As the world gears up to mark what would have been John Lennon’s 70th birthday next Saturday 9th October, a new documentary about the late Beatles’ life was premiered last weekend the New York Film Festival. Appropriately, the film – entitled LENNONYC – documents Lennon’s years living in America in the 70s and the importance of his life in the city to his work. It uses previously unreleased audio tapes and studio outtakes to tell the tale of the period from his move to Greenwich Village in 1971 to escape the pressure of the media and fans in Britain, to his move to the Dakota Building on the Upper West Side outside which he was murdered in December 1980. Director Michael Epstein says “John’s is an immigrant story. He went on to say at the premiere that it serves as a “reminder” of what coming to America means to the country, particularly amidst the heated public debate over illegal immigration. “We don’t share a common past,” Epstein noted. “What we share is a common vision for the future, at our best.”