New York Film Festival Spotlight on Documentary selections announced

Steve James, Alexis Bloom and Petra Epperlein among filmmakers with work showing.

by Anne-Katrin Titze

Hoop Dreams, The Interrupters and Life Itself director Steve James's latest, Abacus: Small Enough to Jail, in the New York Film Festival
Hoop Dreams, The Interrupters and Life Itself director Steve James's latest, Abacus: Small Enough to Jail, in the New York Film Festival Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze

Films by Steve James, Alexis Bloom and Fisher Stevens (on Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds), Errol Morris (on Elsa Dorfman), Bill Morrison, Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, Raoul Peck, Kasper Collin (on Lee Morgan), Sam Pollard, Aaron Brookner (on William Burroughs and Robert Wilson documentarian Howard Brookner), Olatz López Garmendia, Shimon Dotan, Mohamed Siam, Linda Saffire and Adam Schlesinger (on Wendy Whelan), Petra Epperlein and Michael Tucker will shine in the New York Film Festival Spotlight on Documentary section.

Ava DuVernay’s documentary The 13th was announced earlier as the Opening Night Gala film, Gimme Danger's Jim Jarmusch appears in Brookner's Uncle Howard and Sacro GRA director Gianfranco Rosi has his latest Fire At Sea (Fuocoammare) screening in the Main Slate program.

Chaired by Festival Director Kent Jones, the New York Film Festival selection committee is comprised of the Film Society of Lincoln Center Director of Programming Dennis Lim, Associate Director of Programming Florence Almozini, Contributing Editor for Artforum and Film Comment Amy Taubin, and consultant Gavin Smith.

Tickets go on sale to the general public starting on Sunday, September 11.

The 54th New York Film Festival will run from September 30 through October 16.

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