DOC NYC is America's largest documentary film festival, celebrating its 17th edition with 200+ films screening in person at multiple Manhattan venues November 11–19 and online nationwide through November 29. It is a major awards-season bellwether for documentary features, with a strong track record of screening Oscar-nominated and winning films.
In-person screenings Nov 11–19; online screenings Nov 11–29. Advance box office at IFC Center open daily 10:30am–10pm from Nov 6–11.
A/C/E/B/D/F/M to West 4th St–Washington Sq
DOC NYC is America’s largest documentary film festival, and its 17th edition lands in Manhattan this November with more than 200 films and dozens of events. In-person screenings run November 11 through 19 at IFC Center, SVA Theatre, and Village East by Angelika, with online screenings available nationwide through November 29. If you care about nonfiction film, this is the week the whole documentary world comes to the Village.
What is DOC NYC?
DOC NYC started as a scrappy downtown festival and grew into the biggest documentary showcase in the country. Its home base is IFC Center on Sixth Avenue, with the program spilling over to SVA Theatre in Chelsea, Village East by Angelika on Second Avenue, and The New School.
Why does it matter? Timing and track record. The festival sits right in the thick of awards season, and it has become a reliable bellwether for which documentaries will be in the Oscar conversation. According to the festival, it has screened 49 of the last 55 Oscar-nominated documentary features. That is not a coincidence. Programmers here have a good eye, and distributors and awards voters pay attention to what plays well in these rooms.
It is also a genuinely social festival. Filmmakers show up for in-person appearances at most screenings, so the Q&A after the credits is often as good as the film itself. The parallel DOC NYC PRO industry conference draws working documentary makers from all over, which gives the lobbies at Village East a particular buzz during festival week.
What’s on this year
The main slate this year includes 115 feature-length documentaries, with 26 world premieres and 27 U.S. premieres, as Variety reported. Add shorts, special events, and the PRO conference, and you have a program that is impossible to see in full. Pick your lane.
The big three gala screenings all happen at SVA Theatre:
Opening Night, November 11: “The Hummingbird Paints Fragrant Songs,” a U.S. premiere, follows 75-year-old Indigenous Shipibo artist Sara Flores from the Peruvian Amazon to the global art scene.
Centerpiece, November 13: “Union Town,” a NYC premiere, is about delivery industry workers taking on major corporations in New York City. Expect a local crowd for this one.
Closing Night, November 19: “Totality,” a U.S. premiere, is an immersive portrait of the 2024 total solar eclipse.
The Special Presentations section is where a lot of the heat tends to be. This year it includes “Primetime Preacher$,” a world premiere on November 14 at IFC Center; “Palace of Gold,” a world premiere the same night at Village East by Angelika; “Pretenders,” a NYC premiere on November 13 at IFC Center; and “The Pervert’s Guide to Utopias,” a U.S. premiere on November 14 at IFC Center.
For industry folks, DOC NYC PRO’s 2026 conference runs November 12 through 14 and November 16 through 19 at Village East by Angelika.
There is also real money on the line. The festival announced that Subject Matter will award a $30,000 grant to one social issue documentary in the 2026 program, plus a matching $30,000 grant to a nonprofit working on the issues that film addresses.
The full schedule beyond the galas and Special Presentations had not been detailed in the materials available at the time of writing, so check the festival’s site for the complete day-by-day listings.
Tickets and how to go
Here is how pricing breaks down for 2026:
- Opening, Closing, and Centerpiece screenings: $30 general admission, $25 for IFC members
- Regular screenings: $20 general, $18 for seniors and children, $16 for IFC members
- Matinees (before 5:46pm, Monday through Friday): $15 general, $12 for IFC members
- Online tickets: $13 general, $9 for IFC members
- Online Shorts Pass: $49
- Online Film Pass: $199 early bird, regular $250
- All Film Pass: $699 early bird through October 17, regular $995
The All Film Pass covers every in-person and online screening. If you are planning to live at the festival for nine days, that early bird price is the move, but the deadline is October 17 so do not sit on it.
The advance box office at IFC Center is open daily from 10:30am to 10pm, November 6 through 11. If you want to lock in seats for the galas or anything with a buzzy premiere, going in person during that window is a smart play.
A few practical notes from someone who has done this many times:
IFC Center is at 323 Sixth Avenue at West Third Street. Take the A, C, E, B, D, F, or M to West 4th Street-Washington Square and you are basically at the door. SVA Theatre and Village East are a short subway hop or a brisk walk apart, but do not try to stack a screening at one venue right after a screening at another with no buffer. Q&As run long.
Weekday matinees are the sleeper deal. Fifteen bucks for a festival film with the director in the room is hard to beat anywhere in this city.
If you are an IFC member, this is the week your membership pays for itself. The discount applies across almost every tier.
Can’t make it to Manhattan? The online program runs through November 29, ten days past the in-person wrap, and it is available nationwide. The Online Film Pass is a solid option for anyone outside the city, or for locals who want to catch up on what they missed.
Frequently asked questions
What documentary festivals are scheduled to take place in 2026?
DOC NYC 2026, the 17th edition, runs November 11 through 29, with in-person screenings November 11 through 19 at IFC Center, SVA Theatre, and Village East by Angelika, and online through November 29. For a full list of other documentary festivals around the world in 2026, FilmFreeway or the International Documentary Association are good starting points, since that is outside the scope of this guide.
Is DOC NYC Oscar qualifying?
Yes. DOC NYC is an Academy Award-qualifying festival for short films. The Shorts Competition Grand Jury Prize winner qualifies in the Documentary Short Subject category without the standard theatrical run, as long as the film otherwise complies with Academy rules. The festival has also screened 49 of the last 55 Oscar-nominated documentary features, though the main slate does not itself confer feature-length Oscar qualification.
What is the entry fee for DOC NYC?
Submission fees for the 2026 Main Slate, handled through FilmFreeway, ranged from $50 at the early deadline to $80 at the final deadline for short films, and from $70 to $120 for features. Short List and Winner’s Circle submissions were $75 and $100 respectively. All submissions go through FilmFreeway, and the Main Slate is now closed for 2026.
What is the schedule for the 2026 NYFF?
The New York Film Festival is a separate event and falls outside the scope of this DOC NYC guide. The Film at Lincoln Center website has official NYFF 2026 schedule information.
Who runs DOC NYC?
DOC NYC is led by Executive Director Raphaela Neihausen, who is also the festival’s co-founder, and Artistic Director Jaie Laplante. Thom Powers, the other co-founder, serves as Director of Special Projects.
Where can I watch “New York,” a documentary?
Questions about specific third-party documentary titles are outside the scope of this guide. That said, DOC NYC 2026 offers online screenings of its own festival films nationwide through November 29 via its virtual platform. Online tickets are $13 general admission or $9 for IFC members, and details are on the festival’s tickets and passes page.
Is there a free clinic in New York City?
That is outside the scope of this DOC NYC 2026 guide. NYC Health + Hospitals or a call to 311 can point you to free or low-cost health clinics in the city.
What is the latest breaking news in New York City?
Breaking news is outside the scope of this DOC NYC 2026 guide. For current city news, try outlets such as the New York Times or NY1.
