The Film Society of Lincoln Center announces the complete lineup for the Spotlight on Documentary section of the 55th New York Film Festival (September 28-October 15). This year's series of DISPATCHES from the front lines of nonfiction cinema features intimate portraits of artists, depictions of social upheaval, and much more.
Selections include three documentaries spotlighting acclaimed writers, including the World Premiere of
Griffin Dunne's
Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold; returning NYFF filmmaker
Rebecca Miller's tender portrait of her father,
Arthur Miller: Writer; and the World Premiere of Myles Kane and Josh Koury's Voyeur, capturing the investigations explored in
Gay Talese's book The Voyeur's Motel. Other notable documentary subjects include Jean-Michel Basquiat, who commands the downtown NYC scene of the late '70s and early '80s in Sara Driver's BOOM FOR REAL The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat; and Jane Goodall, whose original expedition to contact a chimpanzee population is brought back to life via 50-year-old National Geographic footage in Brett Morgen's Jane.
Additional selections by NYFF alums are Travis Wilkerson's Did You Wonder Who Fired the Gun?, in which Wilkerson confronts his family's white supremacist roots; the North American Premiere of The Rape of Recy Taylor,
Nancy Buirski's passionate film about the 1944 case of a black woman who was raped by sever
Al White men; Joshua Bonnetta & J.P. Sniadecki's El mar la mar, a 16mm meditation on the dangerous trek from Mexico to the U.S. through the Sonoran Desert; the North American premiere of Abel Ferrara's Piazza Vittorio, a charming snapshot of Rome's largest public square; and three music films by Mathieu Amalric: C'est presque au bout du monde, Zorn, and Music Is Music.
Other highlights of this year's Spotlight on Documentary section include
Vanessa Redgrave's directorial debut, Sea Sorrow, an expertly crafted call for Western aid to the global refugee crisis; Barbet Schroeder's The Venerable W., which confronts an Islamophobic Burmese Buddhist monk; and Alex Gibney's No Stone Unturned, a critical investigation into the 1994 Loughinisland massacre in Ireland.
The 18-day New York Film Festival highlights the best in world cinema, featuring works from celebrated filmmakers as well as fresh new talent. The selection committee, chaired by Jones, also includes Dennis Lim, FSLC Director of Programming; Florence Almozini, FSLC Associate Director of Programming; and
Amy Taubin, Contributing Editor, Film Comment and Sight & Sound.
As previously announced, the NYFF55 Opening Night is Richard Linklater's Last Flag Flying, Todd Haynes's Wonderstruck is Centerpiece, Woody Allen's Wonder Wheel is Closing Night, and the Retrospective honors Robert Mitchum's centenary. The complete lineup for the Main Slate can be found here, for Projections here, and for Revivals here.
NYFF Special Events and Convergence sections, as well as filmmaker conversations and panels, will be announced in the coming weeks.
Tickets for the 55th New York Film Festival will go on sale September 10 at noon. Becoming a Film Society Member at the Film Buff Level or above provides early ticket access to festival screenings and events ahead of the general public, along with the exclusive member ticket discount and brand new member benefits and offers available throughout NYFF. Learn more at filmlinc.org/membership.
For even more access, VIP passes and packages offer the earliest opportunities to purchase tickets and secure seats at some of the festival's biggest events including Opening and Closing Nights, and Centerpiece. VIP passes also provide access to many exciting events, including the invitation-only Opening Night party, Filmmaker Brunch, and VIP Lounge. Benefits vary based on the pass or package type purchased. VIP passes and packages are on sale now. Learn more at filmlinc.org/packages.
