What DOC NYC does

DOC NYC operates America's largest documentary film festival, founded in 2010 and based at 11 Penn Plaza in New York City. The organization is run as a subsidiary of AMC Networks Inc. and is led by Artistic Director Jaie Laplante with a lean 1–10 person internal team. Its core offering is the eight-day annual fall festival held each November (the 17th edition scheduled for November 11–29, 2026) at NYC venues including IFC Center, SVA Theatre, and Village East by Angelika, screening more than 130 films and events and hosting 100+ special guests in mature years.

Beyond the flagship festival, DOC NYC operates a year-round programming stack: DOC NYC Selects (ongoing Tuesday evening screenings at IFC Center), Spring Showcase (a free online screening series with filmmaker Q&As running since 2021 across Netflix, Apple TV+, Hulu, Prime Video, National Geographic, Disney+, and Showtime), DOC NYC PRO (industry conferences and Pitch Day), the DOC NYC Short List (an Oscar-season precursor that has repeatedly seeded Academy recognition, with 9 of the 2013 cohort reaching the Oscars Short List), Visionaries Tribute (lifetime-achievement honors), and The Louies Awards debuting a $100,000 fund for short documentaries in 2026. Additional initiatives include Voices of Canada, DOC NYC U, Filmmaker Resources, Documentary New Leaders, and 40 Under 40.

Monetization runs through three channels: ticket sales (single screenings at $18 / $15 seniors / $12 IFC Center members; season passes at $85 / $60 members), corporate sponsorship (the largest commercial lever given the festival's scale and AMC Networks parent backing), and advertising on festival programs and owned newsletters. The customer base is dual-sided: documentary filmmakers and industry professionals seeking exhibition, awards positioning, and deal-making access, and documentary enthusiasts consuming curated screenings and conversations. Distribution relies on NYC venue partners plus online streaming partnerships, with no disclosed revenue figure.

Name

DOC NYC

Legal name

DOC NYC (operated by AMC Networks Inc.)

Website

https://docnyc.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

DOC NYC is America's largest documentary film festival, founded in 2010 and operated as a subsidiary of AMC Networks, serving documentary filmmakers, industry professionals, and nonfiction enthusiasts through an annual New York City festival and year-round screening, awards, and professional programming.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Exhibition (51213)

SIC

Services-Allied To Motion Picture Production (7819)

akta.pro primary industry

Film Festivals & Festival Organizers (MPADAKAD)

Keywords

• Documentary film festival
• Film screening services
• Filmmaker professional development
• Industry networking events
• Nonfiction content programming

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue generated from festival and screening series tickets sold to documentary enthusiasts and industry attendees
2. Sponsorship: Corporate sponsorship and partnership revenue from brands seeking association with America's largest documentary festival
3. Advertising: Advertisement sales for festival programs and communications

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

DOC NYC produces and operates America's largest documentary film festival, held annually in New York City with hundreds of screenings, panels, and filmmaker conversations. It runs year-round programming including DOC NYC PRO (industry events, Pitch Day, conferences), DOC NYC Selects (ongoing in-person screenings at IFC Center), and Spring Showcase (free online screenings). It also curates the prestigious DOC NYC Short List, administers awards including The Louies ($100,000 short film fund) and Visionaries Tribute, and supports filmmaker development through resources, 40 Under 40, and Documentary New Leaders initiatives.

Product overview

DOC NYC operates a multi-faceted documentary festival and industry platform. The core offering is the annual DOC NYC festival (America's largest documentary festival), supplemented by year-round programming including DOC NYC PRO (professional development with Pitch Day competitions and seasonal conferences), DOC NYC Selects (ongoing in-person screenings at IFC Center), and Spring Showcase (annual free online screening series with Q&As). Additional initiatives include the DOC NYC Short List (prestigious film recommendations), Visionaries Tribute (lifetime achievement awards), The Louies Awards ($100,000 short film fund), Voices of Canada programming, DOC NYC U education, Filmmaker Resources directory, Documentary New Leaders initiative, and 40 Under 40 recognition program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DOC NYC PRO: Industry programming including Pitch Day, conferences, and filmmaker resources for documentary professionals.
• DOC NYC Selects
• Spring Showcase
• The Louies Awards
• DOC NYC Short List
• Visionaries Tribute

Quantifiable outcome

• 9 films from DOC NYC Short List went on to Oscars Short List (2013)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AMC NetworkscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010AMC Networks is the parent company of DOC NYC, providing organizational support, distribution reach, and resources for America's largest documentary film festival. The festival operates as part of the AMC Networks portfolio of documentary programming.
• IFC CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIFC Center serves as the primary New York City venue for DOC NYC festival screenings, including the ongoing DOC NYC Selects series on Tuesday evenings. Located in the West Village.
• SVA TheatrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSVA Theatre in Chelsea is a key venue partner for DOC NYC festival screenings and events.
• Village East by AngelikaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVillage East by Angelika serves as a venue for DOC NYC festival screenings.
• NetflixcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetflix partners with DOC NYC for documentary distribution, featuring films including 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible, Bad Vegan, Downfall: The Case Against Boeing, and others through the festival's screening programs.
• Apple TV+coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorApple TV+ partners with DOC NYC for documentary content including Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie, Billie Eilish: The World's A Little Blurry, Girls State, Steve! (martin), Dear..., and Prehistoric Planet.
• HulucoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHulu distributes DOC NYC featured documentaries including Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story, Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields, Framing Britney Spears, Fauci, Taste the Nation, and Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey.
• Prime VideocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrime Video distributes DOC NYC content including Lucy and Desi, Judy Blume Forever, For Love & Life: No Ordinary Campaign, and Maxine's Baby: The Tyler Perry Story.
• National GeographiccoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNational Geographic distributes DOC NYC featured documentaries including Secrets of the Whales, City So Real, Fauci, Wild Life, and The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari.
• Disney+coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDisney+ distributes DOC NYC content including If These Walls Could Sing and Jim Henson Idea Man through Disney Original Documentary.
• ShowtimecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorShowtime distributes DOC NYC featured content including We Need to Talk About Cosby, Boys In Blue, and Couples Therapy.
• Whitby HotelminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWhitby Hotel serves as venue for special DOC NYC screenings and filmmaker receptions.
• Bar VeloceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBar Veloce in Greenwich Village serves as post-screening venue for DOC NYC Selects events, offering DOC NYC-themed drink specials.
• Cinema TropicalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCinema Tropical co-presents DOC NYC screenings, including Death by a Thousand Cuts and Igualada.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sundance Film Festival: Largest US independent film festival with a major documentary strand. Comparable to DOC NYC as an annual multi-venue festival that curates prestige documentaries, drives awards-season positioning, and serves filmmakers, press, and industry buyers.
• Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival: North America's largest documentary-focused festival and a key industry event for documentary buyers. Comparable to DOC NYC as a documentary-specialist festival with industry programming, awards, and filmmaker services.
• Tribeca Festival: NYC-based multi-category film festival with documentary programming and strong sponsor and celebrity engagement. Comparable to DOC NYC in venue footprint, audience, and the New York filmmaker ecosystem.
• True/False Film Festival: US documentary-focused festival widely regarded as a tastemaker. Comparable to DOC NYC in mission, audience, and filmmaker experience, though smaller in scale and regional in geography.
• Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF): Major global film festival with a strong documentary programming track record. Comparable to DOC NYC as an awards-season launchpad with significant industry, press, and buyer attendance focused on documentary and feature films.
• Full Frame Documentary Film Festival: Documentary-only festival based in Durham, NC with curated programming and filmmaker awards. Comparable to DOC NYC as a documentary-specialist festival, though smaller and operating with a non-theatrical format.
• Cinema Eye Honors: US-based awards organization dedicated to nonfiction filmmaking, often programming documentary recognition events in parallel with festivals. Comparable to DOC NYC's Short List and Visionaries Tribute in elevating and curating nonfiction work.

Broad incumbents

• SXSW Film & TV: Large multi-track festival covering film, music, and technology with growing documentary programming. Comparable to DOC NYC as an industry and audience event serving filmmakers and distributors, though broader in scope than documentary-only festivals.

Regional players

• Sheffield DocFest: UK documentary festival and industry market with a strong international buyer and pitching presence. Comparable to DOC NYC in industry-services emphasis (pitching, deals) but operating primarily in the UK/Europe.
• IDFA (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam): The world's leading documentary festival with industry programming, awards, and pitch forums. Comparable to DOC NYC in mission and industry role but operating primarily in Europe rather than the US.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/docnycfest
• Facebookfacebook.com/docnycfest
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/doc-nyc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about DOC NYC