Welcome to Day 1 of DOC NYC!
Welcome to Day 1 of DOC NYC!
Haven’t decided what to see? Watch DOC NYC Artistic Director, Thom Powers, give a rundown of the festival, and get your tickets now!
Tonight’s film, Cave of Forgotten Dreams, and Gala with Werner Herzog is sold out, but there’s still time to join us for Sunday’s screening of Tabloid, and the Gala with Errol Morris.
See the full schedule, or check out some of our hottest events below.
Thursday, November 4
Darkness on the Edge of Town: World premiere! Darkness on the Edge of Town captures a performance by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band that no one has ever seen. In December, 2009, the band set up at the historic Paramount Theatre in Asbury Park, NJ and performed – just for themselves and no audience – the entire 1978 album of Darkness on the Edge of Town. Springsteen’s manager Jon Landau has said this presentation “best captures the starkness of the original album.” Followed by a post-show conversation with E Street Band drummer Max Weinberg & director Thom Zimny.
Friday, November 5
Doc Convergence: This day-long symposium brings together documentary makers from diverse disciplines – film, photography, radio, prose, illustration, performance – for a unique and intimate exchange of ideas. For doc professionals or aficionados, this event is a chance to be inspired, recharge your creative batteries and maybe even meet new collaborators.
mindFLUX: The visionary theater director Richard Foreman has been an icon of New York’s avant garde for 40 years. Whether or not you’re familiar with his work, this portrait illuminates an important chapter of cultural history, and is packed with interviews including F. Murray Abraham, Eric Bogosian, James Cromwell, Willem Dafoe, Yoko Ono, Lou Reed, Suzan-Lori Parks, Ben Silverman, Stanley Silverman, Wallace Shawn and Lili Taylor. Director Ryan Kerrison & Arnie Friedland will attend for a post-show conversation.
State of the Art: Another is a day-long symposium that brings together acclaimed documentary film professionals for in-depth discussions about creative innovation. This is a rare opportunity to hear from a cross section of directors, producers, cinematographers, editors and archival specialists.
Mother of Rock: Lillian Roxon: Before rock journalism was respectable, before feminism had gained ground, Lillian Roxon was a trailblazing Australian journalist in New York. She forecast the significance of musicians such as Bob Dylan, Jim Morrison, and the Velvet Underground; and authored “Lillian Roxon’s Rock Encyclopedia” before succumbing to an early death at age 41. Director Paul Clarke brings Roxon’s words back to life and interviews friends including Danny Fields, Iggy Pop and Germaine Greer for this moving biography.
A Brief History of Time: Rarely screened since its original release, A Brief History of Time examines the life and work of Stephen Hawking, the physicist who has spent much of his life in a wheelchair, yet managed feats of the intellect often compared to Einstein’s. In this adaptation of Hawking’s book about the origins of the universe, Morris weaves together graphics, interviews and archival material. Errol Morris joins for a post-film Q&A.
Discoveries of a Marionette: Norwegian director Bjarte Mørner Tveit draws upon a rich personal archive of 8 mm film left by his grandfather Alf, who was secretive about his experiences as a globe-trotting sailor. The exquisite use of family footage uncovers his grandfather’s experiences in World War II and as a pioneer in the post-war cruise industry, evoking the power of personal documents.
Rise, Ride, Roar: This David Byrne concert film blends riveting onstage performances with intimate details of the creative collaborations. Shot with multiple cameras over several concerts during the 08/09 tour, the film has the energy and charisma of classic Talking Heads along with the heartfelt pathos of Byrne and Brian Eno’s most recent collaboration. Between the songs the film documents behind-the-scenes auditions, rehearsals, and interviews with key players who achieved the show’s unique fusion of pop music and modern dance. David Byrne and director David Hillman Curtis will attend for a post-film discussion.
Sunday, November 7
Lost Souls & Light Matter: Acclaimed photographer Lena Herzog presents slides from her recent work Lost Souls and previews her latest work Light Matter in a conversation with Pulitzer Prize winner David Turnley. Herzog’s portfolios have appeared in The New York Times, The Paris Review, and Harper’s among other publications. Lost Souls recently exhibited at the International Center of Photography, documents museum artifacts of human and animal anomalies inspired by Tsar Peter the Great’s collection in Russia’s Kunstkammera. Though sometimes shocking, the photos are also “profoundly humane” writes Luc Sante in his introduction to the Lost Souls book.
The Medium Formerly Known as Radio: The radio documentary is enjoying a golden age, on the broadcast airwaves—and newly reinvented on the Internet. Longtime public radio personality Dean Olsher, creator and host of The Next Big Thing on PRI (2000-2005), brings that popular show’s spirit of discovery to this public listening experience. Olsher curates a selection of dramatic audio documentaries that demonstrate the unique evocative power of the medium of sound. The special guest is duPont-Columbia winner Joe Richman of Radio Diaries, who will present his new award winning documentary “Willie McGee and the Traveling Electric Chair.”
The Road to Carnegie Hall: Young musicians from the world over are plucked from obscurity when they win online auditions for a prestigious Carnegie Hall concert in the YouTube Symphony Orchestra. With only two days to rehearse a complicated program under classical masters Michael Tilson Thomas and Tan Dun. Following the film, audiences will be treated to a short live performance by the celebrated young cellist Joshua Roman.
Make Believe: Teen magicians from across the U.S. and other parts of the globe travel to Las Vegas to vie for the top prize in the World Magic Seminar. We follow six contestants as they develop their routines with countless hours of practice. Throughout the film, we’re treated to dazzling displays of magic. In the final competition, the teens show off their best tricks for a contest that’s full of twists, turns and surprises.
Errol Morris In Conversation: “Part of what I love about documentary is this idea that you can reinvent the form every time you make one,” Errol Morris once said. This conversation will explore his reinventions, including the titles presented in this Spotlight section as well as films such as Fast, Cheap & Out of Control and the Oscar-winning Fog of War. Interviewing Morris will be the filmmaker’s friend Ron Rosenbaum, who has written several books including The Shakespeare Wars and is a columnist for Slate.
Monday, November 8
Double Feature: I’m King Kong & The Tramp and the Dictator:This double feature reflects the range of Kevin Brownlow’s scope. In I’m King Kong!, he tracks the life of Merian C. Cooper, who pioneered documentary making with films such as Grass and Chang before creating his most famous work King Kong. In The Tramp & the Dictator, Brownlow looks at the production of Charlie Chaplin’s The Great Dictator drawing upon color film shot behind the scenes. A Q&A with Brownlow will follow each film.
Tuesday, November 9
Cecil B DeMille: American Epic: Kevin Brownlow explores the life one of the giants of Hollywood film history. Cecil B DeMille, tyrant, visionary, highly successful filmmaker – a character larger than life who produced unforgettable epics which helped forge Hollywood mythology. This two-hour documentary follows his entire career, from his prolific contribution to silent cinema to the Technicolor sound epics he is most famous for. Join Kevin Brownlow for a Q&A after the screening.
