LDNDOCS New Documentary Film Festival

The lights dim, the score plays, and a new world begins to form in front of our eyes. Settle into your seat and prepare to be transported via the silver screen. For so many of us, the film medium allows us to escape, dream and explore. Films, books, even music can transport you to new worlds, introduce you to lovable (and hate-able) characters… They put dreams and nightmares into your head, put new emotions in your heart, and new stories into your mind. It’s a kind of magic. But there’s also something to be said for the groundedness of reality. Real life is volatile, it’s gritty and fantastical, and sometimes beautiful as it is painful. And rather than transport us to fantasy worlds, real stories connect us with our own, heads hearts and minds. They introduce us to humanity at its highest, lowest, and everywhere in between. From November 21-23, LDNDOCS put up its inaugural event in London, a showcase of documentary and “cinematic nonfiction” films focused on time, memory, and relationships. Find out more in Film Shorts In A Real World.

New Documentaries 2025

From a friendship with a giant Manta Ray to a struggling cinema via a man’s reflection on his parents’ legacy, these films introduce us to new places, people, and thoughts. But contrary to tales of fantasy and escape, they’re deeply grounded in reality, memory, and relationships.

Andrea Gibson Documentary

A still from Ryan White's "Come See Me in the Good Light," showing couple Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley with their dog Squash.

Ryan White’s “Come See Me in the Good Light” features Andrea Gibson, a spoken-word poet, who passed away in July of this year after a battle with ovarian cancer.. The film documents their and their partners Megan Falley’s last few months as they dealt with health and hosted a “celebration of life” final show. Above all, Gibson and Falley demonstrate resilience and love. A Q&A with director Ryan White, producer Jess Hargrave, and Megan Falley followed the showing, which opened the festival.

“The Bend in the River” 2025

A still from Robb Moss' "A Bend in the River," showing silhouettes playing against the backdrop of the Grand Canyon.

Robb Moss chronicles the lives of five friends over the course of nearly fifty years – Barry, Cathy, Jeff, Danny and Jim – in “The Bend in the River.” The film is the third in a series featuring Moss’ friends. In 1978’s “Riverdogs,” Moss chronicled his group’s experience serving as river guides in the Grand Canyon. Then, in 2003’s “The Same River Twice,” he returned to members of the group as they grappled with middle age. Now, with the group in their sixties and seventies, “The Bend in the River” jumps back and forth in time. The film splices footage from all three periods and shows the friends contending with ageing and the lives they’ve lived thus far.

“I think friendship is a wildly underestimated emotional realm. Knowing people over time, having a sense of where they’ve been, who they are, and who they are becoming is a deep and wide opportunity to vastly expand our knowing the world. I love my friends.”

Robb Moss, director, “The Bend in the River”

Stiller & Meara: Nothing is Lost

Ben Stiller explores his childhood and legacy with “Stiller & Meara: Nothing is Lost,” profiling his parents, Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara. Created in collaboration with Stiller’s sister Amy, his kids, wife, and friends of their parents, it serves as a tribute to the comedy icons. Stiller reflects on his experience growing up with famous parents, and how that impacts his own children and family life. Plus, Stiller followed up the LDNDOCS showing with a Q&A for attendees.

Palestine Film Festival

A still from one of the films in LDNDOCS' "Palestine Through Archive" segment, depicting a line of camels in Palestine against a foreground of purple flowers.

On Saturday, LDNDOCS showed five short documentary films from Palestinian filmmakers. These films paint a portrait of Palestinian life, often incorporating archival footage and media. Noor Abed’s “A Night We Held Between” centres the land, myths and rituals of Palestine. Mahdi Fleifel’s “I Signed the Petition” focuses on a conversation between two friends about what it means to engage publicly in political discourse. Dana Dawud’s “Palencorecore” combines dance, archival footage and internet videos to paint a portrait of Palestinian life. Theo Panagopoulos’ “The Flowers Stand Silently, Witnessing” reclaims a Scottish film archive of Palestinian flowers, and Kamal Aljafari’s “UNDR” explores surveillance through a “found footage” lens.

Climate Clock

A still from Cody Sheehy's "The Last Dive," showing veteran and diver Terry Kennedy with his unlikely friend, 22-foot oceanic manta ray Willy.

“The Last Dive” profiles Terry Kennedy, a US veteran and ex-Hell’s Angel living in Baja, Mexico, who has befriended Willy, a 22-foot oceanic manta ray. Now in his eighties, Terry lives on a sailboat and is trying to reunite with Willy for a final dive. Director Cody Sheehy amplifies Terry’s conservationist call to action – Terry has helped pass legislation to protect the endangered manta rays and lessen over-tourism – and highlights a healing presence in the sea “that science is only beginning to understand.”

“The ocean is my home and Terry is my friend.”

Cody Sheehy, director, “The Last Dive”

Brittany Shyne Director

A still from Brittany Shyne's "Seeds," depicting a farmer holding a baby with a backdrop of farmground. The film is shot in all black & white.

Brittany Shyne’s directorial debut, “Seeds,” chronicles the lives of generations of Black family farmers in the American South. Shot in black and white over nine years, the film highlights the struggles these farmers face, like discrimination, oppression, economic and social hardship, but also the community, resilience, perseverance, activism, and joy that sustain them. With a natural and gentle voice, Shyne paints a nuanced portrait of her subjects.

King Hamlet Documentary

A still from Elvira Lind's "King Hamlet," showing Lind's husband Oscar Isaac with their newborn baby.

In a sneak preview screening of “King Hamlet,” Elvira Lind documents her husband Oscar Isaac’s experience taking on the role of Hamlet at New York’s Public Theatre. The couple’s lives outside of theatre continue on, including the birth of their first child and the sudden loss of Isaac’s mother. The piece “becomes a meditation on love, grief, and the porous boundary between performance and private life.”

“I was holding a newborn baby in one arm and a camera in another, chasing an ensemble of actors while my partner disappeared into a 400-year-old text.”

Elvira Lind, director, “King Hamlet”

Matriarchal Family

A still from Victoria Hely-Hutchinson's film "Vacances," depicting her family's matriarch "Granny" in the pool at their summer villa.

In “Vacances,” Victoria Hely-Hutchinson depicts her own family over the course of ten years at a Provençal villa. “Granny” is an Austrian countess and the family’s matriarch. She oversees the villa’s pool and social hub, doling out advice to her swimsuit-clad family while searching for a successor. Over time, values and priorities change, and the family finally prepares to move beyond the villa after its “final summer.”

Juma Xipaia

A still from Richard Ladkani's "Yunani," featuring Brazilian Amazon Indigenous chief and Brazil's first Secretary of Indigenous Rights Juma Xipaia.

In “YANUNI,” Richard Ladkani follows the life of Juma Xipaia, an Indigenous chief from the Brazilian Amazon and Brazil’s first Secretary of Indigenous Rights under President Lula. Juma, who also served as a producer on the documentary, has advocated for climate justice and protecting her community and the rainforest – and she’s survived six assassination attempts in the process. Her husband, Hugo Loss, does dangerous work dismantling illegal mining camps in the Amazon. Filming over five years and working closely with Brazil’s Indigenous community, Ladkani “goes beyond documenting destruction.” He makes an “urgent, character-driven” call to action, depicting this story of love, while exposing environmental crimes, resistance and resilience.

Movies in Theatres

A still from Mahmoud Al Massad's "Cinema Kawakeb," showing a man smoking against a dark background.

In “Cinema Kawakeb,” Mahmoud Al Massad documents the last few days of a Jordanian movie theatre. In 2022, Youssef and Ali are excited to reopen Cinema Kawakeb post-pandemic, but are unable to after economic struggles. When an old colleague tells them Youssef may be able to sell a rare film to save Cinema Kawakeb, Youssef and Ali must adapt in an attempt to bring the cinema they love back to life.

“The Tale of Silyan” Release Date

A still from Tamara Kotevska's "The Tale of Silyan," showing farmer Nikola with the injured white stork Silyan.

The last film of the festival, Tamara Kotevska’s “The Tale of Silyan” releases in UK cinemas on December 12. The film follows Nikola, a North Macedonian farmer who, when he is unable to sell his goods or land and his family leaves, takes a job as a landfill attendant. There, he finds Silyan, an injured white stork. As he nurses Silyan to health, Nikola forms a bond with the bird. “The Tale of Silyan” documents that unlikely connection while touching on ideas that affect us all, including climate change, resilience and “the quiet power of connection.”

LDNDOCS is highlighting fantastical stories – emotional, imaginative, captivating and evocative. But they’re all real. These stories, grounded in authenticity, remind us of the wonder we can find right around us. Furthermore, they remind us of how we need each other, how we depend on each other, and how we must learn from each other’s experiences. And there’s no more important time than now for these stories to keep us connected.

Credits:

LDNDOCS, “Come See Me in the Good Light” – Ryan White, “The Bend in the River” – Robb Moss, “Stiller & Meara: Nothing is Lost” – Ben Stiller, “A Night We Held Between” – Noor Abed, “I Signed the Petition” – Madhi Fleifel, “Palencorecore” – Dana Dawud, “The Flowers Stand Silently, Witnessing” – Theo Panagopoulos, “UNDR” – Kamal Aljafari, “The Last Dive” – Cody Sheehy, “Seeds” – Britta n y Shyne, “King Hamlet” – Elvira Lind, “Vacances” – Victoria Hely-Hutchinson, “YANUNI” – Richard Ladkani, “Cinema Kawakeb” – Mahmoud Al Massad, “The Tale of Silyan” – Tamara Kotevska.