‘Union Town,’ ‘The Hummingbird Paints Fragrant Songs’ and More Among DOC NYC 2026 Lineup — SkimNews
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- DOC NYC returns for its 17th year in Manhattan from Nov. 11-19, continuing online through Nov. 29, with its main slate of 115 feature-length documentaries including 26 world premieres and 27 U.S. premieres.
- "The Hummingbird Paints Fragrant Songs" by Èlia Gasull Balada and Matteo Norzi opens the festival, following 75-year-old Indigenous artist Sara Flores as she emerges from the Peruvian Amazon into the global contemporary art scene.
- "Totality" by Kate Davis and David Heilbroner closes the festival, chronicling the 2024 solar eclipse that swept across a path of North American communities and the power of collectively looking up.
- Barbara Kopple's "Union Town" is the centerpiece, examining three laborers seeking better working conditions, unionization, and basic human decency.
- Special Presentations include world premieres of Joe Berlinger's 1980s televangelist chronicle "Primetime Preacher$" and Abhay and Halavah Sofsky's portrait of the scandal-ridden New Vrindaban commune, "Palace of Gold."
- Artistic director Jaie LaPlante called the slate "especially rich in its breadth, ambition and artistry," noting the lineup spans intimate portraits, urgent investigations, stories of resistance, and films exploring the natural world.
Why it matters: The 115-film slate with 26 world premieres positions DOC NYC as a major launchpad for documentary awards-season contenders, running Nov. 11-19 in Manhattan and online through Nov. 29. Barbara Kopple's labor-focused centerpiece and the Indigenous Peruvian artist portrait in the opening slot show the festival's editorial priorities around social justice and underrepresented voices.
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