Film Forum Presents

In today’s episode, we bring you a conversation with Amir Naderi, writer and director of THE RUNNER, one of the most revered figures of the Iranian New Wave, and Madjid Niroumand, who was 11 when he played the film’s central role nearly 40 years ago. The two joined Film Forum’s repertory artistic director Bruce Goldstein for a discussion following our opening night screening of a new restoration of THE RUNNER on October 28. Released in Iran in 1984, THE RUNNER wasn’t seen in New York until 1991, when it premiered at Film Forum – and then virtually disappeared. The film, based on Naderi’s own childhood, centers on a resourceful orphan making ends meet in Abadan, a southern city on the Persian Gulf. Considered the first masterpiece of post-revolutionary Iran, THE RUNNER has been compared to the great works of Italian neo-realism, like SHOESHINE and THE BICYCLE THIEF, and Truffaut’s THE 400 BLOWS. The new restoration is now playing at Film Forum through Thursday, November 17. Special thanks to Amir Naderi, Madjid Niroumand, and Rialto Pictures for making this event possible. Photo by Dora Nano.

In today’s episode, we bring you a dynamic, thought-provoking Q&A from opening night of THE TERRITORY, the new double Sundance prize-winning documentary, on August 19, 2022. THE TERRITORY is an urgent, and immersive look inside the struggle by the Indigenous Uru-eu-wau-wau people to protect their territory in the Northern Brazilian Amazon Rainforest from invasion and deforestation. Filmmaker and cinematographer Alex Pritz spent three years embedded in the Indigenous community before ultimately turning the cameras over to the Uru-eu-wau-wau leaders to capture their own efforts, resulting in a thrilling and inspiring chronicle of agency and resistance. We were joined for the Q&A by Alex Pritz and Neidinha Bandeira, one of the fearless activists followed in the film. Bandeira has spent the last four decades advocating for Indigenous people in the region and is the founder of the nonprofit group Kandidé Ethno-Environmental Defense Association. The Q&A was co-presented by the Rainforest Alliance and moderated by their Creative Design & Editorial Lead, Michael Gibbons. Special thanks to our guests Neidinha Bandeira and Alex Pritz, translator Clicia Antunes, Michael Gibbons and Rodrigo Brandão as well as the Rainforest Alliance, Picturehouse, Fusion Entertainment, and National Geographic for making this event possible. Photo by Mike Maggiore.

In today’s episode, we bring you the fascinating discussion around our recent screening of the bold 1972 Afrofuturist science fiction film SPACE IS THE PLACE. The film, directed by John Coney, stars the iconic jazz and experimental musician Sun Ra, who also composed the film’s soundtrack and co-wrote the screenplay. The screening was co-presented by the Brooklyn Institute for Social Research (BISR), in association with Carnegie Hall’s city-wide Afrofuturism festival. We were joined for the event by two of BISR’s faculty – Ajay Singh Chaudhary and Rebecca Ariel Porte – along with the conceptual artist Paul D. Miller, also known as DJ Spooky. Special thanks to the panelists as well as Mark DeLucas at BISR, Emily Woodburne and Brian Belovarac at Janus Films, Jim Newman and Haden Guest at Harvard Film Archive, and Stephen Holl at Rapid Eye Movies for making this event possible. Photo by Stephen Olweck.

In today’s episode, we bring you a conversation from the opening night, March 4, of Sebastian Meise’s new drama GREAT FREEDOM. The film centers on an incredible performance by world cinema superstar, Franz Rogowski, as a defiant gay man imprisoned in post-World War II Germany under the draconian Paragraph 175, which outlawed homosexuality. We were joined for this event by filmmaker Sebastian Meise, star Franz Rogowski, and the acclaimed American filmmaker Ira Sachs, who served as moderator. GREAT FREEDOM is now playing. Please check www.filmforum.org for showtimes and tickets and enjoy the discussion. Special thanks to Sebastian Meise, Franz Rogowski, Ira Sachs, and MUBI for making this event possible. Pictured: Sebastien Meise, Franz Rogowski & Ira Sachs. Photo by Stephen Olweck.

In today’s episode, we bring you a conversation from the opening night, February 18, of Lisa Hurwitz’s hit new film THE AUTOMAT. The documentary explores the history and legacy of the beloved 20th-century culinary institution, Horn & Hardart, aka The Automat, with a charming mix of nostalgic archival footage, and interviews with devotees including Mel Brooks, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Colin Powell, along with former Automat employees and their families. We were joined for this event by filmmaker Lisa Hurwitz and two of the film’s subjects – longtime Horn & Hardart art director Ron Barett; and Paul Hardart, great grandson of the company’s founder, who also served as moderator. THE AUTOMAT is now playing. Please check www.filmforum.org for showtimes and tickets and enjoy the discussion. Special thanks to Lisa Hurwitz, Paul Hardart, and Ron Barrett for making this event possible. Pictured: Paul Hardart & Lisa Hurwitz. Photo by Dora Nano.

Today’s From the Archives episode features an audience Q&A at Film Forum with the Iranian master filmmaker Asghar Farhadi from January 10, 2012. He appeared during our premiere run of his drama A SEPARATION, which won that year’s Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and also garnered Farhadi a Best Screenplay nomination. The Q&A was translated by Sheida Deyani. Today’s episode is presented in anticipation of our opening of Mr. Farhadi’s latest feature, A HERO, on January 7. It will be the sixth of his films to have its US theatrical premiere at Film Forum. Checkwww.filmforum.orgfor showtimes and tickets. Special thanks to Sony Pictures Classics for making the event featured in today’s episode possible.

In today’s episode, we bring you a conversation with Ryûsuke Hamaguchi from November 30, following a screening of his newest film, the critically acclaimed drama, DRIVE MY CAR. The film just won Best International Feature at the 2021 Gotham Awards, and is Japan’s official submission in the same category for the 2022 Academy Awards. The discussion was moderated by Vox film critic Alissa Wilkinson. DRIVE MY CAR is now playing. Please check www.filmforum.org for showtimes and tickets. Special thanks to Janus Films, Sideshow, Variance Films, and Cinetic Media for making this event possible.

In today’s episode, we bring you audio from the recent world premiere screening of a new 35mm restoration of HALLELUJAH!, director King Vidor’s landmark all-Black feature, the opening event of our series Nina Mae McKinney, Hollywood’s First Black Star, on November 10. The evening began with a conversation between author and film historian Donald Bogle and Bruce Goldstein, Film Forum’s Repertory Program Director, talking about Nina Mae McKinney, King Vidor, HALLELUJAH!, and the Nicholas Brothers. Following the screening, Margaret Bodde of the Film Foundation and David Pierce of the Library of Congress talked about the new 35mm photochemical restoration of the film. You can follow along with the slides referenced in the episode here: https://bit.ly/3oNfhWg. Photo by Nivia Hernandez.

Our Nina Mae McKinney series continues on November 23 with the 1935 British film SANDERS OF THE RIVER, starring Paul Robeson and Nina Mae McKinney, introduced by Robeson’s biographer — and granddaughter – Susan Robeson, plus the final reel of a rare British film featuring McKinney. On November 24, an added screening of the 35mm restoration of HALLELUJAH! discussed in this episode. And on November 30, Elia Kazan’s 1949 film PINKY, with Ethel Waters and the last Hollywood appearance of McKinney. It will be introduced by Maya Cade, founder of the Black Film Archive, plus an excerpt from the rare 1935 British short BBC: The Voice of Britain, featuring McKinney, introduced by Bruce Goldstein. For full details and tickets, please go to www.filmforum.org.

In today’s episode, we bring you special events around two of our recent hit films – CHESS OF THE WIND and HIVE. First up, we were honored to have the renowned Iranian visual artist Shirin Neshat join us to introduce a screening of Mohammad Reza Aslani’s sumptuous, long-lost 1976 melodrama CHESS OF THE WIND on Sunday, November 7. Here she’s introduced by Bruce Goldstein, Film Forum’s Director of Repertory Programming. In the second segment: the opening night Q&A for Blerta Basholli’s HIVE from November 5. HIVE is an engrossing drama about a young widow overcoming tragic and oppressive circumstances in post-war Kosova, based on a true story. Popular Kosovan actress Yllka Gashi gives a fabulous, steely lead performance in the film, which was awarded the Grand Jury Prize, Audience Award and Directing Award in World Cinema Competition at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. We were fortunate to have both Basholli and Gashi join us for the Q&A, which was moderated by Vox film critic Alissa Wilkinson. The event was co-presented by the Albanian Institute New York. Special thanks to Shirin Neshat, Janus Films, Blerta Basholli, Yllka Gashi, Alissa Wilkinson, Dino Korca and Jordin Rubio at the Albanian Institute New York, Sara Sampson, Josh Haroutunian, and Zeitgeist Films for making these events possible. Our runs of both CHESS OF THE WIND and HIVE have been held over. Check www.filmforum.org for showtimes and tickets. Shirin Neshat photo (left) by Michael Dalton. Blerta Basholli & Yllka Gashi photo by Tian Feng.

In today’s episode, Film Forum presents a Q&A from the opening night of SPEER GOES TO HOLLYWOOD, on October 29th. The new documentary explores the post-war life of Albert Speer, the highest ranking Nazi to be spared the death penalty at Nuremburg, who was widely known as Hitler’s architect. After emerging from 20 years at Spandau prison with a best-selling memoir, rebranded as a “good Nazi,” Speer tried – and got shockingly close – to attaining legitimate movie stardom. The film is based on hours of audio recordings between Speer and screenwriter Andrew Birkin, who was hired by Paramount to script the film version of Speer’s life story. We were joined for the Q&A by filmmaker Vanessa Lapa and producer Tomer Eliav, moderated by Roger Berkowitz, the founder and director of Bard College’s Hannah Arendt Center. SPEER GOES TO HOLLYWOOD is now playing. Please check www.filmforum.org for showtimes and tickets. Photo by Stephen Olweck.