DOC NYC Film Festival Partner Screening w/ Filmmaker Q&A
Join us for a screening of five documentary short films that celebrate resilience, contribution and courage. These five intimate portraits reveal the unsung heroes woven into the fabric of our country: immigrants and first-generation Americans whose courage, sacrifice, and determination exemplify the best of the American promise.
Their stories illuminate the many ways immigrants contribute to the beauty and strength of our nation.
Films:
Sole
Director: Haneol Lee
RT: 12:31
In Nashville, Tennessee, a Korean American immigrant who once dreamed of becoming a sound engineer finds quiet contentment in family life and the simple rhythms of working in his shoe repair shop.
Sonia
Directors: Sarah Colt, Emily Schuman
RT: 21:00
At 95, feminist trailblazer Sonia Pressman Fuentes looks back on the twists of fate that led her to a life of purpose. As a founding member of the National Organization for Women and a pioneering attorney at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, she helped advance the fight for equality with humor, grit, and determination.
The Deli
Director: Kabir Birk
RT: 10:32
On Manhattan's Lower East Side, Punjabi Deli has served locals, taxi drivers, and visitors for over thirty years—evolving while staying grounded in owner Kulwinder "Jani" Singh's ethos of community, connection, and homestyle food.
Gaza Friends Club
Directors: Lauren Capps, Isabeau Doucet
RT: 20:30
An impactful portrait of a Palestinian equestrian coach confronting the destruction of the Gaza sports center he built. Mostafa Elghalayini is a witness to the devastation of a beloved community space and its horses. Straightforward and concise, the film captures loss, displacement, and resilience.
La Tierra del Valor (The Home of the Brave)
Director: Cristina Costantini
RT: 23:00
In the face of growing antipathy toward immigrants, Latina pop star NEZZA makes the bold choice to perform the National Anthem at Dodger Stadium in Spanish, sparking an outpouring of outrage, support, and discussion about freedom of speech and who decides what “American” means.
After screening: Q&A with Filmmakers – Karen McMullen, DOC NYC - Moderator / Program Curator
Program Producer - Savanna Washington
Creative Program Director - Creatively Speaking @ The Institute
Presented by The Institute on Race, Power & Political Economy at The New School and DOC NYC.
Haneol Lee or 이한얼 is an award-winning filmmaker who is an immigrant from South Korea. Lee's work dives deep into the Korean American identity and explores themes of the Asian American diaspora such as generational trauma, language, and cultural duality through a provocative yet contemplative lens. Lee's work has screened at places such as the British Film Institute, Palm Springs International Shortfest, and Cleveland International Film Festival. He is a Short to Feature Lab alumni.
Emily Schuman is an award-winning documentary producer and filmmaker. She recently co-directed two short documentaries: The Baker’s Hotline, a playful look at a real emergency hotline for home bakers, and SONIA, which chronicles the extraordinary life of feminist pioneer Sonia Pressman Fuentes. Her directorial debut, When I'm Her, a co-production with ITVS, follows a dancer who finds freedom through his glamorous alter ego, Madame Olga.
Sarah Colt has primarily directed, written and produced for PBS’ award-winning history series, American Experience – including the Emmy-nominated Walt Disney, The Gilded Age, Henry Ford, The Polio Crusade, and, most recently, Fly With Me, which tells the surprising history of female flight attendants and their crucial role in fighting for workplace equity and was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Historical Documentary. Sarah has earned several awards for her work including an Emmy and a Peabody nomination.
Kabir Birk is a writer-director working across narrative and documentary filmmaking. His work explores identity, cultural memory, and the poetry of everyday life through intimate, resonant storytelling. Grounded in observation and restraint, he seeks to push cinematic expression while remaining truthful and personal. He holds a Master’s in Cinema Studies from the University of Toronto.
Lauren Capps was a producer on the NBC News Studios series, The Sing Sing Chronicles, which premiered at DOC NYC 2024 and aired on MSNBC. It won several awards, including Best Documentary at the 2025 News and Documentary Emmy Awards. Lauren was a story producer for Trilogy Films projects Rise Again: Tulsa and The Red Summer (National Geographic), John Lewis: Good Trouble (CNN Films), Bobby Kennedy for President (Netflix), and Deadlocked: How America Shaped the Supreme Court (Showtime/Paramount +), which received the 2024 Television Academy Honors.
Cristina Costantini is an Emmy Award–winning director. Her first film, the 2018 Sundance Festival Favorite “Science Fair,” explored the competitive world of high school science fairs and was later adapted into a documentary series for National Geographic. Both the film and the series won Emmys. She went on to premiere her second film, Mucho Mucho Amor, at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. It was acquired by Netflix. In 2025, Cristina directed Mañana Fue Muy Bonito, a documentary about Colombian singer Karol G, also acquired by Netflix. That same year, she directed SALLY, a documentary about pioneering astronaut Sally Ride.
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Emily Schuman is an award-winning documentary producer and filmmaker. She recently co-directed two short documentaries: The Baker’s Hotline, a playful look at a real emergency hotline for home bakers, and SONIA, which chronicles the extraordinary life of feminist pioneer Sonia Pressman Fuentes. Her directorial debut, When I'm Her, a co-production with ITVS, follows a dancer who finds freedom through his glamorous alter ego, Madame Olga.
