Ava DuVernay's "14th" will make its world premiere as the closing night film of the 64th New York Film Festival.

      A decade after the premiere of 13th at the New York Film Festival, Ava DuVernay’s new documentary, 14th, will have its world premiere as the Closing Night selection of the 64th edition. Supported by Netflix, the film will debut at Alice Tully Hall on Friday, October 9, with DuVernay and film participants present, as announced today by Film at Lincoln Center.

      The synopsis is as follows: “Ten years ago, filmmaker Ava DuVernay unveiled her groundbreaking documentary 13th (NYFF54 Opening Night), which contended that loopholes within the U.S. Constitution's 13th Amendment—the abolition of slavery—have contributed to the current mass incarceration of Black Americans. This film premiered just before Donald Trump’s presidency, and since then, numerous democratic norms and principles have eroded, further marginalizing Black Americans. In response to this troubling reality, DuVernay has crafted a conceptually expansive sequel that compellingly illustrates how the principles of the 14th Amendment, established after the Civil War, are now facing systematic challenges. Utilizing an extraordinary array of voices—including Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), former Senator Jeff Flake (R-AZ), current Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA), legal experts Sherrilyn Ifill, Robert Chang, and Stacey Abrams, along with social commentators such as Donald T. Critchlow and Hasan Piker—DuVernay articulates how the 14th Amendment's core principles of birthright citizenship, due process, equal protection under the law, and the prohibition against insurrection by heads of state have all been dangerously contested in recent years. By drawing a direct connection from the Reconstruction era to the present, DuVernay's film serves as a rigorous confrontation with our current crisis. It will be released by Netflix.”

      “Returning with 14th as the Closing Night Selection exactly ten years after 13th opened the New York Film Festival feels particularly significant,” stated DuVernay. “The NYFF has always been a platform for films that encourage dialogue rather than just applause. In this spirit, 14th seeks to scrutinize a promise potent enough to transform a nation—and divisive enough to split it for over 150 years. There’s no better venue to start that dialogue than NYFF. I’m thankful to Dennis Lim and the team for supporting a project that poses challenging questions, and I’m proud to present this film to New York audiences first. On behalf of all who contributed to this story, we hope it inspires debate, inquiry, and above all, imagination about what remains possible.”

      “We are privileged to conclude this edition of the New York Film Festival with Ava DuVernay’s incredibly timely follow-up to 13th,” expressed Dennis Lim, NYFF Artistic Director. “14th is a film suited for this moment, piercing through the present's haze. Its greatest gift is its clarity: Ava has produced a film that precisely outlines how we arrived at this point and what is at stake today.”

      The 64th New York Film Festival, which opens with James Gray’s Paper Tiger, will run from September 25 to October 12, 2026, with passes currently available for purchase.