Programmed September 2022

The Cinema 5 Story

Featuring the exclusive streaming premiere of the documentary Searching for Mr. Rugoff How did era-defining art films like Z , Gimme Shelter , and Scenes from a Marriage find an audience in the U.S.? It was thanks in large part to a groundbreaking movie-theater chain and distribution company called Cinema 5, the brainchild of an inspired, often difficult impresario named Donald Rugoff. Selected to accompany the exclusive streaming premiere of Ira Deutchman’s documentary Searching for Mr. Rugoff , this survey of some of the films that Cinema 5 helped make classics includes underground landmarks ( Putney Swope ), international provocations ( WR: Mysteries of the Organism ), documentary triumphs ( Harlan County USA ), cult favorites ( The Man Who Fell to Earth ), and even the movie that made Arnold Schwarzenegger a household name ( Pumping Iron ).