With over 130 films and events, DOC NYC is the country’s largest celebration of documentary storytelling. This eight-day festival starts on Thursday, November 13, and is based in three West Village cinemas. The festival boasts an array of world premieres, U.S. premieres, and over 100 special guests, many of whom were personally involved in the production of the films.

The featured documentaries address a wide range of themes and subject matters, encompassing humor, history, memoir, and more. One of the opening night films is Do I Sound Gay? directed by journalist David Thorpe and follows his journey of self-discovery as a gay man. The movie also traces the cultural history of the gay voice, drawing from candid perspectives of public figures like George Takei, Tim Gunn, and David Sedaris.

In direct contrast to Thorpe’s heartwarming comedy is the stark drama of Marjorie Sturn’s The Cult of JT LeRoy. Through intimate interviews with people from LeRoy’s inner circle, Sturn uncovers the deceit behind LeRoy’s shocking literary persona. Another much anticipated selection is CitizenFour, a real-life thriller about Edward Snowden and the unfolding of his whistle-blowing act against the NSA, as told by the filmmaker and journalist whom Snowden had first revealed information to.

Now in its fourth year, the festival has a track record of predicting Academy Awards nominees and winners. Last year, 9 out of 10 films in the festival’s Short List went on to make the Oscars Short List. As part of DOC NYC’s mission to encourage new ideas and directions, the festival is also hosting a series of live discussions and expert panels, known as the Doc-A-Thon.

All festival events will take place at the West Village’s IFC Center, Chelsea’s SVA Theater and Bow Tie Cinema. DOC NYC passes are available for sale here: http://ifccenter.com/docnyc-passes

Images via DOC NYC