American Masters and Firelight Media are thrilled to announce that the fourth season of In The Making will make its debut at DOC NYC on November 15, 2025. The documentary short film series follows artists on their way to becoming masters of their disciplines. Check out the full list of films and their descriptions below.
Aliah Irvine & Kēhau Kapua’a: Kūkulu
Directed by Aukai Ligairi
Follow Aliah and Kēhau as they take on the male-dominated practice of building Hawaiian hale, traditional thatched structures — a personal and political effort as they reclaim cultural traditions nearly lost to colonial erasure.
Alsarah: The Sonic Historian
Directed by Roopa Gogineni & Wael Gzoly
Follow Sudanese musician and ethnomusicologist Alsarah as she leads Alsarah and the Nubatones, a band of immigrants exploring migration’s impact on culture through music — an essential venture amid displacement and an enduring conflict.
Ani Liu: Eye Heart Womb
Directed by Miao Wang
Explore the work of Queens-based artist Ani Liu, who integrates multi-sensory art and technology to question our perceptions of our bodies, labor, and identities.
Cindy Tran: From Here to Here
Directed by Xinyan Yu
Watch as Vietnamese-American poet Cindy Tran creates works that bridge personal memories and shared experiences, reflecting on childhood, parental expectations, and societal stigmas around Asian-American identity.
Hannah Mayree: Songs of Reclamation
Directed by Ebony Marie Bailey
Follow Hannah Mayree, musician, banjo maker, and founder of the Black Banjo Reclamation Project, as she organizes workshops and performances celebrating the banjo’s Black history.
Lani B. Supreme: Legacy
Directed by Sabaah Folayan
Enter the world of trumpeter, composer, educator, and storyteller Lani B. Supreme (Jelani Akil Bauman) as he carries forward a musical legacy that began with his great-great-grandfather before emancipation. Driven by his family’s craft, Bauman’s music celebrates Black creative expression.
Stankface Standing Soldier: The Rise of Mato Wayuhi
Directed by Josiah Jones
Watch as Oglala Lakota artist, musician, and composer Mato Wayuhi, known for his work on Reservation Dogs, draws on ancestral knowledge to inform his present artistic processes and visions for the future.
Warren King: King of Cardboard
Directed by Curtis Chin
Follow Warren King as he transforms cardboard into intricate sculptural reflections of his Chinese-American family’s immigration and his path from engineer to artist. Preparing for a Wisconsin homecoming show, King explores belonging through art.