Oscar champions and Oscar-nominated filmmakers will certainly be converging on San Francisco for the 12 th version of Doc Stories, the prominent nonfiction movie festival put on by SFFILM
The motion picture occasion running November 5 – 8 will certainly open up with 14 th , Ava DuVernay’s passing through assessment of hazards to the protections and civil liberties paid for by the 14 th Modification. The celebration gathers Sam Pollard’s Tutu , an account southern African archbishop, anti-Apartheid protestor and Nobel Peace Reward winner.
Scroll for the complete schedule of films and talks.
To name a few noticeable filmmakers heading to Doc Stories: Oscar winner Laura Poitras with her short documentary They’re Right here , co-directed with Rachel Lauren Mueller; two-time Oscar candidate Joshua Oppenheimer with his short movie The Transformation Versus Fatality ; three-time Oscar victor Sean Pean with the Ukraine war-themed film he executed produced, Black Sunflowers , and Oscar-shortlisted filmmaker Luke Lorentzen with his latest, Boatbuilders Two-time Oscar victor Ben Proudfoot will certainly lead a docudrama workshop for teenager filmmakers.
” For over a years, Doc Stories has actually symbolized the best of what SFFILM and the San Francisco Bay Location champ and commemorate in new documentary job,” commented Anne Lai , SFFILM’s executive supervisor. “Each movie is a wonderful portal right into much better recognizing the world we reside in. When day-to-day live can feel fairly discoloration and fractious, docudramas skillfully urge us to allow our guard down and get in touch with real-life stories and people … often tough, commonly stimulating, and constantly significant. It’s a privilege to bring filmmakers, market, and audiences– including youngsters– together for this yearly event.”
Because 2015, Doc Stories has actually been the gathering factor for the Bay Location’s docudrama neighborhood, the event notes, with a program that dependably features standout nonfiction work from worldwide. Greater than two lots Doc Stories selections have gone on to gain Academy Award nominations, and numerous have actually won.
SFFILM
” Curating Doc Stories is one of the excellent opportunities of my task because I reach spend the year choosing movies that I can not wait to place in front of a target market,” said Jessie Fairbanks , SFFILM’s director of shows. “This year, I located myself attracted to filmmakers that are looking very closely at the pressures forming our lives, while additionally exposing the humor, charm, strength, and oppositions within them. These are documentaries I believe should have to be seen, discussed, and experienced with each other– and I’m thrilled to share them with our audiences.”
Along with the public program, SFFILM’s Artist Development team will assemble Doc Congress, a day of discussion and networking for filmmakers, funders, and market experts. “This year’s Doc Congress consists of a dynamic seminar on AI usage in documentaries featuring Srđan Keča, director of Stanford’s MFA in Documentary Film, and Rachel Antell, co-founder of the Archival Producers Partnership. Artist Advancement will certainly additionally host an inaugural Pitch Online forum for three local filmmakers. Guest filmmakers will certainly cover off the weekend at Sunday’s yearly Doc Stories Breakfast.”
From November 2– 10, SFFILM’s Education team will hold trainees and educators at Schools at Doc Stories, with cost-free in-person testings at SFMOMA, online programs for classrooms nationwide, and conversations with going to filmmakers that connect to class studies and spark curiosity about the larger world.
Doc Stories testings happen at the Vogue Theater in San Francisco’s Presidio Levels neighborhood. Below is the program lineup (provided in alphabetical order, with Opening and Closing Evening films initial and last).
Ryan Postas/Netflix
Opening Evening: 14 th
THU, NOV 5 A T 6: 30 PM PT
THU, NOV 5 A T 9: 30 PM PT
Ava DuVernay (U.S.A. 2026, 107 min)
Ava DuVernay takes a look at the withstanding guarantees of the 14 th Amendment with a powerful chorus of voices, joining us in person to discuss this vital brand-new docudrama.
All Rivers Spill Their Stories to the Sea
SAT, NOV 7 A T 5: 00 PM PT
Jeanie Finlay (UK 2026, 99 min)
When a massive sea life die-off threatens his livelihood, lifelong fisherman Stan Rennie rallies his area in a pursuit for responses, coming to be the unlikeliest of lobbyists.
Black Sunflowers
SAT, NOV 7 A T 8: 00 PM PT
James Marcus Haney (Ukraine 2026, 97 min)
Exec created by Sean Penn, James Marcus Haney’s kinetic, rainbow portrait of Ukrainian youth is active with activity, shade, and music. Shot over 4 years the electronic camera follows musicians, drifters, soldiers, and friends as they locate pockets of liberty amid placing unpredictability.
Boatbuilders
SUN, NOV 8 A T 4: 30 PM PT
Luke Lorentzen (U.S.A. 2026, 103 minutes)
An aesthetically magnificent ode to impeccable craftsmanship and the appeal of Maine, Luke Lorentzen’s newest docudrama accounts the employees of Brooklin Watercraft Lawn, a firm structure custom wood luxury yachts given that 1960
Person Osama
SUNLIGHT, NOV 8 A T 11: 30 AM PT
Ahmed Hassouna (Palestine, France 2026, 71 min)
A professional photographer transformed war reporter papers life in Gaza while increasing his newborn child, facing the impossible obstacle of attesting to disaster while shielding those he loves.
Darlene Love: I Know Where I have actually Been
FRI, NOV 6 A T 8: 30 PM PT
Barry Avrich (Canada 2026, 118 minutes).
The extraordinary vocalist Darlene Love has actually lived a big life with its concomitant ups and downs, and this movie covers them all as Love herself charts her profession, constantly leading with joy and wit, including Cher, David Letterman, Bruce Springsteen, Dionne Warwick, and a lot more.
Doc Talks: Laura Poitras and Rachel Lauren Mueller
Overall Runtime: 60 minutes
SAT, NOV 7 A T 1: 30 PM PT
Join us for an intimate and honest fireside conversation with filmmakers Laura Poitras and Rachel Lauren Mueller, who will review the timeliness of their movie, They’re Right here about a Minneapolis neighborhood throughout a wave of ICE raids.
Doc Talks: Jeanie Finlay, Luke Lorentzen, and Erik Shirai
Complete Runtime: 60 minutes
SAT, NOV 7 A T 3: 30 PM PT
Doc Talks continues with filmmakers Jeanie Finlay ( All Rivers Spill Their Stories to the Sea , Luke Lorentzen ( Boatbuilders , and Erik Shirai ( Sumo: Spirit Evaluates Nothing , as they go over the motion picture power of empirical narration and their unique techniques as both supervisors and cinematographers.
Doc Talks: Sam Pollard and J.M. Harper
Overall Runtime: 60 minutes
SUN, NOV 8 A T 2: 30 PM PT
Doc Talks’ final celebration profiles the well-regarded and respected Sam Pollard and increasing star J.M. Harper. Pollard and Harper will discuss their newest attributes, Tutu and Soul Patrol, and their procedures of digging deep into background, society, and politics in their job.
Area Testing: Title to Be Announced
THU, NOV 5 A T 3: 30 PM PT
Join us for a community screening of an extremely special docudrama from a notable neighborhood Bay Area filmmaker that takes customers behind the scenes of a major film production. The title of the movie will be exposed in late October. Free and available to the general public. Participants have to RSVP for tickets at sffilm.org.
Shorts Block: New York City Times Op-Docs
Overall Runtime: 99 min
FRI, NOV 6 A T 5: 45 PM PT
( Films remain in alphabetical order instead of order of play).
The Ones Who Stay
Olivier Côté, Jean-François Bouchard (Canada, Cuba 2026, 22 minutes)
Amidst a nationwide migration situation, four young Cuban artists go against the tide and pick to remain.
The Transformation Versus Fatality
Joshua Oppenheimer (Denmark, Sweden 2026, 23 min)
Joshua Oppenheimer stares right into the world of an aging community and their eccentric initiatives to accomplish immortality.
Boy
Leona Cauklija (Sweden 2026, 13 minutes)
A Swedish mommy’s love recognizes no bounds, making use of graffiti to locate her long lost child.
The Tuners
Paweł Chorzępa (Poland 2026, 23 min)
Differentiated tuners function relentlessly to achieve excellent pitch for their tools at a renowned piano competitors.
A Wolf in the Suburbs
Amélie Hardy (Canada 2026, 18 minutes)
A Mississaugan man revitalizes his previous Olympian way of thinking in a fight to maintain his grass’s overgrowth.
Shorts Block: Sensory Experience
Complete Runtime: 100 minutes
FRI, NOV 6 A T 3 PM PT
( Movies are in alphabetical order as opposed to order of play).
Chuuraa
Evgenia Arbugaeva (UK 2026, 18 min)
A Sakha scientist trips right into Siberia’s melting permafrost, where the previous arises together with ancestral ideas.
Pay attention
Taliesin Black-Brown (U.S.A. 2026, 15 minutes)
As memory discolors and nature changes, an Alaskan audio recordist listens closely to what remains.
Pelo Lindo
Josue Garcia Prado (Guatemala 2026, 24 min)
Decades after her son’s forced loss, a Guatemalan mom’s sustaining faith keeps his memory alive.
Still Standing
Victor Tadashi Suárez, Livia Albeck-Ripka (USA 2026, 10 minutes)
After the Eaton Fire, Altadena locals face hazardous contamination in homes insurance providers insist are safe to populate.
They’re Here
Laura Poitras, Rachel Lauren Mueller (United States 2026, 25 min)
When concealed ICE agents come down on Minneapolis, neighbors activate, tracking the movements of policemans to safeguard one another.
You Do Not Exist
Dwayne LeBlanc (U.S.A. 2026, 8 min)
Under passing aircrafts, a male assesses memory, belonging, and the paths not taken.
Spirit Patrol
SAT, NOV 7 A T 2: 00 PM PT
J.M. Harper (U.S.A. 2026, 100 minutes)
This moving, creative, and critical docudrama illustrates the last reunion of an all-Black six-man patrol team in Vietnam, making sure that their courage and experiences are not shed to background.
Sumo: Spirit Weighs Absolutely Nothing
SUN, NOV 8 A T 1: 30 PM PT
Erik Shirai (Japan, U.S.A., UK, Denmark 2026, 99 minutes)
Erik Shirai cinematically captures the spectacle of toughness that is the globe of specialist sumo wrestling, and beams an uncommon spotlight on the secrecy of the sport and its awesome rivals.
Teen Workshop: Producing Unimaginable Stories
Complete Runtime: 120 min
SAT, NOV 7 A T 1 PM PT
Sign Up With Ben Proudfoot, two-time Academy Award ®- winning filmmaker and the creator and CEO of Breakwater Studios, for a teen-centered documentary workshop.
Closing Night: Tutu
SUN, NOV 8 A T 7: 30 PM PT
Sam Pollard (UK 2026, 102 min)
A revelatory picture of Desmond Tutu, the cherished South African archbishop whose courageous ethical voice, contagious wit, and unwavering commitment to justice aided improve a country and inspire generations.
