{"id":2433,"date":"2025-10-14T21:59:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-14T21:59:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/2433\/"},"modified":"2025-10-14T21:59:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-14T21:59:10","slug":"2025-doc-nycs-awards-short-list-cover-up-to-perfect-neighbor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/2433\/","title":{"rendered":"2025 DOC NYC’s Awards Short List: Cover-Up to Perfect Neighbor"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sixteen-year-old\u00a0DOC NYC<\/a>, America\u2019s largest documentary festival, has revealed its influential 15-film<\/a>\u00a0Short List. The festival will run its main lineup of 116 features, 30 world premieres, 34 U.S. premieres, and 113 short films in-person November 12-20 in New York City\u2019s IFC Center, SVA Theatre, and Village East by Angelika and continue online until November 30 with films available to viewers across the U.S. All the films will have theatrical screenings at the festival, often with the directors in person.<\/p>\n

Historically, most of the\u00a0DOC NYC shortlist<\/a>\u00a0titles overlap with the Academy\u2019s official 15-film Oscar shortlist. With the notable exception of Netflix\u2019s Oscar-winning \u201cMy Octopus Teacher,\u201d for 13 of the last 14 years, the festival has screened the documentary that went on to win the Academy Award, including \u201cNo Other Land,\u201d \u201c20 Days in Mariupol,\u201d \u201cNavalny,\u201d \u201cSummer of Soul,\u201d \u201cAmerican Factory,\u201d \u201cFree Solo,\u201d \u201cIcarus,\u201d \u201cO.J.: Made in America,\u201d \u201cAmy,\u201d \u201cCitizenfour,\u201d \u201c20 Feet from Stardom,\u201d \u201cSearching for Sugar Man,\u201d and \u201cUndefeated.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Ethan<\/a> \"4238_D045_00238_R<\/a> <\/p>\n

And the festival has screened 59 of the last 70 Oscar-nominated documentary features. DOC NYC\u2019s Short List: Features selection committee is overseen by Artistic Director Jaie Laplante and Director of Special Projects Thom Powers. <\/p>\n

The Short Lists sections showcase a selection of nonfiction features and shorts that the festival\u2019s programming team considers to be among the year\u2019s strongest contenders for Oscars<\/a> and other prizes, while Winner\u2019s Circle is a celebration of films already awarded at major international film events that are worthy of additional consideration. Selects Encore showcases significant titles from DOC NYC\u2019s year-round Selects screening series \u2014 films that continue to be part of our awards<\/a> season conversations.<\/p>\n

DOC NYC\u2019s 2025 Short List screenings will include two New York City premieres: Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni\u2019s \u201cCutting Through Rocks,\u201d winner of the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary at this year\u2019s Sundance Film Festival, and David Borenstein\u2019s \u201cMr. Nobody Against Putin,\u201d a Sundance award winner recently chosen to represent Denmark in the Best International Film category at the 98th Academy Awards.<\/p>\n

Movies that overlap both the Critics Choice Association (CCA) Feature Documentary nominees and DOC NY Short List are particularly strong future awards contenders. The CCA nominees for its tenth annual\u00a0Critics Choice Documentary Awards were announced Tuesday<\/a> and include DOC NYC listed \u201cOrwell: 2+2=5<\/a>\u201d (Neon) with seven nominations, and\u00a0\u201cThe Perfect Neighbor\u201d<\/a> (Netflix) with six, followed by \u201c2000 Meters to Andriivka\u201d (Frontline Features \/ The Associated Press), \u201cApocalypse in the Tropics\u201d (Netflix), \u201cCover-Up\u201d (Netflix), and \u201cThe Tale of Silyan\u201d (National Geographic).<\/p>\n

See below for the complete slates for each section. <\/p>\n

This year\u2019s selections for Short List: Features are:<\/p>\n

\"'Apocalypse\u2018Apocalypse in the Tropics\u2019FRANCISCO PRONER\/VU\u2019 POUR L\u2019OBS<\/p>\n

\u201c2000 Meters to Andriivka\u201d
Director: Mstyslav Chernov
Producers: Mstyslav Chernov, Michelle Mizner, Raney Aronson-Rath
After taking us through the beginning of Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in his Oscar-winning 20 Days in Mariupol, Mstyslav Chernov and his creative team give us a perspective of the war more than a year on.<\/p>\n

\u201cApocalypse in the Tropics\u201d
Director: Petra Costa
Producers: Petra Costa, Alessandra Orofino
Christian fundamentalism has seized political discourse in Brazil, and this clear-eyed, deeply troubling, and internationally resonant distillation examines the implications.<\/p>\n

\u201cCo-Existence, My Ass!\u201d
Director: Amber Fares
Producers: Rachel Leah Jones, Amber Fares
Disillusioned with politics, Noam Shuster Eliassi pivots to the world of stand-up comedy as a means of communicating her \u201cradical\u201d message that Palestinians and Israelis deserve equal human rights.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome See Me in the Good Light\u201d
Director: Ryan White
Producers: Ryan White, Jessica Hargrave, Tig Notaro, Stef Willen
A poignant and unexpectedly funny love story about poets Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley facing an incurable cancer diagnosis with joy, wit, and an unshakable partnership.<\/p>\n

\u201cCover-Up\u201d
Directors: Laura Poitras, Mark Obenhaus
Producers: Yoni Golijov, Laura Poitras, Mark Obenhaus, Olivia Streisand
A chronicle of Seymour Hersh\u2019s groundbreaking investigative journalism, exposing systemic deception within US military and intelligence agencies, blending personal narrative with an examination of institutional accountability.<\/p>\n

\u201cCutting Through the Rocks\u201d * (NYC Premiere)
Directors\/Producers: Sara Khaki, Mohammadreza Eyni
In rural Iran, a trailblazing councilwoman empowers girls through motorcycles and activism\u2014but when her motives are questioned, her fight against patriarchy becomes a deeply personal reckoning.<\/p>\n

\u201cHeightened Scrutiny\u201d
Director: Sam Feder
Producers: Amy Scholder, Sam Feder, Paola Mendoza
As a transphobic firestorm sweeps American culture and legislatures, ACLU lawyer Chase Strangio becomes the first trans man to argue a case before the Supreme Court.<\/p>\n

\u201cMistress Dispeller\u201d
Director: Elizabeth Lo
Producers: Emma D. Miller, Elizabeth Lo, Maggie Li
Desperate to save her marriage, a woman in China hires a professional to go undercover and break up her husband\u2019s affair.<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Nobody Against Putin\u201d (NYC Premiere)
Directors: David Borenstein, Pasha Talankin
Producer: Helle Faber
Amid Russia\u2019s wartime propaganda, a teacher secretly films the militarization of education, risking everything to expose the state\u2019s manipulation of youth\u2014and the quiet courage of those who defy it.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay\u201d
Director: Mariska Hargitay
Producers: Mariska Hargitay, Trish Adlesic
Mariska Hargitay embarks on a deeply personal journey to uncover the real Jayne Mansfield\u2014her iconic mother\u2014through rare footage, intimate interviews, and a search for lost memories.<\/p>\n

\u201cOrwell: 2=2=5\u201d
Director: Raoul Peck
Producers: Alex Gibney, Raoul Peck, George Chignell, Nick Shumaker
A stirring depiction of the dangers of power and the fragility of so-called civilized society, told through the vision of George Orwell (1984), who just might hold the key to the world\u2019s future.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Perfect Neighbor\u201d
Director: Geeta Gandbhir
Producers: Alisa Payne, Geeta Gandbhir, Nikon Kwantu, Sam Bisbee
Raw police bodycam footage provides a shocking, clear-eyed chronicle of a neighborhood dispute\u2019s tragic escalation in Florida, examining the deadly consequences of \u201cstand your ground\u201d laws and systemic racial tensions.<\/p>\n

\u201cPredators\u201d
Director: David Osit
Producers: Jamie Gon\u00e7alves, Kellen Quinn, David Osit
Nearly 20 years after the NBC Dateline show \u201cTo Catch a Predator\u201d went off the air in scandal, filmmaker David Osit contemplates the complicity of both host and viewer in our \u201csociety of the spectacle.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPut Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk\u201d
Director: Sepideh Farsi
Producers: Javad Djavahery, Annie Ohayon-Dekel
A powerful act of witness and remembrance, this urgent, deeply personal documentary unfolds through video calls between filmmaker Sepideh Farsi and 25-year-old Palestinian photojournalist and poet Fatma Hassona.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Tale of Silyan\u201d
Director: Tamara Kotevska
Producers: Tamara Kotevska, Jean Dakar, Anna Hashmi, Jordanco Petkovski
A magical Macedonian folktale comes to life when an unlikely savior rescues a wounded white stork, transforming both of their lives for the better.<\/p>\n

SHORT LIST: SHORTS
The Short List: Shorts showcase of 15 titles is now in its eighth year at DOC NYC. The selection process is overseen by Artistic Director Jaie Laplante, Director of Special Projects Thom Powers, and consultant Samah Ali. In 2024, the showcase included The Only Girl in the Orchestra, which went on to win the Oscar.
This year\u2019s selections for Short List: Shorts are:<\/p>\n

\u201cAll the Empty Rooms\u201d
Director: Joshua Seftel
Producers: Joshua Seftel, Conall Jones, James Costa, Trevor Burgess
A longtime TV journalist teams up with a photographer to document empty bedrooms of children lost to gun violence, revealing spaces where grief speaks louder than statistics and memory refuses to fade.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll the Walls Came Down\u201d
Director: Ondi Timoner
Producers: Ondi Timoner, Eli O. Timoner, Maggie Contreras
After losing her home in the 2025 Eaton Fire, Ondi Timoner turns the camera on herself and her neighbors, revealing profound racial and economic inequities exposed by disaster descending on Altadena, California.<\/p>\n

\u201cAm I the Skinniest Person You\u2019ve Ever Seen?\u201d
Director: Eisha Marjara
Producers: Joe Balass, Ariel Nasr
Two sisters\u2019 pact to go on a diet together lit the spark for one sibling\u2019s eating disorder.<\/p>\n

\u201cArmed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud\u201d
Directors: Brent Renaud, Craig Renaud
Producers: Juan Arredondo, Christof Putzel
After journalist Brent Renaud is killed in Ukraine, his brother completes his final report\u2014shaping a haunting tribute to frontline storytellers who risk everything to illuminate the human cost of war.<\/p>\n

\u201cChildren No More: Were and Gone\u201d
Director: Hilla Medalia
Producers: Sheila Nevins, Yael Melamede, Hilla Medalia
In Tel Aviv, silent vigils mourn Gaza\u2019s children\u2014absent, yet achingly present in large-scale photographs. Defying public scorn to confront a war\u2019s toll, the activists\u2019 quiet protests echo louder than words.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Devil is Busy\u201d
Directors: Christalyn Hampton, Geeta Gandbhir
Producers: Rose Arce, Christalyn Hampton, Amber Fares
At an Atlanta abortion clinic besieged by protesters, the director of operations, Tracy, takes on risks to safeguard staff and patients.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast Days on Lake Trinity\u201d
Director\/Producer: Charlotte Cooley
Faced with their beloved South Florida trailer park\u2019s imminent closure, three single, older women band together to fight their eviction and save their community while confronting the specter of homelessness.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe It\u2019s Just the Rain\u201d
Director: Reina Bonta
Producers: Mel Mah, Frankie Rubio
Through home videos and voicemails, a young Filipino-American soccer player relives her team\u2019s historic World Cup win\u2014culminating in a return to her roots and a journey that is both personal and profound.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh Yeah!\u201d
Director\/Producer: Nick Canfield
From Swiss avant-garde roots to American pop culture, two artists crafted a song that became a cultural touchstone. Exploring its legacy through archival footage and interviews reveals its enduring influence.<\/p>\n

\u201cQotzuni: People of the Lake\u201d
Directors\/Producers: Gast\u00f3n Zilberman, Michael Salama
Bolivia\u2019s Lake Poop\u00f3 has evaporated, and as Qotzu\u00f1is, People of the Lake, the Uru-Murato community faces the cultural and economic consequences.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Reality of Hope\u201d
Director: Joe Hunting
Producers: Joe Hunting, Max Willson
From digital dreamscapes to real-world sacrifice, a VR friendship becomes a lifeline when a New Yorker journeys to Sweden to donate a kidney\u2014revealing tenderness within a vibrant online world.<\/p>\n

\u201cSongs of Black Folk\u201d
Directors: Justin Emeka, Haley Watson
Producer: Haley Watson
Under Ram\u00f3n Bryant Braxton\u2019s direction, Black artists of all ages unite in a powerful Juneteenth celebration, bridging generations through music that honors history, resilience, and the enduring spirit of community.<\/p>\n

\u201cTessitura\u201d
Directors\/Producers: Lydia Cornett, Brit Fryer
Transgender opera singers navigate and reshape the rigid boundaries of their art, intertwining personal stories with history to challenge tradition and reveal the evolutionary fluidity of voice and gender.<\/p>\n

\u201cTiger\u201d
Director: Loren Waters
Producers: Loren Waters, Dana Tiger
Haunted by the loss of her brother and father, a Muscogee Creek artist battles grief and disease to rebuild her family\u2019s iconic T-shirt business and reclaim an artistic heritage.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe Were the Scenery\u201d
Director: Christopher Radcliff
Producers: Cathy Linh Che, Jess X. Snow
As war survivors relive trauma onscreen, their home movies quietly reclaim a lost South Vietnam\u2014challenging a mythology that made them extras in their own history.<\/p>\n

\u201cWinner\u2019s Circle\u201d
The DOC NYC Winner\u2019s Circle for documentary features, introduced in 2019, highlights films that arrive at DOC NYC with significant awards pedigrees already in place. Past films shown in Winner\u2019s Circle that all went on to further acclaim include Writing with Fire, The Mole Agent, A House Made of Splinters, Hollywoodgate, In the Rearview, Bad Axe, Midnight Family, and Advocate. To qualify for inclusion in this category, films must have won a major award at a significant international or US film festival.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s selections for Winner\u2019s Circle are:<\/p>\n

\u201cBelow the Clouds\u201d
Director: Gianfranco Rosi
Producers: Donatella Palermo, Gianfranco Rosi, Paolo Del Brocco
Under Naples\u2019 skies and Vesuvius\u2019 shadow, voices rise in a black\u2011and\u2011white tableau \u2013 everyday lives and history unearthed, memory and ruin fuse into a haunting meditation on what remains unseen. Winner, Special Jury Prize, Venice International Film Festival<\/p>\n

\"Below\u2018Below the Clouds\u2019Courtesy Venice Film Festival<\/p>\n

\u201cHolding Liat\u201d
Director: Brandon Kramer
Producers: Darren Aronofsky, Lance Kramer, Yoni Brook, Ari Handel, Justin A. Gon\u00e7alves
An intimate following of a family\u2019s fight for their abducted loved one in Israel, revealing the fragile threads of hope and grief amid the devastation of geopolitical violence. Winner, Berlinale Documentary Award, Berlin International Film Festival<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Librarians\u201d
Director: Kim A. Snyder
Producer: Kim A. Snyder, Janique L. Robillard, Maria Cuomo Cole, Jana Edelbaum
In our politically polarized era, librarians across America have found their profession under siege as an unprecedented wave of book banning hits Texas, Florida, and beyond. Winner, Best Documentary Feature<\/a>, Dallas International Film Festival<\/p>\n

\u201cLife After\u201d
Director: Reid Davenport
Producer: Colleen Cassingham
A gripping investigative documentary exposing the tangled web of moral dilemmas, ableism, and profit motives surrounding assisted dying. Winner, U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award, Sundance Film Festival<\/p>\n

\u201cSecret Mall Apartment\u201d
Director: Jeremy Workman
Producers: Jeremy Workman, Matthew Spain
In 2003, eight young Rhode Island artists created a secret apartment in a hidden space inside a mall. Their act of defiance against gentrification becomes a bold expression of ingenious creativity. Winner, Grand Jury Prize: Documentary, Independent Film Festival Boston<\/p>\n

\u201cSeeds\u201d
Director: Brittany Shyne
Producers: Danielle Varga, Sabrina Gordon
Following Black generational farmers in the American South, Seeds weaves intimate moments into a poetic tribute to legacy, land, and the enduring ties that bind family and community. Winner, U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary, Sundance Film Festival<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sixteen-year-old\u00a0DOC NYC, America\u2019s largest documentary festival, has revealed its influential 15-film\u00a0Short List. The festival will run its main…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2434,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[2470,3054,3055,2401,3056,749,9,56,63,65,64,3057],"class_list":["post-2433","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york-city","tag-awards","tag-best-documentary-feature","tag-critics-choice-awards","tag-doc-nyc","tag-festivals","tag-film","tag-new-york","tag-ny","tag-nyc","tag-nyc-headlines","tag-nyc-news","tag-oscars"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2433","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2433"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2433\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2434"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2433"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2433"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2433"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}