Photos: KENNY: THE MARXIST WHO WOULD BE MAYOR to Premiere at DOC NYC

A documentary about the life of Black Marxist-Leninist attorney, politician and revolutionary Ken Cockrel Sr. will screen at DOC NYC, the largest documentary film festival in the United States.

Directed by filmmaker Christopher 'Zoz' Gruse, the feature documentary KENNY: THE MARXIST WHO WOULD BE MAYOR will be screened in the Fight the Power programming strand of DOC NYC on Saturday November 14th at 11:00am at the Village East by Angelika cinema. A post-screening Q&A will take place with Gruse, Cockrel's daughter Katy Cockrel, wife Sheila Cockrel and editor Cammeron Neely. Tickets to watch the film in person or online can be purchased here.

The film tells the story of Ken Cockrel Sr., a Black Marxist-Leninist attorney who took on the police and the power structures of Detroit in some of its most tumultuous times from the 60's through the 70's.

Through Cockrel's battles both in and out of the courts, the film paints the story of a country undergoing rapid change, caught in a civil rights battle in which police officers were empowered to hunt and kill its citizens.

Combining rare footage and interviews with those who knew him best, it charts the unbelievable rise to prominence of a radical Marxist and brilliant legal mind who took on the Chrysler Corporation, the Detroit Police Department, and the power structures of the entire city before his untimely death.

Additionally, KENNY: THE MARXIST WHO WOULD BE MAYOR will be eligible for DOC NYC's inaugural 2026 Archival Storytelling Competition, an annual award celebrating films that use non-AI generated archival material as their primary story driver.

The film is produced by hungryman entertainment's Ben Ellenberg and Branden McClure and executive produced by Katy Cockrel and Sheila Cockrel, alongside Erin Henneghan, Christopher Gruse, hungryman entertainment's Bryan Buckley and Hank Perlman and Jesse Ford. Cinematographer is Jerome Wald III, the editors are Cammeron Neely, Shane Ford and Josh Bodnar, with Eric Hoegemyer serving as the film's composer.

DOC NYC celebrates documentary filmmaking by connecting artists and audiences through powerful stories and diverse voices. The festival will take place in person from November 11th-19th and online through November 29th.

About hungryman entertainment

Founded by Bryan Buckley and Hank Perlman, hungryman is a global production company with offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, and Brazil. The company is home to a diverse slate of 34 filmmakers and has consistently been ranked among the top production companies globally since its inception. hungryman entertainment continues the company's historic run with narrative features and television, with an emphasis on supporting gifted and emerging filmmakers, with the company dedicated to finding, incubating, protecting, and shepherding strikingly singular visions all the way to the screen.