the autism spectrum, navigate the complexities of sex and romance in this Sundance Grand Jury Prize winning film.

FACES PLACES

FACES PLACES
Directors: Agnès Varda and JR
French New Wave legend Agnès Varda and acclaimed photographer JR travel the French countryside, celebrating ordinary people through extraordinary photo murals.

THE FINAL YEAR

THE FINAL YEAR
Director: Greg Barker
NEW YORK CITY PREMIERE
Greg Barker gives an unprecedented look at the shaping of US foreign policy by following key members of outgoing US President Barack Obama’s administration.

THE FORCE

THE FORCE
Director: Peter Nicks
An immersion into the beleaguered Oakland Police Department as it attempts to reform its scandal-ridden image.

ICARUS

ICARUS
Director: Bryan Fogel
An unexpected exposé of a complex doping operation at the heart of Russia’s Olympics program.

JANE

JANE
Director: Brett Morgen
Brett Morgen (ON THE ROPES) reconstitutes 50-year-old National Geographic footage into a poetic look at primatologist Jane Goodall.

KEDI
Director: Ceyda Torun
This infectious portrait captures Istanbul through the eyes of its colorful street cats.

ONE OF US

ONE OF US
Directors: Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady
This year’s Visionaries Tribute honorees Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady (JESUS CAMP) penetrate the insular world of New York’s Hasidic community.

RISK

RISK
Director: Laura Poitras
Oscar-winning filmmaker Laura Poitras (CITIZENFOUR) creates a complex portrait of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange and his team.

STEP

STEP
Director: Amanda Lipitz
The inaugural class of the Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women strives for success both academically and through its fierce step dancing team.

STRONG ISLAND

STRONG ISLAND
Director: Yance Ford
Yance Ford explores the long-lasting impact on his African-American family of his brother’s murder, killed by a white man who was never punished for his crime.

More Info:
For full descriptions, a list of expected special guests, screening details, and to purchase tickets, click on the individual titles above, and follow links for ticketing, where still available. Or consider purchasing one of DOC NYC’s several Pass options for access to a variety of programming.