SOUL OF THE DESERT (ALMA DEL DESIERTO)

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE When Polish couple Asia and Marek decide to move to a remote cabin in Bialowieza Forest and home-school their children Marysia, Ignacy, and Franek, they imagine an innocent paradise far from the modern world’s problems. The woods are a mysterious, magical place to explore and learn, and the children  delight in images of the wild bison and moose captured on their trap cameras. Then the forest reveals an unexpected, frightening presence. Europe’s humanitarian crisis and oppressive border politics enters their idyll, testing the family’s resolve. – Jaie Laplante

The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Lidia Duda, producer Patryk Sielecki, and cinematographer Zuzanna Zachara-Hassaira.

This film contains the following accessibility options for viewers:
Closed Captioning for in-person screenings at IFC Center and Village East by Angelika.
All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.

Accessibility alert for NOV 14, 7:00PM screening:

Due to a recent equipment failure at Village East Cinemas, the room where this film screens is currently not accessible to patrons using wheelchairs. We apologize for the inconvenience. However the film is available to view at home as part of DOC NYC’s online festival. Please reach out to info@docnyc.net with any questions.

 

US PREMIERE This jaw-dropping celebration of Brazilian baloeiros –  secret groups of men who craft and launch elaborate hot-air balloons – is a first-rate big-screen experience. The immensely talented filmmaker Sissel Morrell Dargis spent years winning the trust of the outlawed subculture to create an epic portrayal of free-spirited artistry. Beyond the spectacle of ever-more mammoth and elaborate balloon launches, Morrell Dargis takes on a parallel journey into the vulnerable and volatile emotions of Brazilian masculinity in a brotherhood ricocheting between fierce and fraught loyalties. – Jaie Laplante

The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Sissel Morell Dargis.

This film contains the following accessibility options for viewers:
Closed Captioning for in-person screenings at IFC Center and Village East by Angelika

All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.

US PREMIERE In 2020-21, Indian farmers mounted a protest against the government, demanding the repeal of exploitative farm laws. Braving surging COVID numbers, inclement weather, and state-sponsored violence, millions of farmers remain undeterred as they leave their homes and set up tents on the fringes of New Delhi. In this film, Nishtha Jain, one of India’s foremost documentary filmmakers, records the untiring resilience of a working class resistance mounted against a Goliath-like government. —Bedatri D. Choudhury

The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Nishtha Jain
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This film contains the following accessibility options for viewers:
Closed Captioning for in-person screenings at IFC Center and Village East by Angelika

All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.

US PREMIERE Following four young activists during the Sudanese revolution of 2019, director Hind Meddeb conjures a narrative about collective hope and possible seismic change. Armed with just their words, ideas, poetry, and art, the subjects of this documentary inspire themselves and the audience with their perseverance and clarity of their just demands. In a time when Sudan is facing almost 18 months of violent war, famine, and the indifference of the rest of the world, this film acts as a beacon of hope and confirmation that the people of Sudan will persist and insist on a bright future. - Murtada Elfadl

The first and second screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Hind Meddeb.

This film contains the following accessibility options for viewers:
Closed Captioning for in-person screenings at IFC Center and Village East by Angelika

All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.

Accessibility alert for NOV 14, 1:00PM screening:
Due to a recent equipment failure at Village East Cinemas, the room where this film screens is currently not accessible to patrons using wheelchairs. We apologize for the inconvenience. However the film is available to view at home as part of DOC NYC’s online festival. Please reach out to info@docnyc.net with any questions.

WORLD PREMIERE When filmmaker Areeb Zuaiter lost her Palestinian mother, she lost her connection to Gaza. With all the memories from her childhood destroyed, she sets out on a quest to connect with a young man she sees in a video doing parkour among ruins in Gaza. With Ahmed as her guide, she explores life in Gaza, and rebuilds her memories of her mother and her childhood. In this time when Gaza and its people are being devastated every day, here’s a portrait of a tormented city and the perseverance of its people. - Murtada Elfadl

The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Areeb Zuaiter, producer Basel Mawlawi, and protoganist Ahmed Matar.

The second screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Areeb Zuaiter.

All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.

Accessibility alert for NOV 16, 4:30PM screening:

Due to a recent equipment failure at Village East Cinemas, the room where this film screens is currently not accessible to patrons using wheelchairs. We apologize for the inconvenience. However the film is available to view at home as part of DOC NYC’s online festival. Please reach out to info@docnyc.net with any questions.

 

WORLD PREMIERE With the help of golden retrievers and palomino horses at an animal therapy retreat, a group of Ukrainian children who had been abducted by the Russian army and rescued by their family members get a chance to heal. Deep in a forest by the Baltic Sea, the families portrayed in this tender and poetic film overcome their traumatic experiences. A timely cinematic reminder of what love and nature can do for the soul in a time of war. - Ruth Somalo

The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Sarah McCarthy, producer Olha Beskhmelnytsina and film subjects Inna Sidoruk, Yvgeny Matveii, Sviatoslava and Sasha Mezhevoy. The Q&A will be moderated by Shelia Nevins.

This film contains the following accessibility options for viewers:
Closed Captioning for in-person screenings at IFC Center and Village East by Angelika
Closed Captioning for online screenings

All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE The sweet taste of life returns to the village of Yahidne in northern Ukraine, after almost 400 villagers endured a month-long confinement and torture by Russian troops. Even as they realize the war is far from over, even as they mourn family members, neighbors, and animals who were killed during the ordeal, all generations of Yahidnians unite to rebuild their community and their psyches. One villager, Olha, kept a journal during their imprisonment, fearing no one would live to tell their story. As we hear her words read aloud, this beautifully shot film reminds us to embrace life as a daily gift. – Jaie Laplante

All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.

Accessibility alert for NOV 17, 6:45PM screening:

Due to a recent equipment failure at Village East Cinemas, the room where this film screens is currently not accessible to patrons using wheelchairs. We apologize for the inconvenience. However the film is available to view at home as part of DOC NYC’s online festival. Please reach out to info@docnyc.net with any questions.