Distributor
First Run Features
The Film Center Building, 630 Ninth Ave. Ste. 1213 , New York, NY 10036
- Official Website
Send Message-
Booking Inquiries
marcm@firstrunfeatures.com
-
Acquisitions Inquiries
acquisitions@firstrunfeatures.com
Key Contacts-
First Run Features was founded in 1979 by a group of filmmakers to advance the distribution of independent film. Under the leadership of the late Fran Spielman, First Run Features quickly gained a reputation for its controversial catalog of daring documentaries and fiction films. Seymour Wishman continued her legacy over the next 38 years. Today First Run remains one of the largest independent distributors in North America, releasing 10 films a year in theaters nationwide and an additional 20 films annually to educational institutions, on home video, to television broadcasters, and online through a diverse mix of digital platforms.
The First Run legacy includes films by such notable directors as Spike Lee, Michael Apted, Peter Jackson, Alex Gibney, Joe Berlinger, Allan Miller, Rose Troche, Josh Aronson, Sven Nykvist, Jane Campion, Ross McElwee, Michael Winterbottom, DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, Barbara Kopple, Dariush Mehrjui, David O. Russell, Lizzie Borden, Michael Verhoeven, Claude Chabrol, Jan Svankmajer, Claire Denis, Benoit Jacquot, Marleen Gorris, Radley Metzger, Deborah Shaffer, Manfred Kirchheimer, The Brothers Quay, George Sluizer, Monika Treut and Satyajit Ray.
Over the years, First Run Features has survived everything from FBI surveillance to the demise of so many of its competitors. First Run proudly celebrated its 30th Anniversary in August 2009 with a retrospective at the Film Society of Lincoln Center. In 2001 we were honored with a major retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
This listing is unclaimed. Own this listing?
Claim ListingVerify to immediately update theatre information, respond to reviews, and more!
Release Calendar
Radioactive: The Women of Three Mile Island
March 20, 2024 | Limited
A feminist feature documentary about the 1979 Three Mile Island meltdown with never-before-told stories.
Roots of Fire
September 21, 2023 | Limited
In Roots of Fire, young musicians honor the rich history & cultural legacy of Cajun music. Featuring electrifying performances, this vibrant documentary examines the intersection between music & preserving tradition for future generations.
Scrap
October 14, 2022 | Limited
Algren
October 1, 2021 | Limited
Charts the rise and fall of Nelson Algren, a writer whose transgressions, compassion and thirst for justice pushed him to become a champion of America's underclass and one of the 20th century's most consequential literary voices.
Hermanos, Los
May 14, 2021 | Limited
Virtuoso brothers Ilmar and Aldo live on opposite sides of a chasm a half-century wide. LOS HERMANOS/THE BROTHERS tracks their parallel lives in New York and Havana, viewing estranged nations through the lens of music and family.
Gustav Stickley: American Craftsman
March 5, 2021
The dramatic story of American furniture designer, architect and early lifestyle entrepreneur Gustav Stickley and his rise, fall and eventual resurrection as an icon and founder of the first true "American style".
You Go to My Head
February 14, 2020 | Limited
Following a mysterious car accident in the desert, Dafne suffers from post-traumatic amnesia. Jake, the first person she sees when she regains consciousness, tells her he's her husband.
To Be of Service
November 1, 2019 | Limited
A documentary film about veterans with PTSD who find that, after other treatments fall short, a service dog helps them return to an independent-feeling life.
Before Stonewall
June 21, 2019 | Limited
The history of the Gay and Lesbian community before the Stonewall riots began the major gay rights movement.
Back to the Fatherland
June 14, 2019 | Limited
BACK TO THE FATHERLAND is a documentary film that tells the story of young people leaving their home country to try their luck somewhere else. A common tale these days if these young women and men weren't from Israel and if they w...