​​​​NEW YORK, NY (SMI-GLOBAL-ENTERTAINMENT OCT 09-NOV. 30, 2025)-DOC NYC, the festival for documentaries — celebrating its 16th edition in-person November 12-20 at IFC Center, SVA Theatre, and Village East by Angelika and continuing online through November 30 — announced its Main Slate lineup for the duration of the festival.
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Opening Night
WHISTLE (US Premiere)
Director: Christopher Nelius
Producers: Camilla Mazzaferro, Louise Smith, Luke Mazzaferro, Al Hicks, Casey Ventura
Top-rate whistlers gather in Hollywood at the annual Masters of Musical Whistling competition, hoping not just to win but to connect.
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Closing Night Film
ASK E. JEAN (NYC Premiere)
Director: Ivy Meeropol
Producers: Laura Bickford, Annabelle Dunne, Ivy Meeropol
Writer E. Jean Carroll’s lawsuits against Donald 
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Centerpiece Film
THE MERCHANTS OF JOY (World Premiere)
Director: Celia Aniskovich
Producers: Celia Aniskovich, Zoe Vock, Arthur Spector, Joshua Davis, Joshuah Bearman
A joyful look at the five families who dominate NYC’s Christmas tree trade and whose efforts begin months before the first fir trees hit the busy sidewalks of the five boroughs.
 
STEAL THIS STORY, PLEASE! (NYC Premiere)
Directors: Carl Deal, Tia Lessin
Producers: Carl Deal, Tia Lessin, Karen Ranucci, Diana Cohn, Caren Spruch
Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! pursues the news with integrity and dauntlessness, seeing independent journalism as a major force for good.
 
SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
BENITA (World Premiere)
Director: Alan Berliner
Producer: Alan Berliner
An unplanned collaboration between two filmmakers that transcends mortality, exploring
whimsical and existential questions as well as the intersection of mental health and creativity.
 
BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL: THE KWAME BRATHWAITE STORY (North American Premiere)
Director: Yemi Bamiro
Producers: Joanna Boateng, Lizzie Gillett, Ian Bonhôte, Andrew Calof
In photos of celebrities and everyday people, Kwame Brathwaite captured the joy and beauty of
Black America and popularized the phrase that defined a movement: Black is Beautiful.
 
MAD HOT BALLROOM (20th Anniversary)
Director: Marilyn Agrelo
Producers: Amy Sewell, Marilyn Agrelo
A 20th-anniversary screening of the classic 2005 documentary about NYC public school fifth-
graders competing in the extracurricular world of ballroom dancing.
 
THE TRIAL OF ALEC BALDWIN (World Premiere)
Director: Rory Kennedy
Producers: Rory Kennedy, Mark Bailey, Julia Marchesi
A provocative examination of celebrity spectacle and public vitriol surrounding the prosecution
of Alec Baldwin over the tragic accidental death of Halyna Hutchins.
 
WE MET AT GROSSINGER’S (World Premiere)
Director: Paula Eiselt
Producers: Robert Friedman, Paula Eiselt, Bennett Elliott
A nostalgic, immersive journey through the Jewish Catskills, known as the Borscht Belt, told
through the rise and fall of its beloved Grossinger’s Resort and Hotel.
 
U.S. COMPETITION co-presented by INDIEWIRE
MATA HARI (North American Premiere)
Directors: Joe Beshenkovsky, James A. Smith
Producers: James A. Smith, Joe Beshenkovsky
Star of 1970s Hollywood, David Carradine cast his teenage daughter Calista in Mata Hari, an
ambitious epic shot over two decades, straining their already frayed relationship.
 
SANTACON (World Premiere)
Director: Seth Porges
Producers: Seth Porges, Michael Garber, Jake DeNicola
Born from the same minds as Burning Man, the NYC tradition of Santacon spreads holiday
cheer in the most raucous way imaginable.
 
SONS OF DETROIT (World Premiere)
Director: Jeremy Xido
Producer: Amanda Burr
Filmmaker Jeremy Xido returns to Detroit and reunites with a long-lost “cousin” in an exploration
of race and chosen family.
 
THOUGHTS & PRAYERS (World Premiere)
Directors: Zackary Canepari, Jessica Dimmock
Producers: Zackary Canepari, Jessica Dimmock, Claire Read, Gary Kout.​

With mass shootings now a part of everyday life, America’s response isn’t prevention — it’s

preparation, fueling a multi-billion dollar "safety and security" industry.

 

TRACES OF HOME (World Premiere)

Director: Colette Ghunim

Producers: Sara Maamouri, Dan Rybicky, Capella Fahoome

An American filmmaker, daughter of a Mexican mother and Palestinian father, explores the

meaning of home amid a rising tide of anti-immigrant rhetoric.

 

THE VOYAGE OUT (World Premiere)

Directors: Barlow Jacobs

Producers: Keetin Mayakara, Barlow Jacobs

Three hunters trek into the breathtaking wild, seeking game and answers to some of life’s

biggest questions, including grappling with mortality and a deeper understanding of self.

 

WAYUMI (World Premiere)

Director: Andrew Balcof

Producers: Andrew Balcof, David Good, Elius Kim

A heartfelt story of love, distance, and reconciliation as a son attempts to reunite with his

Indigenous mother living in the Amazon.

 

Y VÃN: THE LOST SOUNDS OF SAIGON (World Premiere)

Directors: Khoa Ha, Victor Velle

Producer: Douglas Emerson

In uncovering the musical genius of her famous grandfather, a filmmaker discovers an under-

examined side of Vietnamese history.

 

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION 

9-MONTH CONTRACT (US Premiere)

Director: Ketevan Vashagashvili

Producers: Anna Khazaradze, Nino Chichua

In a raw, tender portrait of love and sacrifice under exploitative systems, a Georgian mother

turns to surrogacy to financially support her daughter.

 

AURORA (North American Premiere)

Director: João Vieira Torres

Producer: Marina Meliande

Vivid dreams and ghostly visits from his grandmother compel a filmmaker to explore the lives

and tragic deaths of the women in his family.

 

EL CANTO DE LAS MANOS (US Premiere)

Director: María Valverde

Producers: Cristina Oliva, María Valverde, Martí Font Isern, Gustavo Dudamel

Partnering with Coro de Manos Blancas, a choir of Deaf Venezuelan performers, renowned

conductor Gustavo Dudamel stages Beethoven’s Fidelio.

 

I, POPPY (US Premiere)

Director: Vivek Chaudhary

Producers: Vivek Chaudhary, Xavier

In eastern Rajasthan’s poppy fields, an activist son and a farmer mother work to free

themselves from oppressive circumstances.

 

IMAGO (US Premiere)

Director: Déni Oumar Pitsaev

Producers: Alexandra Mélot, Anne-Laure Guégan, Géraldine Sprimont

A Chechen filmmaker visits his former community, now forming a new settlement in exile, and

ponders the pull of roots versus his personal aspirations.

 

THE LAMA’S SON (North American Premiere)

Director: Kesang Tseten

Producer: Loel Guinness

As the younger generation moves out and development creeps into Nepal’s Mustang District, an

old way of life is in danger of dying out.

 

LOSS ADJUSTMENT (US Premiere)

Director: Miguel Calderón

Producer: Andrea Paasch

In a biting examination of exploitation and survival, a Mexican insurance adjuster haunted by

corruption finds refuge in the art world only to discover its own deceptions.

 

ZELENSKY (US Premiere)

Directors: Yves Jeuland, Lisa Vapné

Producer: Guilaine Chenu

Meet the Volodymyr Zelensky you don’t know, through those who knew him

Meet the Volodymyr Zelensky you don’t know, through those who knew him before he became

President and led Ukraine’s defense against Russian aggression.