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NEPADOC

"There is poetry in the imagery...an aesthetic experience!" - Erika Funke | NPR

"History through a new dimension." - The Republican Speaker

"Another 'fusion of image and sound.'" - The Bradford Era

NEPADOC is a documentary about intersections of environment, industry, and identity in Northeastern Pennsylvania over the past 300 years. Inspired by non-verbal documentary film landmarks such as "Koyaanisqatsi" and "Baraka," NEPADOC blends 4K cinematography, local historical footage, and a sweeping score into a dizzying and contemplative meditation on culture, place, and public memory.

The story of this place is the story of many places.

  • David Heineman
    Director
  • David Heineman
    Writer
  • David Heineman
    Cinematography
  • Noam Maymon
    Cinematography
  • David Heineman
    Music
  • David Crago
    Music
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Experimental, Feature
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 26 minutes 6 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    April 29, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    10,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Black Bear Film Festival
    Milford, PA
    United States
    October 14, 2023
    Official Selection
  • National Communication Association Annual Convention
    Washington DC
    United States
    November 19, 2023
    Selected as the Top Film of 2023 in the Theatre, Film, and New Multimedia Division
  • The Hazleton Art League
    Hazleton, PA
    United States
    September 22, 2023
  • Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museum
    Scranton, PA
    United States
    November 11, 2023
  • Pennsylvania Lumber Museum
    Ulysses, PA
    United States
    September 29, 2023
  • Taber Museum
    Williamsport, PA
    United States
    July 8, 2023
  • University of Brighton
    Brighton
    United Kingdom
    January 15, 2024
  • King's College
    Wilkes-Barre, PA
    United States
    January 19, 2024
  • Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania
    Bloomsburg, PA
    United States
    November 3, 2023
  • Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania
    Lock Haven, PA
    United States
    October 20, 2023
  • Bucknell University River Symposium
    Lewisburg, PA
    United States
    November 4, 2023
    Preview Version Screened
  • Pennsylvania Communication Association Annual Conference
    Slippery Rock, PA
    United States
    September 29, 2023
    Screening preceded by director's conference keynote address
  • Campus Theater
    Lewisburg, PA
    United States
    November 15, 2023
    Hosted by The Sierra Club and Bucknell University
  • The Rialto Theater
    Canton, PA
    United States
    August 27, 2023
  • The Majestic Theater
    Pottsville, PA
    United States
    July 20, 2023
  • The Keystone Theater
    Towanda, PA
    United States
    January 10, 2024
  • The Sayre Theater
    Sayre, PA
    United States
    January 20, 2024
  • Scranton Public Library
    Scranton, PA
    United States
    September 23, 2023
  • Brodhead Creek Heritage Center
    East Stroudsburg, PA
    United States
    January 18, 2024
Distribution Information
  • Amazon
    Distributor
    Country: United States
    Rights: Video on Demand
Director Biography - David Heineman

NEPADOC is the debut feature film by director David Heineman whose previous work, the 35-minute short "The Pandemic Nature Project" (2021), was screened in competition at film festivals and academic conferences. Heineman, who’s family roots in Northeastern Pennsylvania date back several generations, is a Communication Studies professor and teaches courses in media studies, rhetorical criticism, and public advocacy.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

The original inspiration for NEPADOC springs from my years of living and teaching in Northeast Pennsylvania, studying the region’s present relationship to its past, traveling between beautiful natural landscapes and economically and environmentally decimated communities, and recognizing the striking parallels between the story of this region and those of many other communities across the globe. I was interested in using the techniques available to nonverbal documentary film-making to create a historical narrative of the region that offers an argument about how industry, environment, and identity have intersected in ways that are recognizable by any audience that has spent time in places like those showcased in the film. Films like Godfrey Reggio’s "Koyaanisqatsi" (1982) and Ron Fricke’s "Baraka" (1992) are noted for their ability to artfully bring global perspectives to localized audiences, and NEPADOC tries to do this in reverse, highlighting the universal themes found in the story of this one region of the world.