THERE WAS, THERE WAS NOT

WORLD PREMIERE Co-director and protagonist Abraham Jiménez, one of the most important voices of Cuban independent journalism, is expecting a baby with his wife, producer/co-director Claudia Calviño. As they become more and more exhausted and depressed from the constant harassment of the Cuban government, the young family embarks on a journey off the island and become political exiles in Spain. A heartfelt, intimate look at daily life in Cuba and the measures taken by one family to protect their freedom. - Ruth Somalo

The first and second screening will be followed by a Q&A with director, cinematographer, and director, producer, and executive producer Claudia Calviño, and film subjects Abraham Jimenez Enoa and Theo Jimenez Calviño. 

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 18, 3:30PM 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 A valuable history lesson and a propulsive narrative, this follow-up to Henry Hampton’s legendary series examines America’s recent history since the election of Barack Obama. DOC NYC will premiere the final episode in the six-part series, which focuses  on the creation of the Black Lives Matter movement and the disparate people and organizations in Florida, Illinois, and across the country who came together to fight for racial justice. - Murtada Elfadl

The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Asako Gladsjo, executive producer Dawn Porter, producer Niema Jordan, and editor Jessica Congdon.

The second screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Asako Gladsjo, producer Niema Jordan, and editor Jessica Congdon.


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.

NYC PREMIERE Refusing to give up their rights over their sacred land, Native Hawaiian mothers and daughters band together to stop the construction of a massive telescope on Mauna Kea. What emerges is a study of resilience and the ways wisdom and healing are passed from one generation to another. Underlying their spirited resistance is the women’s ever-present love for their land, their legacies, and each other. - Bedatri D. Choudhury

The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Jalena Keane-Lee.

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

NYC PREMIERE What does a woman do when political institutions police every aspect of her life, from the way she dresses to what she does for a living? Filmmaker Farahnaz Sharifi takes her 8mm camera and records an alternate life, one lived behind closed doors where her family and friends choose for themselves. This powerful documentary offers a heady and provocative mix of personal narrative and lessons in Iran’s history since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. - Murtada Elfadl

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.

Accessibility alert for NOV 19, 6:15PM and NOV 21, 4:30PM screenings:

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.

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE Karina is a charismatic sex worker, a feminist, and activist who establishes a union for current and former sex workers in Uruguay. As she tries to find a different line of work, always taking on life’s difficulties with a sense of humor, this observational film follows her fight to prevent future workers from enduring the horrors of child sexual exploitation, trafficking, abuse, stigmatization, and spousal murder. - Ruth Somalo

This film contains the following accessibility options for viewers:

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.

NYC PREMIERE A prescient and urgent documentary that shows how climate change can directly lead to conflict; when resources dwindle, battles arise. In Laikipia, Kenya, the ranchers, mostly white descendants of British colonizers, and local nomadic pastoralists find themselves adrift when drought hits the land they share. Tensions that have been kept at bay for generations resurface and strife brews. With clear-eyed rigor, this film delivers a call to action for sustainability worldwide. - Murtada Elfadl

This film contains the following accessibility options for viewers:

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.