The 10th-anniversary edition of DOC NYC — which bills itself as America’s largest documentary film festival — boasts more than 300 movies and special events for 2019. The lineup includes new works from documentary veterans and fledgling filmmakers alike, plus U.S. and NYC premieres of films we’ve already seen making the rounds on the festival circuit. This year, according to the fest, is DOC NYC’s biggest slate ever.
“Our 10th-anniversary lineup reflects a more international scope than in previous years, drawing compelling stories from all over the world, in addition to a rich selection of American nonfiction,” said director of programming Basil Tsiokos in a statement. “Where better to experience this diversity of documentary storytelling than NYC?” Tsiokos leads the DOC NYC programming team alongside artistic director Thom Powers.
This year’s festival is dedicated to the memory of D.A. Pennebaker, a constant presence at DOC NYC since its first year, up until his death this past summer. (Read an IndieWire tribute to D.A. Pennebaker from filmmaker Robert Greene.)
Running November 6–15, 2019, the festival opens with the U.S. premiere of the rock music doc “Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band.” Told primarily from the point-of-view of Robertson, who will be in attendance at DOC NYC, the film tracks the rise and fall of The Band. (IndieWire reviewed the film, which world-premiered as the Opening Night selection of this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, calling it a blend of “stunning archival footage, enviable talking heads, and a queasy disregard for alternate opinions.”)
The festival will close with the NYC premiere of “The Capote Tapes,” well-received out of Toronto this year, which presents never-before-heard testimonies from the social scenesters of Truman Capote’s New York milieu.
The centerpiece film is “Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator” from Academy Award-winning filmmaking Eva Orner (“Taxi to the Dark Side”), an exposé of the yoga entrepreneur Bikram Choudhury, and the multiple allegations of sexual abuse swirling around him. (IndieWire’s also reviewed the film.)
The festival’s Visionaries Lifetime Achievement Tributes will highlight two masters of the screen: Michael Apted (this year’s “63 Up”) and Martin Scorsese (“Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese,” which bowed on Netflix earlier this year).
The 2019 festival includes 136 feature-length documentaries, with 28 world premieres, 26 U.S. or North American premieres, and 60 NYC premieres, with more than 500 documentary makers and special guests expected in person to present their films or participate on panels.
Discover the full program over at the festival’s website.
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