First Encounters

Moviegoing is about memories—not just of the films you saw, but where and when and with whom. With this in mind, we’ve invited a selection of notable New Yorkers to choose a film they’ve never seen but have always wanted to—whether it be a canonical classic or a rarified obscurity. In this ongoing special series, filmmakers, musicians, artists, writers, and beyond will finally get to see these films for the first time, and share their immediate, raw reactions with the audience following the screening. You never forget your first encounter.

Past Screenings

Blue Velvet

Greta Gerwig's first viewing

Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars

Jeffrey Deitch's first viewing

Pather Panchali

John Turturro's first viewing

Withnail and I

Noah Baumbach's first viewing

Lola

Sandra Bernhard's first viewing

Yi Yi

Kenneth Lonergan's first viewing

The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant

Tavi Gevinson's first viewing

Hard, Fast and Beautiful

Serge Bozon's first viewing

Love in the City

With Amy Heckerling in person for her first viewing

Saturday Night Fever

John Cameron Mitchell's first viewing

The Shout

Pre-recorded introduction by Jerzy Skolimowski