What do Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Eddie Vedder, Bono, Maureen Van Zandt, Darlene Love and The Sopranos all have in common? The answer is Stevie Van Zandt, actor, activist and musician of Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul. In between playing with Bruce Springsteen and a multitude of musical legends of the era, Steven carved out a legacy of his own in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Along the way, he blazed a path forward within the music industry alongside the E Street Band and Artists United Against Apartheid, speaking out with fervor about racial politics of the time and apartheid in South Africa. 

Electric, infectious and celebratory, Disciple is the rare film that yearns — like Stevie himself — for the preservation of the genre and spirit of rock n’ roll. With incredible access, it tells the story of an artist through the eyes of those that saw him most closely — the peers and legends that came up before, alongside and after him. Among them is Stevie himself, with a humor, passion and candor that lights up the screen. “At the end of the day, Steve is a true believer,” Springsteen says, and those watching will be, too.––Cara Cusumano

Bill Teck