A yearly highlight for documentary cinema lovers old and new, Doc Fortnight returns this winter with a wide-ranging slate of nonfiction and hybrid films. In its 22nd edition, the festival presents some of the most timely, thought-provoking, and formally adventurous new work from around the world. This year’s selection attests to the documentary form’s enduring ability to bear witness to social change and history-altering events through the experiences of everyday people, and to champion new and nuanced perspectives that enrich our understanding of the world far beyond news headlines. Doc Fortnight also continues to celebrate innovative and experimental approaches to nonfiction, and the artists and filmmakers whose exploration of the politics of sound, the inner workings of memory, the untold histories that archives can tell, and what’s at stake in the very premise of documentary’s truth-telling nature all remain as vital as ever.

Among the festival’s 15 features and eight short films are several North American premieres, and some are being presented to audiences for the very first time. Three special programs offer focused, intimate presentations: a pair of career-spanning evenings dedicated to Sharon Lockhart and Morgan Quaintance, respectively, and a double bill guest-curated by kekahi wahi, a grassroots film initiative from Hawaiʻi, that offers glimpses into ongoing archipelagic realities.

A selection of films included in Doc Fortnight 2023 will be available for streaming on our Virtual Cinema platform, where films are available for free to MoMA members.