Sixteen-year-old DOC NYC, America’s largest documentary festival, has revealed its influential 15-film Short List. The festival will run its main lineup of 116 features, 30 world premieres, 34 U.S. premieres, and 113 short films in-person November 12-20 in New York City’s IFC Center, SVA Theatre, and Village East by Angelika and continue online until November 30 with films available to viewers across the U.S. All the films will have theatrical screenings at the festival, often with the directors in person.
Historically, most of the DOC NYC shortlist titles overlap with the Academy’s official 15-film Oscar shortlist. With the notable exception of Netflix’s Oscar-winning “My Octopus Teacher,” for 13 of the last 14 years, the festival has screened the documentary that went on to win the Academy Award, including “No Other Land,” “20 Days in Mariupol,” “Navalny,” “Summer of Soul,” “American Factory,” “Free Solo,” “Icarus,” “O.J.: Made in America,” “Amy,” “Citizenfour,” “20 Feet from Stardom,” “Searching for Sugar Man,” and “Undefeated.”
And the festival has screened 59 of the last 70 Oscar-nominated documentary features. DOC NYC’s Short List: Features selection committee is overseen by Artistic Director Jaie Laplante and Director of Special Projects Thom Powers.
The Short Lists sections showcase a selection of nonfiction features and shorts that the festival’s programming team considers to be among the year’s strongest contenders for Oscars and other prizes, while Winner’s Circle is a celebration of films already awarded at major international film events that are worthy of additional consideration. Selects Encore showcases significant titles from DOC NYC’s year-round Selects screening series — films that continue to be part of our awards season conversations.
DOC NYC’s 2025 Short List screenings will include two New York City premieres: Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni’s “Cutting Through Rocks,” winner of the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, and David Borenstein’s “Mr. Nobody Against Putin,” a Sundance award winner recently chosen to represent Denmark in the Best International Film category at the 98th Academy Awards.
Movies that overlap both the Critics Choice Association (CCA) Feature Documentary nominees and DOC NY Short List are particularly strong future awards contenders. The CCA nominees for its tenth annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards were announced Tuesday and include DOC NYC listed “Orwell: 2+2=5” (Neon) with seven nominations, and “The Perfect Neighbor” (Netflix) with six, followed by “2000 Meters to Andriivka” (Frontline Features / The Associated Press), “Apocalypse in the Tropics” (Netflix), “Cover-Up” (Netflix), and “The Tale of Silyan” (National Geographic).
See below for the complete slates for each section.
This year’s selections for Short List: Features are:
“2000 Meters to Andriivka”
Director: Mstyslav Chernov
Producers: Mstyslav Chernov, Michelle Mizner, Raney Aronson-Rath
After taking us through the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in his Oscar-winning 20 Days in Mariupol, Mstyslav Chernov and his creative team give us a perspective of the war more than a year on.
“Apocalypse in the Tropics”
Director: Petra Costa
Producers: Petra Costa, Alessandra Orofino
Christian fundamentalism has seized political discourse in Brazil, and this clear-eyed, deeply troubling, and internationally resonant distillation examines the implications.
“Co-Existence, My Ass!”
Director: Amber Fares
Producers: Rachel Leah Jones, Amber Fares
Disillusioned with politics, Noam Shuster Eliassi pivots to the world of stand-up comedy as a means of communicating her “radical” message that Palestinians and Israelis deserve equal human rights.
“Come See Me in the Good Light”
Director: Ryan White
Producers: Ryan White, Jessica Hargrave, Tig Notaro, Stef Willen
A poignant and unexpectedly funny love story about poets Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley facing an incurable cancer diagnosis with joy, wit, and an unshakable partnership.
“Cover-Up”
Directors: Laura Poitras, Mark Obenhaus
Producers: Yoni Golijov, Laura Poitras, Mark Obenhaus, Olivia Streisand
A chronicle of Seymour Hersh’s groundbreaking investigative journalism, exposing systemic deception within US military and intelligence agencies, blending personal narrative with an examination of institutional accountability.
“Cutting Through the Rocks” * (NYC Premiere)
Directors/Producers: Sara Khaki, Mohammadreza Eyni
In rural Iran, a trailblazing councilwoman empowers girls through motorcycles and activism — but when her motives are questioned, her fight against patriarchy becomes a deeply personal reckoning.
“Heightened Scrutiny”
Director: Sam Feder
Producers: Amy Scholder, Sam Feder, Paola Mendoza
As a transphobic firestorm sweeps American culture and legislatures, ACLU lawyer Chase Strangio becomes the first trans man to argue a case before the Supreme Court.
“Mistress Dispeller”
Director: Elizabeth Lo
Producers: Emma D. Miller, Elizabeth Lo, Maggie Li
Desperate to save her marriage, a woman in China hires a professional to go undercover and break up her husband’s affair.
“Mr. Nobody Against Putin” (NYC Premiere)
Directors: David Borenstein, Pasha Talankin
Producer: Helle Faber
Amid Russia’s wartime propaganda, a teacher secretly films the militarization of education, risking everything to expose the state’s manipulation of youth — and the quiet courage of those who defy it.
“My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay”
Director: Mariska Hargitay
Producers: Mariska Hargitay, Trish Adlesic
Mariska Hargitay embarks on a deeply personal journey to uncover the real Jayne Mansfield — her iconic mother — through rare footage, intimate interviews, and a search for lost memories.
“Orwell: 2=2=5”
Director: Raoul Peck
Producers: Alex Gibney, Raoul Peck, George Chignell, Nick Shumaker
A stirring depiction of the dangers of power and the fragility of so-called civilized society, told through the vision of George Orwell (1984), who just might hold the key to the world’s future.
“The Perfect Neighbor”
Director: Geeta Gandbhir
Producers: Alisa Payne, Geeta Gandbhir, Nikon Kwantu, Sam Bisbee
Raw police bodycam footage provides a shocking, clear-eyed chronicle of a neighborhood dispute’s tragic escalation in Florida, examining the deadly consequences of “stand your ground” laws and systemic racial tensions.
“Predators”
Director: David Osit
Producers: Jamie Gonçalves, Kellen Quinn, David Osit
Nearly 20 years after the NBC Dateline show “To Catch a Predator” went off the air in scandal, filmmaker David Osit contemplates the complicity of both host and viewer in our “society of the spectacle.”
“Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk”
Director: Sepideh Farsi
Producers: Javad Djavahery, Annie Ohayon-Dekel
A powerful act of witness and remembrance, this urgent, deeply personal documentary unfolds through video calls between filmmaker Sepideh Farsi and 25-year-old Palestinian photojournalist and poet Fatma Hassona.
“The Tale of Silyan”
Director: Tamara Kotevska
Producers: Tamara Kotevska, Jean Dakar, Anna Hashmi, Jordanco Petkovski
A magical Macedonian folktale comes to life when an unlikely savior rescues a wounded white stork, transforming both of their lives for the better.
SHORT LIST: SHORTS
The Short List: Shorts showcase of 15 titles is now in its eighth year at DOC NYC. The selection process is overseen by Artistic Director Jaie Laplante, Director of Special Projects Thom Powers, and consultant Samah Ali. In 2024, the showcase included The Only Girl in the Orchestra, which went on to win the Oscar.
This year’s selections for Short List: Shorts are:
“All the Empty Rooms”
Director: Joshua Seftel
Producers: Joshua Seftel, Conall Jones, James Costa, Trevor Burgess
A longtime TV journalist teams up with a photographer to document empty bedrooms of children lost to gun violence, revealing spaces where grief speaks louder than statistics and memory refuses to fade.
“All the Walls Came Down”
Director: Ondi Timoner
Producers: Ondi Timoner, Eli O. Timoner, Maggie Contreras
After losing her home in the 2025 Eaton Fire, Ondi Timoner turns the camera on herself and her neighbors, revealing profound racial and economic inequities exposed by disaster descending on Altadena, California.
“Am I the Skinniest Person You’ve Ever Seen?”
Director: Eisha Marjara
Producers: Joe Balass, Ariel Nasr
Two sisters’ pact to go on a diet together lit the spark for one sibling’s eating disorder.
“Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud”
Directors: Brent Renaud, Craig Renaud
Producers: Juan Arredondo, Christof Putzel
After journalist Brent Renaud is killed in Ukraine, his brother completes his final report — shaping a haunting tribute to frontline storytellers who risk everything to illuminate the human cost of war.
“Children No More: Were and Gone”
Director: Hilla Medalia
Producers: Sheila Nevins, Yael Melamede, Hilla Medalia
In Tel Aviv, silent vigils mourn Gaza’s children — absent, yet achingly present in large-scale photographs. Defying public scorn to confront a war’s toll, the activists’ quiet protests echo louder than words.
“The Devil is Busy”
Directors: Christalyn Hampton, Geeta Gandbhir
Producers: Rose Arce, Christalyn Hampton, Amber Fares
At an Atlanta abortion clinic besieged by protesters, the director of operations, Tracy, takes on risks to safeguard staff and patients.
“Last Days on Lake Trinity”
Director/Producer: Charlotte Cooley
Faced with their beloved South Florida trailer park’s imminent closure, three single, older women band together to fight their eviction and save their community while confronting the specter of homelessness.
“Maybe It’s Just the Rain”
Director: Reina Bonta
Producers: Mel Mah, Frankie Rubio
Through home videos and voicemails, a young Filipino-American soccer player relives her team’s historic World Cup win — culminating in a return to her roots and a journey that is both personal and profound.
“Oh Yeah!”
Director/Producer: Nick Canfield
From Swiss avant-garde roots to American pop culture, two artists crafted a song that became a cultural touchstone. Exploring its legacy through archival footage and interviews reveals its enduring influence.
“Qotzuni: People of the Lake”
Directors/Producers: Gastón Zilberman, Michael Salama
Bolivia’s Lake Poopó has evaporated, and as Qotzuñis, People of the Lake, the Uru-Murato community faces the cultural and economic consequences.
“The Reality of Hope”
Director: Joe Hunting
Producers: Joe Hunting, Max Willson
From digital dreamscapes to real-world sacrifice, a VR friendship becomes a lifeline when a New Yorker journeys to Sweden to donate a kidney — revealing tenderness within a vibrant online world.
“Songs of Black Folk”
Directors: Justin Emeka, Haley Watson
Producer: Haley Watson
Under Ramón Bryant Braxton’s direction, Black artists of all ages unite in a powerful Juneteenth celebration, bridging generations through music that honors history, resilience, and the enduring spirit of community.
“Tessitura”
Directors/Producers: Lydia Cornett, Brit Fryer
Transgender opera singers navigate and reshape the rigid boundaries of their art, intertwining personal stories with history to challenge tradition and reveal the evolutionary fluidity of voice and gender.
“Tiger”
Director: Loren Waters
Producers: Loren Waters, Dana Tiger
Haunted by the loss of her brother and father, a Muscogee Creek artist battles grief and disease to rebuild her family’s iconic T-shirt business and reclaim an artistic heritage.
“We Were the Scenery”
Director: Christopher Radcliff
Producers: Cathy Linh Che, Jess X. Snow
As war survivors relive trauma onscreen, their home movies quietly reclaim a lost South Vietnam — challenging a mythology that made them extras in their own history.
“Winner’s Circle”
The DOC NYC Winner’s Circle for documentary features, introduced in 2019, highlights films that arrive at DOC NYC with significant awards pedigrees already in place. Past films shown in Winner’s Circle that all went on to further acclaim include Writing with Fire, The Mole Agent, A House Made of Splinters, Hollywoodgate, In the Rearview, Bad Axe, Midnight Family, and Advocate. To qualify for inclusion in this category, films must have won a major award at a significant international or US film festival.
This year’s selections for Winner’s Circle are:
“Below the Clouds”
Director: Gianfranco Rosi
Producers: Donatella Palermo, Gianfranco Rosi, Paolo Del Brocco
Under Naples’ skies and Vesuvius’ shadow, voices rise in a black‑and‑white tableau – everyday lives and history unearthed, memory and ruin fuse into a haunting meditation on what remains unseen. Winner, Special Jury Prize, Venice International Film Festival
“Holding Liat”
Director: Brandon Kramer
Producers: Darren Aronofsky, Lance Kramer, Yoni Brook, Ari Handel, Justin A. Gonçalves
An intimate following of a family’s fight for their abducted loved one in Israel, revealing the fragile threads of hope and grief amid the devastation of geopolitical violence. Winner, Berlinale Documentary Award, Berlin International Film Festival
“The Librarians”
Director: Kim A. Snyder
Producer: Kim A. Snyder, Janique L. Robillard, Maria Cuomo Cole, Jana Edelbaum
In our politically polarized era, librarians across America have found their profession under siege as an unprecedented wave of book banning hits Texas, Florida, and beyond. Winner, Best Documentary Feature, Dallas International Film Festival
“Life After”
Director: Reid Davenport
Producer: Colleen Cassingham
A gripping investigative documentary exposing the tangled web of moral dilemmas, ableism, and profit motives surrounding assisted dying. Winner, U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award, Sundance Film Festival
“Secret Mall Apartment”
Director: Jeremy Workman
Producers: Jeremy Workman, Matthew Spain
In 2003, eight young Rhode Island artists created a secret apartment in a hidden space inside a mall. Their act of defiance against gentrification becomes a bold expression of ingenious creativity. Winner, Grand Jury Prize: Documentary, Independent Film Festival Boston
“Seeds”
Director: Brittany Shyne
Producers: Danielle Varga, Sabrina Gordon
Following Black generational farmers in the American South, Seeds weaves intimate moments into a poetic tribute to legacy, land, and the enduring ties that bind family and community. Winner, U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary, Sundance Film Festival
