Op-Docs

Season 1

Op-Docs is The New York Times editorial department's award-winning section for short, opinionated documentaries, produced with wide creative latitude and a range of artistic styles, covering current affairs, contemporary life and historical subjects.

Where to Watch Season 1

48 Episodes

  • The Silent Majority
    E1
    The Silent MajorityConsisting of rare footage filmed by President Richard M. Nixon’s aides, this experimental documentary revisits Nixon’s campaign to win an elusive majority.
  • Focus
    E2
    FocusThe filmmaker Jeff Scher presents an abstract celebration of the New York City Marathon.
  • The Umbrella Man
    E3
    The Umbrella ManOn the 48th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Errol Morris explores the story behind the one man seen standing under an open black umbrella at the site.
  • The Role of Youth
    E4
    The Role of YouthThe filmmaker Matt Wolf and the writer Jon Savage reflect on the history of youth in times of crisis.
  • Texting While Walking
    E5
    Texting While WalkingThe filmmaker Casey Neistat explores the hazards of text messaging while walking in New York City.
  • Dismantling Detroit
    E6
    Dismantling DetroitThe filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady look at young men who salvage scrap metal from Detroit’s derelict buildings, set against the backdrop of globalization.
  • Ai Weiwei: Evolution of a Dissident
    E7
    Ai Weiwei: Evolution of a DissidentThe filmmaker Alison Klayman presents an exclusive look at the Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei and his struggle for the freedom of expression.
  • The Justice of the Occupation
    E8
    The Justice of the OccupationThe filmmaker Ra’anan Alexandrowicz explores the impact of Israel’s High Court of Justice on Palestinian rights.
  • They Will Say We Are Not Here
    E9
    They Will Say We Are Not HereThe filmmakers Katherine Fairfax Wright and Malika Zouhali-Worrall explore the motivations, sorrows and dreams of the slain Ugandan gay rights activist David Kato.
  • El Wingador
    E10
    El WingadorThe filmmaker Errol Morris explores the excessive eating habits of a five-time champion of the Philadelphia Wing Bowl.
  • The Island President Deposed
    E11
    The Island President DeposedThe filmmaker Jon Shenk presents a portrait of Mohamed Nasheed, the first democratically elected president of the Maldives and an environmental activist, who was deposed on Feb. 7.
  • Bike Thief
    E12
    Bike ThiefThe filmmaker Casey Neistat conducts an experiment in New York City, locking up his own bike and brazenly trying to steal it, to determine whether onlookers or the police would intervene.
  • Hi! I’m a Nutria
    E13
    Hi! I’m a NutriaHi! I’m a Nutria In this animated short by the filmmaker Drew Christie, a rodent living in Washington State defends criticism that he is an invasive species and asks, “How long does it take to become a native?”
  • Call Me Ehsaan
    E14
    Call Me EhsaanA look at the war in Afghanistan through the eyes of Lt. Col. John Darin Loftis, one of the U.S. Air Force’s prized experts in Afghan language and culture, who was killed in Kabul on Feb. 25, 2012.
  • Good Night, Ryan
    E15
    Good Night, RyanA filmmaker explores the fate of Specialist Ryan Yurchison, who returned from Iraq with P.T.S.D. and, after seeking help at the local V.A. hospital, died of a drug overdose in a possible suicide.
  • Name Change
    E16
    Name ChangeThe filmmaker Sharon Shattuck recalls the apprehension she experienced when her father, a transgender cross-dresser, decided to legally adopt a woman’s name.
  • Taking the Waste Out of Wastewater
    E17
    Taking the Waste Out of WastewaterDrinking water reclaimed from sewage might sound disgusting, but it could be a necessary solution to our domestic water woes.
  • Mitt Likes Music, Including This
    E18
    Mitt Likes Music, Including ThisThe Gregory Brothers present a musical video mash-up about what Mitt Romney likes — from lakes and trees to music and cars to grits and “Twilight.”
  • Waiting for Health Care
    E19
    Waiting for Health CareThe filmmaker Peter Nicks goes behind the doors of an American public hospital struggling to care for a community of largely uninsured patients.
  • Transition
    E20
    TransitionThe filmmaker Zina Saro-Wiwa presents an Op-Doc on black women’s decision to embrace their naturally kinky hair, rather than use chemical straighteners.
  • The Scars of Stop-and-Frisk
    E21
    The Scars of Stop-and-FriskA short documentary film on New York’s stop-and-frisk policing focuses on Tyquan Brehon, a young man in Brooklyn who says he was stopped more than 60 times before age 18.
  • Songs Against Drilling
    E22
    Songs Against DrillingWith interviews and concert footage, the filmmaker Alex Gibney covers a rally against hydraulic fracturing and accompanying benefit concert featuring Natalie Merchant and Mark Ruffalo.
  • The Light in Her Eyes
    E23
    The Light in Her EyesThe filmmakers Julia Meltzer and Laura Nix profile Houda al-Habash and her Koran school for women and girls in Damascus, Syria.
  • Taxi Lost and Found
    E24
    Taxi Lost and FoundA video about the process of trying to recover $13,000 worth of items left in a New York City taxi.
  • Allergy to Originality
    E25
    Allergy to OriginalityIn this animated Op-Doc by Drew Christie, two men discuss whether anything is truly original — especially in movies and books.
  • Anosmia
    E26
    AnosmiaConjuring scents on screen, the filmmaker Jacob LaMendola profiles people with a rare condition that renders them unable to smell.
  • The Program
    E27
    The ProgramThe filmmaker Laura Poitras profiles William Binney, a 32-year veteran of the National Security Agency who helped design a top-secret program he says is broadly collecting Americans’ personal data.
  • The Right to Vote
    E28
    The Right to VoteIn the first episode of an Op-Docs series called “Electoral Dysfunction,” the political humorist Mo Rocca explores a curious fact about the U.S. Constitution: why is there no universal right to vote?
  • Voter ID Wars
    E29
    Voter ID WarsIn the second episode of an Op-Docs series, “Electoral Dysfunction,” the political humorist Mo Rocca explores controversial voter identification laws, which could benefit Republicans.
  • Soda Ban Explained
    E30
    Soda Ban ExplainedThe filmmaker Casey Neistat presents a guide to Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s proposal to restrict sales of big sugary drinks in New York.
  • Scouted
    E31
    ScoutedThe filmmakers David Redmon and Ashley Sabin examine the lives of teenage girls in Siberia who audition at open casting calls for fashion models.
  • Patriot Game
    E32
    Patriot GameThe Gregory Brothers present a video-game-inspired musical mash-up of President Obama and Mitt Romney’s speeches from the recent nominating conventions.
  • Electoral College 101
    E33
    Electoral College 101In the latest episode of the Op-Docs series “Electoral Dysfunction,” the political humorist Mo Rocca consults a third-grade class on the fairness of the Electoral College.
  • Three Strikes of Injustice
    E34
    Three Strikes of InjusticeA documentary profiles Shane Taylor, one of more than 4,000 nonviolent offenders serving life in California prisons under a three-strikes law.
  • V.P. Debate Highlights, Songified
    E35
    V.P. Debate Highlights, SongifiedThe Gregory Brothers present a musical mash-up of the vice-presidential debate between Representative Paul D. Ryan and Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.
  • Leaf and Death
    E36
    Leaf and DeathA short animated film by Jeff Scher celebrates the fading (yet somehow glowing) leaves of autumn.
  • Bronx Obama
    E37
    Bronx ObamaIn this short documentary we meet Louis Ortiz, an unemployed man from the Bronx whose life is turned upside down when he discovers his uncanny resemblance to President Obama.
  • Yes We Chant
    E38
    Yes We ChantThe Gregory Brothers present a musical mash-up video of the final presidential debate between President Obama and Mitt Romney.
  • 11 Excellent Reasons Not to Vote?
    E39
    11 Excellent Reasons Not to Vote?The filmmaker Errol Morris speaks with young Americans about the merits of voting and why some resist, from apathy to awkward family dinners.
  • The Black Vote for Gay Marriage
    E40
    The Black Vote for Gay MarriageFocusing on pastors with opposing views on same-sex marriage, the filmmaker Yoruba Richen explores the influence of African-Americans on a ballot initiative in Maryland.
  • Ballot Design With Todd Oldham
    E41
    Ballot Design With Todd OldhamIn Part 4 of the Op-Doc series “Electoral Dysfunction,” Mo Rocca invites the designer Todd Oldham to assess election ballots from across the United States.
  • The Fight Over Medical Marijuana
    E42
    The Fight Over Medical MarijuanaAn Op-Doc profiles Chris Williams, a medical marijuana grower in Montana who now faces life in prison.
  • Lullaby
    E43
    Lullaby
  • A Thanksgiving Eel
    E44
    A Thanksgiving Eel
  • Miseducation
    E45
    MiseducationThe filmmaker Nadine Cloete explores childhood in a part of South Africa plagued by gang culture and violence.
  • Forgotten In Iraq
    E46
    Forgotten In Iraq
  • Solo, Piano - N.Y.C.
    E47
    Solo, Piano - N.Y.C.
  • The Public Square
    E48
    The Public SquareIn Times Square, protesters counter an anti-Islamic speech by pastor Terry Jones ... by singing the Beatles.

 

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