The Oscar documentary race officially heats up as DOC NYC announced its annual Short List programme today. The series includes many of the top titles expected to land on the Academy’s shortlist in December. DOC NYC’s Short List includes features like Ryan White’s Come See Me in the Good Light, which shares the story of late poet Andrea Gibson as they face a terminal cancer diagnosis and invite audiences into their final days filled with love and laughter with partner Megan Falley. Gibson passed away this July.
Come See Me in the Good Light has been a critical and audience favourite on the circuit, winning the Festival Favourite award at Sundance and the Audience Award at Hot Docs—only film the second film to score the top prize at both festivals. The first was The Cove, which won 2009’s feature doc Oscar. Come See Me in the Good Light hits Apple TV+ in November.
Also on DOC NYC’s Short List is Geeta Gandbhir’s The Perfect Neighbor, a gripping documentary composed of body cam footage and surveillance recordings. The film, which scored Gandbhir the directing prize at Sundance, recounts a fatal shooting in a community besieged by an erratic resident who takes Florida’s “stand your ground” law to the extreme. The Perfect Neighbor is emerging a frontrunner ahead of its release on Netflix Oct. 17. Gandbhir poses a double-threat this season, as her documentary The Devil Is Busy, directed with Christalyn Hampton, lands a spot on the Short List’s shorts roster.
The Short List includes Netflix’s two other Oscar hopefuls, Apocalypse in the Tropics and Cover-up. The former, directed by Petra Costa, has gained a strong following after its debut on the fall festival circuit last year. The film explores the rises of Christian fundamentalism and right-wing populism in Brazil and serves as an unofficial sequel to Costa’s Oscar nominee The Edge of Democracy. Meanwhile, Cover-up, directed by Laura Poitras and Mark Obenhaus, is one of the breakout doc hits from this year’s fall circuit. The doc about journalist Seymour Hersh screened at the big four festivals—Venice, Telluride, TIFF, and New York—and scored a Netflix deal in a season that was generally slow for business on the documentary front.
The fall’s other big doc deal, The Tale of Silyan, lands a spot in the line-up as well. Directed by Tamara Kosteva, Silyan was picked up by National Geographic after its run at Venice and TIFF. The doc about a Macedonian farmer and the storks intimately linked to his crops tells a moving account of the consequences of capitalism. Silyan is North Macedonia’s official selection in the Oscar race for Best International Feature after Kosteva’s Honeyland made history as the first film nominated in both the documentary and international categories.
On the Canadian front, Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner Cutting through Rocks, directed by Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni, will get another chance to win over further audiences with its vérité portrait of an Iranian woman who wins political office in her rural town. Meanwhile, the co-production Co-Existence, My Ass! gets a boost for its portrait of comic Noam Shuster Eliassi and her unabashed use of her platform to highlight the plight of Palestinians through humour. The NFB short Am I the Skinniest Person You’ve Ever Seen?, directed by Eisha Marjara, is in Short List’s selection of short documentaries as well, as is director Christopher Radcliffe’s We Were the Scenery.
Timely stories of wartime appear in Short List selections 2000 Meters to Andriivka and Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk. The films directed by Mstyslav Chernov and Sepideh Farsi offer artfully singular takes on the tragedies in Ukraine and Palestine, respectively.
Veteran filmmaker Raoul Peck joins the list for his timely portrait of author George Orwell in Orwell: 2+2=5, while festival circuit breakout Elizabeth Lo marks one of DOC NYC’s most inspired Short List selections with Mistress Dispeller. The film observes a love triangle through all perspectives as Lo gains extraordinary access to the delicate economy of marriage in contemporary China.
Equally a breakout, but a familiar name, is actress and director Mariska Hargitay with her feature directorial debut My Mom Jayne. The HBO doc was a hit over the summer for Hargitay’s intimate and frequently surprising look back at her late mother, actor Jayne Mansfield, and some bombshell secrets she left behind.
A personal lens to a timely story fuels Heightened Scrutiny, director Sam Feder’s observation of American Civil Liberties Union lawyer Chase Strangio as he prepares to argue a landmark case for transgender rights at the Supreme Court. And in director David Borenstein’s Mr. Nobody Against Putin, co-director Pasha Talankin covertly observes Russia’s propaganda machine in motion as he refuses to comply with a new syllabus. Rounding out the features in Short List is Predators, David Osit’s look at the infamous legacy of the true crime series To Catch a Predator and a personal twist that audiences won’t see coming.
Last year’s Short List series included thirteen of the fifteen films that ultimately landed on the Oscar shortlist. This included all five nominees: Black Box Diaries, Porcelain War, Soundtrack to a Coup d’État, Sugarcane, and eventual winner No Other Land. Short doc Oscar winner The Only Girl in the Orchestra also landed on the Short List.
DOC NYC announced additional selections today including the “Winners Circle” of festival hits and a new encore series for past favourites. These join the full slate announced for DOC NYC this week.
The films in DOC NYC’s Short List are:
Short List: Features
2000 METERS TO ANDRIIVKA
Director: Mstyslav Chernov
Producers: Mstyslav Chernov, Michelle Mizner, Raney Aronson-Rath
After taking us through the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in his Oscar-winning 20 Days in Mariupol, Mstyslav Chernov and his creative team give us a perspective of the war more than a year on.
APOCALYPSE IN THE TROPICS
Director: Petra Costa
Producers: Petra Costa, Alessandra Orofino
Christian fundamentalism has seized political discourse in Brazil, and this clear-eyed, deeply troubling, and internationally resonant distillation examines the implications.
CO-EXISTENCE, MY ASS!
Director: Amber Fares
Producers: Rachel Leah Jones, Amber Fares
Disillusioned with politics, Noam Shuster Eliassi pivots to the world of stand-up comedy as a means of communicating her “radical” message that Palestinians and Israelis deserve equal human rights.
COME SEE ME IN THE GOOD LIGHT
Director: Ryan White
Producers: Ryan White, Jessica Hargrave, Tig Notaro, Stef Willen
A poignant and unexpectedly funny love story about poets Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley facing an incurable cancer diagnosis with joy, wit, and an unshakable partnership.
COVER-UP
Directors: Laura Poitras, Mark Obenhaus
Producers: Yoni Golijov, Laura Poitras, Mark Obenhaus, Olivia Streisand
A chronicle of Seymour Hersh’s groundbreaking investigative journalism, exposing systemic deception within US military and intelligence agencies, blending personal narrative with an examination of institutional accountability.
CUTTING THROUGH ROCKS* (NYC Premiere)
Directors/Producers: Sara Khaki, Mohammadreza Eyni
In rural Iran, a trailblazing councilwoman empowers girls through motorcycles and activism—but when her motives are questioned, her fight against patriarchy becomes a deeply personal reckoning.
HEIGHTENED SCRUTINY
Director: Sam Feder
Producers: Amy Scholder, Sam Feder, Paola Mendoza
As a transphobic firestorm sweeps American culture and legislatures, ACLU lawyer Chase Strangio becomes the first trans man to argue a case before the Supreme Court.
MISTRESS DISPELLER
Director: Elizabeth Lo
Producers: Emma D. Miller, Elizabeth Lo, Maggie Li
Desperate to save her marriage, a woman in China hires a professional to go undercover and break up her husband’s affair.
NOBODY AGAINST PUTIN (NYC Premiere)
Directors: David Borenstein, Pasha Talankin
Producer: Helle Faber
Amid Russia’s wartime propaganda, a teacher secretly films the militarization of education, risking everything to expose the state’s manipulation of youth—and the quiet courage of those who defy it.
MY MOM JAYNE: A FILM BY MARISKA HARGITAY
Director: Mariska Hargitay
Producers: Mariska Hargitay, Trish Adlesic
Mariska Hargitay embarks on a deeply personal journey to uncover the real Jayne Mansfield—her iconic mother—through rare footage, intimate interviews, and a search for lost memories.
ORWELL: 2+2=5
Director: Raoul Peck
Producers: Alex Gibney, Raoul Peck, George Chignell, Nick Shumaker
A stirring depiction of the dangers of power and the fragility of so-called civilized society, told through the vision of George Orwell (1984), who just might hold the key to the world’s future.
THE PERFECT NEIGHBOR
Director: Geeta Gandbhir
Producers: Alisa Payne, Geeta Gandbhir, Nikon Kwantu, Sam Bisbee
Raw police bodycam footage provides a shocking, clear-eyed chronicle of a neighborhood dispute’s tragic escalation in Florida, examining the deadly consequences of “stand your ground” laws and systemic racial tensions.
PREDATORS
Director: David Osit
Producers: Jamie Gonçalves, Kellen Quinn, David Osit
Nearly 20 years after the NBC Dateline show “To Catch a Predator” went off the air in scandal, filmmaker David Osit contemplates the complicity of both host and viewer in our “society of the spectacle.”
PUT YOUR SOUL ON YOUR HAND AND WALK
Director: Sepideh Farsi
Producers: Javad Djavahery, Annie Ohayon-Dekel
A powerful act of witness and remembrance, this urgent, deeply personal documentary unfolds through video calls between filmmaker Sepideh Farsi and 25-year-old Palestinian photojournalist and poet Fatma Hassona.
THE TALE OF SILYAN
Director: Tamara Kotevska
Producers: Tamara Kotevska, Jean Dakar, Anna Hashmi, Jordanco Petkovski
A magical Macedonian folktale comes to life when an unlikely savior rescues a wounded white stork, transforming both of their lives for the better.
ALL THE EMPTY ROOMS
Director: Joshua Seftel
Producers: Joshua Seftel, Conall Jones, James Costa, Trevor Burgess
A longtime TV journalist teams up with a photographer to document empty bedrooms of children lost to gun violence, revealing spaces where grief speaks louder than statistics and memory refuses to fade.
ALL THE WALLS CAME DOWN
Director: Ondi Timoner
Producers: Ondi Timoner, Eli O. Timoner, Maggie Contreras
After losing her home in the 2025 Eaton Fire, Ondi Timoner turns the camera on herself and her neighbors, revealing profound racial and economic inequities exposed by disaster descending on Altadena, California.
AM I THE SKINNIEST PERSON YOU’VE EVER SEEN?*
Director: Eisha Marjara
Producers: Joe Balass, Ariel Nasr
Two sisters’ pact to go on a diet together lit the spark for one sibling’s eating disorder.
ARMED ONLY WITH A CAMERA: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF BRENT RENAUD
Directors: Brent Renaud, Craig Renaud
Producers: Juan Arredondo, Christof Putzel
After journalist Brent Renaud is killed in Ukraine, his brother completes his final report—shaping a haunting tribute to frontline storytellers who risk everything to illuminate the human cost of war.
CHILDREN NO MORE: WERE AND ARE GONE
Director: Hilla Medalia
Producers: Sheila Nevins, Yael Melamede, Hilla Medalia
In Tel Aviv, silent vigils mourn Gaza’s children—absent, yet achingly present in large-scale photographs. Defying public scorn to confront a war’s toll, the activists’ quiet protests echo louder than words.
THE DEVIL IS BUSY
Directors: Christalyn Hampton, Geeta Gandbhir
Producers: Rose Arce, Christalyn Hampton, Amber Fares
At an Atlanta abortion clinic besieged by protesters, the director of operations, Tracy, takes on risks to safeguard staff and patients.
LAST DAYS ON LAKE TRINITY
Director/Producer: Charlotte Cooley
Faced with their beloved South Florida trailer park’s imminent closure, three single, older women band together to fight their eviction and save their community while confronting the specter of homelessness.
MAYBE IT’S JUST THE RAIN
Director: Reina Bonta
Producers: Mel Mah, Frankie Rubio
Through home videos and voicemails, a young Filipino-American soccer player relives her team’s historic World Cup win—culminating in a return to her roots and a journey that is both personal and profound.
OH YEAH!
Director/Producer: Nick Canfield
From Swiss avant-garde roots to American pop culture, two artists crafted a song that became a cultural touchstone. Exploring its legacy through archival footage and interviews reveals its enduring influence.
QOTZUÑI: PEOPLE OF THE LAKE
Directors/Producers: Gastón Zilberman, Michael Salama
Bolivia’s Lake Poopó has evaporated, and as Qotzuñis, People of the Lake, the Uru-Murato community faces the cultural and economic consequences.
THE REALITY OF HOPE
Director: Joe Hunting
Producers: Joe Hunting, Max Willson
From digital dreamscapes to real-world sacrifice, a VR friendship becomes a lifeline when a New Yorker journeys to Sweden to donate a kidney—revealing tenderness within a vibrant online world.
SONGS OF BLACK FOLK
Directors: Justin Emeka, Haley Watson
Producer: Haley Watson
Under Ramón Bryant Braxton’s direction, Black artists of all ages unite in a powerful Juneteenth celebration, bridging generations through music that honors history, resilience, and the enduring spirit of community.
TESSITURA
Directors/Producers: Lydia Cornett, Brit Fryer
Transgender opera singers navigate and reshape the rigid boundaries of their art, intertwining personal stories with history to challenge tradition and reveal the evolutionary fluidity of voice and gender.
TIGER
Director: Loren Waters
Producers: Loren Waters, Dana Tiger
Haunted by the loss of her brother and father, a Muscogee Creek artist battles grief and disease to rebuild her family’s iconic T-shirt business and reclaim an artistic heritage.
WE WERE THE SCENERY*
Director: Christopher Radcliff
Producers: Cathy Linh Che, Jess X. Snow
As war survivors relive trauma onscreen, their home movies quietly reclaim a lost South Vietnam—challenging a mythology that made them extras in their own history.
WINNER’S CIRCLE
BELOW THE CLOUDS
Director: Gianfranco Rosi
Producers: Donatella Palermo, Gianfranco Rosi, Paolo Del Brocco
Under Naples’ skies and Vesuvius’ shadow, voices rise in a black‑and‑white tableau – everyday lives and history unearthed, memory and ruin fuse into a haunting meditation on what remains unseen. Winner, Special Jury Prize, Venice International Film Festival
HOLDING LIAT
Director: Brandon Kramer
Producers: Darren Aronofsky, Lance Kramer, Yoni Brook, Ari Handel, Justin A. Gonçalves
An intimate following of a family’s fight for their abducted loved one in Israel, revealing the fragile threads of hope and grief amid the devastation of geopolitical violence. Winner, Berlinale Documentary Award, Berlin International Film Festival
THE LIBRARIANS
Director: Kim A. Snyder
Producer: Kim A. Snyder, Janique L. Robillard, Maria Cuomo Cole, Jana Edelbaum
In our politically polarized era, librarians across America have found their profession under siege as an unprecedented wave of book banning hits Texas, Florida, and beyond. Winner, Best Documentary Feature, Dallas International Film Festival
LIFE AFTER
Director: Reid Davenport
Producer: Colleen Cassingham
A gripping investigative documentary exposing the tangled web of moral dilemmas, ableism, and profit motives surrounding assisted dying. Winner, U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award, Sundance Film Festival
SECRET MALL APARTMENT
Director: Jeremy Workman
Producers: Jeremy Workman, Matthew Spain
In 2003, eight young Rhode Island artists created a secret apartment in a hidden space inside a mall. Their act of defiance against gentrification becomes a bold expression of ingenious creativity. Winner, Grand Jury Prize: Documentary, Independent Film Festival Boston
SEEDS
Director: Brittany Shyne
Producers: Danielle Varga, Sabrina Gordon
Following Black generational farmers in the American South, Seeds weaves intimate moments into a poetic tribute to legacy, land, and the enduring ties that bind family and community. Winner, U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary, Sundance Film Festival
SELECTS ENCORE
IT’S NEVER OVER, JEFF BUCKLEY
Director: Amy Berg
Producers: Ryan Heller, Christine Connor, Mandy Chang, Matthew Roozen, Jennie Bedusa, Amy Berg
An exploration of loved ones’ perspectives and personal archives of Jeff Buckley, whose ethereal voice and songs have riveted audiences and emerging musicians for decades.
MONK IN PIECES
Directors: Billy Shebar, David C. Roberts
Producers: Billy Shebar, David C. Roberts, Susan Margolin
A cinematic rendition of NYC-based artist Meredith Monk’s work and life, mirroring her artistic style and featuring interviews with Björk and David Byrne.
One to One: John & Yoko
Directors: Kevin Macdonald, Sam Rice-Edwards
Producer: Peter Worsley
An intimate and revelatory look at John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s life in Greenwich Village in the early 1970s, including never-before-seen material and newly restored footage of the couple’s only full-length concert.
SUBURBAN FURY
Director: Robinson Devor
Producers: Robinson Devor, Jason Reid, Zachariah Sebastian
In recounting the strange case of Sara Jane Moore and US President Gerald Ford, a tightrope of tension—between the ideals of America and the realities we are living through—becomes a stranglehold.
