DOC NYC is a New York-based festival, organised by Tom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen, for documentary film enthusiasts. It’s one of the largest and most important events of its kind in the world, presenting the most significant and interesting new productions from all over the world. Every year the program features over 300 films and includes numerous accompanying events that attract both special guests and a huge audience wanting great films.
There’s no arguing that participation in DOC NYC’s international competition is hugely prestigious. The creators of the Polish-German The Hamlet Syndrome by Elwira Niewiera and Piotr Rosołowski received such an honour. The documentary has already won the Golden Hobby-Horse at the 62nd Krakow Film Festival (and was its opening film), the Grand Prix at the Locarno FF, the SRG SRR Award, Boccalino d’oro, and was appreciated after screenings at IDFA, among others.
War has taken a heavy toll on the generation of young Ukrainians. Several months before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, five protagonists – inspired by the motifs of Hamlet – return to the brutal experience of recent years on stage trying to overcome their traumas. Each of them struggles with disappointment, helplessness, or anger in their own way. SLAVIK went through the real hell of war and captivity as a soldier. KATYA wants her mother to finally forgive her for going to the front lines. RODION escaped from the conflict-ridden Donbas and, as an LGBT person, is struggling with growing homophobia in post-revolutionary Ukraine. ROMAN, who tended to wounded soldiers as a military medic, is still fighting his traumatic memories. OXANA, as an actress, takes up the fight on the artistic front. What’s most significant – no matter the values they represent, recent years have been a series of shocking experiences that left a brutal mark on their minds. For each of them, the theatre stage becomes a tribune for shouting their regrets while asking themselves Hamlet’s central question: to be or not to be?
A list of all films featured during this year’s DOC NYC can be found here.