Travel back in time to experience this unique and strangely familiar piece of America’s history. More than just entertainment, The Automat (2021), with its star-studded cast including Mel Brooks, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Colin Powell, is an account of how we transitioned from dining together to the isolated experience fast food can offer, despite its cheerful advertising.

Join moderator Lucy Shahar and The Automat director Lisa Hurwitz on Zoom to get an exclusive behind-the-scenes account of the making of this documentary film.

We recommend you watch the film in advance of this lecture. The film can be streamed on HBO Max, Prime Video, YouTube, Vudu, Google Play, Apple TV, or viewed on DVD.

Please see the Zoom link at the very bottom of your order confirmation email. This program is entirely virtual.

A native of Los Angeles, Lisa Hurwitz received her degree from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington during which time she volunteered as a 35mm projectionist at the Olympia Film Society and became staff of the theater, directing the town’s annual Olympia Film Festival and leading the organization’s successful digital cinema conversion fundraising campaign. Lisa went on to work at arts organizations in Washington and later moved to New York City where she worked as a publicist.

The Automat is Lisa’s first feature film, which she self-distributed through her company A Slice of Pie Productions. The film premiered at the 2021 Telluride Film Festival. It played in New York City’s Film Forum for 7 weeks before moving to the New Plaza Cinema where it played for an additional 12 weeks. Her next projects, a narrative romantic comedy film set in Italy and a documentary set here in New York City, are currently in development.