DOC NYC Announces 2019 “Only In New York” Lineup
DOC NYC has announced the lineup of 46 work-in-progress documentaries chosen from submissions to participate in the “Only In New York” program, which consists of roundtable meetings with industry professionals and mentors. Over the course of four days (Nov. 11-14), filmmakers will network with financiers, producers, sales agents, distributors, festival programmers and other industry representatives at the DOC NYC PRO conference that runs concurrently with the festival.
Only In New York is co-presented by SHOWTIME® Documentary Films for the fourth year.
“Now in its fourth year, we’re starting to see real outcomes for our Only In New York participants,” said DOC NYC PRO producer Amy Jelenko. “In the 2019 DOC NYC film lineup, we’re proud to screen several completed projects by Only In New York alumni, including American Muslim (dir. Adam Zucker), Blessed Child (dir. Cara Jones), Brooklyn Inshallah (dir. Ahmed Mansour), Maurice Hines: Bring Them Back (dir. John Carluccio), Queen of Hearts: Audrey Flack (dir. Deborah Shaffer and co-dir. Rachel Reichman), The Rabbi Goes West (dir. Amy Geller and Gerald Peary) and Searching for Mr. Rugoff (dir. Ira Deutchman).”
The film teams participating in this year’s Only In New York range from up-and-coming directors to established filmmakers. The diversity of film subjects is indicative of the times, including the exploration of a unique approach to prison reform in Coldwater Kitchen (dir. Brian Kaufman and Mark Kurlyandchik), and the brave stories of sexual assault survivors in Silent Beauty (dir. Jasmin Mara López) and Bella (dir. Bella Graves and Adam Dietrich). Stories of immigration are covered in A Place of Absence (dir. Marialuisa Ernst) and After Venezuela (dir. Braulio Jatar and Anaïs Michel), and American politics are front and center in A Stake in the Ground (dir. Jim Cricchi) and First Vote (dir. Yi Chen).
In addition, eight projects were selected to participate in DOC NYC’s Pitch Perfect event at Cinépolis Chelsea on Monday, November 11 (noted by an * below), an opportunity for film teams to present their projects for constructive feedback from a panel of industry representatives. Industry participants for Pitch Perfect include Christine Kecher (A&E IndieFilms), Adam Neuhaus (ESPN Films), Kelsey Koenig (Impact Partners), Dan O’Meara (NEON), Jeff Seelbach (Topic) and Christopher Allen (UnionDocs). Elise McCave (Kickstarter) and Judith Helfand (Chicken & Egg Pictures) will serve as moderators. Pitch Perfect is co-presented by A&E IndieFilms.
Companies who are sending representatives to take meetings at Only In New York include A&E IndieFilms, American Documentary | POV, Amazon Studios, Cinetic Media, Condé Nast Entertainment, Discovery, EPIX, Hulu, Imagine Documentaries, Impact Partners, Kanopy, Motto Pictures, TIME Studios, Topic, WNET and others.
FULL LIST OF “ONLY IN NEW YORK” PROJECTS
AFTER SHERMAN
A film about our collective American inheritance that is in part a conversation between an African American father and his son about spiritual survival as a black American, a representation that is rarely seen in popular culture.
Directed by Jon-Sesrie Goff
Produced by Blair Dorosh-Walther, Madeleine Hunt-Ehrlich
*Selected for Pitch Perfect
AFTER VENEZUELA
A look into the biggest migratory crisis in all of Latin America, the Venezuelan migration, shot on the border of Venezuela and Colombia, where an estimated five thousand Venezuelans cross every day looking for new horizons.
Directed by Braulio Jatar, Anaïs Michel
Produced by Rodrigo Diamanti, Carolina Gonzalez
*Selected for Pitch Perfect
AND SO I STAYED
The story of Kim Dadou Brown, a domestic violence survivor who shot and killed her boyfriend in self-defense in 1991. Now a free woman after 17 years in prison, Kim is fighting for New York’s Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act.
Directed by Daniel A. Nelson
Produced by Natalie Pattillo, Julian Lim
ARCHWIRE
A series of shorts exploring the humor and drama surrounding puberty. The project is being filmed over six years (2015-2020) and is directed by teenage filmmaker Zachary Maxwell.
Directed and Produced by Zachary Maxwell
BE OUR GUEST
In suburban New Hampshire, Ronan and his sisters grow up in a family whose home doubles as a halfway house for recovering addicts. As they bear witness to one of America’s most pressing crises, the children re-examine their place in the world.
Directed by Diane Tsai
Produced by Francesca Trianni
BEAUTY ISN’T PRETTY
The quest for “beauty” is epic and timeless. Desperate and often dangerous pursuits of unrealistic beauty ideals by women and men are rampant globally… now more than ever. What fuels this desperate pursuit of beauty?
Directed and Produced by Dori Berinstein
BELLA
Bella’s life was irreparably altered at 13 years old when fabricated nude images of her were posted online. Returning home forces Bella to confront the online sexual assault that has followed her for a decade—and the childhood friend who betrayed her.
Directed by Bella Graves, Adam Dietrich
Produced by Susan Bedusa, Douglas Tirola
BIOGRAPHY OF A PHOTOTracing the stories of two iconic images—one in Panama (1989), the other in Bosnia (1992)—that have led extraordinary existences. Amidst these photos’ histories exist two people whose lives were changed by the events captured on film.
Directed by Ron Haviv, Lauren Walsh
Produced by Doug Blush, Srdjan Sarenac
CHARM CIRCLE
Nira Burstein returns to her childhood home to explore how her eccentric parents Uri and Raya have come to live like roommates in a house in total disrepair. Beneath the financial woes is a story of tragedy, fleeting dreams and the ripple effects of mental illness.
Directed by Nira Burstein
Produced by Betsy Laikin
CHEESE: A TASTE OF PLACE
This four-part docuseries follows the world’s most renowned cheese makers as they fight to save their communities with artisan cheeses that promote a regional, yet dying, taste of place.
Directed by Ben Niles
Produced by Ben Niles, Will Studd
COLDWATER KITCHEN
There are few places where food is as purposeful as it is at Lakeland Correctional Facility in Coldwater, MI. For nearly 30 years, chef Jimmy Lee Hill has run a culinary training program for prisoners, teaching inmates the value of both knife skills and life skills.
Directed by Brian Kaufman, Mark Kurlyandchik
Produced by Kathy Kieliszewski, Steve Byrne, Nicole Avery
*Selected for Pitch Perfect
DON’T LOOK AWAY
The daily lives of several adults with facial differences are followed in an effort to create more awareness of the issues facing this often misunderstood and ignored community.
Directed by Joseph Lingad
Produced by George Manatos, Laura Klein, Mia Unger, Jeffrey Thompson
DUSTY & STONES
Country music duo Dusty & Stones struggle to sustain a career in their tiny African kingdom of Swaziland. When a Nashville producer and a Texas Battle of the Bands come calling, the two cousins embark on a pilgrimage through the American South.
Directed by Jesse Rudoy
Produced by Melissa Adeyemo
*Selected for Pitch Perfect
EL RETORNO (THE RETURN)
Aura is followed during her last months in New York. After having cleaned the homes of wealthy residents and navigating the social hierarchies of NYC, she emerges as the owner of a 17-unit rental property in Barranquilla, Colombia.
Directed by Luz Zamora
Produced by Neyda Martinez, Carol Colmenares
ESU AND THE UNIVERSE
A film about religious freedom and the influence of the African Yoruba people in Brazil and around the world, demonstrating the historical struggle against forces that demonize Yoruba culture and how it flourished against the odds.
Directed by Thiago Zanato
Produced by Adriana Barbosa
ETHEL
Ethel is a Jewish-Algerian student based in Paris, and member of the gilets jaunes (the Yellow Vests Movement). When the Algerian movement catalyzes, Ethel goes on a journey of self-discovery to join her people and find her roots in Algeria.
Directed by M. Siam
Produced by François Artemare
THE FIGHT
People with disabilities are amongst the most discriminated in Bolivia. A group of them embark on a 350 km march over the Andean mountains in their wheelchairs to arrive in La Paz and fight toe-to-toe with the government.
Directed by Violeta Ayala
Produced by Daniel Fallshaw, Redelia Shaw, Violeta Ayala
FIRST VOTE
Filmmaker Yi Chen embarks on a two-year journey into the South and Midwest to capture ardent first-time voters’ participation in American democracy against the backdrop of demographic changes and intensifying polarization.
Directed by Yi Chen
Produced by Yi Chen, Diane Quon, Su Kim
*Selected for Pitch Perfect
FLOOD
A rich, timely and unusual story about an artist who uses filmmaking to reconnect to her young-earth creationist father. With honesty, poignancy and humor, the film portrays how the creative process can reconnect estranged family members.
Directed by Katy Scoggin
Produced by Katy Scoggin, Karen Duffin
FORGET ME NOT
Will Emilio be included? Two parents of a child with Down syndrome intimately document their navigation through the world’s largest—and America’s most segregated—school system.
Directed by Olivier Bernier
Produced by Tiffany deGuzman, Patrick Solomon
FREE AGENT
While supporting her partner Kelly in his gender confirmation surgery, Roseanne is triggered by her sexual trauma and faced with an unexpected opportunity to pursue legal action against her abuser. Free Agent follows the couple on a quest to reclaim their identities and help each other heal.
Directed by Roseanne Malfucci, Joy E. Reed
GIRL TALK
Set in the male-dominated world of high school debate, this film tells the story of five females on one nationally ranked co-ed debate team. Filmed over four years, a complex story emerges as the protagonists struggle to beat the odds.
Directed by Lucia Small
Produced by Dia Sokol Savage, Lucia Small
I AM THE TIGRESS
With 17-inch biceps and back muscles to make any man jealous, Tischa “The Tigress” struggles to face the end of her career as a professional female bodybuilder. Can she find acceptance and love in the life waiting for her on stage?
Directed by Philipp Fussenegger, Dino Osmanovic
Produced by Michael Steinwand, Sujmo Akcali
KID DYNAMITE: THE KYLE DAKE STORY
The decade-long journey of amateur wrestler Kyle Dake as he pursues the pinnacle of his sport: Olympic gold.
Directed and Produced by Gregory Accetta
THE KIDS ARE NOT ALRIGHT
Thousands of teenagers across the US are held in cult-like reform programs that generate multibillion-dollar profits with little to no government oversight. This exposé draws the curtain back on those who have promoted and protected this industry.
Directed by Mikaela Shwer
Produced by Kate Logan, Kimberly Stuckwisch, Carlos Lopez-Estrada, Neil Garvey
THE LAST 90 MINUTES
A chronicle of the tension-filled, touching and sometimes comical journey of old school Coach George and his college women’s soccer team through their final season.
Directed and Produced by Dana Kalmey
LEAD AND COPPER
An intimate look at how the Flint Water Crisis rocked an already systematically oppressed city, serving as a blueprint for how other cities in America can combat the neglect and results of their failing infrastructure.
Directed by William Hart
Produced by Patrick Letterii, Alex Olsen, Glen Zipper, Steven Leckart, Edwina Brandon-Kane, Victor Kane
THE LITTLE DRESS: A JOURNEY OF HOPE
Three women from disparate worlds join forces to improve the lives of girls in Malawi, one of the poorest nations on earth.
Directed and Produced by Vicki Vasilopoulos
LOVE IS IN THE LEGEND
This project connects the House of Field Grand Street Ball of September 1988 and the Paradise Garage dance club. Celebrating the power of being an outsider and told by living legends who found belonging through music, fashion and dance, this story reveals how voguing and fashion competition were introduced to the world.
Directed and Produced by Dr. Myra Lewis
MAFQUD (THE MISSING)
In the wake of the horrific ISIS campaign that tore through Northern Iraq and Syria, thousands of Yazidi women and children remain missing, assumed dead or in captivity and enslavement. As the local and international communities struggle to mount re-unification missions, a team of smugglers works to reunite four orphaned Yazidi siblings in this visceral investigation of crimes against humanity.
Directed by Hasan Oswald
Produced by Annelise Mecca, Alexander Spiess, Fahrinisa Campana
MILLION DOLLAR BLOCK
A compassionate and immersive community tableau examining the role of public institutions and how poverty and race intertwine with the structures of housing, education and policing to prescribe much of the residents’ lives.
Directed by Diane Hodson, Jasmine Luoma
Produced by Diane Hodson, Jasmine Luoma, Shantel Palacio, Brett Story
MY SO-CALLED SELFISH LIFE
In our society, it’s assumed all women want children. This project explores this long-standing assumption about women’s bodies and choices through personal stories, pop culture, history, science, memory and myth.
Directed and Produced by Therese Shechter
Take the Ice
A behind-the-scenes look at the first professional women’s hockey league in history, profiling the founder, commissioner and the athletes competing to win its first championship.
Directed by Rachel Koteen
Produced by Rachel Koteen, Judah-Lev Dickstein, Batya Feldman
THE ONE AND THE MANY
Compagnia Della Fortezza, a theater troupe inside the prison of Volterra, has instigated a transformation of inmates, authorities and audiences for 30 years. This film follows founder Armando Punzo and inmates as they struggle to secure the future of this utopic theatre destined to disappear.
Directed by Inaya Yusuf
Produced by Alessandra Pasquino
ONE DAY I TOO GO FLY
Four students work to graduate from MIT, intending to become agents of change for their home countries in Africa. Each must decide how much of America to absorb, how much of Africa to hold on to and whether they can ever really return.
Directed by Arthur Musah
Produced by Arthur Musah, Brook Turner
OYATE
In 2016, the world turned its eyes to the Lakota Nation as they fought to prevent the Dakota Access Pipeline. Three years later, community leaders are using the spotlight to bring attention to human rights violations committed against indigenous societies at large.
Directed by Brandon Jackson, Emil Benjamin
Produced by Brandon Jackson, Emil Benjamin, Sandra Evers-Manly
PARADISE
Three environmental crusaders confront murder, betrayal and their own demons as they are tested like never before in their battle to save an island paradise in the Philippines.
Directed by Karl Malakunas
Produced by Marty Syjuco, Michael Collins
*Selected for Pitch Perfect
A PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORY
A young photographer attempts to piece together a portrait of her mother, Sheila Turner-Seed, a daring journalist and a woman she never knew. Uncovering a vast audio-visual archive, the film explores memory, legacy and stories left untold.
Directed by Rachel Elizabeth Seed
Produced by Rachel Elizabeth Seed, Danielle Varga
A PLACE OF ABSENCE
The director follows the Caravan of Mothers of Missing Migrants, Central American women looking for sons and daughters who have disappeared en route to the US.
Directed and Produced by Marialuisa Ernst
RAISING KHAN
After returning from Afghanistan with severe depression and PTSD, Harry Turner went to the jungle to end his life. There, he met scientist Samantha Zwicker, and, through their work together raising orphaned wildlife, he finds a reason to live.
Directed by Melissa Lesh, Trevor Frost
Produced by Melissa Lesh, Trevor Frost, Mariah Wilson, Alysa Nahmias, Mallory Bracken
*Selected for Pitch Perfect
THE REVEREND
A profile of the life and music of Reverend Vince Anderson. With his band The Love Choir, he has played his own brand of music, dirty gospel, at a weekly residency for NYC audiences for over 20 years.
Directed by Nick Canfield
Produced by Nick Canfield, Nick Daniele
SILENT BEAUTY
An autobiographical exploration of a family’s history with child sexual abuse and a culture of silence, which confronts and accepts difficult truths while finding beauty in the process.
Directed by Jasmin Mara López
Produced by Jasmin Mara López, Pilar Timpane
*Selected for Pitch Perfect
A STAKE IN THE GROUND
From rural politics to a hotly contested governor’s race and a $4.5 billion boondoggle, the story of Wisconsin and how it became a proving ground for anti-democratic legislation.
Directed by Jim Cricchi
Produced by Susan Peters
STOLEN CHILDHOOD
A personal story following an American cinematographer who supports three Mongolian street children, demonstrating what’s possible when we tap into our compassion and overcome our fear to connect to another human being.
Directed and Produced by Martina Radwan
UNTITLED (PARENTING)
In today’s world of achievement culture, helicopter parenting and the college arms race, kids don’t have time to be kids anymore. Psychologists, activists and leaders of the “free play” movement fight to bring back the benefits of a less curated childhood.
Directed by Eden Wurmfeld, Margaret Munzer Loeb
Produced by Eden Wurmfeld, Lisa Eisenpresser
UNTITLED PIZZA MOVIE
A six-part documentary series that weaves an archival film about pizza in a pre-gentrified New York with a stunning filmic inventory to paint a portrait of three men.
Directed by David Shapiro
Produced by Michael Tubbs, Brendan Doyle, Peter Sillen, Karin Roach
