Apatow also starred in his first stand-up special, "Judd Apatow: The Return", in December 2017. The special was recorded during the Just for Laughs comedy festival in Montreal, Canada the previous July and released through Netflix. Apatow also had a cameo role in "The Disaster Artist" (2017), which chronicles the making of the film "The Room". "The New Yorker" critic Richard Brody felt the role was a "reminder" that Apatow should play a lead in one of his own films. Along with documentarian Michael Bonfiglio, Apatow co-directed the documentary "May It Last: A Portrait Of The Avett Brothers", which chronicles the making of the titular band's album "True Sadness". It aired on HBO in January 2018 and later won the SXSW Audience Award at the SXSW film festival.