DCTV

DCTV For more than 50 years, DCTV has been New York’s nonprofit home for documentary film and media arts.

We show documentaries in our world-class Firehouse cinema, provide high-quality workshops + equip young people with media and storytelling skills. Founded in 1972, DCTV is one of the nation’s oldest and most honored media arts centers. It is located in a landmarked firehouse in Chinatown, New York City where community screenings and discussions, youth media and continuing education programs, and affordable filmmaking resources all exist side by side with DCTV’s own, award-winning documentary productions.

Next week we’re giving away 15 free tickets to a special screening of Steal This Story, PleaseThe opportunity is one of...
10/03/2026

Next week we’re giving away 15 free tickets to a special screening of Steal This Story, Please

The opportunity is one of many that is exclusively available to DCTV Members. It will include a Q&A with Amy Goodman herself as well as Directors Tia Lessin and Carl Deal.

The tickets are available from midnight on October 5th, but to get one you’ll need to become member. Membership tiers include free and discounted tickets for other screenings, as well as major discounts on workshops and much more!

Sign up here: https://www.dctvny.org/s/support-dctv/membership

10/03/2026

Time is running out to take advantage of the incredible opportunity offered by our Media Fellows program!

The FREE eight-month program offers New Yorkers in grades 9-12 the chance to learn filmmaking with our expert Youth Media team in camera operation, interviewing, editing, and much more. Students craft the stories that matter to them, with the finished films screened in our Firehouse Cinema in front of a packed audience. Even better, participants who successfully complete the program will be eligible for a stipend.

We've extended the deadline to October 7th, but time and spaces are short so sign up now: https://www.dctvny.org/s/youth/media-fellows

10/02/2026

After volunteering in besieged hospitals in Gaza, they return home determined to fight for the patients and colleagues they left behind, taking their battle from the front lines of war to the halls of Congress. Get tickets for the film here: https://firehousecinema.dctvny.org/americandoctor

The season of sweaters, earlier sunsets, and standout cinema is here. This October, explore acclaimed new nonfiction fro...
10/01/2026

The season of sweaters, earlier sunsets, and standout cinema is here. This October, explore acclaimed new nonfiction from emerging and established filmmakers alike, taking us from Palestine, Guatemala, Mexico, Ukraine, and Pakistan to communities across the U.S. Traversing borders, generations, and perspectives, these films invite us to see the world, and one another, anew. Buy tickets here: https://www.dctvny.org/s/firehousecinema

Decades after her uncle’s disappearance under Argentina’s military dictatorship, filmmaker Marialuisa Ernst joins Anita ...
10/01/2026

Decades after her uncle’s disappearance under Argentina’s military dictatorship, filmmaker Marialuisa Ernst joins Anita and Leticia, two Central American mothers, on a perilous journey along the migrant trail. As they search for their missing children across Mexico and the U.S., the film traces a lyrical line across generations, connecting the trauma of present-day migration to the historic legacy of forced disappearances in the Americas.

Join us for the US theatrical premiere of A PLACE OF ABSENCE Fri Oct 16 – Thu Oct 22. Buy tickets here: https://firehousecinema.dctvny.org/aplaceofabsence

You made the film. Now what?A powerful documentary can start a conversation, but reaching the right people and turning t...
09/30/2026

You made the film. Now what?

A powerful documentary can start a conversation, but reaching the right people and turning that conversation into action takes strategy.

Brean Cunningham leads Impact Producing on October 7th, a one-session workshop designed to help filmmakers think beyond traditional distribution and build an audience around the issues at the heart of their work. Through real-world case studies and guided exercises, you'll start building an impact strategy for your own documentary or project.

Your film has a story to tell. Build the community that will carry it forward.

Sign up now - spaces are limited! https://www.dctvny.org/s/workshop/a1w0L000005ng5gQAA/impact-producing?tab=workshops&id=a1w0L000005ng5gQAA

Turn the camera around and explore the story only you can tell.In this eight-session workshop, instructor Jane Brill wil...
09/28/2026

Turn the camera around and explore the story only you can tell.

In this eight-session workshop, instructor Jane Brill will guide you through the art of documentary self-portraiture, exploring how different documentary styles can shape the way you tell your own story.

Through hands-on exercises and guided production, you'll develop a short self-portrait film that reflects your personal voice and creative vision. Along the way, you'll build skills in visual storytelling, story structure, scripting, interviewing, editing, and capturing emotion.
You'll also have the chance to share your work, exchange ideas, and grow through thoughtful discussion and constructive feedback in a collaborative environment.

Turn the camera on yourself. Find your voice. Tell your story.

Sign up here: https://ow.ly/XT1w50ZSpRG

Looking to sharpen your skills and bring something new to your next project? This month, DCTV Workshops is introducing B...
09/25/2026

Looking to sharpen your skills and bring something new to your next project? This month, DCTV Workshops is introducing Baselight: Industry Post House Coloring, our newest workshop designed to give filmmakers hands-on experience with professional color grading tools and workflows.

That's just the beginning. Explore workshops in documentary photography, story structure, impact producing, lighting, camera fundamentals, digital cinematography + more. Our instructors are industry pros and focus on giving you hands-on skills you can take straight into your creative practice.

Learn something new. Strengthen what you already know. Stay Ahead of the Curve. https://www.dctvny.org/s/dctv-calendar

09/24/2026

Four years ago, the doors to the Firehouse Cinema opened and we weren’t quite sure what the next four years would hold.

Since then, these walls have witnessed first screenings, packed houses, filmmaker conversations, big laughs, thoughtful questions, and stories that stayed with us long after the credits rolled.

For four years, filmmakers have trusted us with their stories as we've sought to showcase the finest in independent documentary. Audiences have gathered to listen, learn, question, and connect. Together, we’ve built a home for nonfiction film in the heart of New York City.

We’re so grateful to everyone who has walked through our doors, shared a film, joined a conversation or brought a friend. Happy 4th birthday to the Firehouse Cinema. ❤️

09/23/2026

“The one thing about DCTV is that the community aspect is first.”

That community has been part of John Dargon's journey since he first joined DCTV Youth Media as a high school student. Today, John is an unscripted story producer for reality television, and his connection to DCTV has continued long after graduating. Years after Youth Media, he returned to DCTV to work on Axios for HBO, bringing his journey full circle.

For John, DCTV is more than where he learned to make documentaries. It’s a community he can return to, a place where people stay connected, support one another, and continue to grow together.

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87 Lafayette Street
New York, NY
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