DOC NYC Returns Across New York City, Nov. 11–29, With 200+ Films

DOC NYC calls itself America's largest documentary festival, and its 17th edition runs November 11 to 29, 2026. The program includes more than 200 films, and an All Film Pass covers the whole lineup, with early-bird pricing offered. Screenings are spread across multiple venues in New York City.

The opening night film is The Hummingbird Paints Fragrant Songs. It follows Sara Flores, a 75-year-old Shipibo artist, from the Peruvian Amazon to international recognition, and shows how paintings rooted in Indigenous knowledge become a force for cultural and territorial resistance. The centerpiece, Union Town, looks at delivery workers in New York City who take on some of the world's most powerful corporations, and what that says about the American labor movement. The closing film, Totality, is an immersive portrait of the 2024 total solar eclipse and the estimated 50 million North Americans it drew.

The competition sections are International, US, Shorts and Metropolis. Featured titles include Into the Jaws of the Ogre in the International Competition, Frida: The Girl Just Doesn't Go Away in the US Competition, and Primetime Preacher$ among the Special Presentations. A Song for the Snow Lion is highlighted in the Shorts Competition, and Make Work in the Metropolis Competition. Awards short lists, a Winner's Circle and a Selects Encore are also part of the 2026 festival.

On November 11, the 13th annual Visionaries Tribute takes place at Gotham Hall in New York. For industry attendees, DOC NYC PRO holds its 2026 conference and The Solutions Lab, with the schedule posted and tickets on sale.

The festival's calendar and tickets are handled through IFC Center's ticketing site. For viewers who can't make it in person, a DOC NYC Online Films Pass gives access to the films on the festival's virtual platform from November 11 to 29.