Barbara Kopple’s new film Miss Sharon Jones!, which follows the soul performer Sharon Jones as she battles cancer and prepares for a comeback, will screen as the opening night film at DOC NYC, the documentary film festival that runs from Nov. 12 to 19 in New York City.
The fest will also kick off with its second annual Visionaries Tribute luncheon earlier in the day at which Lifetime Achievement Awards will be presented to Kopple, Jon Alpert and Frederick Wiseman.
Kopple is a two-time Oscar winner for her films Harlan County U.S.A. and American Dream. Alpert, co-founder of New York’s Downtown Community Television, the country’s oldest non-profit community media center, is the winner of 15 Emmy Awards. His latest film is Mariela Castro’s March. Wiseman has directed dozens of films, ranging from 1967’s Titicut Follies to his latest work, In Jackson Heights.
“We’re delighted to give Lifetime Achievement Awards to three extraordinary filmmakers who continue to dazzle us with outstanding new work,” DOC NYC artistic director Thom Powers said in making the announcement. “On November 12, there’ll be a gathering of documentary talent like none other.”
