Emma VestrheimDOC NYC is America’s largest documentary festival, and has selected four Nordic documentaries to screen in its 2016 programme.
DOC NYC runs from the 10th to the 17th of November in New York City. In total, 110 feature-length documentaries are heading to the festival.
Here are the Nordic films screening:
The Islands and the Whales
Faroe Islands
Directed by Mike Day
Section: Viewfinders
In the remote Faroe Islands, an archipelago located halfway between Norway and Iceland, inhabitants have been in tune with their environment for millennia. With a rugged landscape not suited for farming, they have relied on the sea for their survival, enjoying a traditional diet of seabirds, pilot whales and fish. But when they are faced with rising mercury levels in their food, as well as the clamor of international animal-rights activists, the Faroese may be forced to change their ancient ways.
Read our interview with Mike Day in Cinema Scandinavia no. 16
Cheer Up
Finland
Directed by Christy Garland
Section: Jock Docs
It’s not easy being the coach of the Ice Queens, Finland’s worst cheerleading team. Determined to start her girls on the path to success, Miia travels from the Arctic Circle to Texas to observe the sport’s world champions and replicate their methods back home. But this is no real-life Bring It On: Miia and her cheerleaders have matters to contend with that are decidedly more serious than mastering a routine, as revealed in Christy Garland’s sensitive portrait of identity and belonging.
Those Who Jump
Denmark
Directed by Estephan Wagner, Moritz Siebert
Section: International Perspectives
From the producers of The Act of Killing and The Look of Silence comes this inside look at the experiences of African migrants desperately trying to reach Europe. Abou left Mali over a year ago and has made it as far as Mount Gurugu in northern Morocco, tantalizingly just outside the fortified Spanish enclave of Melilla. Given a camera by the directors, Abou finds his voice as he captures the daily reality of living in limbo in a makeshift camp while plotting the next attempt to reach Spain.
Diving into the Unknown
Finland
Directed by Juan Reina
Section: International Perspectives
After a diving expedition in an underwater cave results in tragedy, two Finnish divers seem forever lost. Unable to recover their remains safely, authorities call off their investigation and bar further diving. Determined to honor their fallen comrades and bring closure to their families, surviving team members plan a dangerous covert operation to return to the cave and retrieve their friends. Diving Into the Unknown follows their harrowing mission as they confront their own fears in the name of brotherhood.