Recent Events
Q&A with director David Osit
David Osit is an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning director, editor and composer. His most recent film Mayor won a Peabody and Emmy Award, was a New York Times Critics’ Pick, and holds a 100% Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. David directed, produced, edited, filmed and composed the feature documentary Thank You For Playing, which [...]
Q&A with director Emily Mkrtichian
Emily Mkrtichian is a filmmaker and interdisciplinary collaborator whose artistic practice reflects her upbringing in a displaced, diasporic family, and explores radically personal, alternative archives of places and people, especially from the SWANA region, and a deep commitment to the healing power of relational, ethical, collaborative storytelling. Her films include the sci-fi short Transmission, which [...]
Q&A with director Vicki Abeles, research mathematician Ben Blum-Smith, and film subject Glenn Rodriguez
Vicki Abeles is a filmmaker, attorney and change agent. She directed the award-winning documentaries Race to Nowhere and Beyond Measure and reached millions of viewers by focusing on social impact. She is the author of the NYT best-selling book Beyond Measure. Additional film credits include Associate Producer on the Sundance favorite Miss Representation (2011) and Associate Producer on Plastic Man: The [...]
Screening and Lecture with NYU professor and director Kenneth Bowser
Kenneth Bowser is a director of documentaries, feature films and episodic television and specializes in crafting stories about American culture. In addition to Phil Ochs, There But For Fortune, he is the writer, producer and director of NBC’s Emmy nominated two-hour network special, Live From New York, The First Five Years of Saturday Night Live, [...]
Q&A with animation legend Floyd Norman alongside directors Michael Fiore and Erik Sharkey
Floyd Norman is the undisputed “Forrest Gump” of the animation world. Hired as the first African American at Disney in 1956, he would later be hand-picked by Walt Disney to join the story team on the Jungle Book. After Walt’s death, Mr. Norman left Disney to start his own company (Vignette Films, Inc.) to produce Black [...]
Screening and Lecture with NYU professor and filmmaker David K. Irving
David K. Irving is currently an Associate Professor at the Film and Television program at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. David has directed six feature films including Night of the Cyclone with Kris Kristofferson and Marisa Berenson; C.H.U.D. II with Robert Vaughn and Gerrit Graham.; The Emperor’s New Clothes with Sid Caesar and [...]
Preview screening and live virtual Q&A with director Carmen Emmi and composer Emily Wells
Carmen Emmi is a filmmaker with deep roots in Syracuse, New York, where he grew up in a family of farmers. After graduating from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, Carmen began his career as an independent Director of Photography, contributing to a range of projects, including short films, commercials, and feature-length productions. His debut screenplay, [...]
Community discussion Q&A panel moderated by Kathleen Williamson from Films On Purpose
Naomi Brickel is the new Project Director for Supported Decision-Making New York (SDMNY), leading the state’s human rights effort to scale up supported decision making as an alternative to guardianship for people with developmental disabilities and autism. Valerie Jensen is the President and Founder of the Prospector, a non-profit movie theater dedicated to improving the [...]
Q&A and Book Talk with Film Writer Nicolas Rapold
Nicolas Rapold is a writer and editor. He worked as editor-in-chief of Film Comment (both web and print) at Film at Lincoln Center, where he hosted the Film Comment Podcast, curated Film Comment Selects, and was a member of the magazine’s editorial team since 2005. He currently hosts the podcast The Last Thing I Saw [...]
Q&A with director Julia Loktev
Julia Loktev was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, and immigrated to the U.S. at age 9. She has made both fiction and documentary. THE LONELIEST PLANET starring Gael Garcia Bernal, screened at the New York Film Festival, received the Grand Jury Prize at the AFI Film Festival, nominations for Best Director at Independent Spirit Awards, [...]
Screening and Lecture with former NYU professor and Altman collaborator Allan Nicholls
Allan Nicholls began his career as a Broadway actor in NYC, but relocated to Los Angeles in 1975 at the invitation of Robert Altman to play the role of Bill in his mega cast film Nashville. His participation in that film led to a relationship and a collaboration with Altman that lasted well into the [...]
Extended introduction from Altman collaborator Allan Nicholls
Allan Nicholls began his career as a Broadway actor in NYC, but relocated to Los Angeles in 1975 at the invitation of Robert Altman to play the role of Bill in his mega cast film Nashville. His participation in that film led to a relationship and a collaboration with Altman that lasted well into the 2000’s. [...]
Presentation and Conversation with Director of the Bob Dylan Center Steven Jenkins and JBFC Board President Janet Maslin
Prior to joining the Bob Dylan Center, Steven Jenkins held leadership positions at nonprofit arts organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area, including University of California Press, SFFilm/The San Francisco International Film Festival, Frameline/The San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival, San Francisco Cinematheque and The Friends of Photography/Ansel Adams Center for Photography.
Q&A with director Oren Rudavsky moderated by Variety writer Addie Morfoot
Oren Rudavsky is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, and several National Endowment for the Humanities and National Endowment for the Arts grants. Rudavsky produced, directed, and co-wrote the NEH-funded American Masters documentary Joseph Pulitzer: Voice of the People, which was nominated for a Critics Choice award. His film Colliding Dreams, co-directed with Joseph Dorman, [...]
Preview screening and Q&A with writer/director Jay Duplass and writer/actor Michael Strassner on September 2
Jay Duplass began his career in the early 2000’s writing, directing and producing several award winning independent and studio films with his brother Mark, including The Puffy Chair and Cyrus. In 2014, Jay and Mark created the critically acclaimed television series, Togetherness, inking a television deal with HBO, where they’ve since produced shows like Somebody Somewhere, The [...]
Q&A with director Kenneth Bowser
Kenneth Bowser is a director of documentaries, feature films and episodic television and specializes in crafting stories about American culture. In addition to Phil Ochs, There But For Fortune, he is the writer, producer and director of NBC’s Emmy nominated two-hour network special, Live From New York, The First Five Years of Saturday Night Live, [...]
Q&A with director Reid Davenport and producer Colleen Cassingham
Reid Davenport makes documentaries about disability from an overtly political perspective. Reid’s first two feature films, Life After (2025) and I Didn’t See You There (2022), both premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and respectively won a Special Jury Award and the Directing Award. I Didn’t See You There won the True Than Fiction Award [...]
Q&A with director/actor Michael Angelo Covino and co-writer/actor Kyle Marvin
Michael Angelo Covino is an award-winning filmmaker, actor, and producer known for his distinctive voice and multi-hyphenate talents. His latest film, Splitsville, debuted in the 2025 Cannes Film Festival’s Premieres section, where he took on the roles of director, co-writer, and lead actor. The sharp and hilarious comedy was co-created with his longtime creative partner [...]
Q&A with Director Ron Howard and Screenwriter Noah Pink moderated by JBFC Board President Janet Maslin
Ron Howard is one of this generation’s most popular directors. From the critically acclaimed dramas Cinderella Man and Apollo 13 to the hit comedies Parenthood and Splash, he has created some of Hollywood’s most memorable films. Howard directed and produced A Beautiful Mind starring Oscar winner Russell Crowe, which earned Howard an Oscar for Best [...]
Q&A with director Paige Bethmann and producer Jessica Epstein, moderated by Tabitha Jackson
Paige Bethmann is a Haudenosaunee woman (Mohawk/Oneida) and first-time feature filmmaker based in Reno, Nevada. Over the last 10 years, Paige has worked in non-fiction television for various digital and broadcast networks such as ESPN, PBS, Vox Media, Youtube Originals, USA, and NBC. She is a graduate of Ithaca College, with a bachelor’s degree in [...]
Introduction with film critic Sheila O'Malley
Sheila O’Malley is a film critic for RogerEbert.com. She also has written for Film Comment, The New York Times, The L.A. Times, Sight & Sound, and other outlets. She has contributed numerous booklet essays and video essays for The Criterion Collection.
Conversation with N.Y. Mets Game Director for SNY John DeMarsico
John DeMarsico, SNY’s broadcast director for Mets baseball, has been with the network since 2009. He’s won seven New York Emmys and three of the last four for Sports Director since taking over that role with SNY in 2020. His work, which often indulges in the cinematic nature of baseball, has been recognized in the [...]
Virtual Q&A with director and producer Sam Feder
Sam Feder is a Peabody Award-nominated film director and writer. Sam’s films explore the intersection of visibility and politics along the lines of race, class, and gender. Sam directed the award-winning Netflix Original documentary Disclosure (2020) and the widely acclaimed documentary Kate Bornstein Is a Queer & Pleasant Danger.
Performance by the John Pizzarelli Trio and Jessica Molaskey
John Pizzarelli has been hailed by the Boston Globe for “reinvigorating the Great American Songbook and re-popularizing jazz.” The Toronto Star pegged him as “the genial genius of the guitar,” and the Seattle Times saluted him as “a rare entertainer of the old school.” He has recorded over 20 solo albums and has appeared on [...]
Bossa nova performance with Duduka da Fonseca, Maucha Adnet, and Leo Traversa
Duduka Da Fonseca, born Eduardo Moreira Da Fonseca (Rio de Janeiro, March 31, 1951) is a Brazilian jazz drummer who is a founding member of Trio da Paz with Romero Lubambo and Nilson Matta. He leads the Duduka da Fonseca Trio, with David Feldman and Guto Wirtti. Duduka is a resident of New York City. [...]
Book Talk with author Christopher McKittrick
Christopher McKittrick is the author of Vera Miles: The Hitchcock Blonde Who Got Away (2025), Howling to the Moonlight on a Hot Summer Night: The Tale of the Stray Cats (2024), Can’t Give It Away on Seventh Avenue: The Rolling Stones and New York City (2019), and Somewhere You Feel Free: Tom Petty and Los [...]
Q&A with filmmaker Heidi Ewing moderated by Variety writer Addie Morfoot
Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady are the co-directors of Jesus Camp (Academy Award nominee), The Boys of Baraka (Emmy nominee), 12th & Delaware (Peabody Award winner), DETROPIA (Emmy winner), Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You, One of Us, Love Fraud, and Endangered. They are the co-owners of Brooklyn-based production company Loki Films. Addie Morfoot [...]
Q&A with Director Ira Deutchman moderated by JBFC Board President Janet Maslin
Ira Deutchman has been making, marketing and distributing films since 1975, having worked on more than 150 films, including some of the most successful independent films of all time. He was one of the founders of Cinecom and later created Fine Line Features—two companies that were created from scratch and, in their respective times, helped [...]
Q&A and Book Talk with author, critic, and curator Michael Koresky
Sick and Dirty: Hollywood’s Gay Golden Age and the Making of Modern Queerness: A blazingly original history celebrating the persistence of queerness onscreen, behind the camera, and between the lines during the dark days of the Hollywood Production Code. From the 1930s to the 1960s, the Motion Picture Production Code severely restricted what Hollywood cinema [...]
Q&A with filmmaker Ari Aster
Writer-director-producer Ari Aster’s debut feature Hereditary, starring Toni Collette, became a critical and box office success hit for A24 in 2018. Aster continued his genre-challenging work for A24 with his 2019 thriller Midsommar, starring Florence Pugh and Jack Reynor, and again in 2023 with Beau is Afraid, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Patti Lapone. In addition [...]
Q&A with fashion designer Kenneth Cole moderated by Director/JBFC Board Member Dori Berinstein
Kenneth Cole is an American designer and social activist who uses his brand to drive social change. In 2020, he founded The Mental Health Coalition to fight stigma and promote access to care. A long-time public health advocate, Kenneth has led efforts in HIV/AIDS awareness for over 30 years, including as amfAR Chairman and a [...]
Panel Discussion with Crew of Buena Vista Social Club the Musical
Director Saheem Ali is a proud immigrant from Kenya, currently serving as the Associate Artistic Director/Resident Director of New York’s Public Theater. He received Tony, Drama Desk and Lucille Lortel nominations, as well as the Joe A. Callaway award for his direction of Fat Ham. He most recently directed and developed Buena Vista Social Club [...]
Deconstructing Rubber Soul Presentation with "Beatleologist" Scott Freiman
Scott Freiman is a composer, a musician, and a software entrepreneur. He is the creator of Deconstructing The Music, a series of multimedia presentations about the composition and production techniques of The Beatles and other musicians. Scott has presented his lectures to sold out audiences throughout North America at theaters, museums and corporations, such as [...]
Q&A with actress Kathleen Chalfant
Kathleen Chalfant has spent more than five decades performing on stage, screen, and TV. She is perhaps best known for her portrayal of Vivian Bearing in the Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Wit, for which she received Obie, Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, Outer Critics Circle, and Ovation awards. Other critically acclaimed roles include Hannah Pitt/Ethel Rosenberg in [...]
Q&A with author, critic, and historian Jason Bailey
Jason Bailey is a film critic and historian and the author of six books; his latest, Gandolfini: Jim, Tony, and the Life of a Legend, is out April 29th from ABRAMS Press. His essays and reviews have appeared in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, Bloomberg, Vulture, Rolling Stone, The Playlist, Slate, TIME, and more. [...]
Q&A with legendary club promoter Ron Delsener and executive producer Jon Kamen
Since 1964, promoter Ron Delsener has been at the forefront of the outdoor concert scene. He cut his teeth while working for the promoter of The Beatles’ first outdoor concert performance at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium in Queens. Other shows quickly followed, featuring Bob Dylan during his controversial early electric period, Barbra Streisand, Woody Allen, [...]
Rocky Horror Shadowcast Performance
Double Feature Productions is a group of passionate Rocky Horror shadowcasters who want to keep this iconic and timeless experience going in the city that never sleeps. Find them on Instagram and Facebook!
Q&A with filmmaker Celine Song
Celine Song is an Academy Award nominated screenwriter, filmmaker, and playwright whose debut feature, Past Lives, earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Motion Picture. Loosely based on and inspired by Song’s own life experience, Past Lives, which she wrote and directed, was released by A24 in Summer 2023 after making its world premiere at [...]
Q&A with director Alex Ross Perry
Alex Ross Perry was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania in 1984. He attended the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University and worked at Kim’s Video in Manhattan. He is the director of the films The Color Wheel, Listen Up Philip, Queen of Earth, Golden Exits, Her Smell, Ghost: Rite Here Rite Now [...]
