DOC NYC 2022 Preview: Social Justice Reckonings, Cirque du Soleil, & More

Set to take place November 9-27, this year’s edition of DOC NYC film festival promises to enlighten, entertain, inspire, and provoke. Programming includes exciting titles from first-time directors and gems from industry vets. Some of the films we’re most looking forward to address systemic racism (“Gumbo Coalition”), pay homage to local legends (“Queen of the Deuce”), and take us back in time (“A Witch Story”).

Below, find some of the highlights from DOC NYC 2022. Synopses are courtesy of the festival.

“Cirque du Soleil: Without a Net” – Directed by Dawn Porter

What it’s about: When Cirque du Soleil moves to reboot its flagship production, “O,” more than a year after an abrupt global shutdown, both performers and crew members face uncertainty as they work to return to their world-class standards in time for the (re)opening night curtain in Las Vegas. With unprecedented access, filmmaker Dawn Porter (“John Lewis: Good Trouble,” “Trapped”) captures the dramatic personal highs and lows of the world’s most famous circus act on its journey back from the existential brink.

Why we’re excited: Porter’s filmography has seen her tackling everything from restrictive abortion laws (“Trapped”) to the Tulsa Massacre (“Rise Again: Tulsa and the Red Summer”) and the Obama years (“The Way I See It”). Pulling back the curtain on Cirque du Soleil isn’t something we saw coming, but we sure are keen to have an all-access look at the epic production through Porter’s lens. Besides its filmmaker’s involvement, just having the chance to see what goes into a show this magnitude — particularly as it relaunches in the wake of COVID — seems fascinating.

“Gumbo Coalition” – Directed by Barbara Kopple

What it’s about: Driven by a mutual determination not to be “the generation that allows progress to slip,” national social justice leaders Marc Morial of National Urban League and Janet Murguía of UnidosUS join forces to fight structural racism amid a troubling resurgence of white supremacy in the Trump era. Two-time Academy Award-winning filmmaker Barbara Kopple takes a vérité approach to examine the experiences that have shaped Morial and Murguía into leaders of their diverse African American and Latinx American communities as they navigate the complex arc of racial justice in the pandemic years.

Why we’re excited: A new doc from Kopple is always something to celebrate. The “Harlan County, U.S.A.” helmer grapples with racism, activism, and community in “Gumbo Coalition,” a portrait of civil rights leaders fighting for social justice. We’re particularly keen to learn about how Morial and Murguía decided to come together, and how the “pandemic years” shaped their battle for a better future.

“Wisdom Gone Wild” – Directed by Rea Tajiri

What it’s about:  A meticulous documenting of the filmmaker’s mother as she gradually slips into the grip of dementia. Rea Tajiri is both a witness and a participant in a process of remembrance and archiving; throughout this moving collaboration, the mother and daughter switch roles between daughter, mother, survivor, and documentarian. Without falling into the trappings of nostalgia, the film meditates on life, time, and love, while confronting a monumental loss.

Why we’re excited: “Wisdom Gone Wild” joins a number of recent docs that see filmmakers confronting their parents’ illnesses and mortality — Kirsten Johnson’s “Dick Johnson Is Dead” and Ondi Timoner’s “Last Flight Home” among them. These directors are sharing intimate access into their family’s lives during a particularly vulnerable time, and in doing so, are shedding light on experiences and conditions that are statistically common but often left unspoken about. “Wisdom Gone Wild” sounds like a touching tribute to Tajiri’s mother that will also jump-start critical conversations about aging and dementia.

“A Witch Story” – Directed by Yolanda Pividal

What it’s about: Alice is a descendant of Martha Carrier, a woman hanged for witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials. Her research for an upcoming book leads her to work with Brooklyn-based feminist guru Silvia Federici and to trace the history of the great witch hunts to today’s continuing patriarchal power grabs. A captivating story at a crossroads where past collides with present.

Why we’re excited: As happy as we were to see the Sanderson Sisters back in “Hocus Pocus 2” and as much as enjoyed the third installment of Leigh Janiak’s “Fear Street” trilogy, “1966,” which took inspiration from the Salem Witch Trials, we’re looking forward to checking out a more educational title about witches. With “A Witch Story,” Pividal spotlights a woman who was directly impacted by the Salem Witch Trials and offers her the opportunity to provide a history lesson on witch hunts. We’re intrigued to know how the film connects the witch hunts of yesteryear to our current landscape.

“Queen of the Deuce” – Directed by Valerie Kontakos

What it’s about: Chelly Wilson was a Christmas-celebrating Jewish grandma, a lesbian who married men, and a proud owner of porn theaters in 1970s NYC. Through audio recordings, Chelly recounts her pre-war escape from Greece up through her unlikely motherhood and rise to wealth as a shrewd businesswoman on “The Deuce,” aka New York’s infamous 42nd Street. Fascinating WWII and NYC archival footage illustrate this entertaining story of a family and its matriarch, a truly unique character with chutzpah in spades.

Why we’re excited: “Queen of the Deuce” promises to be a fascinating portrait of a one-of-a-kind lady who lived a truly remarkable life. Plus, it’s only fitting that the doc is making its world premiere at DOC NYC — Wilson’s life story wouldn’t have played out the same way anywhere else on Earth.