The New Yorker Documentary
Uncommon perspectives on issues that matter to us now.
The New Yorker Documentary
Culture
Game God(s), directed by Adrian Burrell, tells the multigenerational story of a society that deprives Black Americans of success.
Culture
In Odveig Klyve’s “View,” a quiet Norwegian coastal city is invaded by some oppressively large visitors.
Sports
“One Day You’ll Go Blind,” directed by Leo Pfeifer, tells the story of Justin Bishop, a lifelong skateboarder who went blind at the age of twenty-five but refused to abandon the sport he loved.
Culture
Garret Daly’s “Nothing to Declare” follows the story of two young boys from Dublin who snuck a successful ride on a plane to New York City.
News
The documentary “Reckoning with Laughter,” directed by Amber Fares, follows the Israeli comedian Noam Shuster as she returns home amid the COVID pandemic and quarantines with both Palestinians and Israelis.
Culture
“The Diamond,” a documentary directed by Caitlyn Greene, unveils the emotional motivations behind the people who spend endless days—even years—searching for elusive diamonds in deep Arkansas.
News
“Your Street,” directed by Güzin Kar, tells the story of Germany’s Saime-Genç-Ring Street, named for the youngest victim of an arson attack in which neo-Nazis killed a Turkish family of five.
Culture
In “Drawing Life,” directed by Nathan Fitch, the New Yorker’s George Booth looks back on fifty years of work — including the only cartoon to be published in the issue following 9/11.
Culture
In Sarra El Abed’s “Ain’t No Time for Women,” a debate plays out at a hairdresser's as a group of women decide on their preferred Presidential candidates.
Culture
In “The Interview,” directed by Jon Miller and Zach Russo, formerly incarcerated people describe what it’s like trying to convince a group of strangers that they are more than the worst thing they ever did.
Culture
“Little Fish,” directed by Edward Columbia, follows the chef Bun Lai as he closes his renowned sustainable restaurant to focus on practicing what he preaches—living off nature as a food source.
Culture
In “The Voice Break Choir,” directed by Martina Carlstedt and Ina Holmqvist, members of the Stockholm Boys’ Choir reveal their most intimate hopes, fears, and desires, as they inhabit the liminal space between boyhood and manhood.
News
In “Mama,” directed by Pablo de la Chica, Mama Zawadi, a caregiver at a chimpanzee sanctuary, where she and the chimps—both victims of the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo—help each other heal.
Culture
“Radical Love,” directed by William Kirkley, tells the story of Michael and Eleanora Kennedy’s lifelong dedication to radical political movements—from the Black Panthers to the Weather Underground—and to each other.
Culture
“The Paint Wizzard,’ by Jessie Auritt and Jessica Wolfson, follows Millie, a larger-than-life trans woman who recently came out, as she paints houses in Austin, Texas, and shares the struggles and joys of embracing her true self.
Culture
In “Joe Buffalo,” directed by Amar Chebib, an Indigenous skateboarder overcomes addiction and trauma stemming from his years in Canada's Church-run school system.
News
“The Panola Project,” a film by Jeremy Levine and Rachael DeCruz, follows Dorothy, a convenience-store owner, as she goes door to door in order to convince her neighbors to get their COVID-19 vaccines.
Politics
“Ale Libre,” directed by Maya Cueva, tells the story of Alejandra Pablos, a courageous immigrant organizing against her own deportation case. From the streets of Arizona to the halls of Congress, the film follows her ongoing fight, as she pleads her case to the public and her asylum court hearing approaches.
Politics
Directed by Sara Joe Wolansky and Gareth Smit, a new documentary goes behind the scenes to observe how Yang’s outlook and temperament changed as he experienced the highs and lows of political fame.
Politics
In “Dial Home,” directed by César Martínez Barba, the telemarketing industry in Tijuana employs deportees from the U.S. who are attempting to create a new life.
News
“Team Meryland,” by Gabriel Gaurano, follows Meryland Gonzalez, a young boxer preparing for one of the biggest fights of her life thus far. The film unveils what is behind this athlete’s unmatchable tenacity: her family’s story.
Culture
In Daniel Lombroso’s “The Prince of Luna Park,” Alessandro Zamperla works to protect his family’s iconic theme park during the pandemic—and prove himself to his father.
Culture
In “Walking Before Walking,” the filmmaker Adam Amir introduces his son to trees, snow, mist, and sand in the ancient forest of Ch’ich’iyúy Elxwíḵn—and, in so doing, reflects on what he found in himself.
Culture
In “Between Mountains and Mermaids,” by Bo Clausen, Tolga Taskin breaks a world record by holding his breath for two minutes below the surface of a frozen lake.
Culture
In “For Emergency Use Only,” the director Daire Collins revisits his early dread of nuclear disaster, and asks how the pandemic is affecting today’s children.
News
Political backlash ensued after the tragic sinking of MV Sewol, which claimed the lives of over three-hundred passengers, most of whom were students, five years ago.
Culture
Nadia Hallgren’s film “Omnipresence” tells the story of a Bronx housing project’s floodlights, which some residents find oppressive.
Culture
In “Documenting Death”, a film by Sara Joe Wolansky, a family chronicles their last days together through frank and frequent social-media posts, in order to demystify what it’s like to die.
Culture
In Aurora Brachman's short film "Joychild," an eight-year-old has an emotional conversation with their mother about gender identity.
Culture
In “Alone Out Here,” by Philip Busfield and Luke Cornish, an Australian rancher who is openly gay in a conservative industry fights to reduce carbon emissions through his cattle farming.
Culture
In the film “Flamenco Queer,” by Ana González and Frederick Bernas, a queer man’s lifelong passion for flamenco comes out after decades of hiding feminine impulses in a conservative society with rigid cultural traditions.
News
“Since You Arrived, My Heart Stopped Belonging to Me,” a film by Erin Semine Kökdil and Chris Filippone, follows the journey of a group of Central American mothers travelling through Mexico in search of their children, who disappeared while migrating to the U.S.
Humor
Lee Kim committed to wearing a hat, crown, or mask made of pipe cleaners all day, everyday, for an entire year. The film “Wearable Tracy” chronicles all it taught her about human connection.
Culture
In “The Space Between,” Two sisters comb through childhood home videos to try to learn why their mom stopped recording.
Politics
The U.S. places more people behind bars than any other nation. The film “On Mother’s Day” shows what it’s like when mothers lose their children to prison.
Sports
With unparalleled access and cinematic flair, “The Game” offers a tense, action-packed look at a referee during an international soccer match.
Culture
A child shooting a gun can be an unnerving image, but, as illustrated in the film “Father and Gun,” spending time at a gun range is an important family tradition for many Americans.
Culture
The film “Águilas” tells the story of the Águilas del Desierto, who look for migrants who go missing crossing the border—often finding only their remains.
Culture
As a local mosque announces news of daily deaths, three-year-old Antara does her best to find connection and joy in the midst of a coronavirus lockdown in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Culture
In “Until Further Notice,” chef Luke Donato—out of work owing to the pandemic—finds an even more profound connection to food and people by teaching cooking classes online.
Culture
In “Herselves,” the filmmaker Kristy Choi is surprised when her mom shares a written personal story on camera.
Politics
The journalist Ian Urbina investigates the human and ecological cost of the booming fish-farming industry in the smallest country on mainland Africa.
Culture
Ched Markovic and his wife, Maria, have been running a little plant shop in Manhattan for over forty years. Their plants are thriving, but is their marriage? Matthew Beck’s film “Noble Planta” explores this sometimes strained relationship.
Culture
In “No Crying at the Dinner Table,” filmmaker Carol Nguyen interviews her parents and sister about their private grief and emotions—then plays those interviews back for them together.
Culture
In “Coby and Stephen Are in Love,” the former owner of Forbidden City, a famous Chinatown night club in San Francisco, takes the stage for the last time.
Culture
Here’s a look at twenty people’s dreams in lockdown: “I feel like our dreams are really active because our lives are so still."
Culture
“Being able to be so close to an animal who is so powerful and has lasted so long, you have to show it respect."
Culture
In the film “Ashes to Ashes,” avid “Star Wars” fan and master leatherwork artist Winfred Rembert connects with his dear friend Shirley Jackson Whitaker, who is on a mission to memorialize the four thousand forgotten African-Americans lynched during the Jim Crow era.
Culture
In “Sing Me a Lullaby,” filmmaker Tiffany Hsiung flies to Taiwan to search for her grandparents, whom she’s never met, with just two names scribbled on a napkin.
Culture
The creator, Tetsuya Miyamoto, insists that the craft of making the puzzle cannot be replicated by a machine.
Culture
Filmmaker Lina Li and her mother engage in an intimate conversation about immigration to Canada, misunderstandings, communication barriers, and the taste of home.
Culture
Eddy Goldfarb, who is ninety-eight, created such classics as the bubble gun, chattering teeth, and the game KerPlunk. His daughter, the film director Lyn Goldfarb, asks how he did it in “Eddy’s World.”
Culture
I thought I'd made it as an actor when I went on 'Conan.' Instead, I found myself contemplating the Jewish fight against oppression.
Culture
The actor Mark Metcalf, often typecast as a white-guy-authoritarian jerk, discusses the psychology of his characters.
Politics
Journalists from around the world are reporting on the 2020 Presidential race—and offering perspectives not found in American media coverage.
Politics
By taking up issues such as mental health and marijuana legalization, the country’s youngest M.P. has shaken up the country’s politics.
Politics
Virality comes with unexpected consequences.
Culture
In 2019, a hundred and ninety-five people were struck by New York City subways. Inside the grieving process of those behind the train’s controls.
Culture
With supply scarce in Lagos, Nigeria, hospitals rely on men with motorcycles to make their deliveries—but the margins for error are razor-thin.
Culture
The remote territory, rich in minerals and pure water, shows the world how to live during quarantine.
Culture
Students at Paradise High School recall the moment when the deadliest wildfire in California’s history destroyed their town.
Culture
The unusual working life of Yves Deshommes—as a doorman, art dealer, and violinist—has been in service of improving the lives of his fellow-Haitians in their home country.
Culture
The fallout from an East German spy's defection to the West continues to be felt by his son, Andy Stiller Hudson, who grew up without knowing about his father, or his career with the Stasi.
Culture
Three women in competitive mountain biking examine their relationships with falling, both on and off the course.
Culture
Though he grows vegetables on a Connecticut farm, Winny Contreras's life remains in Guanajuato, Mexico, with the family he leaves behind.
Culture
A Chinese student is hesitant about the idea of therapy, but she finds that the experience starts to change her life and relationship to the world in ways she hadn’t imagined.
Culture
As a couple grappling with infertility considers adoption and sperm donation, they grieve their loss and reconsider the meaning of family and legacy.
News
Scott Warren's arrest for providing shelter to two migrants posed a question to his community and the court: Under what circumstances could humanitarian aid be deemed illegal?
Culture
Selling a flashy mix of vintage and couture, Allan & Suzi's shop was a destination for designers, club kids, and fashion freaks in a city that was always changing around it.
Culture
After two parents decide to raise their baby as gender neutral, they discover that gender-creative parenting comes with its own set of worries and challenges.
Culture
In “Flower Punk,” Azuma Makoto uses plants to create stunning sculptures that connect humanity and nature.
Culture
Examining themes of race and beauty, “See You Next Time” offers a closeup look at the intimate work, pampering, and chat that happens in the manicure chair.
News
Eléonore Hamelin’s film “Quiet No More” explores how the Reverend Sharon Risher, in the years after her mother and eight other members of the Emanuel A.M.E. Church were murdered by a white supremacist, rose above her doubts in humanity to become a gun-violence activist.
News
A filmmaker left notes for his neighbors to call him with their anxieties, hopes, and dreams during the coronavirus pandemic.
Culture
A Brooklyn hardware-store owner tries to find out if his four-hundred-dollar painting is actually the work of a Russian master.
Culture
A son makes a surprising discovery on his elderly parents’ answering machine.
Culture
In "Dani," when a young woman with Stage IV breast cancer calls her mother to give an update on her new treatment, the conversation is full of emotion, yet matter-of-fact.
News
Volunteers from a German nonprofit risk the waves of the Mediterranean to pluck refugees from sinking rafts, which had set out from Libya, in the middle of the night. Directed and Produced by Skye Fitzgerald and Bryn Mooser "Lifeboat" was nominated for an 2019 Academy Award nomination in the category of Documentary Short Subject.
Culture
A young girl's brutal journey to the U.S. with a single goal: finding her mother.
Culture
In Malawi, people with albinism face discrimination and abuse, but the musician Lazarus Chigwandali is working to change stereotypes and protect others with the condition.
Culture
As the front lines of America’s H.I.V. epidemic continue to migrate away from metropolitan centers, a funeral director in the heart of the South confronts an environment of social shame and ignorance to ensure a dignified end for those who have died of H.I.V.-related causes. Directed and Produced by Brian Bolster and Jonathan Napolitano Big Sky 2019; Winner Audience Award The Wrap’s Short List FF; Winner Best Short Doc Florida FF AFI Docs New Orleans FF