Born To Lose: The Misfits Who Made Dog Day Afternoon

Co-presented with 4 Star Theater

Dog Day Afternoon, the 1975 film directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Al Pacino, remains a high-water mark of New Hollywood, with some of the best talent of the day coming together on a film that's truly exceptional. But did you know it was all based on a true story?

In her latest book Born To Lose: The Misfits Who Made Dog Day Afternoon, film historian Rachel Walther draws on extensive archival research to delve into the film’s backstory, tracing how an unbelievable true crime tale of love, bank robbery, and LGBTQI+ activism became a box-office smash and catapulted a group of Brooklyn outsiders into the media spotlight. Walther’s deep dive interrogates the film’s place in the 1970s zeitgeist, set against a background of antiwar activism and the fight for gay and trans rights, and in doing so shows its continuing relevance today. Join the author in conversation with Noir City's Audra Wolfmann, followed by a screening of Dog Day Afternoon. Doors 7:00pm, discussion & screening 7:30pm. $15 adv/$20 door

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Host or Publisher Litquake, San Francisco's Literary Festival