Category Archives: Film Festivals

The countdown to DOC NYC continues with a look at the second of six thematic shorts collections that I programmed for the festival. Fittingly the city know internationally for its theatre, dance, and other arts serves as a host to a program that celebrates performers, their struggles, and their triumphs.

DOC NYC Program Description:

GREAT PERFORMANCES:
Saturday, November 10 at 11:00am
These shorts shine a spotlight on dance, music, and performance art. STILL MOVING: PILOBOLUS AT FORTY (38 min, Jeffrey Ruoff) reveals the surprising past and still vibrant present of the legendary Connecticut-based modern dance troupe. ROBOT MAN (15 min, Mark Scalese) offers a day in the life of a familiar street performer. A BROADWAY LULLABY (40 min, Barbara Rick) brings together Broadway luminaries like Vanessa Williams, Audra McDonald, Donna Murphy, Stephen Schwartz, and Raul Esparza to create a benefit CD to combat breast cancer.

Why You Should Attend:
After the week New Yorkers have just had, not to mention our neighbors in New Jersey and elsewhere in Sandy’s path, audiences can definitely benefit from the uplift that these shorts provide. Artists practicing their passion, for either the love of the art itself, or to help others, will serve as either an escape, or an inspiration.

More Info:
To purchase tickets, follow the link from the program page by clicking on the program title above.

As the shorts programmer for DOC NYC, I’ve organized six collections of shorts that will screen at the IFC Center. Organized thematically, each program includes three or more films demonstrating the ability of the short form to explore a versatile range of unforgettable characters and pressing topics. The first of these looks at places and the people who find unity there together.

DOC NYC Program Description:

COMMON GROUND:
Friday, November 9 at 2:15pm
These five shorts explore the power of community and common bonds. INDIAN SUMMER (17 min, Mridu Chandra) finds young Indian Americans at a Hindu summer camp. AN AMERICAN MOSQUE (19 min, David Washburn) shows the resilience of rural Californian Muslims when faced with a hate crime. SPOILS: EXTRAORDINARY HARVEST (21 min, Alex Mallis) profiles diverse New Yorkers who are united by a common nocturnal activity. WOLF MOUNTAIN (7 min, Sam Price-Waldman, Brendan Nahmias, Dan Duran) explores the spiritual link between a woman and the wolves she cares for. GREENLAND YEAR ZERO (25 min, Anders Graver, Niels Bjørn) reveals the lives of teenagers in a small Greenland town poised for great change.

Why You Should Attend:
Unfortunately, there are few opportunities for short films to find public exhibition outlets in the US – outside of film festivals. Fests provide the chance for audiences to experience this work communally – and given this program’s theme, that’s especially appropriate, as filmmakers reveal community through religion, culture, and subculture.

More Info:
To purchase tickets, follow the link from the program page by clicking on the program title above, or consider purchasing a DOC NYC Insider Pass, which grants access to all weekday films, panels, and events beginning before 5pm.

Over the next couple of weeks, I’m planning on posting about the programming I’ve been responsible for at DOC NYC, which begins next week. To start things off, this post looks at the first day of this year’s newly-named and expanded panel series, Doc-A-Thon, which offers audiences access to some of non-fiction’s leading filmmakers and industry players for in-depth discussions and masterclasses at the IFC Center between 10:30am-5:00pm on weekdays during the festival, which runs through Thursday, November 15.

Each day of Doc-A-Thon has a structuring theme that informs the content of its corresponding four panels, and roughly follows the steps of documentary filmmaking. Appropriately enough, Day 1, Friday, November 9, leads off with “Get the Money.” Recognizing that filmmaking can be quite costly, Day 1’s panels explore the opportunities for documentary funding in four key areas. Continue reading →