“The Ties That Bind,” the new Bruce Springsteen documentary about the recording of his 1980 album “The River,” had its world premiere Saturday night in New York City as part of the NYC DOC documentary film festival. The 60-minute film is one of the central elements included in the upcoming retrospective box set around the record, “The Ties That Bind: The River Collection” (Columbia Records), to be released Dec. 4.
The documentary, which will air on HBO on Nov. 27, is the latest from director Thom Zimny, who has established himself as Springsteen’s main cinematic go-to guy since his work on “Live in New York City” back in 2001. Zimny also directed “The Promise: The Making of Darkness on the Edge of Town,” which accompanied the 2010 box set of the seminal 1978 release, and won a Grammy for his work on “Wings for Wheels: The Making of Born to Run,” from that record’s 30th anniversary box set.