SEARCHING FOR MR. RUGOFF (2019) with director Ira Deutchman

SEARCHING FOR MR. RUGOFF

(2019, 94 min, DCP)

Don S. Rugoff inherited his family’s small chain of New York cinemas in 1957, and quickly became an architect of New York City’s arthouse scene at the dawn of a heady new era for international cinema. But it was with the founding of the Cinema 5 distribution company in 1963 that Rugoff made his greatest mark, bringing landmark films by Shirley Clarke, Milos Forman, Robert Downey, Lina Wertmüller, Barbara Kopple, Costa-Gavras, Ingmar Bergman and numerous others to American screens. A genius for promotion, Rugoff was also ornery, arrogant, and self destructive—character flaws enumerated at length—endearingly— by the many behind-the-camera luminaries interviewed in Ira Deutschman’s documentary SEARCHING FOR MR. RUGOFF.

Deutchman, himself a legend in film distribution whose storied career as the architect of distributors United Artist Classics, Cinecom Pictures, and Fine Line Features began at Cinema 5, brings a wealth of affection and curiosity (not to mention a rolodex worth its weight in 35mm film) to this portrait of his former boss, a prickly character who made life immeasurably better for generations of film artists, exhibitors, and cinephiles.

For this special screening, co-sponsored by the Master of Science in Leadership for Creative Enterprises and the department of Radio/Television/Film at Northwestern, NU alum Ira Deutchman will appear to introduce and discuss his experience working with Rugoff, his film, and his life in the world of independent film.

ABOUT THE GUEST:

Ira Deutchman has been making, marketing and distributing films since 1975, having worked on over 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 define the independent film business. He was also a co-founder of Emerging Pictures, the first digital projection network in the United States and a pioneer in delivering live cultural events into movie theaters.

Currently Deutchman is an independent producer, and a consultant in marketing and distribution of independent films. He is also Professor Emeritus in the School of the Arts at Columbia University, where he has taught since 1987 and was the Chair of the Film Program from 2011-2015.

His current projects include serving as director/producer of the feature documentary "Searching for Mr. Rugoff" (opened in theaters in August, 2021), producer of the stage adaptation of Joan Micklin Silver’s "Hester Street" (opens April 1, 2024), producer of "Nickel & Dimed," based on the book by Barbara Ehrenreich and directed by Debra Granik (in pre-production) and executive producer of the mini-series based on the novel “Radio Girls” by Sarah-Jane Stratford (in development).

In 2017, Deutchman was awarded the Spotlight Lifetime Achievement Award by the Sundance Art House Convergence for his service to independent film marketing and distribution.

Host or Publisher The Block Museum of Art