After a 30-year career in filmmaking, “Far From Heaven” director Todd Haynes is making his documentary debut with “The Velvet Underground,” a look back at the legendary New York rock band that influenced musicians for decades as well as Haynes himself.
Back in 1998, Haynes won over attendees at Cannes with “Velvet Goldmine,” a rock drama inspired by rock and glam musicians of the 70s, including Lou Reed. In “The Velvet Underground,” archival interviews of Reed, who died in 2013, are among the voices we hear looking back on the experimental art scene growing in New York five decades ago, led by the famous Andy Warhol.
It was Warhol who managed the Velvet Underground, producing albums that were not commercially successful but became cult hits that would become known as some of the best ever recorded. The documentary includes interviews from surviving members John Cale and Moe Tucker, as well as those who were members of Warhol’s famous art collective known as “The Factory,” where The Velvet Underground served as the house band.
Along with “The Velvet Underground,” Haynes most recently directed Mark Ruffalo in the true-story environmental drama “Dark Waters.” He has received an Oscar nomination for his screenplay for “Far From Heaven” and an Emmy nomination for his 2011 HBO miniseries “Mildred Pierce,” which won Emmys in five other categories including for lead star Kate Winslet.
“The Velvet Underground” had its world premiere at Cannes and will be released in select theaters and Apple TV+ on Oct. 15. Watch the trailer in the clip above.