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By Mabel Pais
Screening
GEETA GANDBHIR’s Feature ‘THE PERFECT NEIGHBOR’
KARLA MURTHY’s Award Winning ‘THE GAS STATION ATTENDANT’
And many, many more
DOC NYC presents program selections for its 16th edition, running in-person in New York City, November 12 – 20 at IFC Center, SVA Theatre, and Village East by Angelika, and continuing online through November 30. The 2025 festival showcases more than 200 films and dozens of events, including
- 30 World Premieres
- 34 US Premieres
- More than 115 feature-length documentaries
- Shorts programs
- Plus in-person appearances by filmmakers at most screenings
This year’s festival slate includes Cannes-winning Imago and The Six Billion Dollar Man and documentaries featuring E. Jean Carroll, Amy Goodman, Oscar Isaac, Marlee Matlin, Alec Baldwin, Gustavo Dudamel, Volodymyr Zelensky, Bruce Springsteen, Sandra Oh, Connie Chung, Kumail Nanjiani, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, Ben McKenzie, Kwame Braithwaite, Farruquito, Misan Harriman, Pablo Milanés, and many more.
In this period of rapid change, we are proud to present a collection of films that speak to urgent global, national, and personal matters. The filmmakers of this year’s official selection are bound by their illuminations of shared humanity.
More news will be announced in the coming days including
- The Short List sections for the year’s leading awards contenders
- The Winner’s Circle showcase of international festival laureates
- The new Selects Encore section featuring highlights of DOC NYC’s year-round programming
Read on for highlights from our Opening Night, Closing Night, Centerpiece Screening, and more.
See the complete lineup at docnyc.net/program
OPENING NIGHT
WHISTLE – US Premiere
Wednesday, November 12 at SVA Theatre
Top-rate whistlers gather in Hollywood at the annual Masters of Musical Whistling competition, hoping not just to win but to connect.
This year’s opening night film invites us into a world where sensitive, passionate people gather not just to participate in a public competition but to be seen, to connect, and to honor a shared craft. At the Masters of Musical Whistling festival in Hollywood, founder and force-of-nature Carole Anne Kaufman (aka the Whistling Diva) devotes herself to creating an inclusive, international stage for a typically amateur art form that’s nevertheless deeply meaningful for its performers.
Filmmaker Christopher Nelius and his team hone in on a lively group of individuals who arrive in full possession of their quirks and hopes. As the festival’s rehearsals and stages of competition progress, Nelius captures familiar rhythms — camaraderie, playful competitiveness, and tender gestures of support — revealing a community boundless by the pursuit of victory than by simply being there for each other.
‘Whistle’ reminds us that there is a space for everyone in this world — for connection, care, and mutual support.
The Opening Night screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Chris Nelius and film protagonists Carole Anne Kaufman, Jay Winston, Lauren Elder, Molly Lewis, Anya Ziordia Botella, and Davitt Felder.
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. whistlemovie.com
Director: Christopher Nelius
Producer: Camilla Mazzaferro, Louise Smith, Luke Mazzaferro, Al Hicks, Casey Ventura
Executive Producer: Rob Galluzzo, Sal Navarra, Andrea Cayton, Garrett Cayton, Alice Fiori, William Campbell, Linda A. Cornfield, David J. Cornfield, Paula DuPré Pesmen, Aniela Sidorska, Kevin Marciano, Nelson Khoury
Cinematographer: Kathryn Milliss (ACS)
Editor: Matias Bolla, Johanna Scott
Composer: Haydn Walker
Language: English, Spanish
Year: 2025
Duration: 84 m
Accessibility: Sound-Amplification Headphones upon request
CENTERPIECE
STEAL THIS STORY, PLEASE! – NYC Premiere
In-Person Date – Thursday, November 13, 2025 6:15 PM
Venue – SVA Theatre
In-Person Date
Friday, November 14, 2025 11:15 AM
Venue – IFC Center
Amy Goodman “believes that journalism put to its highest use can be the greatest force for good that the world has ever seen,” says her former colleague Dave Isay in ‘Steal This Story, Please!’ It’s the reason that Goodman and her signature show Democracy Now! (celebrating its 30th year in 2026) are revered for integrity and dauntlessness. DOC NYC alumni Tia Lessin and Carl Deal literally chase after Goodman as she pursues the stories that Western corporate media increasingly finds inconvenient to cover. Along the way, they reveal the personal side to her iconic persona, confirming depths of empathy behind the scenes that balloon our appreciation of the force that is Goodman.
The first and second screenings will be followed by a Q&A with director/producer Carl Deal, director/producer Tia Lessin, and film protagonist Amy Goodman.
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. stealthisstory.org
Director: Carl Deal, Tia Lessin
Producer: Carl Deal, Tia Lessin, Karen Ranucci, Diana Cohn, Caren Spruch
Executive Producer: Dominique Bravo, Julie Cohen, Rosario Dawson, Tom Morello, Tony Tabatznik
Cinematographer: Cliff Charles, Nausheen Dadabhoy, Julia Dengel, Daniel Marracino, Keith Walker
Editor: Mona Davis
Composer: Zoe Keating
Language: English
Year: 2025
Duration: 101 m
Accessibility: Sound-Amplification Headphones upon request
CENTERPIECE
THE MERCHANTS OF JOY – World Premiere
In-Person Date
Friday, November 14, 2025 6:30 PM
Venue – SVA Theatre
For the five families that control NYC’s Christmas tree trade, the most wonderful time of the year starts months before the first fir tree displays hit busy sidewalks in the five boroughs. There is the competition for sources and locations—not to mention strategizing to stretch the proceeds of five scant weeks into a living for the rest of the year. Celia Aniskovich’s delightful peek behind the curtain of a holiday tradition captures a truly singular cast of characters, among them NYC’s seasonal stand workers, who add extra spice to every sale.
The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Celia Aniskovich.
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. dialtonefilms.com/merchantsofjoy
Director: Celia Aniskovich
Producer: Celia Aniskovich, Zoe Vock, Arthur Spector, Joshua Davis, Joshuah Bearman
Executive Producer: Todd Lubin, Ivan Schneeberg, David Fortier, Douglas Banker, Gillian Brown, Ben Affleck, Dani Bernfeld
Cinematographer: Carrie Cheek
Editor: Brett Banks, Samuel Kun
Composer: Jackson Greenberg
Language: English
Year: 2025
Duration: 90 m
Accessibility: Sound-Amplification Headphones upon request
CLOSING NIGHT
ASK E JEAN – NYC Premiere
In-Person Date: Thursday, November 20, 2025 6:30 PM;
Venue: SVA Theatre
Over a five-decade career, the journalist, author, and talk show host E. Jean Carroll has been revered for her brass-tacks style. In 2019, galvanized by the #MeToo movement, Carroll went public with something she had buried for years: She had been sexually assaulted by Donald Trump. When the president accused her of lying, Carroll fought back with two lawsuits. In documenting Carroll’s story, filmmaker Ivy Meeropol juxtaposes the advice Carroll gave — encouraging women to stand up for themselves, to press charges, to never remain silent — with what she did not do herself at the time. Ask E. Jean examines the societal hurdles women face when confronting predatory men and their lies, highlighting the power of truth to combat gaslighting.
The screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Ivy Meeropol.
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. askejeanfilm.com
Director: Ivy Meeropol
Producer: Laura Bickford, Annabelle Dunne, Ivy Meeropol
Executive Producer: Graydon Carter, Ruth Ann Harnisch – The Harnisch Foundation, Geralyn White Dreyfous, Katrina Vanden Heuvel, Sheila Nevins, Jenny Warburg, Alexia Blaze, Jenny Raskin, Mitch Solomon, Emily Lansbury
Cinematographer: Martina Radwan
Editor: Ferne Pearlstein, Leah Goudsmit
Composer: Laura Karpman, Amelia Allen, Elena Pinderhughes
Language: English
Year: 2025
Duration: 91 m
Accessibility: Sound-Amplification Headphones upon request
Special Presentation
THE TRIAL OF ALEC BALDWIN – World Premiere
Thursday, Nov 13 at SVA Theatre
A provocative examination of celebrity spectacle and public vitriol surrounding the prosecution of Alec Baldwin over the tragic accidental death of Halyna Hutchins.
Special Presentation
WE MET AT GROSSINGER’S – World Premiere
Thursday, Nov 13 at IFC Center
A nostalgic, immersive journey through the Jewish Catskills, known as the Borscht Belt, told through the rise and fall of its beloved Grossinger’s Resort and Hotel.
Special Presentation
BENITA – World Premiere
Friday, Nov 14 at IFC Center
An unplanned collaboration between two filmmakers that transcends mortality, exploring whimsical and existential questions as well as the intersection of mental health and creativity.
TICKETS
Get access to all 200+ films in the 2025 program with the All Film Pass (docnyc.net/2025-festival/2025-all-film-pass)
Ticket packs and individual film tickets (docnyc.net/2025-festival/2025-all-film-pass) for in-person and online screenings are also now available.
DOC NYC
Learn more at docnyc.net.
Mabel Pais writes on The Arts and Entertainment, Spirituality, Social Issues, Education, Business, Health and Wellness, and Cuisine.
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