LIL NAS X: Long Live Montero
A feature documentary that follows Lil Nas X as he embarks on his first ever global tour. The diaristic film is a remarkably intimate portrait of an artist on tour navigating identity, family, expectations and acceptance, all while reflecting on his place within the legacy of Black, queer performers.
Directed by Carlos López Estrada and Zac Manuel, Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero captures one of today’s most provocative pop stars at a transformational point in his life, both on and off stage. Shot over the course of 60 days with unparalleled access, the film follows Montero Hill, aka Lil Nas X, on an emotional odyssey through the creation and performance of the critically acclaimed “Long Live Montero” show.
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Directed by Carlos López Estrada and Zac Manuel
Produced by RadicalMedia in association with Museum & Crane, Sony Music Entertainment’s Premium Content Division and Columbia Records. Presented by HBO Documentary Films.
Produced by Dave Sirulnick serving as producer as well as Caryn Capotosto for Museum & Crane, Saul Levitz for Sony Music, Hodo Musa, Adam Leber and Adriana Arce for Rebel, and Gee Roberson for BPG/Maverick. Meredith Bennett, Jon Kamen, and Frank Scherma are executive producers for RadicalMedia. Tom Mackay and Krista Wegener also serve as executive producers for Sony Music.
Little Richard: I Am Everything
Little Richard: I Am Everything (2023)
Premiered in competition at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Released in Spring by Magnolia Pictures and CNN Films.
Directed by Lisa Cortés
Produced by Robert Friedman, Liz Yale Marsh, Lisa Cortés and Caryn Capotosto
Executive Producers: Dee Rees, Mike Powers, Amy Entails, Courtney Sexton, Gus Wenner, Jason Fine, Anita May Rosenstein
A CNN Films and Bungalow Media + Entertainment Production, In Association with Rolling Stone
From the Sundance program:
“Like a quasar burning past the gaslight, director Lisa Cortés’ eye-opening documentary explodes the whitewashed canon of American pop music. Little Richard: I Am Everything shines a clarifying light on the Black, queer origins of rock ’n’ roll, and establishes the genre’s big bang: Richard Wayne Penniman.
Testimonials from legendary musicians and cultural figures, Black and queer scholars, Penniman’s family and friends, and interviews with the artist himself all exuberantly reclaim a history that was willfully appropriated by white artists and institutions. Cortés updates the canon with a treasure trove of rarely seen archival footage of Penniman. Among the gems are scenes with his Black and queer predecessors and contemporaries, like Sister Rosetta Tharpe: the mother of rock ’n’ roll who gave 14-year-old Penniman his first break.
Cortés depicts Penniman’s complex journey as a conflicted revolutionary who careened between religion, sex, and rock ’n’ roll, navigating the extreme tensions of race and sexuality of his time. She reminds us that outsiders and outcasts can possess superpowers that, given the chance, can create new worlds for us all to dance in.”
Welcome Space Brothers
WELCOME SPACE BROTHERS is a feature documentary that unveils the true story of The Unarius Academy of Science, a long-running extraterrestrial-channeling spiritual school in El Cajon, California that in the late 1970s became a wildly prolific filmmaking and art collective under the direction of outlandish spiritual leader and visionary filmmaker Ruth E. Norman, AKA “Archangel Uriel.” The film is directed by Jodi Wille (The Source Family).
The Unarius Academy of Science were on a radical mission from the late-’70s to the mid-’80s: to spread their “inter-dimensional science of life” and the principles of reincarnation to the masses via some of the most wildly inventive public access TV programming in America. As part of their outreach under the direction of their cosmic leader, the flamboyant septuagenarian Ruth Norman, AKA Archangel Uriel, The Unariuns created elaborate psychodrama “documentaries,” where Uriel and students channeled and re-enacted their previous lives together on film for purposes of spiritual healing. Utilizing otherworldly costumes and makeup, elaborate sets and ingenious no-budget special effects, this ambitious collective produced a legacy of some of the most mind-shattering, oddly uplifting gems of American outsider cinema.
Directed by: Jodi Wille
Produced by: Caryn Capotosto
Presented by XTR, Diorama and SpectreVision, Welcome Space Brothers is a Museum & Crane production
Executive Producers: Bryn Mooser, Kathryn Everett, Tony Hsieh, Andy Hsieh, Lauren Cioffi, Nion McEvoy and Leslie Berriman, Robert Ganger, Thalia Mavros, Bryn Mooser, Kathryn Everett, Tony Hsieh, Andy Hsieh and Lauren Cioffi for XTR, Matthew Perniciaro, Jimmy Goodmon and Kelsey Oluk for Diorama, Josh Braun, Ben Braun, Dan Braun and Matt Burke for Submarine, Daniel Noah, Lawrence Inglee and Elijah Wood for Spectrevison, Phil Lord and Chrils Miller, and Jack Pearkes. Original music by Mary Lattimore and Natasha Kahn.
Coming Soon.
No One Asked You
Comedian, disruptor-extraordinaire Lizz Winstead (co-creator The Daily Show) and her team of activists from Abortion Access Front crisscross the U.S. to support indie abortion clinic staff and bust stigma. Pop culture icons and next-gen comics fuel this six-year road film activating small-town folks to rebuild vandalized clinics, exposing wrongdoer politicians, domestic terrorists, and media neglect as the race to the bottom ensues. A bold call to action reminds us that when the patriarchy burns down, joy will prevail.
DOCNYC SCREENING INFO:
World Premiere w/ special guests, November 13th, 8.45pm @ IFCCenter2nd screening, November 14th, 5.30pm @ Village East
Director: Ruth Leitman
Producer: Rachel Rozycki, Andrea Raby
Executive Producer: Hallee Adelman, Caryn Capotosto, Ruth Leitman
NATHAN-ISM
Nathan-ism (2023)
At the end of World War II, Nathan Hilu, a then 18-year-old Jewish US Army private from New York, was assigned to guard the top Nazi war criminals at the Nuremberg Trials. For one year, Hilu kept suicide watch over Hermann Göring and Albert Speer and learned first-hand about the men and their crimes against humanity. Speer himself instructed Hilu to "…keep your eyes open and write what you see here..." With brutish lines and annotated pastel sketches, Hilu obsessively documented those memories for the next 70 years until his death in 2019.
Nathan-ism is a documentary portrait of the aging artist but what begins as a peek at a unique witness to history grows into an absorbing study of the function of art as archive and invention. Daring to question an artist’s stories, Nathan-ism is a fascinating look at one man’s need to share truths with a world that doesn’t always want to listen. (Synopsis by Myrocia Watamaniuk for Hot Docs)
World Premiere: Hot Docs 2023
Directed by: Elan Golod
Produced by: Melanie Levy
Executive Producer: Caryn Capotosto
In Association with Jewish Story Partners and Museum & Crane
Donate via our Fiscal Sponsor: Center for Independent Documentary
Coming Soon.
The Thief Collector
The Thief Collector (2022)
It was one of the most audacious and puzzling art crimes of a generation. The Thief Collector unravels the mystery of the infamous 1985 heist of Willem de Kooning’s seminal painting, “Woman-Ochre.”
AN ART-HOUSE DOCUMENTARY WITH AN ‘OH. MY. GOD.’ FACTOR. --- VARIETY
“If you're an art aficionado or a lover of mystery and intrigue this is a worthy watch” --- COLLIDER
“Makes you lean forward in shock and awe” --- COLLEGE MOVIE REVIEW
“The Thief Collector does a splendid job demonstrating how we truly never really know each other’s capabilities.” --- FILMTHREAT
U.S. Premiere: SXSW 2022
Directed by: Allison Otto
Produced by: Caryn Capotosto, Jill Latiano Howerton and Joshua Kunau
Executive Producers: Bryn Mooser, Kathryn Everett, Tony Hseih, Andy Hseih, Justin Lacob, John Boccardo and Derek Esplin
Co-Executive Producers: Shizuka Asakawa, Kathleen L’Esperance
Released by Filmrise in May 2023. Available on all digital platforms.
Westermann: Memorial to the Idea of Man If He Was an Idea
Westermann: Memorial to the Idea of Man If He Was an Idea is a 3-D documentary film about the life and work of artist and marine H.C. (“Cliff”) Westermann.
As a veteran of World War II and the Korean War who struggled with the ramifications of modern warfare, Westermann’s dramatic personal history can be traced through his beguiling, surreal artworks. Our documentary explores the themes of Westermann’s life and work, including resiliency, hope, and humor. Westermann used art as a means of processing the trauma of war, and in spite of these horrors, he adopted an empathic and hopeful spirit that courses through his artwork and relationships, becoming an inspiration to many young artists.
Directed by Leslie Buchbinder
Produced by Brian Ashby and Harrison Sherrod
Executive Producers: Caryn Capotosto, KAWS
Featuring interviews with Ed Ruscha, Frank Gehry, Billy al Bengston and many others.
Featuring Ed Harris and George Ketsios
Music by legendary artists Laurie Anderson, the Kronos Quartet, and Terry Allen, with an original score by acclaimed cellist Tomeka Reid.
Upcoming Screenings:
NYC - Art21, September 15, 2023, Tickets HERE
Los Angeles, The Hammer Museum, October 3, 2023, Ticket info HERE
The Art Institute of Chicago, October 19, 2023, Ticket info HERE
Searching for Amani
A thirteen-year-old aspiring journalist investigates his father’s tragic murder within the boundaries of one of Kenya’s largest wildlife conservancies. Seeking justice, his search for answers reveals how the contexts of colonization, climate change and conservation set the stage for a violent raid that would change his life forever.
Directed by: Nicole Gormley
Produced by: Peter Goetz
Executive Producers: Caryn Capotosto, Linda and David Cornfield, Janet and Peter Tittiger, Randall Gephardt, Christopher Gephardt and Geralyn Dreyfous
Coming Soon.
To support this film, please visit The Redford Center.
Won't You Be My Neighbor ?
Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (2018)
For over thirty years, Fred Rogers, an unassuming minister, puppeteer, writer and producer was beamed daily into homes across America in his beloved television program, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Won't You Be My Neighbor? takes an intimate look at Fred Rogers, a creative genius who inspired generations of children with compassion and limitless imagination.
The film won many awards including the 2019 Film Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary, the Critics Choice Documentary Award, for Best Doc, Best Editing and Best Director, the 2019 Producers Guild Award for Best Documentary, 2018 Gotham Audience Award, and many regional Film Critics awards in 2019. The film also became the 12th highest grossing box office documentary of all time.
Directed by: Morgan Neville
Produced by: Caryn Capotosto and Nicholas Ma
Executive Producers: Dan Cogan, Geralyn Dreyfous, Regina K. Scully, John Boccardo & Derek Esplin, Nancy Stephens & Rick Rosenthal, Nion McEvoy & Leslie Berriman, David Stone & David Boies, Linda & David Cornfield, Andrea van Beuren and Jenifer Westphal
Released by Focus Features, HBO and Independent Lens
Watch the film on HBO, AppleTV, Amazon
Vinyl Soundtrack by Jonathan Kirkscey
Anna Nicole Smith: You Don't Know Me
Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know me (2023)
An unflinching and humanizing examination of the life, death, and secrets of Vickie Lynn Hogan - better known as model and actress Anna Nicole Smith. From her first appearance in Playboy in 1992, Anna Nicole’s dizzying ascent was the very essence of the American dream, brought to a tragic halt with her untimely passing in 2007. With access to never-before-seen footage, home movies, and interviews with key figures who have not spoken out until now, this film reveals new insights into the story of the quintessential blonde bombshell hardly anyone really knew.
Directed by: Ursula Macfarlane
Produced by: Alexandra Lacey
Executive Producers: Howard Owens, Jonathan Schaerf, Caryn Capotosto and others. See full credits at IMDB
Watch the film on Netflix premiering May 16th
Feels Good Man
Feels Good Man (2020)
When indie comic character Pepe the Frog becomes an unwitting icon of hate, his creator, artist Matt Furie, fights to bring Pepe back from the darkness and navigate America’s culture divide.
Winner of the 2020 Sundance U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Emerging Filmmaker, and winner of a 2021 News & Documentary Emmy Award for Best Research Doc.
Directed by: Arthur Jones
Produced by: Giorgio Angelini, Caryn Capotosto, Aaron Wickenden
Executive Producers: Jenifer Westphal, Joe Plummer, Bryn Mooser, Jullie Parker Benello, Rick Rosenthal & Nancy Stephens.
Co-Executive Producers: Nion McEvoy & Leslie Berriman, Regina K. Scully, Kathryn Everett, Justin Lacob
Surf Nation
As surfing enters the Olympics for the first time in history in 2021, China molds its first generation of surfers at a state-run sports academy. Alex and Lolo, two promising young surfers, attempt to navigate the inevitable clash between the freedom embodied in the sport and the Chinese system.
Directed by: Jeremiah Bogert and Jessica Q. Chen and
Produced by: Diane Moy Quon and Nevo Shinaar
Executive Producers: Caryn Capototo, Mark Mitten, Bonni Cohen and Justine Nagan
Film website HERE for more info.
Coming soon.
FILMAGE: The Story of DESCENDENTS/ALL
Best Of Enemies
Best of Enemies (2015)
2 Men. 10 Debates. Television would never be the same. A feature documentary about the storied 1968 debates between Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley Jr.
Winner of the International Documentary Association Award for Best Historical Documentary (2017).
Directed by: Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon
Produced by: Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon
Co-Producer: Caryn Capotosto
Executive Producers: Jullie Goldman, Clif Phillips
Released by Magnolia Pictures, Participant Media and Independent Lens.
Afghan Cycles, Trailer
Afghan Cycles (2018)
A feature documentary that follows a new generation of young Afghan women cyclists using the bicycle to tell a story of women’s rights - human rights - and the struggles faced by Afghan women on a daily basis, from discrimination to abuse, to the oppressive silencing of their voices in all aspects of contemporary society.
Winner of the Special Jury Prize for Best Documentary, 2018 Seattle International Film Festival and Best Documentary at the 2018 Brooklyn Film Festival.
Directed by: Sarah Menzies
Produced by: Shannon Galpin, Anna Brones
Executive Producer: Caryn Capotosto
Cinematographers: Sarah Menzies and Jenny Nichols
WATCH: iTunes, Microsoft, Google Play, Vudu and Amazon.
Purchase the DVD on Amazon.
They'll Love Me When I'm Dead
They'll Love Me When I'm Dead (2018)
A feature documentary about the final film of Orson Welles. In the final fifteen years of the life of legendary director Orson Welles, he pins his Hollywood comeback hopes on a film, The Other Side of the Wind, in itself a film about an aging film director trying to finish his last great movie.
Directed by: Morgan Neville
Produced by: Korean Matteson and Filip Jan Rymsza
Executive Producer: Frank Marshall
Co-Executive Producer: Caryn Capotosto
The Music of Strangers
The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble (2015)
A feature documentary about Yo-Yo Ma and The Silk Road Ensemble, an extraordinary group of musicians that came together to celebrate the universal power of music. Named for the ancient trade route linking Asia, Africa and Europe, the Silk Road Ensemble was conceived by renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma in 2000, and consists of a diverse and rotating lineup of instrumentalists, vocalists, composers and storytellers from around the world. The collective exemplifies music's ability to blur geographical boundaries, blend disparate cultures, and inspire hope for both artists and audiences.
Winner of a 2018 News & Documentary Emmy for Outstanding music & Sound, and nominated for two additional Emmys for Outstanding Arts & Culture Doc and Outstanding Editing.
20 Feet From Stardom
20 Feet from Stardom (2013)
Backup singers live in a world that lies just beyond the spotlight. Their voices bring harmony to the biggest bands in popular music, but we've had no idea who these singers are or what lives they lead, until now.
Winner of the 2014 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary (2014), and Grammy Award for Best Music Film (2015).
Directed by: Morgan Neville
Produced by: Gil Friesen, Caitrin Rogers
Associate Producer: Caryn Capotosto
I Am (Not) Bruce Conner
IN DEVELOPMENT - A feature documentary about the iconoclastic and antagonistic world of West Coast multi-media artist Bruce Conner.
At the forefront of multiple countercultures, he wrestled with freedom, death, consumerism and ecstatic spectacle throughout his 50-year career, creating a body of work that forever altered the course of art, film and media culture.
Directed by Tyler Hubby
Produced by Caryn Capotosto and Michelle Silva
Feature Documentaries