Hi all,

I'm new to this group and would like to thank Professor Rob King, my colleague at Columbia, for introducing me to it. The purpose of this missive is to alert you to the opening of my documentary "Searching for Mr Rugoff," and to ask your help in spreading the word.

The film is about Donald Rugoff, who was the crazy genius behind Cinema 5, the mid-century theater chain and film distribution company. Rugoff was a difficult (some would say impossible) person but was also the man who kicked art films into the mainstream with outrageous marketing schemes and pure bluster. Rugoff’s impact on cinema culture in the United States is inestimable, and his influence on the art film business—from the studio classics divisions to the independent film movement to the rise of the Weinsteins—is undeniable. Yet, mysteriously, Rugoff has become a virtually forgotten figure.

The film opens in theaters and virtual cinemas around the country starting on August 13, and I'm trying to alert those who might be interested. Another of my Columbia colleagues, Annette Insdorf, who I suspect many of you know, provided me with a short video describing why film history students would find the film valuable. You can access it at https://youtu.be/1Wt0JsE6mR0. More information about the film and where it will be playing is at http://mrrugoff.com. If you could let your students and colleagues know about it, I would be grateful.

Thanks so much for your help.

--Ira

Ira Deutchman
Columbia University School of the Arts

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