IFC Center Sländ 20 this week, and we celebrate by turning the clock back to 2005. On our actual birthday, June 17, A special one-day anniversary event Shows the four films that played our opening week – “I was born but …” “Maniac”, “Don’t look back” and “me and you and all we know” – all at 2005 prices. Later in the summer a series of “20 films for 20 years” will light up some important films from IFC CenterHistory, with another movie representing every year we have been open.
To mark the anniversary, IndieWire asked me to reflect on some of my personal programming height points from almost two decades at the theater. There are dozens and dozens, but here are some of those who really stand out for me, in roughly chronological order:
David Lynch introduces “Vertigo”
A few days before we opened what would be his last feature, “Inland Empire”, in December 2006, Lynch made a special look to present one of his favorite films, “Vertigo.” In addition to Hitchcock Classic, he also talked about his love for coffee. That was all you had expected.
“Killer of Sheep”
Charles Burnett’s landmark for American Cinema had its theater premiere at IFC Center in 2007, about 30 years after it was done. It was an honor to have Burnett in the theater and to finally help bring the film to a wider audience.
“White material”
Claire Deni’s films often make viewers worried and moderate a question and answer for this with Isabelle Huppert and the director himself was perhaps my most frightening moment on the stage at the IFC Center (although a question and answer with Frederick Wiseman was a close second).
“Tabloid” at the first doc NYC’s closing night
In 2010, the first edition of our documentary Festival Doc NYC with Errol Morris “Tabloid”, a portrait of the larger than life Joyce McKinney, closed the one-time wyoming accused of having kidnapped a young Mormon mission in England. When Errol started his question and answer after filmJoyce shouted from the back of the theater and insisted on going with him on stage (along with her cloned dog Booger) to tell her side of the story.
“Childhood”
I love this movie. That’s all.
“Parasite”
Sometimes everything just clicks. An amazing movie and a great filmmaker thought it was richly earned success across the line. We opened “Parasite” on four screens and sold out each show opening weekend. It is still our biggest hit.
“Bacarau”/turns off
I am a big fan of Kleber Mendonça Filho’s movies (we opened “neighboring sound” back in 2012), but this one stays with me just as much for what followed for the movie itself. It was one of the last films we opened, and one of the last filmmakers Q & AS we had before the Covid-19 shutdown. On Sunday, March 15, 2020, I encountered elbows to greet Sonia Braga (we already avoid shaking hands); That Friday we closed down – and would remain ended for almost a whole year.
Reconciliation
We were finally able to open the theater on March 5, 2021 – with only 1/4 capacity, but regardless, we were back. We met the ground with 24 different titles that played the first week, because, as Mae West said, too much of a good thing can be wonderful.
“People’s Joker” and “Hundreds of Beave”
We played some amazing movies in 2024, but these two were extra special: unstoppable personal visions that proved that DIY American Indie Cinema is alive and good. Vera Drew’s “The People’s Joker” was the satirical transfare of superhero films and the comedy scene we didn’t know we needed. And Mike Cheslik’s “hundreds of beaver” found endlessly inventive way to bring slapstick into the 2000s. Nor was like anything else out there. (Props to critic Jason Bailey to note that they were the perfect double function of the year.)
Justin Theroux, Naomi Watts and Scott Coffee introduce “Mulholland Drive” on David Lynch’s birthday
When David Lynch When we passed away earlier this year, we knew that IFC Center had to pay tribute to his heritage. We set up a tribute on our marker, like other theaters around the country, and launched a retrospective. Justin Theroux dropped in and asked if he could introduce our show of “Mulholland Drive”, scheduled for Lynch’s birthday on January 20 – and then ended up with Naomi Watts and Scott Coffee with them. It was a complete surprise to the audience and an incredibly moving evening. Only in New York, children, only in New York.
Of course, there is so much more to come. Later this month, an invisible Wong Kar Wai Short premieres as part of a 25th anniversary of the brilliant “in mood for love.” In July we have new films by Alex Ross Perry, Jem Cohen and Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, not to name a few-to mention some major new restorations of long-term films in August, the 16th edition of Doc NYC in November, our annual holiday run of “It is a wonderful life” and more.
And many, many thanks to all the filmmakers and movie guests who have made our first 20 years such a dream – see you on the movies!
