Of interest to theatre fans is Bright Lights, a documentary that focuses on the relationship between Carrie Fisher and her mother Debbie Reynolds, both stars of stage and screen. Directed by Alexis Bloom and Fisher Stevens, screenings are scheduled for October 10 at 6 PM and October 11 at 9:15 PM.

The 96-minute HBO Documentary Films release Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds is described as such: “Carrie Fisher and her mom Debbie Reynolds are now the best of friends (they live steps away from each other in their Beverly Hills compound) and the very definition of Hollywood royalty. But unlike today’s newly minted celebrities, they are both open books. After six decades of screen and stage stardom; a couple of disastrous marriages and assorted financial ups and downs for Reynolds; and, for Fisher, well-publicized drug addiction, bipolar disorder, and deity status (see: Star Wars), neither has anything left to hide. Bright Lights is an affectionate, often hilarious, and unexpectedly moving valentine to the mother-daughter act to end all mother-daughter acts.”

New York City Ballet Principal Dancer Wendy Whelan is also the subject of the documentary Restless Creature, which will be screened October 9 at 3:30 PM and October 10 at 6:15 PM. Directed by Linda Saffire and Adam Schlesinger, the 90-minute film, according to production notes, “follows this extraordinary artist throughout a passage of life that all dancers must face, when she must confront the limitations of her own body and adapt to a different relationship with the art form she loves so madly.”

The 17-day New York Film Festival, which runs September 30-October 16, highlights the best in world cinema, featuring works from celebrated filmmakers as well as new talent.

Click here for a complete listing of all the documentaries in the series.