2022 NH Jewish Film Festival
The Automat
NH Premiere
Join Us for Opening Night at the Rex!
Thursday, March 31, 7:00 PM
The Rex, Manchester, NH
Admission: $12/person
Post-film discussion with director Lisa Hurwitz and collector/restorer Steve Stollman
Also available virtually during Bonus Week,
April 11–April 24
Admission $12/household
Director: Lisa Hurwitz
Documentary, 2021, USA
79 minutes
English
Once upon a nickel, before fast food, one American restaurant empire was unstoppable. Experience the untold story of “The Automat,” a documentary film starring Mel Brooks. Director Lisa Hurwitz spent eight years interviewing dozens of celebrities (including Carl Reiner, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Colin Powell) and former employees and visiting far-flung places where collectors hoard the surviving remnants of the once spectacular Horn & Hardart Automat restaurants. This is an endearing first-time look into one of the most successful business ventures of its time through the eyes of those touched by their experiences.
“A beguiling little film that traces the populist history of the Horn & Hardart restaurants.” Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal
Selection: Telluride Film Festival 2021, Austin Film Festival 2021, Philadelphia Film Festival 2021, Miami Jewish Film Festival 2022, Boca Raton Jewish Film Festival 2022