Fall 2020 NYC Short Documentary Film Festival Selections

A Week In June by Jay Sansone

Filmed single camera “run & gun” on the streets of New York City during the first week of George Floyd protests, ‘A Week In June’ follows three young leaders in the #blacklivesmatter movement as protests erupt around the city.

Burnt Toast by Timothy Racca Morrish

Galen Paul Dively III lives on a remote mountaintop in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont and makes his living selling “novelty toast art”. This short doc follows Galen on a day in the life and explores the evolution of his company Burnt Impressions from the Jesus Toaster to the Selfie Toaster, while he entertains a future beyond the world of toast.

Frontliners by Auctus Productions

This documentary explores the impact of COVID-19 through the perspective of healthcare professionals across New York City and Italy, the epicenters of the outbreak in the United States and Europe, respectively.

Right on Time by Jeremy Gonzalez

“Right on Time” is a look into the meaning of fatherly love. We watch as Kevin Davis explains the role his father played in overcoming his struggle with mental health and how he is passing that on to his own sons.

The Spaces Between Us by Michael Petruzzelli

This film depicts true stories of LGBTQ+ violence. Through the lens, we explore and digest the physical spaces in which these violent acts took place.
THIS FILM CONTAINS DISCUSSIONS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT, VIOLENCE, HOMOPHOBIA, AND SUICIDE.
*INCLUDES FLASHING LIGHT SEQUENCE.*

Big Bons by Katherine Montgomery

Deep in the former mining territory of Michigan’s remote Upper Peninsula, a female-run strip club fights to stay open to provide a safe space for members of its community.

Enid & Mami by Julia Reagan

Enid & Mami steps into the daily life of Enid Mojica McGinnis – an educator, pastor, and caretaker to her
mother, Emilia Roman. The short documentary provides a glimpse into the humor, honor, and hardship of
the primary caretaker role, as well as the special bond that exists between a mother and her daughter.

Leonardo by Phillip Sexton

Leonardo is a short documentary about raising awareness, and speaking up, about mental health issues. This is a story of a marine who was

Ninety-two and a Quarter by Helen Herbert

Sarah Hackett isn’t worried about death and she’s certainly not waiting around for it. This feisty nonagenarian moves through the world with spirit, determination, and a strong desire to help others, despite devastating personal loss. This film celebrates growing old while still looking toward the future.

Sundays at The Triple Nickel by Lindsey Hagen

On Edgecombe Avenue in Sugar Hill, Harlem, Marjorie Eliot is making sure her apartment building’s iconic jazz legacy lives on. Marjorie and her son have been hosting jazz concerts in her apartment every Sunday for the past 26 years, a pursuit of overcoming grief through music. This film tells the story of the women behind the piano, and how Marjorie’s generous vision came to be and the life it has taken on since, as she leaves behind her own legacy.

Behind the Handle by Sydney Facey

Behind the Handle is a short documentary that takes a personal look into the online and offline lives of four influencers, and dives into what it really takes to establish a strong social media presence in today’s ago of viral. The creators behind the accounts @Simplyteee, @The Danocracy, @Brittlestar, and @Elvispawsleythecorgi share their strategies, as well as the highs and lows of what it means to be considered a social media “celebrity”.

COVID NURSES by Gabriel Garton

COVID NURSES is a documentary short film that gives space to four New York City nurses on the front lines of the Covid-19 crisis, to meditate on their thoughts, experiences, feelings and concerns as the country begins to lift restrictions. This raw and intimate film is a time capsule for a moment in history.

Jose by Shannon Thomas

Jose is an observational short documentary that follows a man’s fight to stand up for his threatened community while reckoning with the grim reality of immigrant life in the US.

Mas Huevos Por Favor by Madeline Chen

Political, economic, and societal forces intertwine in Havana, Cuba as its citizens are forced to get creative searching for one of their most essential foods: eggs.

Vertical - The Future of Farming by Jay Windland

Vertical: The Future of Farming follows a new generation of urban, indoor farmers, whose approach to food production offers the potential to combat climate change while feeding hundreds of millions. From New York City, to Portland, Oregon to Singapore, these farmers are turning agricultural conventions on their head by utilizing vertical space in cities, rather than expansive rural fields. The result, according to retired Columbia Professor Dickson Despommier, represents the “next evolutionary jump in humanity’s quest for a reliable, sustainable food supply.”

BLAHC- The Brookland Literary & Hunting Club by Kenneth Campbell

This oral history film honors the experience of 5 members of the Brookland Literary and
Hunting Club (a.k.a. BLAHC), a poker and social club founded in Washington, DC in 1942 by 9 accomplished Black men from the Brookland neighborhood in the district — doctors, lawyers, scientists, university presidents — many with Howard University affiliations. They gathered monthly to discuss important topics of the day (the “literary”) and “hunt” (aka play poker). BLAHC has survived until today, but now it may be reaching it’s end.

Footsteps by Jeremy Benning

An inside look at the world of the Foley artist. This short documentary is a sneak peek into a unique post production sound facility located in rural Ontario, and hour north of Toronto.

The Outlaw Ocean- Trouble In West Africa by Ryan French

Speech is More Than Speaking by Constituting America