The Documentary Forum CCNY

The Documentary Forum CCNY Documentary sits at the nexus of the arts, the humanities, the sciences and the social sciences.

The Documentary Forum at CCNY is a center dedicated to supporting and encouraging the creation, exhibition, and study of documentary film, journalism, and non-fiction visual story-telling through multi-platform media. The Documentary Forum at CCNY is a new center dedicated to supporting and encouraging the creation, exhibition, and study of documentary film, journalism, and non-fiction visual stor

y-telling through multi-platform media. The Forum aims to build a bridge between the college’s media-making community, the Harlem community in which it resides, and a growing international online audience. The Documentary Forum exists to foster, produce and study media-making that incorporates students, faculty, alumni and the Harlem community into the global documentary conversation. The Documentary Forum is born out of a passion for crafting intelligent and nuanced stories that enrich the cultural landscape with the voices and visions of a diverse society. It is an invaluable vehicle for understanding the complexities of a wide array of intellectual domains, for reflecting on the human condition, and for creating a more culturally informed, engaged, and integrated citizenry. In an era of expanding commercial use of the Internet and consolidation of media ownership, the promotion of the documentary genre, with its fundamental tenets of freedom of expression and public access to information, is essential to preserving an open and informed society.

How can filmmakers balance creativity, historical accuracy, and accountability in the age of AI?This conversation explor...
03/13/2026

How can filmmakers balance creativity, historical accuracy, and accountability in the age of AI?

This conversation explores how emerging technologies are reshaping documentary storytelling and what ethical responsibility looks like for creators today. Moving beyond utopian or dystopian hype, the seminar considers how AI is intersecting with nonfiction practice from tools used by editors and VFX artists to conceptual storytelling approaches.

Find out more about both the promise and the pitfalls of AI, and how to engage these tools while protecting the integrity of stories, subjects, and archives. Speakers will also address bias, authorship, evolving ethical guidelines, and the impact of AI on creative labor.

When: March 19, 2026 at 6:30 PM
Where: Online, Zoom link given with RSVP
RSVP for Zoom Link: https://buff.ly/plcTdRl
Lead speaker: AX Mina, Impact and Engagement Consultant at the Archival Producers Alliance.

AX Mina consults on impact and engagement at the Archival Producers Alliance (). Mina has led exhibitions in spaces such as the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Mozilla Festival Open Artist Studio (curated by the V&A Museum and Tate Modern), and the Museum of the Moving Image, and they produce FIVE AND NINE, a podcast about magic, work and economic justice. Her most recent book, HANMOJI HANDBOOK, co-authored with Jason Li and Jennifer 8. Lee, is a Kirkus Best Book of 2022 and teaches the Chinese language through emoji. She is a Senior Civic Media Fellow at the USC Annenberg School for Journalism and Communications and member of Brown Girls Doc Mafia and the Asian American Documentary Network. She is directing RUBBISH: THE Q***R KINGDOM OF LEILAH BABIRYE.

Presented by Third World Newsreel and the Documentary Forum at CCNY.

Questions to [email protected].

Join us in this Indie popup event to see the film "The Librarians" and hear from librarians working on our freedom of sp...
02/25/2026

Join us in this Indie popup event to see the film "The Librarians" and hear from librarians working on our freedom of speech and freedom to read. America's war on books is more than a war on words.

When: Thursday, March 5, 2026 at 6 PM
Where: City College of NY, Shepard Hall Room 291, 259 Convent Avenue at 140th street ( #1 to 137th St, ABCD to 145th Street) Accessible route: #6 to 125st, then M101 to 140th St.
Free RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-librarians-film-and-talk-tickets-1983385903629?aff=DocForum

When Texas lawmakers seek to review a list of books, librarians find themselves on the frontlines of a national battle. Across the U.S., librarians face the impact of uniting against library collection standards that include restrictions on race-related and LGBTQIA+ content. Drawing on historical context, The Librarians explores the broader implications for education and public life.

See the film and hear from Emily Drabinski, Associate Professor and Chair of the School of Information Studies, Queens College, CUNY, and Jackson Gomez of the Brooklyn Public Library.

This event is being presented by Third World Newsreel, the Documentary Forum at CCNY and the City College of NY Cohen Library.

Light refreshments served. ASL and CART at event. Film is captioned.

Questions to [email protected].

Hear from long time distributor, promoter and programmer, Carlos Gutiérrez, of Cinema Tropical and Distribution Advocate...
02/24/2026

Hear from long time distributor, promoter and programmer, Carlos Gutiérrez, of Cinema Tropical and Distribution Advocates as he gives us some insight into what is going on and what options filmmakers should consider going forward.

When: Wed, March 4th at 6 PM
Where: City College of NY, Shepard Hall Room 290. 259 Convent Avenue at 140th street. #1 to 137th st, ABCD to 145th Street (school shuttle @ 15min)
Free RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/film-distribution-and-festival-strategy-with-carlos-a-gutierrez-tickets-1983381768260?aff=DocForum

Gutiérrez, a long time distributor, promoter and programmer and a member of Distribution Advocates, talks about distribution and festivals right now.

Last we heard, 12 films were picked up at Sundance out of the over 90 that screened. And the distribution field is in turmoil as well. What to do?

Join us for this seminar!

Light refreshments will be served. Questions to [email protected]

A presentation of Third World Newsreel and the Documentary Forum at CCNY.

See the behind the scenes in the making of Stranger Things 5 - and hear from acclaimed director and cinematographer Mart...
02/16/2026

See the behind the scenes in the making of Stranger Things 5 - and hear from acclaimed director and cinematographer Martina Radwan!

"One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5" provides a ground-level, in-the-trenches account of the making of the final season. After a decade of storytelling, Season 5 marks the conclusion of the show, and the end of an era for the Duffer Brothers, their cast and long-term collaborators.

Drawing on her extensive experience across high-profile narrative and documentary projects, Radwan approaches the film with a storyteller’s sensibility, foregrounding craftsmanship, collaboration and creative decision-making. The result is a cinematic portrait that reflects both the ambition of the series and the enduring legacy it leaves behind. Come see the film and hear from this award winning director and cinematographer!

When: Wednesday Feb 25th at 6 pm
Where: City College of NY, Shepard Hall Room 291
259 Convent Avenue at 140th Street ( #1 to 137th st, ABCD to 145th st.)
Accessible route and closed captions included. Light refreshments. You must have ID to enter the building and you must have a ticket.
Tickets: https://buff.ly/bYLZ7e1

Unlike a conventional behind-the-scenes featurette, Martina Radwan’s film offers an immersive chronicle of creation. Embedded on the Atlanta-based set for an entire year, she was granted unprecedented access to the Duffer Brothers, venturing deep into their creative process and witnessing firsthand the passion, pressure and imagination behind the making of the landmark final season.

See the trailer: https://buff.ly/anmZLqC

A presentation of Third World Newsreel and the Documentary Forum at CCNY.





Creating systemic change through film requires more than filmmaking. Join Emmy award-winning filmmaker and impact produc...
02/16/2026

Creating systemic change through film requires more than filmmaking. Join Emmy award-winning filmmaker and impact producer Resita Cox for a dynamic virtual conversation on integrating impact campaigns into your film’s core production strategy.

This deep-dive discussion explores how to support community transformation while building long-term artistic sustainability - by reframing creating impact as a core component of your creative journey. It takes rethinking the production process, and changing your film impact campaign from an afterthought into an integral part of your filmmaking practice. Hear from Resita on how that can happen.

Your RSVP will bring you a zoom link to this Virtual talk.
Zoom RSVP: https://buff.ly/NxnPZk4
When: Thursday, Feb 26th at 6:30 PM ET

Resita Cox is an Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker who creates poetic portrayals of her community's resilience against racism. Her films, centered on Southern Black communities, explore environmental justice and hidden Black histories, with her debut Freedom Hill premiering nationally on PBS in 2024. Cox is a Hulu/Kartemquin Accelerator Fellow, North Star Fellow, 2024 Rockwood Documentary Leaders Fellow (Ford Foundation), a 2025 Chicken & Egg Eggcelorator Fellow, and 2024/2025 Grounded Possibilities Environmental Justice Fellow. She holds an MFA from Northwestern University and was named an Esteemed Artist by the City of Chicago.

A presentation of Third World Newsreel and the Documentary Forum at CCNY.

Questions to [email protected].

At a time when community activism is needed more than ever, a look at some films from the late 1960s to be inspired.2026...
02/04/2026

At a time when community activism is needed more than ever, a look at some films from the late 1960s to be inspired.

2026 is off to a rough start - horrific wars, loss of civil and human rights, government forces attacking civilians, arts, sciences, education and health under attack, and an attempt at the erasure of Black and other People of color history.

Join us for inspiration and activation in some of the films that documented a similar turbulent time, the late 1960s - with some shorts about one of the most notable activist groups of the time, the Black Panthers. Third World Newsreel has been digitally preserving its historical activist films and invites you to join us to view these films and hear from a special guest. Films include: Black Panther (aka Off the Pig), Mayday Panther and Bobby Seale, all made by San Francisco Newsreel.

When: Wednesday, Feb 11th at 6 PM
Where: City College of NY, Shepard Hall Room 291
259 Convent Ave at 140th street ( #1 to 137th st, ABCD to 145th street)
Light refreshments. CC captions.
RSVP: https://buff.ly/e40q78W

Questions to [email protected]

Join us for refreshments, a new film "The Inquisitor," and a talk with director Angela Tucker and coproducers Trevite Wi...
02/04/2026

Join us for refreshments, a new film "The Inquisitor," and a talk with director Angela Tucker and coproducers Trevite Willis, and Moira Griffin at the City College of NY.

Explore the life and legacy of Barbara Jordan, a civil right icon - with a complex private life in "The Inquisitor." Jordan was a groundbreaking Texas congresswoman whose sharp intellect and moral clarity transformed U.S. politics. From Nixon’s impeachment to civil rights battles, her voice demanded accountability, while she privately faced struggles few ever knew of.

📆 Wednesdsay, February 18th at 6 PM
📍 CCNY, Shepard Hall, Rm 291
♿ CART and ASL, light refreshments provided.
🎟️ RSVP on Eventbrite: https://buff.ly/hYXnNHg

Sponsored by Third World Newsreel and the Documentary Forum at CCNY and cosponsored by the Black Studies Department at CCNY and the CCNY LGBTQ+ Student Center. An Indie Lens Pop up presentation.

Questions to [email protected].

Join us for an online talk with Natalie Bullock Brown, of the Documentary Accountability Working Group, on the ethical d...
01/29/2026

Join us for an online talk with Natalie Bullock Brown, of the Documentary Accountability Working Group, on the ethical dilemmas of documentary work, its framework syllabus, and what it could mean for all of our work.

📆 Thursday, February 12 at 6:30 PM ET
📍 Zoom - RSVP to get link
🎟️ https://buff.ly/7Axrz1m

For a long time, filmmakers have typically regarded open, public conversations about ethics and responsibility in their own films as too risky, threatening their precarious status within the field. As the field has become more lucrative, and as our field engaged in a racial reckoning, that calculus changed.

What does that mean? How might this impact your filmmaking? Would industry-wide agreement on best practices help shift non-fiction filmmaking to be more responsible and less extractive?

What are your values, and how do you actualize them in your filmmaking practice? In this presentation by Natalie Bullock Brown, director of the Documentary Accountability Working Group (DAWG), participants will learn about DAWG's signature From Reflection to Release: Framework for Values, Ethics and Accountability in Nonfiction Filmmaking which is rooted in social justice values, reflect on their own practice in safety of community, and explore the ethical dilemmas that inevitably arise, no matter a filmmakers' intentions.

Presented by Third World Newsreel and the Documentary Forum at CCNY.

Join us for this film that premiered in 2025 at SXSW and won the Editing award at IFFBoston, and hear from the director ...
01/22/2026

Join us for this film that premiered in 2025 at SXSW and won the Editing award at IFFBoston, and hear from the director Khary Saeed Jones.

In August 2017, filmmaker Khary Saeed Jones was followed by a vigilante down back roads in rural Canada. As he plans his return, he wonders whether he wants answers to his many questions or something else.

"Night Fight" is a hybrid documentary that charts a complex journey from retribution to self-renewal, to moving forward, while still facing your pain or fear. This candid, nuanced, and deeply personal treatment of the resurgent racial under- and over-currents that have moved stubbornly against efforts to unwind and address the permanence of systemic and interpersonal racial violence and discrimination results in a surprisingly human story.

📆 Thursday, February 5, 2026 at 6 PM
📍 City College of NY, Shepard Hall Rm 291, 259 Convent Avenue at 140th street.
♿ The building and screening is accessible, and the talk will have ASL and CART. There will be light refreshments.
🎟️ https://buff.ly/it9wSNT

Questions to [email protected]

Sponsored by Third World Newsreel and the Documentary Forum at CCNY.

📽 Celebrate NYC BIPOC and Trans filmmakers with a screening of three powerful short films. QVNYC X City College presents...
01/15/2026

📽 Celebrate NYC BIPOC and Trans filmmakers with a screening of three powerful short films. QVNYC X City College presents "Where do we go from here?" a dialogue between revolutionary trans artist and the city of New York.

🗓 Thursday, January 29, 2026 @ 6:30-8:30 PM
🚪 Doors open, light bites provided @ 6 PM
📍 Aaron Davis Hall, The City College of New York
🎟 FREE at https://bit.ly/4qZnDc0

Join us for a powerful night as we come together as community members to celebrate trans stories and visibility. This empowering night will feature three boundary defying short films by award-winning international trans filmmakers, following a moderation/Q&A.

The films:
- "Dilating for Maximum Results" Dr. Nyala Moon (CCNY MFA Alum)
- "Lovin' Her" Dir. Day
- "Echoes: The B-Side" Dir. Mars Storm Rucker

This event is made possible by generous funding from the New York City Council to the CUNY LGBTQIA+ Consortium, and supported by the LaGuardia and Wagner Archives.

Questions? Email [email protected]

Co-Sponsors: Q***r Voices NYC, CUNY LGBTQIA+ Consortium, CCNY LGBTQ+ Student Center, Golden Boi Productions, Leonard Davis Center for the Performing Arts, CCNY Division of Student Affairs, and the Doc Forum at CCNY

TWN and The Documentary Forum are pleased to invite you to a FREE film screening and talk with filmmaker Juan Mejia. Jua...
10/22/2025

TWN and The Documentary Forum are pleased to invite you to a FREE film screening and talk with filmmaker Juan Mejia. Juan will be presenting his documentary "Igualada."

In Colombia, a nation marred by profound racial and socio-economic disparities, a Black woman from a rural background challenges the status quo by launching a presidential campaign. Reappropriating the term “igualada,” (derogatory term based on class, race, and gender used to designate someone who acts as if they deserve rights), Francia Márquez, catapults a movement to the upper echelons of power, by refusing to “know her place.” Fifteen years in the making, this documentary peels back the curtain on how unprecedented change can happen.

🗓️ Wednesday, November 5, 2025, 6 PM
📍 259 Convent Avenue, Shepard Hall Room 291 at the City College of New York in Harlem. Show your ID to enter the building.
🚌 Accessible route is #6 to 125th street, then M101 to 140th street, other routes are #1 to 137th street or ABCD to 145th street.
♿ The building is mobility device accessible with a ramp, an elevator to the second floor, and accessible bathrooms. The event is accessible with closed captions, ASL and CART provided.

RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/igualada-film-and-talk-tickets-1830367100269?aff=docforum

Hear from the POV CoProducer, Robert Chang about the film series and indie fillmmakers now. POV continues - but with the...
10/07/2025

Hear from the POV CoProducer, Robert Chang about the film series and indie fillmmakers now. POV continues - but with the current changes in public television, what might this mean for filmmakers?

POV (Point of View) is the longest-running independent documentary showcase on American television. Since 1988, POV has presented films that capture the full spectrum of the human experience from around the world, bringing powerful nonfiction storytelling to viewers wherever they are, and sparking dialogue around today’s most pressing issues.

🗓 Wednesday, October 29, 2025 at 6 PM
📍 Shepard Hall, The City College of New York
🎟 Free RSVP on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pov-pbs-and-indie-filmmaking-with-robert-chang-of-pov-tickets-1774118669699
☕ Light refreshments served
🎤 Presented by Third World Newsreel and the Documentary Forum at CCNY

Robert Y. Chang is the Co-Producer of POV. He serves as juror, screener, programmer, panelist, and reviewer for a range of film festivals, foundations, and funders of the arts. Robert received his PhD in Cultural Anthropology with research on the intersection of religion and media. As a filmmaker, Robert's work has screened worldwide and is distributed by Documentary Educational Resources (DER). He is a member of the PGA, the Television Academy, and NLGJA.





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