DOC NYC
November 8 -15
IFC Center, SVA Theater and Cinépolis Chelsea
Films Co-Presented by Cinema Tropical
DECADE OF FIRE
(Vivian Vazquez, Gretchen Hildebran, USA, 72 min. In English and Spanish with English subtitles. World premiere)
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In the 1970s, the Bronx was on fire. Left unprotected by the city government, nearly a half-million people were displaced as their close-knit, multiethnic neighborhood burned, reducing the community to rubble. While insidious government policies caused the devastation, Black and Latino residents bore the blame. In this story of hope and resistance, Bronx native Vivian Vazquez exposes the truth about the borough’s sordid history and reveals how her embattled and maligned community chose to resist, remain and rebuild.
Expected to Attend: Directors Vivian Vazquez, Gretchen Hildebran; producers Neyda Martinez, Julia Steele Allen; cinematographer Eddie Martinez; consulting producer Yoruba Richen; graphic designer David Tecson; composer Arturo Ortiz; Moderator, Chi-hui Yang, JustFilms | Ford Foundation
Saturday, November 10, 2018, 4:15pm at the SVA Theatre
WITKIN & WITKIN
(Trisha Ziff, Mexico, 2017, 93 min. In Spanish and English with English subtitles. New York premiere)
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Joel-Peter Witkin is a celebrated photographer, known for dark tableaux full of disturbing images. His identical twin brother Jerome is an equally acclaimed figurative painter, whose work explores sociohistorical themes. These two gifted artists rarely communicate with one another, maintaining separate lives despite their shared upbringing. Told almost entirely by the women in their lives, Trisha Ziff’s intimate film explores themes of love, loss and distance, while showcasing the Witkins’ fascinating bodies of work. When they reunite for their first-ever joint exhibition, will the brothers’ artistic collaboration change their perspectives on their own – or each other’s – work and lives?
Expected to Attend: Director Trisha Ziff
Sun, November 11, 7:15pm at Cinépolis Chelsea
I'M LEAVING NOW (USA/Mexico)
(Ya me voy, Lindsey Cordero and Armando Croda, USA/Mexico, 2018, U.S. premiere)
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Felipe, an undocumented immigrant, combs the streets of New York City collecting cans to survive on the margins of society. After 16 years of hard living, he makes plans to return to Mexico but discovers his family has squandered his money and are in debt. Felipe must decide how much more he can sacrifice for a family he no longer knows. I’m Leaving Now (Ya me voy) deftly explores the shifting of one’s allegiances through time and distance, and the delusions we tell ourselves to make peace with fate.
Felipe, an undocumented immigrant in NYC who has long struggled to support his family in Mexico, faces the limits of self-sacrifice.
Expected to Attend: Director/Producer Lindsey Cordero, Director/Producer/Editor Armando Croda; writer/producer Josh Alexander; co-producer Xavier Velasco, film subjects.
Sunday, November 11, 9:15pm at the IFC Center
PATRIMONIO
(Lisa F. Jackson, Sarah Teale, USA/Mexico. New York premiere)
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In Baja, Mexico, a multinational developer plans to build an extensive wellness oasis, which will include nearly 4,500 homes and create a footprint that will engulf the local fishing community of Todos Santos. Faced with the encroachment of their natural resources, depletion of the local ecology and severe pollution, the fishermen band together to fight the developer and government agencies that enable these extreme resorts. Led by an inspiring young attorney, can this humble group succeed in stopping this unsustainable development and preserve their way of life?
Expected to Attend: Director/Producers Sarah Teale, Lisa F. Jackson; film subjects John Moreno, Quirino Cota, Elena Moreno.
Tuesday, November 13, 5:15pm at the IFC Center
Wednesday, November 14, 10:15am at the IFC Center
HARVEST SEASON
(Bernardo Ruiz, USA, 2018, 83 min. In Spanish and English with English subtitles. New York premiere)
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Lush and luxurious, California’s Napa and Sonoma Valleys are known for their top-notch wine making. The unsung heroes of the industry are the vineyard workers and small producers, who lovingly oversee all aspects of the wine-making process, from vine to vintage. Unfolding over the course of one of the most dramatic harvests in history, Bernardo Ruiz’s film follows three people whose lives are rooted in wine making, immersing the audience in the challenging and unpredictable process.
Expected to Attend: Director Bernardo Ruiz; associate producer Andrea Cordoba; cinematographer Victor Tadashi Suarez; editor Fiona Otway
Tuesday, November 13, 10:30am at the IFC Center
Thursday, November 15, 5pm at the IFC Center
THE GREAT MOTHER
(Dave LaMattina & Chad Walker, USA, 2018, 93 min. In English and Spanish with English subtitles)
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WORLD PREMIERE Nora Sandigo has more than 2,000 kids. The fierce immigration activist serves as the legal guardian for US-born children of undocumented immigrants who have been deported. Were it not for her, many would be forced into the foster care system, keeping them legally separated from their parents. The Great Mother profiles this inspiring woman, who not only provides economic, legal and emotional support for her charges, but lobbies Congress for immigration reform despite an increasingly hostile political climate.
Expected to Attend: Director Dave LaMattina, Chad Walker; film subjects Nora Sandigo, Reymundo Otero, Valerie Travi, Ritibh Kay Kumar.
Thursday, November 15, 7:45pm at the IFC Center
