DOC NYC Short Lists Unveiled: Will Ferrell, Malala Yousafzai, and Raoul Peck Films in the Running for Oscar Glory

DOC NYC Short Lists Reveal Potential Oscar Contenders

The 15th annual DOC NYC festival has announced its Short List sections, a prestigious lineup of documentaries that have become a key precursor to the Oscar nominations for Best Documentary Feature and Documentary Short. Held in New York City's Chelsea and Greenwich Village neighborhoods, the festival kicks off on November 13th with the opening night premiere of “Blue Road: The Edna O’Brien Story.”

The Short Lists are a testament to the festival's influence in the documentary world. For 11 of the last 12 years, DOC NYC has screened the documentary feature that went on to win the Academy Award, and the festival has screened 53 of the last 60 Oscar-nominated documentary features.

This year's Short Lists feature an impressive array of documentaries, including:

• “The Remarkable Life of Ibelin,” directed by Benjamin Ree, tells the story of a young man who uses an online game to escape the limitations of his degenerative muscular disease.
• “Ernest Cole: Lost and Found,” directed by Raoul Peck, explores the life and work of the influential South African photographer Ernest Cole.
• “Frida,” directed by Carla Gutiérrez, offers a definitive look at the iconic Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, blending lyrical animation and expressive voice-over.
• “Will and Harper,” directed by Josh Greenbaum, documents a road trip across the United States undertaken by Will Ferrell and his former Saturday Night Live writer, Harper Steele, who is transgender.
• “The Last of the Sea Women,” produced by Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, delves into the community of fisherwomen known as the haenyeo on South Korea’s Jeju Island.

DOC NYC is a must-attend for anyone interested in the world of documentary filmmaking. The festival offers a chance to see the best documentaries of the year, and to learn from the filmmakers themselves.

Short List: Features

Here is a list of the documentaries selected for the Short List: Features:

• THE BIBI FILES (World Premiere)<br>Director: Alexis Bloom
• BLACK BOX DIARIES<br>Director: Shiori Ito
• DAHOMEY<br>Director: Mati Diop
• DAUGHTERS<br>Directors: Natalie Rae, Angela Patton
• ERNEST COLE: LOST AND FOUND (NYC Premiere)<br>Director: Raoul Peck
• FRIDA<br>Director: Carla Gutiérrez
• MOUNTAIN QUEEN: THE SUMMITS OF LHAKPA SHERPA<br>Director: Lucy Walker
• NO OTHER LAND<br>Directors: Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor
• PORCELAIN WAR<br>Directors: Brendan Bellomo, Slava Leontyev
• THE REMARKABLE LIFE OF IBELIN<br>Director: Benjamin Ree
• QUEENDOM<br>Director/Producer: Agniia Galdanova
• SOUNDTRACK TO A COUP D’ETAT<br>Director: Johan Grimonprez
• SUGARCANE<br>Directors: Julian Brave NoiseCat, Emily Kassie
• UNION<br>Director: Brett Story, Stephen Maing
• WILL & HARPER<br>Director: Josh Greenbaum

Short List: Shorts

Here is a list of the documentaries selected for the Short List: Shorts:

• ALL THINGS METAL<br>Director: Motoki Otsuka
• DENIAL<br>Directors: Paul Moakley, Daniel Lombroso
• ETERNAL FATHER<br>Director: Ömer Sami
• GOODBYE, MORGANZA<br>Director: Devon Blackwell
• I AM READY, WARDEN<br>Director: Smriti Mundhra
• INCIDENT<br>Director/Producer: Bill Morrison
• INSTRUMENTS OF A BEATING HEART<br>Director: Ema Ryan Yamazaki
• JULIA’S STEPPING STONES<br>Directors: Julia Reichert, Steve Bognar, Jim Klein
• MOTORCYCLE MARY<br>Director: Haley Watson
• THE ONLY GIRL IN THE ORCHESTRA<br>Director/Producer: Molly O’Brien
• THE QUILTERS<br>Director/Producer: Jenifer McShane
• SEAT 31: ZOOEY ZEPHYR<br>Directors/Producer: Kimberly Reed
• A SWIM LESSON<br>Directors: Rashida Jones, Will McCormack
• THE TURNAROUND<br>Directors: Kyle Thrash, Ben Proudfoot
• UNTIL HE’S BACK<br>Director/Producer: Jacqueline Baylon

Winner’s Circle

• HOLLYWOODGATE<br>Director: Ibrahim Nash’at
• THE LAST OF THE SEA WOMEN<br>Director: Sue Kim
• A NEW KIND OF WILDERNESS<br>Director: Silje Evensmo Jacobsen
• NOCTURNES<br>Directors: Anirban Dutta, Anupama Srinivasan
• PATRICE: THE MOVIE<br>Director: Ted Passon