One of New York’s premiere showcases for documentary film, DOC NYC is set to kick off this Thursday (November 8) at IFC Center and SVA Theatre, and run through November 15. In addition to screenings of loads of terrific films, the festival will also include special events, panels and master classes.

Highlights from the festival include the dual opening night screenings: Artifact and Venus and Serena. For the festival’s closing night film, Ken Burns’s Central Park Five, the five men wrongly incarcerated for the crime detailed in film will appear together for the first time since their release for an onstage discussion.

Scroll through the slides as we highlight eleven of the films that caught our eye, but please take a look at the entire program, as there are many, many gems in this lineup. Who knows what will strike your fancy?