'Dr. American,' 'Nezza,' 'Mask,' Elizabeth Holmes Doc and More Make DOC NYC Shortlist

DOC NYC announced its influential shortlist Wednesday, often a reliable barometer of which documentaries connect with awards voters as Oscar season heats up. Among the films making up the festival's shortlist: Ava DuVernay's 14th film; 'You Can See Everything,' an Elizabeth Holmes documentary directed by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim. Sundance winner […]

DOC NYC announced its impressive shortlist Wednesday, often a reliable measure of how documentaries are connecting with awards voters as Oscar season heats up.

Among the films that make up the shortlist of the festival's features: Ava DuVernay's 14th film; You Can See Everything, a documentary centered on Elizabeth Holmes directed by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim. Sundance winners To Hold a Mountain directed by Biljana Tutorov and Petar Glomazić and Once Upon a Time in Harlem directed by David Greaves. Two films with a focus on Gaza were also shortlisted: American Doctor, directed by Poe Si Teng, and Naza, directed by Oscar winners Yuval Abraham and Rachel Zor. DOC NYC Documentary Related Stories Honoring documentarians Alex Gibney, JT Takagi, Stephen Ming and Renee Aronson-Roth DOC NYC Documentary: Top honors go to 'Imago', 'Traces Of Home', 'The Pink Pill'.

Browse the full list of films to create the DOC NYC Shortlist for Short Films and Short Films. DOC NYC also announced films for the Winner's Circle and Selects Encore sections, rounding out the 2026 schedule. The festival will be held in person November 11-19 at the IFC Center, SVA Theater and Village East by Angelika in New York City. It continues online through November 29 (with films available to viewers across the US). Watch on Deadline

The DOC NYC Shortlist: Features Selection Committee is overseen by Artistic Director Jay LaPlante and Director of Special Projects Tom Powers.

"The shortlists showcase a selection of non-fiction features and short films that the festival's programming team considers to be among the year's strongest contenders for Oscars and other awards, while the Winner's Circle is a celebration of films that have already won awards at international events and major American films that are worth further consideration. Selects Encore showcases major titles from DOC NYC's year-round series of select screenings—films that continue to be part of our awards season conversations.

Winners' Circle screenings include the New York premiere of Pegah Soharani's Rehearsals for a Revolution - winner of the Gold Award for Best Documentary at Cannes and the UK's submission for Best International Feature Film at the Oscars - and Michał Marczak's Close, winner of the Gold Award for Greek Documentary at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival.

Among the short documentaries shortlisted by DOC NYC: The Worst Writer's Speech Ever, directed by two-time Academy Award winner Ben Proudfoot and NBA great Stephen Curry; Boys and Bees directed by Ariel Knight; La Tierra del Valor (House of the Brave) directed by Cristina Costantini; They Are Here directed by Laura Poitras and Rachel Lauren Mueller; Revolution Against Death directed by Joshua Oppenheimer; The Tuners directed by Pawel Piotr Chorzepa and Water Cooler directed by Emma V.F.

This year's selections for the shortlist include:

Director: Ava DuVernay; Producers: Ava DuVernay, Spencer Orrick, Tommy Garnes, Paul Garnes

A powerful film essay that examines the legacy of the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Director: Poh Si Teng; Producers: Poe Si Teng, Christine Barfoud, Reem Haddad

An unflinchingly visceral film about three prominent American doctors as they support Israel's war campaign in person at a hospital in Gaza treating victims of mass casualty incidents.

Director: Rob Moss; Producers: Lisa Remington, Christian Feeley

A masterful meditation on the eternal, the temporary and the inevitable, from veteran filmmaker Rob Moss.

Director: Felipe Bustos Sierra; Producer: Ciara Berry

The uplifting portrayal of resistance focuses on an incident in 2021 when immigration officers raided Glasgow's Kenmore Street.

Directors: Mehrdad Eskoui, Soraya Akhli; Producer: Mehrdad Eskoui

A young and talented Afghan woman living in Iran under the control of patriarchy directs her emotions to express unforgettable art.

Directors: Stephen Ming, Eric Daniel Metzger; Producers: Steven Ming, Eric Daniel Metzgar, Freiha Zaman

Traversing the United States from 2016 to 2020, patient observational filmmaking becomes a temperature control for American democracy—what George Washington described as the last great experiment in promoting human happiness in civil society. Co-director Stephen Ming will receive the Robert and Ann Drew Award for Documentary Excellence at this year's DOC NYC Visionaries Tribute.

Director: Alex Gibney; Producers: Alex Gibney, Jesse Dieter, Erin Edkin, Zhang Xin, Joy Mara, Nick Schumacher, Jessica Grimshaw, Dana O'Keefe

An epic work that shows the world's first trillionaire, Elon Musk. Director Alex Gibney will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at this year's DOC NYC Visionaries tribute.

Directors: Yuval Abraham, Rachel Zor; Producers: Harry Davis, Lindsey Poulton, James Wilson

Anonymous members of the IDF reflect candidly on their attitudes toward civilian casualties, known as Naza, and how they process the meaning of genocide.

Director: David Graves; Producers: Leanne Graves, Anne du Mare

A magnificent evening depicting a vital period of American culture as prominent figures active in the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s reminisce.

Directors: Itab Azzam, Jack MacInnes; Producers: Will Anderson, James Blumel, Andrew Palmer, Renee Aaronson-Roth

The events of a Syrian girl's journey in fleeing the war and taking refuge in Germany, and how, over ten years, new pressures and opportunities show themselves.

Director: J.M. Harper; Producers: Sam Bisbee, Daniel Massey, JM Harper, Nasir Jones, Peter Bittenbender

A hidden chapter in American military history - the first black special operations team of the Vietnam War, an elite unit operating deep behind enemy lines.

Director: Sara Dosa; Producers: Shane Burris, Elijah Stevens, Jamka Autry, Sara Dossa

A letter to the next generation by an Icelandic poet, who reflects on the melting glaciers that herald climate change.

Directors: Biljana Tutorov, Petar Glomazić; Producers: Biliana Tutorov, Petar Glomazic, Quentin Loren, Rock Bicek

In the remote highlands of Montenegro, the spirit of the mother, the violence of men and the sanctity of the mountain collide and reconcile.

Director: Penny Lane; Producers: Gabriel Sedgwick, Nicholas Haase

In 2023, Flako the Eurasian owl has become an international folk hero and a mythical figure for a world where many find themselves far removed from their roots.

Directors: Nathan Fielder, Lance Oppenheim; Producers: Nathan Fielder, Lance Oppenheim, Tatiana Beers, Maggie Ambrose, Jack Davis

As she prepares to begin serving her federal prison sentence, disgraced Silicon Valley tycoon Elizabeth Holmes continues to claim she has never lied, while absurdist documentarians in America record her every word.

The Short List: Shorts is a showcase of 15 titles now in its ninth year at DOC NYC. The selection process is overseen by art director Jay LaPlante, director of special projects Tom Powers and consultant Samah Ali. In 2025, Showcase included All the Empty Rooms, which won an Academy Award.