An essential watch for anyone who loves “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” and/or loathes America’s carceral state, Christine Yoo’s riveting and humane “26.2 to Life” profiles San Quentin State Prison’s 1000 Miles Club, which offers the men locked up in California’s oldest maximum-security jail a new reason to put one foot in front of the other. Spearheaded by a track coach who doesn’t care what crimes his runners have committed, the program invites participants to train for and eventually run a full marathon around the prison yard. And not just any marathon, but one of the hardest in the world: 105 laps of unpaved gravel, right-angle turns, and constant sunshine that force runners to dodge other inmates and keep the adrenaline pumping during unplanned lockdowns. But the rewards are ample, as a runner’s high is the closest thing to freedom that many of these men have known for decades. Yoo’s film hones in on what that taste of freedom might do for someone dehumanized by a prison system that doesn’t believe in reform; the soberly inspiring portraits Yoo paints of her subjects offer a powerful reminder of what’s possible when you actually give people something to live for. —DE

There are tens of thousands of evangelical churches in the United States that still believe being gay is a sin. Sharon “Rocky” Roggio’s documentary argues that such systemic bigotry is actually rooted in a misapplication in the Bible: The first time the word “homosexual” appeared in any Bible was in 1946, in Corinthians 6:9. What’s wrong with this picture? “1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted a Culture” weaves revelatory archival materials from Yale University to cast doubt over the biblical basis for LGBTQ prejudice — with input from scholars, opposing pastors, and more to support the documentary’s claims. Roggio makes her directorial debut after working in the art departments on Justin Chon’s indie “Gook,” the series “House of Cards,” and more. —RL

A nearly lost chapter of queer history is delicately excavated in “Casa Susanna,” a sumptuous documentary about a Catskills oasis where trans women and crossdressing men found community throughout the 1950s and ’60s. French filmmaker Sebastien Lifshitz (“Bambi,” “Little Girl”) vividly brings the past to life through crackling archival footage, incredible photographs, and the golden memories of those who first found themselves there. So rare are portraits of early queer life that watching “Casa Susanna” feels like unearthing a glittering treasure, a vital story of resilience and joy plucked from the ravages of time before being washed away forever. Especially compelling are two elder trans women subjects, whose hard-knock stories of a bygone era offer a firsthand glimpse into our shared past. —JD

What does the title of Brian Kaufman and Mark Kurlyandchik’s documentary sound like to you? Perhaps a “Bear”-inspired behind-the-scenes look at a hot-blooded, top-shelf restaurant? An exploration of the power of learning to cook in the most elegant of fashions? Something tasty, deep, and well worth chewing on? Twist: it’s all those things, though perhaps not in the exact package you expect. The “Coldwater Kitchen” of the doc’s title is indeed a fine dining establishment filled with unique characters, but it’s also in a prison.

The doc mostly follows Chef Jimmy Lee Hill, who has spent decades teaching the inmates of Lakeland Correctional Facility in Coldwater, Michigan, not just how to cook but how to provide every single element of a fine dining experience. Hill’s impact on his students cannot be overstated, but as he enters his final years of teaching, Kaufman and Kurlyandchik opt to explore what happens when he devotes his tutelage to one particular student. Will his works offer the kind of hope he’s long excelled at giving? Or will this remarkable man and program lead somewhere else? —KE  

“Relevance” isn’t exactly something that I hope for in a documentary about “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion” and the supposed Jewish conspiracy to control the world, but there’s no denying that “The Conspiracy” is coming along at the right time (not that anti-semitism has ever really gone out of style). Directed by Maxim Pozdorovkin (“The Truth About Killer Robots”), and relying on bold animation to draw upon centuries worth of ethnic scapegoating and illustrate how vulnerable populations are victimized during times of economic distress, “The Conspiracy” investigates why these ludicrous theories have proven so widespread and hard to stamp out since long before Kanye West had an Instagram account. That DOC NYC has programmed the film as the closing night title at this year’s festival speaks to its faith in the clarity of Pozdorovkin’s work, and also — regrettably — in the urgency of its truth. —DE

“Some called him the godfather of underground film.” “My guest tonight is Jonas Mekas, who was first of all a poet before he was a filmmaker.” “His name is Jonas Mekas, a man who I think more than almost anybody in the world epitomizes the meaning and significance of independent filmmaking.”

Those are some of the TV news voiceover soundbites that open KD Davison’s documentary about the great ringleader of American avant-garde cinema. It’s not an auspicious beginning. How can a doc about someone who championed pushing the boundaries of filmmaking to their limit get such a prosaic and obvious introduction for a film about his life? Certainly his 96 years were more than a sum of media reports from broadcasters who barely grasped his work. Not to mention, if you’re devoting the time to watch a documentary about the Lithuanian-born curator, poet, and filmmaker, you probably already know the basics about him, right?

Fear not. Davison (“The Soul of America”) seems to have anticipated these quibbles and shows she knows her audience: “Fragments of Paradise” is a more than skin-deep overview of the late Mekas’ life, one that feels like a final message from him directly. It’s a tribute to art’s power to connect, even with those who are gone. —CB

Two things to know about Tess and Liv: The sisters, despite a nearly 10-year age gap, were as close as two siblings could be, and they both grew up under the shadow of social media. Spinning off his short “Liv,” Alan Hicks takes us inside Tess and Liv’s wonderful bond and the various outside influences that threatened to – and then did – rip the duo apart.

Billed as an exploration of the “shocking reality of the current teen mental health crisis” and including frank discussion of everything from depression to body dysmorphia and suicidal thoughts, Hicks’ film strives to find ballast in the very personal side of such troubles, rooting itself in Tess and Liv themselves. While the film might draw attention because of its urgent subject matter, it’s the obvious care Hicks and his team have taken to bring Liv’s family to the forefront that really stands out, an intensely intimate story that should have an impact on anyone who sees it. —KE

Hot off premieres at both TIFF and Rio de Janiero, Stephanie Johnes’ crowd-pleasing documentary makes landfall at DOC NYC. Following the trials and tribulations and totally tubular adventures of surfer Maya Gabeira, the film follows the world champion on her quest for domination. Up against her? Big waves, big egos, and plenty of outsized chauvinism, all of which Maya tackles with good humor and serious style.

Sports docs might seem like a dime a dozen, but Johnes’ film offers a wonderful and inventive new take on a worn-out genre, taking us inside a thrilling sport through the eyes of an inspirational hero who can’t help but make a splash wherever she goes. —KE

Truth may be stranger than fiction, and some truths are too strange to believe. But the depths of human ingenuity never fail to delight and surprise, and Chelly Wilson is one for the ages. A Sephardic Jew who fled Greece during WWII, she built a thriving business in New York, a string of porno theaters that she named after Greek deities. A lesbian who married men, she gambled with mafiosos and bribed immigration officers to get her surviving children to America. She lived and breathed the American dream in all its gritty glory of a half-baked fantasy. The film blends archival footage with interviews with her children and grandchildren to weave together her improbable tale, one of survival, resilience, and good old-fashioned hustle. —JD

Gilles Villeneuve and Didier Pironi: The Formula One legends and Ferrari teammates had the highest respect for each other. That is, until the 1982 San Marino Grand Prix when Pironi violated what Villeneuve believed to be a sacred understanding between them and “stole” victory from his friend; the two men never spoke to each other again, and neither of them would ever compete in another Formula One season. Director Torquil Jones (“14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible”) assuredly intercuts archival footage with new interviews with the racers’ widows and children to look at this tragic but invigorating story of machismo gone awry through a distinctly feminine lens. The result is a pulse-pounding look back at one of the most dramatic stories in modern sports history, the romance and ripple effects of which continue to resonate today. —DE

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