Raphaela Neihausen
Executive Director
Raphaela Neihausen
Executive Director
Raphaela Neihausen is the founding Executive Director of DOC NYC. She co-hosts WNYC’s Documentary of the Week and executive produces the podcast Pure Nonfiction. She produced the 2017 Oscar® nominated short film Joe’s Violin and the feature documentary Miss Gulag. She has served as the founding executive director for several festival startups including Split Screens Festival, 51Fest, and the Montclair Film Festival. Prior to her film career, she worked for seven years at Mercer Management Consulting (now Oliver Wyman), advising Fortune 100 companies on strategic growth. She holds a BSFS/MA from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.
Jaie Laplante
Artistic Director
Jaie Laplante
Artistic Director
Jaie joined the DOC NYC team in June, 2022. Prior to that, Jaie served for 12 years as the Miami Film Festival’s Executive Director and Co-Director of Programming, where his achievements included greatly expanding that festival’s documentary selections, as well as launching successful initiatives such as a digital screening platform, the GEMS festival, and the Google Talks on Gender & Racial Gaps in Film & Technology. He simultaneously oversaw year-round programming at the historic Tower Theater in Miami’s Little Havana. He previously served as Associate Director of the New York City Wine & Food Festival and as a programmer at festivals focused on shorts and LGBTQ+ films. He has served on numerous film festival juries, including the U.S. Competition jury at DOC NYC 2021.
Malikkah Rollins
Director of Industry and Education
Malikkah Rollins
Director of Industry and Education
As the new Director of Industry and Education at DOC/NYC, Malikkah will oversee a portfolio of projects including DOC NYC PRO, the festival’s line-up of educational courses and industry networking opportunities; Only In New York industry meetings for filmmakers with works-in-progress; and the 40 Under 40 list. Malikkah brings 15 years of experience in education, counseling, and professional development to the role. As a freelance doc producer, WIFV/DC board member, Sundance Collab Community Leader and D Word Ambassador, Malikkah’s passion is rooted in connecting people and building stronger, more collaborative film communities.
Thom Powers
Director of Special Projects
Thom Powers
Director of Special Projects
Thom Powers is DOC NYC’s Director of Special Projects, a role that includes overseeing the festival’s Visionaries Tribute. He was DOC NYC’s found Artistic Director and served in that position for 12 years. He also works as the documentary programmer for the Toronto International Film Festival now in his 16th year. He hosts the podcasts Pure Nonfiction and WNYC’s Documentary of the Week. He programs for the Miami International Film Festival and teaches at the School of Visual Arts. He is a co-founder of the Montclair Film Festival, Cinema Eye Honors and the Garrett Scott Documentary Development Grant. He previously spent a decade directing documentaries for HBO, PBS, and other outlets.
Sarah Modo
Systems Director
Sarah Modo
Systems Director
Sarah has been immersed in the film industry since 2016, bringing her passion for the arts and self-expression to various roles. She currently works at the IFC Center and has been a driving force behind communications and operations at DOC NYC. Previously, she made impactful contributions at Pure Nonfiction, the Montclair Film Festival, and Argot Pictures. Possessing a BA in Television and Digital Media from Montclair State University, Sarah brings a unique blend of creativity and strategic prowess to her work.
Karen McMullen
Senior Programmer, Features and Shorts
Karen McMullen
Senior Programmer, Features and Shorts
Karen McMullen is the formerly served as Festival Director/Head of Programming at UrbanworldFormally, Lead Curator for New Voices in Black Cinema , Head of Programming for TIDE Film Festival, Features Programmer at Tribeca Festival and on the programming team at Sundance Film Festival. She has been a juror at Pan African, Trinidad + Tobago, Thessaloniki International Documentary, Cleveland International, and Bentonville film festivals, and on the nominating committees for Gotham Awards, Carey Institute, Black Public Media, Film Independent Spirit Awards and Cinema Eye Honors. Karen conducts panels and interviews for HBO, Netflix, Apple, NY African Film Festival, and others. She has editing credits on features and short films, and was a professor of film post-production at Long Island University. Karen is a Brown University graduate.
Ruth Somalo
Senior Programmer, Features
Ruth Somalo
Senior Programmer, Features
Ruth is a programmer, curator and filmmaker. She has programmed for DOC NYC since 2011 and works for the Architecture and Design Film Festival and Documenta Madrid. She also curates independent nonfiction programs for institutions like Union Docs and Cineteca Matadero de Madrid. As a filmmaker her work has been shown in theaters, festivals and museums internationally, she holds a PhD. by Autonomous University of Madrid and works as a mentor, seminar Instructor and as advisor of non fiction projects. She was the President of the Flaherty Board of Trustees and currently serves as the chair of the Programming Committee for the Flaherty Seminar.
Daniyel Turner
Submissions Manager
Daniyel Turner
Submissions Manager
Daniyel Turner is a film festival strategist specializing in project management and communications. He has worked with organizations like Aspen Film, SFFILM, and Sundance to streamline operations and create memorable experiences for audiences. As a co-founder of Drunken Film Fest Oakland, a free pop-up festival bringing world-class short films to bars, he champions unconventional spaces that connect audiences with independent cinema in new and engaging ways.
Brandon Harrison
Senior Programmer, Features
Brandon Harrison
Senior Programmer, Features
Brandon Harrison began at DOC NYC as screener, before joining the programming team in 2019. He has curated features, shorts, and series at Brooklyn Film Festival, Nashville, and Tribeca, while also serving on various documentary juries and committees. He is currently a Development Executive at Words+Pictures.
Samah Ali
Short List: Shorts Program Consultant
Samah Ali
Short List: Shorts Program Consultant
Samah Ali is a festival and inflight entertainment programmer based in New York City. She is the Video Programming Manager at Stellar Entertainment, curating movies and television shows for airlines around the world, and consults on DOC NYC’s Short List: Shorts. In her spare time, Samah sits on the Board of Directors at The Black Screen Office in Canada.
Bedatri D. Choudhury
Senior Programmer, Features
Bedatri D. Choudhury
Senior Programmer, Features
Bedatri D. Choudhury is The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Arts and Entertainment Editor. Before this, she worked extensively with documentary films, particularly in the areas of program management and commissioning. She was most recently the Managing Editor of Documentary magazine, and is a programmer with DOCNYC and SFFILM. An alumna of the NYFF Critics Academy, Sundance and SXSW Press Inclusion Initiatives, the National Critics’ Institute, and Berlinale Talents, she can often be heard on NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour.
Murtada Elfadl
Programmer, Features
Murtada Elfadl
Programmer, Features
Murtada Elfadl is a culture writer, critic, and film curator. Originally from Khartoum, Sudan, he is currently based in New York City. His writing has been published at Variety, The A.V. Club, Backstage, among other publications. He hosts the Izzy and Murtada Picture Show podcast. In addition to DOC NYC, Murtada is also a programmer at NewFest, New York’s LGBTQ Film Festival.
DeWitt Davis
Programmer, Shorts
DeWitt Davis
Programmer, Shorts
DeWitt has been working with film and cinema presentations for over 15 years. He has been with DOC NYC since the first year of the festival and an Associate Programmer of Shorts since 2018. Over the years he has worked for multiple North American film festivals in the technical and programming teams. He also worked in film restoration and taught classes in motion picture film for Kodak.
Anita Raswant
Programmer, Shorts
Anita Raswant
Programmer, Shorts
Anita is passionate about telling stories of minorities and having their voices heard through film and art. She is currently the Shorts Programmer and Program Manager for the Nantucket Film Festival and has done stints at Tribeca Film Festival, Hamptons International Film Festival, Philadelphia Film Festival, and more. Anita grew up in Rome, Italy but has been a loyal Queens resident after graduating with a B.A. in Sociology from St. John’s University.
Curt Heiner
Technical Director
Curt Heiner
Technical Director
Curt Heiner is a media artist and professional working in the film production and exhibition industry as a projectionist, technical coordinator, location sound mixer, cinematographer, and editor. He is currently the Festival Director for Mimesis Documentary Festival in Boulder where he earned his BFA in Film Studies from the University of Colorado. His creative work is geared towards analog and experimental filmmaking with a focus on projection performance, installation, and single-channel projects rooted in both documentary and narrative. In addition to his creative work, Curt is involved in the local, national, and international film community, serving as a board member with the Colorado-based nonprofit Process Reversal where he provides support and promotion for film, video, and sound artists through educational workshops, equipment distribution, and screenings.
Sarah Rogers
Sponsorship Manager
Sarah Rogers
Sponsorship Manager
Sarah Rogers found her love of documentary film ten years ago in her home state of Maine by volunteering for the Camden International Film Festival. She now does everything for film festivals from building guest lounges, to managing volunteers, to supporting sponsor relationships. You can find her traveling to the next documentary film festival in her big red van with her dog Odin.
Isabella Jackson
Cinesend Content Manager
Isabella Jackson
Cinesend Content Manager
Isabella Jackson is a filmmaker, writer and dancer from Pennsylvania. She moved to New York in 2010 to pursue dance at The New School where she received her BA with a double major in Dance Culture & Media studies. Out of undergrad she worked as an Assistant Editor for director Caveh Zahedi on his web series, The Show About The Show. Soon after she attended graduate school at Brooklyn College, graduating in 2020 with her Masters in Screenwriting. She began working in TV in 2020 as a Script Coordinator for the Paramount series, George & Tammy under showrunner, Abe Sylvia. She moved on to become a Writer’s Assistant for Sylvia at Apple TV where she was also the Writer’s Assistant for an upcoming David E. Kelly project. In between writer’s rooms she has worked as an Associate Programmer for the Hamptons International Film Festival and as the Features Programmer for The Rooftop Film Festival.
Kate Lemberg
40 Under 40 Coordinator & Voices of Canada Industry Roundtables Producer
Kate Lemberg
40 Under 40 Coordinator & Voices of Canada Industry Roundtables Producer
In addition to her artist programs work at DOC NYC, Kate Lemberg is the Associate Manager, Industry Relations & Artist Programs at Points North; a staff programmer at RiverRun and Nashville; the Film Nominations Associate for the Independent Spirit Awards; the Creators Market Producer and an assistant programmer at Tribeca; and has screened for many other festivals in the U.S. She’s been a juror for the IDA Awards. Having begun her work in festivals in venue and ticketing operations, she still works in those arenas on occasion. Kate is a proud BA & MA alum of Cinema Studies at NYU Tisch.
Orange Static
Design Team
Orange Static
Design Team
Orange Static is a boutique design and web development agency that helps bring ideas to life. Since 2010, this team has built a niche in the storytelling community by creating purpose driven solutions that help projects breakthrough, stand out, and be unique in every way.
Allyson Morgan
Visionaries Tribute Luncheon Producer
Allyson Morgan
Visionaries Tribute Luncheon Producer
Allyson Morgan is a writer, producer, performer, and the founder and Executive Director of the award-winning film and theatre collective F*It Club. Her film festival work has included Brooklyn Film Festival, Camden International Film Festival, Hamptons International Film Festival, Indie Street Film Festival, NewFest, and Nantucket Film Festival. She also serves as a producer for Craft Ed. Seminars, hosted by the IFC Center. Allyson was named one of just five winners out of thousands of entrants from over 63 countries in the Bombay Sapphire Imagination Series; her short film Need For Speed (Dating) premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. She has also twice been awarded a Juno Leadership Residency through the Omega Institute. Her short film, Sitting, is making its world premiere at SCAD Savannah Film Festival, followed by the Tallgrass Film Festival in October 2020, and First Date, her newest short film produced by Fox/Disney, is set to premiere on Hulu beginning October 2020.
Jordan Maelyn Smith
Newsletter Editor
Jordan Maelyn Smith
Newsletter Editor
Jordan Maelyn Smith is a film critic, public librarian and musician who has been working in various capacities with DOC NYC since 2015. She currently edits the weekly Monday Memo and Weekend Watch newsletters. Her published work focusing mainly on documentary cinema has appeared at Senses of Cinema, Nonfics, Stranger Than Fiction, IONcinema, and Influence Film Club, and is a member of the Trans Journalists Association and the Online Film Critics Society. Jordan completed her undergraduate studies at the State University of New York Fredonia and completed her Masters degree at the University at Buffalo.