DOC NYC, the festival for documentaries, revealed the 2025 award winners for its juried U.S. Competition, International Competition, Metropolis, Kaleidoscope, and Shorts sections, and the festival’s Audience Award.
The awards announcement comes as DOC NYC wraps one of the most successful editions of its in-person festival ever, with more than 24,000 attendees having watched films over nine days in New York alongside more than 1,500 filmmaker and industry guests participating in screenings and panels. Online screenings for the festival’s hybrid 16th edition continue through November 30, with more than 90 features available to stream across the United States, including 14 of the festival’s award winners and more than 100 of the festival’s short films, including both shorts award-winners.
For DOC NYC’s competitive sections, five juries selected films from the festival’s U.S. Competition, International Competition, Metropolis, Kaleidoscope, and Shorts lineups.
JURIED AWARDS, FEATURE FILMS
International Competition: The jury selected from among eight new international productions in this section.
Grand Jury Prize: Imago, directed by Déni Oumar Pitsaev, produced by Alexandra Melot, Anne-Laure Guégan, and Géraldine Sprimont. (U.S. Premiere)
Jurors’ statement: “The jury was deeply moved by Imago’s daring intimacy. Through cinematic layering, vulnerability, and lyricism, the filmmaker turns the camera inward to rebuild identity and familial bonds with rare honesty and grace. Each frame feels intentional and emotionally charged, inviting viewers into a Chechen community seldom seen on screen. The film lingers long after viewing and resonates as both personal confession and cultural revelation.”
Special Mention: 9-Month Contract, directed by Ketevan Vashagashvili, produced by Anna Khazaradze and Nino Chichua. (U.S. Premiere)
Jurors’ statement: “The jury praises 9-Month Contract’s sensitivity and craft, a masterful example of cinéma vérité anchored by trust built between filmmaker and subject. Through precise editing and quiet observation, the film draws us into an intimate portrait of a mother and daughter bound by love and survival, revealing tenderness and dignity amid hardship.”
Jurors: Steve Maing (twice Oscar-shortlisted filmmaker for UNION and Crime + Punishment), Emma D. Miller (producer of DOC NYC-short listed Mistress Dispeller), and Igor Myakotin (producer of Oscar-shortlisted Queendom).
Films featured in the International Competition section: 9-Month Contract, Aurora, El canto de las manos, I, Poppy, Imago, The Lama’s Son, Loss Adjustment, and Zelensky.
U.S. Competition: The jury selected from among eight new American nonfiction films in this section.
Grand Jury Prize: Traces of Home, directed by Colette Ghunim, produced by Sara Maamouri, Dan Rybicky, and Capella Fahoome. (World Premiere)
Jurors’ statement: “The jury was moved by the film’s vulnerability. Using an intimate family lens, it offers a powerful portrayal of parenthood and identity. With tenderness and courage, the filmmaker uses the camera as a tool for reconciliation that bridges generations and cultures. In a time of division, this Traces of Home stands out for its compassion and timely representation of Mexican and Palestinian experiences united by love and resilience.”
Special Mention: Wayumi, directed by Andrew Balcof, produced by Andrew Balcof, David Good, and Elius Kim. (World Premiere)
Jurors’ statement: “Film participant Yarima shines in this strikingly honest two-way fish-out-of-water story about family, belonging, and the effort to bridge two worlds. The jury appreciated the film’s heartfelt and homespun approach. The filmmaker repeatedly chooses to play moments others might be tempted to turn from, sanitize, or push to resolve, offering audiences a refreshingly honest look at a uniquely complex mother-and-son relationship. It’s the kind of film you’ll remember for a long time.”
Jurors: Patricia E. Gillespie (filmmaker of The Fire That Took Her and The Secrets We Bury), Hugo Perez (filmmaker of Omara), Mars Verrone (filmmaker, musician, educator, producer of Oscar-shortlisted UNION).
Films featured in the U.S. Competition section: Mata Hari, Santacon, Sons of Detroit, Thoughts & Prayers, Traces of Home, The Voyage Out, Wayumi, and Y Vân: The Lost Sounds of Saigon.
Metropolis Competition: The jury selected from among six films in this section, which is dedicated to stories about New Yorkers and New York City.
Grand Jury Prize: Artists in Residence, directed by Katie Jacobs, produced by Henry Hayes. (World Premiere)
Jurors’ statement: “The jury was inspired by this moving portrait of women who chose art and independence over convention. The film uses honesty and vérité style to capture the emotional complexity of balancing creativity and identity. It invites reflection rather than easy answers, revealing how friendship, place, and persistence shape a life’s work. A deeply resonant New York story that would have been forgotten if it was not for the making of this film. Artists in Residence celebrates the courage to live authentically and the power of art to define a lifetime.”
Special Mention: Museum of the Night, directed by Fermín Eloy Acosta, produced by Ramiro Pavón, Pablo Ingercher, and Fermín Eloy Acosta. (North American Premiere)
Jurors’ statement: “The jury admired this film’s striking sense of style and consistency. It sets its own rules and follows them with confidence, transporting viewers into a world of art, memory, and self-expression. Through its rich use of archival footage and cinematic tools, the film evokes nostalgia while celebrating the fearless creativity of a bygone era. This is a fascinating, deeply felt journey through the intersections of art and identity.”
Jurors: Felipe Estefan (executive producer of Apocalypse in the Tropics, The Territory, Igualada), Lisa Immordino Vreeland (filmmaker of Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel, Unknown Beauty, Jean Cocteau), Ted Passon (Emmy-award winning filmmaker of Patrice: The Movie and Philly D.A.).
Films featured in the Metropolis section: Artists in Residence, King Hamlet, Museum of the Night, My Sunnyside, The Nutcracker at Wethersfield, and STREET SMART: Lessons from a TV Icon.
Kaleidoscope Competition: The jury selected from among five films in this section, which showcases essayistic and formally adventurous documentaries.
Grand Jury Prize: Shifting Baselines, directed by Julien Elie, produced by Andreas Mendritzki. (NYC Premiere)
Jurors’ statement: “The jury was impressed by how the film expands beyond expectations into a haunting reflection on human ambition and the natural world. Its striking black-and-white cinematography and bold artistic choices draw the viewer into a story that feels both urgent and universal. Balancing power and subtle humor, it transforms the impact of the SpaceX project into a vivid portrait of displacement, border politics, and the cost of progress.”
Jurors: Bill Morrison (Academy Award-nominated filmmaker, “Incident”); Karol Piekarczyk (artistic director, Millennium Docs Against Gravity Film Festival), and Tiffany Sia (artist, writer, and filmmaker).
Films featured in the Kaleidoscope section: The Foul-Mouthed Granny, Lost For Words, Omega Wants to Dance, Shifting Baselines, and Unanimal.
AUDIENCE AWARD
Audience Award Winner: The Pink Pill: Sex, Drugs & Who Has Control, directed by Aisling Chin-Yee, produced by Julie Bristow, Abby Greensfelder. (World Premiere)
An advocate fights to bring a proven female sexual desire pill to market, exposing systemic neglect and double standards in a male-centered medical establishment.
Audience Award Runners-Up (in alphabetical order):
Beyond, directed and produced by Asia Johnson, Michael Kleiman. (World Premiere) Available online through November 30.
The Big Cheese, directed by Sara Joe Wolanksy, produced by James A. Smith, Sara Joe Wolansky. (World Premiere) Available online through November 30.
The Nutcracker at Wethersfield, directed by Anne Sundberg, produced by Julie Seureau, Anne Sundberg. (World Premiere) Available online through November 30.
PRETTY DIRTY: The Life and Times of Marilyn Minter, directed by Jennifer Ash Rudick, Amanda M. Benchley, produced by Debi Wisch, Jennifer Ash Rudick, Amanda M. Benchley. (NYC Premiere) Available online through November 30.
SHORT FILM AWARDS
Shorts Competition: All new short films playing at the festival were eligible for the Shorts Grand Jury Prize, with the exception of Partner Events and Short List: Shorts selections.
Grand Jury Prize: “A View from Home,” directed by Mingzhe Zhou, produced by Yiqian Zhang and Mingzhe Zhou. (U.S. Premiere)
Jurors’ statement: “The jury appreciated this film’s inventive and poetic approach to observing everyday life. Blending humor and sharp editing, it transforms simple moments into a witty reflection on human connection and memory. With echoes of Chantal Akerman, yet a voice all its own, the film finds beauty in the ordinary and meaning in the mundane. It’s an engaging, artistic film that celebrates creativity and the quiet theater of the world around us.”
The 2025 winning short film qualifies for consideration in the Documentary Short Subject category of the annual Academy Awards® without the standard theatrical run (provided the film otherwise complies with the Academy rules).
Special Mention: “A Color I Named Blue,” directed by Sybilla Patrizia, produced by Mai Hosomura and Sybilla Patrizia. (NYC Premiere)
Jurors’ statement: “The jury was captivated by this film’s ability to transform the art of indigo dyeing into a meditation on creation itself. Beautifully shot and rich in detail, it invites viewers into an unfamiliar yet mesmerizing world where science and emotion intertwine. By exploring color with precision and wonder, the film deepens our understanding of both artistic craft and human connection. This is an elegant reflection on perception and the beauty found in imperfection.”
Jurors: Sean Glass (filmmaker and producer), Sam Sarowitz (owner of Posteritati Movie Posters), and Caroline Suh (award-winning director, producer, and showrunner).
Subject Matter: DOC NYC partnered with Subject Matter to present a $25,000 grant from Subject Matter to Nuns vs. The Vatican, directed by Lorena Luciano, to support the film’s audience outreach and impact efforts, along with a corresponding grant of $25,000 to the nonprofit BishopAccountability.org. Subject Matter additionally awarded a $20,000 grant to Sandra Winther’s debut feature Lowland Kids, with a corresponding $20,000 grant to the First People’s Conservation Council, a nonprofit organization. Both films made their U.S. premiere at DOC NYC.
The Louies: DOC NYC announced a $100,000 fund for short films that will make its debut in the 2026 season. To be known as The Louies, and named after Louis Wolfson, a pioneer in television and media, the fund will award three U.S.-based producers with short documentaries in various stages of production, toward completion and release in 2026. Details and an open call for applications will be made public in late spring 2026. The Louies will be proudly presented by DOC NYC and sponsored by the Lynn & Louis Wolfson II Family Foundation.
DOC NYC PRO Pitch Day Awards
AJH Films Pitch Day Award
The AJH Films Pitch Day Award of $6,000 was awarded to director Frank Martin for his work-in-progress project Son of Lazio. AJH Films is an international filmmaking company founded by award-winning documentary filmmaker Alex Holder dedicated to navigating provocative spaces through equitable and dynamic storytelling.
Pitch Day Audience Award
The Pitch Day Audience Award was given to co-directors Sam Cullman and Chris Frierson for their work-in-progress film Cop City. This film follows Atlanta, once celebrated as the cradle of civil rights, as it becomes a new frontline for democracy and dissent, where activists pushing back against a massive police training facility find themselves charged as terrorists. The Pitch Day Audience Award includes a gear bag from Think Tank and a suite of consultations with a range of industry professionals.
