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DOC NYC · 2019

DOC NYC 2019

Short List

Programme

14 films · 9 reviews

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American Factory

Review preview for American Factory

This consideration of multiple lives, rather than one constructed arc serves to underline the sense that each person is only a small cog turning in the bigger wheel of the machine.

Amber Wilkinson · 4.5 out of 5
In post-industrial Ohio, a Chinese billionaire opens a new factory in the husk of an abandoned General Motors plant, hiring 2,000 blue-collar Americans. Early days of hope and optimism give way to setbacks as high-tech China clashes with working-class America.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert)

Full review

The Apollo

The history of Harlem's Apollo.

(Year: 2019; Director: Roger Ross Williams; Writer: Cassidy Hartmann, Jean Tsien, Roger Ross Williams; Stars: Jamie Foxx, Patti LaBelle, Smokey Robinson, Pharrell Williams, Jamie Foxx, Patti LaBelle, Smokey Robinson, Pharrell Williams)

Apollo 11

Review preview for Apollo 11

Despite knowing, thanks to the consumption of a dozen or so books, how things would play out...I still found myself tensing up when we see the Eagle lunar lander begin its descent

Owen Van Spall · 4 out of 5
A purely archival reconstruction of humanity’s first trip to another world, featuring never-before-seen 70mm footage and never-before-heard audio from the mission.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Todd Douglas Miller)

Full review

Ask Dr Ruth

A documentary portrait chronicling the incredible life of Dr. Ruth Westheimer, a Holocaust survivor who became America's most famous sex therapist. As her 90th birthday approaches, Dr. Ruth revisits her painful past and her career at the forefront of the sexual revolution.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Ryan White)

The Biggest Little Farm

Review preview for The Biggest Little Farm

The real joy in the film lies in watching what started out as barren land gradually bloom over the years.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
Filmmaker chronicles his own efforts and that of his wife, to trade in their city life for a small farm dream.

(Country: US; Year: 2018; Director: John Chester; Writer: John Chester, Mark Monroe; Stars: John Chester, Molly Chester, John Chester, Molly Chester)

Full review

Diego Maradona

Constructed from over 500 hours of never-before-seen footage, this documentary centres on the career of celebrated football player Diego Maradona who played for SSC Napoli in the 1980s.

(Country: UK; Year: 2019; Director: Asif Kapadia)

The Edge Of Democracy

Review preview for The Edge Of Democracy

There's a lot of ground to cover, but Costa keeps a strong grip on the material

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
Consideration of post-dictatorship politics and the resurgent right in Brazil.

(Country: Brazil; Year: 2019; Director: Petra Costa; Stars: Dilma Rousseff, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Marisa Letícia Lula da Silva, Sergio Moro, Nestor Cerveró, Paulo Roberto Costa, Marcelo Odebrecht, Lindbergh Farias, Jovair Arantes, José Eduardo Cardozo, Eduardo Cunha, Carlos Henrique Gaguim, Paulo Maluf, Roberto Requião, Jean Wyllys)

Full review

The Elephant Queen

Documentary about an elephant and her family.

(Country: UK, Kenya; Year: 2018; Director: Mark Deeble, Victoria Stone; Writer: Mark Deeble)

For Sama

Review preview for For Sama

Al-Kateab and Watt capture not just the horror of war but the vibrancy of those attempting to carry on their lives as best they can against its backdrop.

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
A young woman's struggles with love, war and motherhood over the span of five years in Syria.

(Country: UK; Year: 2019; Director: Waad al-Khateab, Edward Watts)

Full review See: Interview with Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts about For Sama

The Great Hack

Data, arguably the world’s most valuable asset, is being weaponized to wage cultural and political wars. The dark world of data exploitation is uncovered through the unpredictable personal journeys of players on different sides of the explosive Cambridge Analytica/Facebook data story.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Karim Amer, Jehane Noujaim; Writer: Karim Amer)

Honeyland

Review preview for Honeyland

The directors let the humanism shine out without resorting to sentimentality, capturing moments of joy, such as the pleasure of shared, sticky honey with the same lack of artifice as moments of pain or grief.

Amber Wilkinson · 5 out of 5
When nomadic beekeepers break Honeyland's basic rule (take half of the honey, but leave half to the bees), the last female beehunter in Europe must save the bees and restore natural balance.

(Country: Republic of Macedonia; Year: 2019; Director: Tamara Kotevska, Ljubomir Stefanov)

Full review

The Kingmaker

Review preview for The Kingmaker

Greenfield keeps tight control, allowing Marcos to say what she wants, while busily illustrating the opposing perspective.

Amber Wilkinson · 5 out of 5
Documentary about the Marcos family and Imelda's continued influence on politics in the Philippines.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Lauren Greenfield; Writer: Lauren Greenfield; Stars: Imelda Marcos)

Full review

Knock Down The House

Review preview for Knock Down The House

The documentary is clearly on the side of candidates, which is fine, but it could also benefit from a bit more scepticism and empathy for its auxiliary subjects.

Jeremy Mathews · 3 out of 5
Four young Democratic candidates take on established incumbents in the US 2018 election.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Rachel Lears; Stars: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Cori Bush, Joe Crowley, Paula Jean Swearengin, Amy Vilela, Isra Allison, Zoltan Boka, Saikat Chakrabarti, Jozette Figueredo, Shalynne Figueredo, Jo-Ann Floyd-Whitehead, Darryl Gray, John Iadarola, Keenan Korth, Joe Manchin III)

Full review

One Child Nation

Review preview for One Child Nation

Wang and Zhang are to be commended for fitting as much in as they do, even if it does mean the film roams about rather than having a single focus.

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
After becoming a mother, a filmmaker uncovers the untold history of China’s one-child policy and the generations of parents and children forever shaped by this social experiment.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Jialing Zhang and Nanfu Wang)

Full review