by Matt McCafferty, Staff Writer

I’m excited to be covering DOC NYC for a second year. If you are a fan of documentaries, you really can’t go wrong attending this fest. With so many intriguing titles on the schedule, it’s actually pretty difficult to narrow down what to see. But I’ll give it my best shot here by taking a look at a handful of films that I am most excited to check out.  

Alien on Stage (dir. Danielle Kummer and Lucy Harvey)

In Dorset, England, local bus drivers decide to stage an ambitious adaptation of Ridley Scott’s Alien for their annual fundraiser. After an opening weekend flop, the production generates a surprising fan base, which leads to an invite to London’s West End. With so many documentaries centering themselves around heavy subject matters, it’s nice to come across a fun one every now and then. As a fan of Alien, I’m excited to see what this group put together. Previous coverage of Alien on Stage here.

Citizen Ashe (dir. Sam Polland and Rex Miller)

I don’t know much about Arthur Ashe, other than the fact that he was a great tennis player. Included in the film summary, it mentions that he is still the only Black man to win singles championships at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and the Australian Open. However, there is so much more to his story. This film chronicles how he found his voice as an advocate for the oppressed while navigating a conservative sports culture in the 1960s. Again, as someone who knows very little about Ashe, I’m curious to learn more about him.

End of the Line (dir. Emmett Adler)

I was planning to avoid COVID-19-related docs this year. It’s not to say that I’m not interested in the subject, but I’ve already seen a couple and my brain could use a rest from the pandemic whenever possible. However, this film gets a pass since it doesn’t sound like it focuses solely on the pandemic. It explores the role of the MTA in NYC as it transported New York’s essential workers. Beyond that, it also focuses on the NYC subway crisis and the long overdue reckoning on infrastructure. While this is certainly a NYC-centric story, it sounds like a film that people all across the country will likely connect with when it comes to identifying failing infrastructure. 

Option Zero (dir. Marcel Beltrán)

This for sure will be one of the more intense docs that I plan to watch during the fest. In the hopes of making it to the US, a group of Cuban migrants enters Colombia by way of the treacherous Darién Gap jungle to reach Panama, where they wait in the limbo of a makeshift camp, uncertain of deportation. These excruciating journeys in search of refuge serve as further evidence that our country’s immigration policies are in dire need of change. 

Try Harder! (dir. Debbie Lum)

High school is stressful enough to navigate under normal circumstances. At Lowell High School, the top-ranked public high school in San Francisco, the cool kids are nerds, nearly everyone has an amazing talent, and the majority of the student body is Asian American. As they prepare their college applications, students vie for the few open spots in their dream colleges. I’ll be interested to see how these kids handle this kind of pressure. I will also admit, as a parent, this is a topic that makes me a bit anxious