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Launching Fall 2026Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Lanc

Docs

Experiential cinema, rooted in Lancaster.

LANC DOCS is a nonprofit entity created to organize and mount an annual documentary film festival in Lancaster Pennsylvania, and to curate select "pop-up" and showcase documentary film events throughout the year.

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100% curated films, venues, & experiences.

Working with partners in the new Venue Network, every LANC DOCS presentation will be an "experiential cinema" event, fusing curated films, venues, speakers, and other contextual elements, resulting in shared experiences that can't be replicated in traditional multiplexes or through streaming media at home.

LANC DOCS was founded and is managed by a diverse team of documentary film enthusiasts, with professional experience in law, finance, marketing, academia, and media. The all-volunteer organization is governed by a Board of Directors, and has received IRS 501(c)(3) designation as a registered nonprofit.

The long-term goal is to become the preeminent documentary film curation and event cinema body in the Susquehanna Valley.

Pillars of Curation

Sustainability

Encompasses the rich agricultural history and modern dynamism of the region.

Culture

The very deep history of people who have made Lancaster what it is today and those who are shaping its future.

Music

Programming by and about the world of music that is powered by the technical and creative geniuses based in the region.

Makers

From snack foods to top-secret technology made by area innovators past and present.

Upcoming presentationsQ4 2026 – Q2 2027

November 15, 2026

"Bricks, Sticks & Flicks: Urban & The Chocolate King"

Multimedia Presentation Featuring noted Lancaster architect, author, and storyteller Gregory Scott, celebrating the launch of his new book, Urban & The Chocolate King, with a captivating presentation exploring the extraordinary partnership between Milton S. Hershey and architect C. Emlen Urban. Through live readings, rare archival photographs, and behind-the-scenes stories, Scott will transport audiences back to the earliest days of the Hershey empire—when two visionary men forever changed the landscape of Lancaster  and Dauphin Counties and beyond.

Ticketed event in The Willow room at Southern Market

Late April 2027

Annual Festival — 2-day Spring Showcase

Highly curated schedule of shorts and features in competition and for fun — new films, catalog titles, re-releases, rarities, college/university student films. Jury Awards given in seven major categories.

Events held at various traditional venues and unique locations in county

Built by film fans.

Co-founded by Lancaster residents and lifelong documentary film fans Kirk Marzock and Joe Cantwell.

Our Board of Directors is comprised of industry players with a local connection, creatives, and high-profile entrepreneurs. Our Advisory Board is comprised of national and international documentary film directors, producers, and festival staff.

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