2024 Feature Documentary Lineup

64 DAYS by Nick Quested

From the filmmaker embedded with the Proud Boys, this is a firsthand account of the conspiracy to steal the election.

*Followed by special Q&A with Nick Quested, filmmaker (writer, director, producer), Nico Lupo Sonnabend, producer & journalist, Alan Feuer, reporter, New York Times, and Sandi Bachom, journalist and videographer

Ada Karmi Melamede is one of the most accomplished female architects in the world, but very little is known about her outside her home country of Israel. ADA - MY MOTHER THE ARCHITECT is a deeply moving portrait of an extraordinary woman directed by her daughter, filmmaker, and former architect, Yael Melamede. Ada is a true pioneer who, like many successful working mothers of her time, was forced to make impossible choices. Despite personal sacrifices, Ada's work gave physical form to some of Israel’s highest democratic ideals, most notably in the acclaimed Supreme Court building in Jerusalem, he Open University, Ben Gurion airport, and numerous civic institutions around the country. ADA - MY MOTHER THE ARCHITECT profiles a woman and artist deeply tested by the realities of career and motherhood.

*Q&A with Director Yael Melamede

THE BATTLE FOR LAIKIPIA by Daphne Matziaraki, Pete Murimi

“If our cows are healthy, we will have abundance in our lives,” says a Samburu tribe member in Laikipia, Kenya. An endless drought forces herders to seek more verdant grounds, but they are stymied by British colonists, who own nearby ranches and conservancies. With stunning cinematography, The Battle for Laikipia is a heartbreaking story that makes us wonder about the human spirit and how we can survive tragic conflicts created by climate change. – Sabina Barach

*Q&A with Executive Producer Roger Ross Williams

BEHIND THE LINES by John Benitz | World Premiere

Featuring Annette Bening, Laura Dern, Gary Cole, Kelvin Harrison, Jr, Paul Walter Hauser, Michael C. Hall, Rachel Bloom, Dewanda Wise, Wes Studi

Based on Andrew Carroll’s New York Times best seller, Behind the Lines tells the story of Carroll’s life mission to travel the world seeking out war letters. Over the past 25 years, he has preserved more than 200,000 correspondences from troops, veterans and their families, dating from the American Revolution to present day Ukraine, with many of those treasured letters being read here by notable actors like Laura Dern and Gary Cole. – Adam Schartoff

*Q&A with Director John Benitz and Subject Andrew Carroll

BEYOND THE GAZE: JULE CAMPBELL’S SWIMSUIT ISSUE by Jill Campbell | World Premiere

Featuring Christie Brinkley, Tyra Banks, Paulina Porizkova, Elle Macpherson, Jule Campbell

Jule Campbell navigates a sexist workplace while confronting accusations of objectification during her 32-year tenure as founding editor of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition. Unyielding in her pursuit of artistic excellence, Campbell fortuitously launches mogul models and a mega-franchise. At 95 Campbell reflects on her legacy and impending mortality with the grace and intuition that guided her career presenting a fair and balanced portrait of a complex and fascinating woman and her controversial career.

*Q&A with Director Jill Campbell, Subjects Tyra Banks, Carol Alt, Stacey Williams, Producers Jonathan Gray and Rob Lyons, and Executive Producer Sharon Cooney Shuttleworth, moderated by renowned feminist Marianne Schnall. Followed by cocktail reception.

THE BIBI FILES by Alexis Bloom | U.S. Premiere (Work in Progress)

This behind-the-scenes investigation of Benjamin Netanyahu and his inner circle provides an unflinching gaze into the private world behind the headlines. Leaked police interrogation videos show frustration, vanity and a sense of entitlement writ large in the Netanyahu family. Their stubborn refusal to cede power leads to a fatal alliance with the extreme right wing, and dire consequences follow.

*Q&A with Director Alexis Bloom and Editor Andy Grieve

THIS IS NOT A FINAL CUT AND NOT FOR REVIEW

Photo credit: Alex Levac/Haaretz

BLACK BOX DIARIES by Shiori Ito | East Coast Premiere

The investigators in Shiori Itō’s sexual assault case called it a “black box,” suggesting that the truth will remain elusive because it occurred behind closed doors. Frustrated, Shiori Itō becomes her own investigative journalist in Black Box Diaries, fiercely challenging high-ranking journalist Noriyuki Yamaguchi, who had close ties to former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Black Box Diaries marks Itō’s feature documentary film debut and made its world premiere at Sundance Film Festival 2024. – Monet Massac

*Q&A with Director Shiori Itō

A massive surveillance, militarized and carceral apparatus has been built to capture, imprison and deport millions of immigrants. But in the shadow of this border industrial-complex, immigrants are building a movement envisioning a future rooted in human rights. BORDERLAND | The Line Within is the new electrifying documentary from filmmaker Pamela Yates, director of the Sundance Award-winning When the Mountains Tremble and executive producer of the Academy Award-winning Witness to War and Michael Mann’s Ferrari.

Pamela Yates and Paco de Onís to receive the inaugural Art of Activism Award presented by renowned journalist Amy Goodman of Democracy Now.
*Q&A with Director Pamela Yates and Producer Paco de Onis

CHECKPOINT ZOO by Joshua Zeman

Checkpoint Zoo tells the remarkable story of Feldman EcoPark, a zoo on the outskirts of Kharkiv, caught between Russian and Ukrainian forces at the start of the war. This gripping documentary follows the zoo’s daring evacuation of animals amidst the chaos. Joshua Zeman’s film highlights human (and animal!) resilience and compassion, offering a unique ground-level view of a nation under siege. – Monet Massac

*Q&A with Director Joshua Zeman

COASTAL by Daryl Hannah | World Premiere

Featuring Neil Young

Take a journey with Neil Young on this personal, behind-the-scenes doc as he cruises the coast for his recent solo tour.

*Followed by a livestreamed Q&A with subject Neil Young and director Daryl Hannah, moderated by Greg Gatine WDST Program Director and Host Greg Gattine.

Featuring LaKeith Stanfield
Winner of this year’s Cannes Film Festival’s Golden Eye Award, ERNEST COLE: Lost and Found delves into the heartbreaking story of the South African photographer’s struggle to chronicle the inhumanity of life under apartheid. The stunning beauty of Cole’s photographs, and the elegance of his own words, form a breathtaking counterpoint to the poisonous world he worked tirelessly to bring to light, both in his home country and, later, on the streets of New York. – Peter Wortmann

THE INN BETWEEN by Ondi Timoner | World Premiere

Co-Presented by Family of Woodstock

At once emotionally devastating and deeply heartwarming, Ondi Timoner’s latest documentary follows the day to day lives of the residents at a hospice care center for the unhoused located in Salt Lake City. Crafted with immense compassion, The Inn Between forces us to identify with its subjects, exposing how close any of us really are to the rough living circumstances that thousands of Americans find themselves in. As we see how being unhoused complicates even death itself, we are faced with the unyielding question: can someone ever truly prepare for their own death? – Daniel Abelow

*Q&A with Director Ondi Timoner

IT’S ALL GONNA BREAK by Stephen Chung | World Premiere

Featuring Broken Social Scene

From basement jams to Lollapalooza and Letterman, It’s All Gonna Break unearths intimate behind-the-scenes footage from cinematographer Stephen Chung's personal archive. This never-before-seen footage captures the beginning of what would become one of the most celebrated indie rock bands Canada has ever produced – Broken Social Scene. This is not an expose, but rather a love letter to the city of Toronto, a community of art, and a friendship.

*Special Live Acoustic Performance from Brendan Canning and Andrew Whiteman of Broken Social Scene

THE JUNGLE by Matt Wechsler | World Premiere

Unraveling centuries of greed and exploitation in America's meat industry, this modern-day take on Upton Sinclair's 1906 novel calls into question the profiteering of ecosystems, revealing how indigenous knowledge may hold the key to creating equitable food systems for both people and the planet.

*Q&A with Director Matt Wechsler, Executive Producer/Subject Mark Bittman, and regenerative agriculture leader Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin. Moderated by Jon Bowermaster.

LEFT BEHIND by Anna Toomey | World Premiere

Did you know that 1 out of 5 people have dyslexia? How about that 47-50% of incarcerated people have dyslexia? Left Behind gives eye-opening insight into the ways that the public school system ignores the needs of students with dyslexia and, in doing so, contributes to the school-to-prison pipeline. Anna Toomey’s gripping documentary chronicles a group of advocates in their struggle to start New York City’s first public school for dyslexia. – Richie Yeager

*Extended Q&A with Director Anna Toomey, moderated by co-anchor ABC News’ Nighline Juju Chang

A LIFE IN RHYTHM: THE RAY CONNIFF STORY by John McHugh | World Premiere

Ray Conniff and the Ray Conniff singers competed with the Beatles and Elvis on the charts during the late 50's and 60's. Jonathan McHugh’s documentary highlights Conniff’s lengthy 60 year career, his passion for musical innovation, and his life on the road, first with fellow musicians and then later doing concerts and visiting radio stations. He created a lush, innovative sound, never stopped grinding, and never settled for mediocrity as long as he was able.

*Live Orchestral Performance of Ray Conniff’s classic arrangements, directed and conducted by Composer David Kitay

MEN OF WAR by Jen Gatien, Billy Corben | U.S. Premiere | Opening Night Film

Jordan Goudreau, finds himself in over his head and on the run after mounting the failed Venezuela coup and being chased by the American government who he spent his life fighting for.

*Q&A with director Jen Gatien and editor Andrew Saunderson. Moderated by actress Melissa Leo.

A NEW KIND OF WILDERNESS by Silje Evensmo Jacobsen

Nic Payne, a British expat living in Norway, is a free spirit, home schooling father and a recent widower struggling with not letting grief undermine his ability to father his four children in Norwegian filmmaker Silje Evensmo Jacobsen’s documentary A New Kind Of Wilderness. But survival means selling the family farm, putting his kids into traditional schools, and what feels like betraying the vision he shared with his late wife Maria. – Adam Schartoff

*Q&A with Director Silje Evensmo Jacobsen

NO OTHER LAND by Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor

For half a decade, Basel Adra, a Palestinian activist, films his community of Masafer Yatta being destroyed by Israel's occupation, as he builds an unlikely alliance with an Israeli journalist who wants to join his fight.

*Q&A with Directors Yuval Abraham and Basel Adra, moderated by Rabbi Jonathan Kligler

OCEANIA: JOURNEY TO THE CENTER by Natalie Zimmerman | East Coast Premiere

Scientists predict that the Republic of Kiribati, an island nation in Micronesia, will become uninhabitable in less than 10 years. In this transporting, humanistic, stunningly filmed documentary, the people who live on these islands tell their own story. Filled with striking nature and aerial photography and powerful reflections on land, balance, and joy, this is a portrait of an inventive and complex people overcome with love and grief for their home. – Nicky Yeager

*Q&A with Director Natalie Zimmerman and Producer Guetty Felin

PAUL ANKA: HIS WAY by John Maggio | U.S. Premiere

From teen idol to chart-topping songwriter, Paul Anka has spent seven decades as one of the most prolific musicians in the world. Part road movie, part living biography, part documentary, Paul Anka: His Way traces the iconic Canadian’s journey through stardom and reinvention in a changing field. Included are archival performances by music legends like Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin, in conversation with footage from Wolf Koenig and Roman Kroitor’s 1962 short, Lonely Boy.

*Q&A with Director John Maggio

A PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORY by Rachel Elizabeth Seed | New York Premiere

Co-presented by Center for Photography at Woodstock
Sheila Turner-Seed interviewed the world’s most renowned photographers for the well-known series “Images of Man,” but she unexpectedly died while a young mother. This is her daughter Rachel’s story of getting to know the parent she never really had. Through home movies, recordings of interviews that Sheila conducted, and meetings with those who knew her, Rachel slowly becomes united with her mother in this magnificent film that treasures visual storytelling. – Sabina Barach

*Extended Q&A with Director Rachel Elizabeth Seed and photography curator Marina Chao

PORCELAIN WAR by Brendan Bellomo, Slava Leontyev

“Ukraine like porcelain, easy to break but impossible to destroy.” These poetic words are spoken by Slava Leontyev, co-director and one of the three main subjects of Porcelain War. In this  heartbreaking yet beautiful documentary, we see firsthand how art making can be a means of surviving the unimaginable violence of war. – Adam Schartoff

*Q&A with Co-Director Slava Leontyev, actor Anya Stasenko, and producer Paula DuPre' Pesmen

Mats Steen, a Norwegian gamer, died of a degenerative muscular disease at the age of 25. His parents mourn what they thought had been their son’s lonely and isolated life, when they start receiving messages from his online friends around the world. To their complete surprise, they discover their son's remarkable and full gaming life, filled with friends, adventures, soul, and love.

*Q&A with Director Benjamin Ree, Producer Ingvil Giske, Subjects Robert Steen and Trude Steen

SABBATH QUEEN by Sandi DuBowski

Drag meets Orthodox Judaism. Meet Amichai Lau-Lavie, New York City’s own artist-rabbi extraordinaire and matchmaker of worlds. In this epic, emotional doc spanning 21 years of Lau-Lavie’s life, we are taken on a journey from Israel to Poland to the US, touching on such topics as familial homophobia, the divine feminine, religious tradition versus modernization, the Holocaust, anti-Arab racism, and the Israeli far-right. Amichai's Transporting story is one to be seen, not told. – Nicky Yeager

*Q&A with Director Sandi DuBowski and Subject Amichai Lau-Lavie

SECRET MALL APARTMENT by Jeremy Workman

In a story you have to see to believe, Providence Artist Michael Townsend and his friends built an apartment in the Providence Place Mall in the early 2000s. Documented by footage from a camera that fit in an Altoid container, this living art project was undetected for 4 years. WFF alum Jeremy Workman’s profoundly moving documentary touches on themes of gentrification, capitalism, ownership, and moral obligation to use unoccupied space creating a positive impact. – Sierra Slaughter

*Q&A with Director Jeremy Workman and Subject Michael Townsend

SOMETHING BETTER CHANGE by Scott Crawford | U.S. Premiere

Something Better Change tells the fascinating story of Joe Keithley, a hardcore punk legend and front man of D.O.A., who became a dedicated environmentalist and Green Party city councilor in his hometown of Burnaby, British Columbia. Whether you’re a hardcore punk fan or just a civically engaged citizen, Scott Crawford’s film has a little something for everyone as we follow Keithley’s career in music as well as his struggles to affect change. – Daniel Abelow

*Q&A with Director Scott Crawford

TROLL STORM by Eunice Lau | New York Premiere

This is the story of Tanya Gersh, the victim of an unrelenting antisemitic social media campaign. “The second I decided to fight, I started to heal,” she says in this powerful film. Gersh uses the story of a holocaust survivor as a brutal reminder of where we could end up again if this culture of hate is allowed to continue. The parallel between Europe before the rise of the Nazi party and what is happening today in the United States is frightening. – Sabina Barach

*Q&A with Director Eunice Lau

VIVA VERDI! by Yvonne Russo | North American Premiere

VIVA VERDI! is an intimate glimpse into the lives of the celebrated opera singers and musicians currently living out their 'third act' while mentoring international music students who live among them at Milan's unique retirement home, Casa Verdi, built by renowned opera composer, Giuseppe Verdi in 1896.

*Q&A with Director Yvonne Russo and Producer Christine La Monte

UNION by Stephen Maing, Brett Story

Union dives deep into the story of the Amazon Labor Union and the strategic challenges and interpersonal dynamics at the heart of the historic union drive on Staten Island. Powerfully captured, painstakingly edited, and brimming with tension, this doc crackles with energy. Come for a closer look at one of the biggest labor stories of the decade, and stay for the surprising, nuanced, and politically savvy perspectives these filmmakers bring. – Nicky Yeager

*Q&A with Director Stephen Maing

WALK WITH ME by Heidi Levitt

How many stories have you heard about Alzheimer’s that filled you with hope and admiration? Heidi Levitt’s documentary, Walk With Me, about her own husband Charlie’s journey with Alzheimer’s highlights the extent to which family, love, and companionship can get people through life’s hardest moments. Heidi’s diligent filming, alongside her and Charlie’s persistent search for ways to understand this disease, makes for a truly inspirational story of love and support. – Richie Yeager

*Q&A with Director, Writer and Producer Heidi Levitt, Subject Charlie Hess, Supervising Editor Toby Shimin, Editor Simeon Hutner, and Cinematographer Lisa Rintzler

WE CAN BE HEROES by Carina Mia Wong, Alex Simmons | East Coast Premiere

"But the real conflict is within my soul. Therein lies the true enemy," narrates one of the main subjects, 15-year-old Dexter. Nestled in the woods of Kingston, New York, a live action fantasy role-playing camp invites teens from all over the country to spend a week role playing, fighting and healing. Directors Carina Mia Wong and Alex Simmons treat each subject with respect, honor, and integrity; all things you will find while attending the Wayfinder Experience. – Sierra Slaughter

*Q&A with Directors Carina Mia Wong and Alex Simmons

WISDOM OF HAPPINESS by Philip Delaquis, Barbara Miller | North American Premiere

Wisdom of Happiness is a profound, new cinematic exploration of the innermost world of the Dalai Lama. In an intimate heart-to-heart, the world’s greatest ambassador of compassion and Nobel Peace Laureate invites everyone along for a journey to the source of happiness. The Dalai Lama reflects on balancing millennia-old Tibetan Buddhist traditions with contemporary values of our globalized society, and shows us that it is possible to build a healthier, happier world for all living beings.

*Q&A with Director Barbara Miller and Executive Producer Oren Moverman.