First Reformed

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First Reformed

Q&A with Paul Schrader moderated by JBFC Founder Stephen Apkon

2018. 113 m. Paul Schrader. A24. US. English. Rated R.

One of the great films of the 21st century, First Reformed is a fierce and gripping contemporary classic from the always daring Paul Schrader (American Gigolo). Reverend Ernst Toller (Ethan Hawke) is a solitary, middle-aged parish pastor at a small Dutch Reform church on the cusp of celebrating its 250th anniversary. Once a stop on the Underground Railroad, the church is now a tourist attraction catering to a dwindling congregation, eclipsed by its nearby parent church, Abundant Life, with its state-of-the-art facilities and 5,000-strong flock. When a pregnant parishioner (Amanda Seyfried) asks Reverend Toller to counsel her husband, a radical environmentalist, the clergyman finds himself plunged into his own tormented past and equally despairing future, as he searches for an act of redemption.

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"[First Reformed] is the portrait of a soul in torment, all the more powerful for being so rigorously conceived and meticulously executed."
A.O. Scott, New York Times

"Grapples with eternal questions of faith, to be sure, but confronts just as powerfully, if not more so, the urgent matter of how to live a good, useful life in the turbulent here and the terrifying now. First Reformed has its steeple in the clouds and its foundation on solid ground."
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

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Q&A with filmmaker Paul Schrader and JBFC Founder Stephen Apkon

Tuesday, Sep. 1 2026, 7:00

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Paul Schrader is a screenwriter, director, and film critic whose past credits include Mishima (1985), Raging Bull (1980), American Gigolo (1980), Taxi Driver (1976), and more recently, Master Gardener (2022), Oh, Canada (2024), The Card Counter (2021), First Reformed (2018), Dog Eat Dog (2016), and Dying of the Light (2014). His next film The Basics of Philosophy is set to premiere at the Venice International Film Festival in September. An expanded edition of his book Transcendental Style in Film: Ozu, Bresson, Dreyer (1972) was released in 2018 with new writing on Andrei Tarkovsky and Béla Tarr, among others.
Stephen Apkon formed the Jacob Burns Film Center with a vision of establishing a center for independent, foreign, and documentary films and education. Under his leadership, the JBFC grew to become a major cultural destination and leader in the field of visual literacy. In May 2014, Steve stepped down as the executive director of the JBFC to focus on film projects and other nonprofit initiatives. Steve is currently the CEO of Reconsider, a nonprofit that creates media and experiences to catalyze reflection, dialogue, and collaborative action, challenging people to look deeper by addressing the root of the societal and environmental issues that we face today. His latest project There is Another Way is a follow-up to his 2016 film Disturbing the Peace; both feature-length documentaries focus on Combatants for Peace and their struggle and activism amidst the conflict in Israel and Palestine.