On John Belushi’s 30th birthday, he had the top TV show in Saturday Night Live, the top film in Animal House, and the top record with The Blues Brothers. But his insatiable appetites and anarchic energy were fraught with danger. Filmmaker R.J. Cutler (The September Issue) combines footage of Belushi’s legendary acts with rare footage […]
WORLD PREMIERE | On November 20, 1983, ABC-TV broadcast The Day After, a chilling fictional account of the aftermath of a nuclear war on a small Kansas town. More than 100 million viewers turned in, making it the highest-rated made-for-TV film in history. This came after weeks of buildup and, behind-the-scenes, intense controversy extending all the […]
US PREMIERE | A fascinating behind-the-scenes documentary showcasing the production of a narrative film set in the Amazonian forest of Venezuela. With acute lensing and formidable direction, filmmaker Mo Scarpelli returns to DOC NYC with a layered and complex portrait of her life partner Jorge Thielen Armand as he directs a film about the unconventional life of his […]
NYC PREMIERE In this artfully constructed project, a set of unfinished films commissioned by the state during communist-era Afghanistan revisits a nation that only existed in celluloid. Recovered reels, accompanied by the reflections of filmmakers, actors and critics, reveal genre films whose stories of love, war and history offer great insight into the heartbeat of […]
WORLD PREMIERE Searching for Mr. Rugoff reveals the untold story of the creative genius behind 1960s-’70s film distribution company Cinema 5. Filmmakers, critics, collaborators and family members paint a vivid portrait of Donald Rugoff, a volatile, self-destructive and fearless champion of independent and art films. Drawing from a rich archive and colorful interviews, veteran distributor, producer […]
NYC PREMIERE In 1999, small town Narrowsburg, NY was poised to become the “Sundance of the East”—or so Jocelyne and Richard Castellano would have local residents believe. The organizers of the Narrowsburg Film Festival—a glamorous French film producer and her mafioso-turned-actor husband—promise to revitalize the town through film. As the duo secures local investment in a […]
WORLD PREMIERE The Bolex camera has been a trusty tool for filmmakers since its introduction in the 1920s. In this personal film, Alyssa Bolsey delves into her family’s history to uncover the story of the camera’s inventor, her great-grandfather, Jacques Bolsey. A Russian refugee living in neutral Switzerland during WWI, Bolsey developed the iconic Bolex […]
NYC PREMIERE Pauline Kael is among the most famous and divisive film critics of all time. Her praise helped uplift the careers of Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and others, while her putdowns left lasting wounds. She was a pioneering woman in a male chauvinistic world. This nuanced portrait captures her complexity while revisiting late-twentieth-century cinema […]
NYC PREMIERE When fans learned that Star Trek was slated for cancellation in 1968, they spearheaded a letter-writing campaign in an attempt to save the show. Years later, passionate devotees of Cagney and Lacey successfully rescued that series and, seeing the influence they wielded, formed an advocacy organization to protect other programs. Today, fans harness […]
NYC PREMIERE This Changes Everything gathers a who’s who of female actors and directors for a powerful call to action on elevating women’s roles in film and television, both on and off screen. Meryl Streep, Sandra Oh, Jessica Chastain, Shonda Rhimes, Reese Witherspoon, Taraji P. Henson and executive producer Geena Davis are among the many […]