Maurice Hines: Bring Them Back will make its world premiere at the DOC NYC film festival on Sunday, Nov. 10,2019 at 6:35 p.m. in New York City at the SVA Theatre (333 W. 23rdSt, New York, NY 10011). Returning to NYC Nov. 6-15 2019, DOC NYC is America's largest documentary film festival. Tickets are $19 for adults,  $17 for seniors and children. There will be a Q&A with Maurice Hines, the Manzari Brothers and director John Carluccio.

The 94-minute documentaryis a portrait of the charismatic song-and-dance man from his tap-dancing childhood to today. Maurice and friends—Chita Rivera, Mercedes Ellington and Debbie Allen tell tales from his seven-decade career, including Broadway shows, Hollywood films like Francis Ford Coppola’s The Cotton Club and about his loving yet difficult relationship with superstar brother Gregory Hines. Ever battling the challenges of being a gay, black man in showbiz, Maurice shares his story with humor and grace.

“As an overarching theme, I hope viewers gain a better understanding of the nuances of familial love. I re-contextualize clips from TV, movies and award shows, featuring the celebrated Gregory so they are now seen through the lens of the lesser-known brother. Contrasting the creative paths of the brothers helps give meaning to Maurice’s point of view and reveals how it affects him today,” says director John Carluccio.

Stylistically, archives of the late Gregory Hines haunt the film, similar to how he casts a shadow (and light) over Maurice’s daily life. Art imitates life, as uncanny clips are strategically interwoven into the story. The fictional dancing and bickering Williams brothers in Coppola’s The Cotton Clubmirror the real-life tension and break-up/make-up of the Hines duo. 

In the film, we first see the outspoken 75-year-old showman in his humble abode in Harlem, surrounded by his awards, family photographs and framed artwork from his Broadway heyday in Eubie!and Sophisticated Ladies.

“I was told, ‘You make too many waves.’ But I’ve had an honest career, the career I was gonna have,” Maurice confesses in an early scene.

While Maurice is still vibrant and energized on stage, privately he struggles with sustaining his show business career and a palpable sadness as he grows older without his brother by his side -- whose love and support he yearns for now more than ever. 

Witnessing the shift his mood, Maurice’s close knit group of friends and showbiz allies – including actor Mel Johnson Jr.; millennial hoofers The Manzari Brothers; director and producer Charles Randolph-Wright; and Gregory’s son, Zachary -- come to his rescue with pep talks and a jubilant surprise birthday party. Maurice’s “den” rallies around the man who freely showers them with love to show him that he too is loved. 

“The importance of preserving the story of elders like Maurice and the legacy of African-American dance is of great importance to me and my team,” says Carluccio.  “This documentary offers insight and new opportunities for compassion at a time when our world truly needs it. Maurice’s story is beautifully complex and relevant.”