{"id":719411,"date":"2025-11-21T02:05:07","date_gmt":"2025-11-20T23:05:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=719411"},"modified":"2025-11-21T02:05:07","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T23:05:07","slug":"drunk-santas-yoko-ono-and-other-joys-of-doc-nyc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=719411","title":{"rendered":"Drunk Santas, Yoko Ono, and Other Joys of DOC NYC"},"content":{"rendered":"<article id=\"post-1058705\" class=\"post-1058705 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-features tag-doc-nyc tag-documentary tag-film tag-new-york entry\">\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<div class=\"newspack-popup-container newspack-lightbox newspack-popup hidden newspack-lightbox-placement-center newspack-lightbox-size-small   newspack-lightbox-no-padding     \" role=\"button\" id=\"id_882259\" data-segments=\"64266\" data-frequency=\"0,0,3,day\" data-suppression=\"ActiveCampaign\" data-scroll=\"25\">\n<div class=\"newspack-popup-wrapper \" data-popup-status=\"publish\">\n<div class=\"newspack-popup__content-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"newspack-popup__content\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-style-default has-border-color has-base-3-border-color\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-af81f691 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center sans-serif\" id=\"h-subscribe-to-our-newsletter\">Subscribe to our newsletter<\/h3>\n<div class=\"newspack-registration newspack-ui \">\n<div class=\"newspack-registration__form-content\">\n<div class=\"newspack-registration__main\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"newspack-ui\">\n<div class=\"newspack-ui__word-divider\">\n\t\t\t\tOr\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"newspack-registration__have-account\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\tSign in to an existing account\n\t\t\t\t<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"newspack-registration__help-text\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPrivacy Policy\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"newspack-registration__registration-success newspack-registration--hidden newspack-ui__box newspack-ui__box--success newspack-ui__box--text-center\">\n<p>Success! Your account was created and you\u2019re signed in.<br \/>Please visit My Account to verify and manage your account.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"newspack-registration__login-success newspack-registration--hidden newspack-ui__box newspack-ui__box--success newspack-ui__box--text-center\">\n<p>An account was already registered with this email. Please check your inbox for an authentication link.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"newspack-popup-container newspack-lightbox newspack-popup hidden newspack-lightbox-placement-bottom newspack-lightbox-size-full-width  newspack-lightbox-large-border   newspack-lightbox-no-overlay   \" role=\"button\" id=\"id_966840\" data-segments=\"64266,64264,64249\" data-frequency=\"0,0,5,week\" data-scroll=\"60\">\n<div class=\"newspack-popup-wrapper \" data-popup-status=\"publish\">\n<div class=\"newspack-popup__content-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"newspack-popup__content\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left\" id=\"h-support-independent-arts-journalism\"><strong>Support Independent Arts Journalism<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">As an independent publication, we rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. <strong>If you value our coverage and want to support more of it, consider becoming a member today.<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-left is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-fdcfc74e wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button has-custom-font-size is-style-fill has-normal-font-size\">Become a member<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><em>Already a member? Sign in here.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<aside>\n<div class=\"newspack-popup-container newspack-popup hidden  newspack-inline-popup  newspack-lightbox-no-border    sans-serif\" role=\"button\" id=\"id_972119\" data-segments=\"64266,64264,64249\" data-frequency=\"0,0,0,month\">\n<p class=\"has-secondary-variation-color has-text-color has-link-color has-small-font-size\"><strong>We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. <\/strong> If you value our coverage and want to support more of it, please join us as a member.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p><em>Editor\u2019s Note: The following story contains mentions of self-harm. If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988 or visit <\/em><em>988lifeline.org<\/em><em> to reach the Suicide &amp; Crisis Lifeline.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>For New Yorkers, the joy of the holiday season might be dampened by one particularly dreaded seasonal event. Around mid-December comes Santacon, in which thousands don the apparel of Saint Nick and swarm Manhattan for a massive pub crawl, jamming the streets, sidewalks, and subways with disruptive nonsense. I personally am preemptively cringing for the weekend when I\u2019ll be on a train, see someone in a red suit, and think, \u201cOh <em>fuck, <\/em>that\u2019s today? God dammit.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Something I did not know until perusing the program for this year\u2019s DOC NYC film festival is that Santacon has its roots in the West Coast arts scene. This history is explored in <em>Santacon<\/em>, one of hundreds of documentaries playing online and at myriad New York City venues as part of the festival. Just as Christmas itself is a religious observance utterly absorbed by consumerism, Santacon (founded as \u201cSantarchy\u201d) was originally a culture-jamming anticapitalist venture before getting co-opted by the mainstream. In the mid-\u201990s, members of countercultural groups like Suicide Club, the Cacophony Society, and the Billboard Liberation Front disrupted everyday holiday activities dressed as Santa to make artistic statements. Now, well, you can watch Santa vomit in Times Square.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure data-wp-context='{\"imageId\":\"691f963f1873b\"}' data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/9rzrq-1200x675-1.jpeg\" class=\"wp-image-1058732\" title=\"9rzrq-1200x675-1\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Film still of <em>Santacon <\/em>(2025), directed by Seth Porges<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<aside>\n<div class=\"newspack-popup-container newspack-popup hidden  newspack-inline-popup      \" role=\"button\" id=\"id_882262\" data-segments=\"64266,64249\" data-frequency=\"0,0,3,day\" data-suppression=\"ActiveCampaign\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\"><strong>Get the latest art news, reviews and opinions from Hyperallergic.<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-newspack-newsletters-subscribe newspack-newsletters-subscribe is-style-modern multiple-lists\" data-success-message=\"Thank you for signing up!\">\n<div class=\"newspack-newsletters-lists\">\n<ul>\n<li>\n<li>\n<li><\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>This year\u2019s DOC NYC slate is also your chance to watch titles we at <em>Hyperallergic<\/em> have highlighted for you before. <em>Third Act<\/em> is a tribute to Robert Nakamura, the \u201cgodfather of Asian-American media.\u201d <em>Suburban Fury<\/em>looks at the curious case of a woman who tried to assassinate President Gerald Ford in 1975. <em>Free Leonard Peltier<\/em>summarizes the namesake imprisoned Native activist\u2019s long road to clemency. <em>Monk in Pieces<\/em>is a biography of avant-garde composer and multihyphenate Meredith Monk.And like <em>Santacon, <\/em><em>Secret Mall Apartment<\/em>follows artists engaged in an unusual bit of culture-jamming performance, secretly squatting for years in an apartment they built within a mall\u2019s parking structure.<em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Other titles playing the fest explore the lives and adventures of artists in a variety of fields. For example, John Lennon\u2019s sole post-Beatles musical show with Yoko Ono is the subject of <em>One to One: John &amp; Yoko<\/em>. That film will have already played DOC NYC by the time of publication, but you can catch up with it on various streaming platforms.<\/p>\n<figure data-wp-context='{\"imageId\":\"691f963f18fa8\"}' data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-large wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ds3wp-1200x675-1.jpeg\" class=\"wp-image-1058723\" title=\"ds3wp-1200x675-1\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Film still of <em><i>A<\/i>rtists in Residence <\/em>(2025), directed by Katie Jacobs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Public performance is also at the heart of several other picks. <em>The Nutcracker at Wethersfield<\/em>follows members of the New York City Ballet who staged the classic namesake show in the Hudson Valley after the COVID-19 pandemic foreclosed its regular annual performances in 2020. It\u2019s a sharp reminder of the inventiveness of artists in response to the challenges of quarantine. <em>Bull\u2019s Heart<\/em> looks at much less conventional dancers, profiling Greek experimental choreographer Dimitris Papaioannou and following him through the rehearsal of a new production.<\/p>\n<p>The photographer Kwame Brathwaite is best known for turning the phrase \u201cBlack is beautiful\u201d into an artistic movement. Both his family and a cadre of celebrities attest to his influence in <em>Black Is Beautiful: The Kwame Brathwaite Story<\/em><em>, <\/em>making its North American premiere at the fest. Brathwaite ignored any distinction between art and activism; that thread continues in <em>Misan Harriman: Shoot the People<\/em><em>.<\/em> The titular photographer has documented protests worldwide, notably those part of the Black Lives Matter movement, but the film is anything but self-congratulatory. In it, he questions how much he\u2019s tangibly accomplished through his work.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure data-wp-context='{\"imageId\":\"691f963f19791\"}' data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/tqvaw-1200x675-1.jpeg\" class=\"wp-image-1058730\" title=\"tqvaw-1200x675-1\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Film still of <em>Pretty Dirty: The Life And Times Of Marilyn Minter<\/em> (2025), directed by Jennifer Ash Rudick and Amanda M. Benchley<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Other docs focus specifically on feminist issues in the arts. Although the feminist community has had a contentious relationship with Marilyn Minter at times, as chronicled in her new biopic, <em>Pretty Dirty<\/em>, a fresh look at her unabashedly sexual, sometimes pornographic work might land differently with a new generation with differing sensibilities. Meanwhile, a more archivally focused work, <em>Artists in Residence<\/em><em>, <\/em>tells the story of three divorced single mothers and working artists who bought a house together on the Bowery in the 1950s, highlighting how drastically social norms have changed in the intervening years.<\/p>\n<p>One last film is a much more intimate tribute. Alan Berliner, who specializes in crafting films based on personal archives, made a portrait of his friend Benita Raphan, an experimental documentarian who died by suicide several years ago. <em>Benita<\/em>is both a biopic and assisted memoir, a posthumous collaboration Berliner assembled out of footage and writings Raphan left behind. Like many of the films in this year\u2019s DOC NYC, its emphasis on artistic labor and the everyday opens a window onto creative life.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure data-wp-context='{\"imageId\":\"691f963f19f43\"}' data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1cxmf-1200x683-1.jpeg\" class=\"wp-image-1058735\" title=\"1cxmf-1200x683-1\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Film still of <em>Monk In Pieces<\/em> (2025), directed by Billy Shebar and David C. Roberts<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p><em>DOC NYC continues at various venues in New York City and online through November 30<\/em>.<\/p>\n<aside>\n<div class=\"newspack-popup-container newspack-popup hidden  newspack-inline-popup  newspack-lightbox-no-border    \" role=\"button\" id=\"id_942621\" data-segments=\"64266,64264,64249\" data-frequency=\"0,0,0,month\">\n<p class=\"has-secondary-variation-color has-text-color has-link-color\">Please consider supporting <em>Hyperallergic<\/em>\u2019s journalism during a time when independent, critical reporting is increasingly scarce.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-secondary-variation-color has-text-color has-link-color\">We are not beholden to large corporations or billionaires. <strong>Our journalism is funded by readers like you<\/strong>, ensuring integrity and independence in our coverage. We strive to offer trustworthy perspectives on everything from art history to contemporary art. We spotlight artist-led social movements, uncover overlooked stories, and challenge established norms to make art more inclusive and accessible. With your support, we can continue to provide global coverage without the elitism often found in art journalism.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-secondary-variation-color has-text-color has-link-color\"><strong>If you can, please join us as a member today.<\/strong> Millions rely on <em>Hyperallergic<\/em> for free, reliable information. By becoming a member, you help keep our journalism independent and accessible to all. Thank you for reading.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-16018d1d wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-fill has-normal-font-size\">\n           Become a member\n        <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<section id=\"block-27\" class=\"below-content widget widget_block\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-jetpack-sharing-buttons has-small-icon-size jetpack-sharing-buttons__services-list is-content-justification-left is-layout-flex wp-container-jetpack-sharing-buttons-is-layout-fdcfc74e wp-block-sharing-buttons-is-layout-flex\" id=\"jetpack-sharing-serivces-list\">\n<li class=\"jetpack-sharing-button__list-item tooltip\"><span id=\"sharing-share-1058705\" hidden>Share using Native tools<\/span><span class=\"jetpack-sharing-button__service-label\" aria-hidden=\"true\">Share<\/span><span class=\"tooltiptext\" aria-live=\"assertive\">Copied to clipboard<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"jetpack-sharing-button__list-item\"><span id=\"sharing-mail-1058705\" hidden>Click to share on Mail (Opens in new window)<\/span><span class=\"jetpack-sharing-button__service-label\" aria-hidden=\"true\">Mail<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"jetpack-sharing-button__list-item\"><span id=\"sharing-bluesky-1058705\" hidden>Click to share on Bluesky (Opens in new window)<\/span><span class=\"jetpack-sharing-button__service-label\" aria-hidden=\"true\">Bluesky<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<footer class=\"entry-footer\"><span class=\"tags-links\"><span>Tagged: <\/span>DOC NYC<span class=\"sep\">,\u00a0<\/span>Documentary<span class=\"sep\">,\u00a0<\/span>Film<span class=\"sep\">,\u00a0<\/span>New York<\/span><\/footer>\n<div class=\"author-bio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Avatar photo\" src=\"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/dan-smaller.jpg\" class=\"avatar avatar-80 photo\" height=\"80\" width=\"80\" title=\"dan-smaller\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"author-bio-text\">\n<div class=\"author-bio-header\">\n<div>\n<h2 class=\"accent-header\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDan Schindel<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDan Schindel is a freelance writer and copy editor living in Brooklyn, and a former associate editor at Hyperallergic. His portfolio and links are here.<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMore by Dan Schindel\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p> Source URL: https:\/\/hyperallergic.com\/1058705\/drunk-santas-yoko-ono-and-other-joys-of-doc-nyc-2025\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Subscribe to our newsletter Or Sign in to an existing account Privacy Policy Success! Your account was created and you\u2019re signed in.Please visit My Account to verify and manage your account. An account was already registered with this email. Please check your inbox for an authentication link. Support Independent Arts Journalism As an independent publication, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":719412,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[69],"class_list":["post-719411","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","tag-hyperallergic-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/719411","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=719411"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/719411\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/719412"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=719411"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=719411"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=719411"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}