DOC NYC ’14 Metropolis and Viewfinders Competition Films Announced

DOC NYC is pleased to announce the competition lineups for their 5th edition, running from November 13 to 20 at Manhattan’s IFC Center, SVA Theatre and Chelsea BowTie Cinemas. Comprised of 10 films, the Viewfinders competition features World, US and New York premieres notable for their distinct directorial voices. The Metropolis competition includes nine quintessentially New York stories, including the World Premiere of Some Kind of Spark, an uplifting probe of Julliard’s Music program. Find the full lineups below.

VIEWFINDERS – Juried Competition. Ten films notable for their distinct directorial visions.

Almost There

Dirs: Dan Rybicky & Aaron Wickenden, 2014, World Premiere

After the filmmakers meet octogenarian artist Peter Anton, they become enmeshed in his life, helping to stage an exhibition of his work.

Cairo Drive

Dir: Sherief Elkatsha, 2013, NYC Premiere

Shot before, during and after the revolution, this entertaining film explores Cairo from the street level through the perspectives of its drivers.

In Country

Dirs: Mike Attie & Meghan O’Hara, 2014, NYC Premiere

By now, the idea of Civil War re-enactment is familiar, but the subjects of this intriguing film relive the battles of a far more surprising conflict: Vietnam.

Kasamayaki

Dir: Yuki Kokubo, 2014, World Premiere

Following the devastation of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, Yuki visits her estranged parents in Kasama, Japan, a rural artist community, in the hopes of making sense of their past.

The Life and Mind of Mark Defriest

Dir: Gabriel London, 2014, NYC Premiere

Sentenced to four years in prison in 1978, Mark DeFriest’s numerous escapes have kept him incarcerated for over three decades.

Meet the Patels

Dirs: Geeta V. Patel & Ravi V. Patel, 2014, NYC Premiere

Nearing 30, first-generation Indian-American Ravi Patel breaks up with his secret, white girlfriend to seek the Indian woman of his parents’ dreams—who should also be named Patel, keeping with tradition.

Monsieur Le Président

Dir: Victoria Campbell, 2013, World Premiere

Volunteering in Haiti in the immediate aftermath of the devastating 2010 earthquake, the filmmaker encounters Gaston, a charming voodoo priest who shows leadership during the emergency.

No Control

Dir: Jessica Solce, 2014, World Premiere

A provocative exploration of the contentious issue of gun control through profiles of two men at opposite ends of the debate.

Song From the Forest

Dir: Michael Obert, 2013, NYC Premiere

An American musicologist who abandoned modern civilization to join an African pygmy tribe brings his son to New York City.

The Wound and the Gift

Dir: Linda Hoaglund, 2014, US Premiere

All over the world, people save animals that were bred, abused, or sold on the black market, with an impact on both rescuer and rescued.

METROPOLIS – Juried Competition. Nine quintessentially New York stories.

Coming Home

Dir: Viko Nikci, 2014, North American Premiere

Finally released from prison, an innocent man attempts to repair his relationship with his daughter and to confront the man who committed the crime for which he was punished.

The Hand That Feeds

Dirs: Rachel Lears & Robin Blotnick, 2014, NYC Premiere

An Upper East Side “Hot & Crusty” bakery serves as the unlikely setting for an old-fashioned David vs. Goliath story, as service workers demand better working conditions and wages.

Homme Less

Dir: Thomas Wirthensohn, 2014, North American Premiere

From all outside appearances, Mark seems to have the glamorous New York City life that many would envy… but he harbors a secret.

Penthouse North

Dir: Johanna St Michaels, 2014, NYC Premiere

In her heyday, Swedish bombshell Agneta ruled the world from her fabulous Central Park West apartment, but times—and her finances—have changed.

Rubble Kings

Dir: Shan Nicholson, 2014, North American Premiere

Confronting a bankrupt, decaying city and the dashed hopes of the civil rights generation, African-American and Latino teenagers violently took over the streets of 1970s New York.

Rubble Kings screens with the short film The Chaperone (Fraser Munden & Neil Rathbone, Canada, 14 min.). An action-packed, animated retelling of what happened when a drunken motorcycle gang invaded a 1970s school dance.

The Seven Five

Dir: Tiller Russell, 2014, NYC Premiere

NYPD officer Michael Dowd was at the center of an infamous cop corruption scandal of the early 1990s.

Some Kind of Spark

Dir: Ben Niles, 2014, World Premiere

Illustrating the transformative power not only of music, but of mentorship, this film is an uplifting look at Juilliard’s Music Advancement Program for inner-city youth.

Stop

Dir: Spencer Wolff, 2014, World Premiere

After David Ourlicht was stopped and searched by the NYPD for no discernible reason, he filed a class-action suit against the City of New York, alleging racial profiling in the police department’s stop-and-frisk policy.

Tough Love

Dir: Stephanie Wang-Breal, 2014, NYC Premiere

Having lost custody of their children to Child Protective Services, two parents in New York City and Seattle fight to win back the trust of the courts and reunite their families.