DCTV

DCTV For more than 50 years, DCTV has been New York’s nonprofit home for documentary film and media arts.

We show documentaries in our world-class Firehouse cinema, provide high-quality workshops + equip young people with media and storytelling skills. Founded in 1972, DCTV is one of the nation’s oldest and most honored media arts centers. It is located in a landmarked firehouse in Chinatown, New York City where community screenings and discussions, youth media and continuing education programs, and

affordable filmmaking resources all exist side by side with DCTV’s own, award-winning documentary productions.

06/17/2026

A film about crossing ideological divides, Katy Scoggin's FLOOD opens this Fri Jun 19 – Thu Jun 25, featuring Q&As with filmmakers Laura Poitras, Yance Ford, and Macky Alston; therapists April Kunis and Sarah Carr from Reclamation Collective, Charles King from Housing Works Inc. and more!
https://firehousecinema.dctvny.org/flood

06/17/2026

Great productions don't happen by accident; they happen because someone knows how to keep every moving piece on track.

On June 25, Jordan Lisi teaches Assistant Directing. In this workshop, you'll learn to build production schedules to manage the fast-paced realities of life on set. Designed with independent filmmakers in mind, the workshop offers practical, real-world tools to help you lead with confidence, solve problems under pressure, and keep your next production running smoothly.

Register here: https://ow.ly/gRNs50ZcQNN

🔥 Hot Workshops. Cool Skills.

06/15/2026

A great documentary starts long before the camera rolls.

Documentary Producer Michelle Budnick shares three practical tips to help demystify the budgeting process, because a strong budget isn't just about numbers; it's about setting your story up for success.

At Documentary Budgeting on June 18, you'll learn how to build realistic budgets, allocate resources effectively, and create financial plans that support your project from development through distribution.

🔥 Hot Workshops. Cool Skills.
Register today: https://ow.ly/H5T350ZbVo1

One week on and we wanted to share a few images from DocuMixer with the fantastic Karen Schmeer Film Editing Fellowship ...
06/15/2026

One week on and we wanted to share a few images from DocuMixer with the fantastic Karen Schmeer Film Editing Fellowship that took place at DCTV. The event took place during the Tribeca Festival, with hundreds of documentarians taking advantage of the chance to network.
Dara Messinger, DCTV’s Director of Programming at Firehouse Cinema, said: “It always feels good to bring our community together. This free no-frills event allows documentary filmmakers to connect with old friends and make new ones while learning about our work and that of our co-presenter.”
Missed this DocuMixer? Not to worry, there'll be plenty more in the future!
Read more here: https://ow.ly/VgE950ZbSwA

Did you know that clownfish change s*x from male to female? (So if Nemo’s mom had died in real life, his dad could have ...
06/13/2026

Did you know that clownfish change s*x from male to female? (So if Nemo’s mom had died in real life, his dad could have become his mom!) Did you know that albatross, penguins and swans parent in same s*x pairs? Or that bonobos, who are just as closely related to us as chimps, are matriarchal and have same-s*x s*x every day?!

Narrated by Elliot Page, SECOND NATURE follows trailblazing Evolutionary Biologist Dr. Joan Roughgarden as she meets groundbreaking scientists exploring the 1500+ animal species who engage in same-s*x s*xual behavior and parenting, change s*x, form matriarchies, and more, debunking myths that females are “inferior” and that being q***r is “unnatural.”

SECOND NATURE – everything you didn’t learn in high school biology – screens Fri Jun 26 – Thu Jul 2 with Q&As at select showtimes.
https://firehousecinema.dctvny.org/secondnature

After eight months of writing, filming, editing, and discovering their voices, on Saturday our young Media Fellows premi...
06/12/2026

After eight months of writing, filming, editing, and discovering their voices, on Saturday our young Media Fellows premiered their original films at Framing Reality: DCTV's celebration of stories that challenge perspectives and explore identity.

As part of our free Youth Media program, they had the unique opportunity to watch their work screened in our Academy Award-qualifying Firehouse Cinema with friends and family. But this screening wasn't the end of their journey; it's just the next step. From the classroom to the big screen, they're building the skills, confidence, and creative vision that will shape the future of nonfiction storytelling.

As DCTV Managing Director Sade Falebita shared: "What I really appreciated about today's screening is just how raw and intimate and personal the stories were... It's very special, and it's very important, especially at a time like this in the world."

Congratulations to all of our Media Fellows, and to our graduating seniors as they continue their filmmaking journeys at colleges including NYU, Purchase, Middlebury College, and beyond. We can't wait to see where your stories take you next. ❤️🎥

06/11/2026

A great documentary starts long before the camera rolls.

Documentary Producer Michelle Budnick shares three practical tips to help demystify the budgeting process, because a strong budget isn't just about numbers; it's about setting your story up for success.

At Documentary Budgeting on June 18, you'll learn how to build realistic budgets, allocate resources effectively, and create financial plans that support your project from development through distribution.

🔥 Hot Workshops. Cool Skills.
Register today https://ow.ly/szHB50ZaHol

Renowned Icelandic poet and author Andri Snær Magnason is chasing something elusive. As the glacial ice of his homeland...
06/10/2026

Renowned Icelandic poet and author Andri Snær Magnason is chasing something elusive. As the glacial ice of his homeland melts, he constructs a time capsule to hold onto this moment and send it to the future, before everything he loves slips away. From Oscar-nominated director Sara Dosa (FIRE OF LOVE), TIME AND WATER is a universal reflection on the power of home and what it means to be alive amid profound epochal change. Screening this Fri Jun 12 – Thu Jun 18 at .

Buy tickets: https://firehousecinema.dctvny.org/timeandwater

A Different Kind of Selfie | June 16What will your story be? Beginning June 16, this 8-week workshop is an opportunity t...
06/09/2026

A Different Kind of Selfie | June 16

What will your story be? Beginning June 16, this 8-week workshop is an opportunity to explore documentary filmmaking through the lens of your own experiences while creating a short self-portrait film that reflects your personal voice.

Led by award-winning filmmaker and editor who brings more than 20 years of industry experience, you'll gain hands-on skills in storytelling, interviewing, editing, and production in a collaborative environment designed to help you grow as a filmmaker.

🔥 Hot Workshops. Cool Skills. Link in Bio!

A filmmaker returns to her childhood home to attempt to reconcile with her estrangedevangelical father, decades after re...
06/09/2026

A filmmaker returns to her childhood home to attempt to reconcile with her estranged
evangelical father, decades after rejecting Christianity. She ends up capturing a pivotal moment for the whole family. What will it take – and is it possible – to reconnect? Come see the US Theatrical Premiere of Katy Scoggin's FLOOD, Fri Jun 19 – Thu Jun 25, featuring many post-screening Q&As after select showtimes with special guests.
Buy tickets here: https://firehousecinema.dctvny.org/flood

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87 Lafayette Street
New York, NY
10013

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