A Face in the Crowd chronicles the rise and fall of Larry “Lonesome” Rhodes (Andy Griffith), a boisterous entertainer discovered in an Arkansas drunk tank by Marcia Jeffries (Patricia Neal), a local radio producer with ambitions of her own. His charisma and cunning soon shoot him to the heights of television stardom and political demagoguery, forcing Marcia to grapple with the manipulative, reactionary monster she has created. Directed by Elia Kazan from a screenplay by Budd Schulberg, this incisive satire features an extraordinary debut screen performance by Griffith, who brandishes his charm in an uncharacteristically sinister role. Though the film was a flop on its initial release, subsequent generations have marveled at its eerily prescient diagnosis of the toxic intimacy between media and politics in American life.

Special Screening: 4h25 min feature will have an intermission

With warmth, wit, and unflinching honesty, veteran filmmaker Ralph Arlyck (Sean, Following Sean) turns the camera inward in I Like It Here, a quietly profound meditation on aging, memory, and the passage of time. Now in his 80s and living in upstate New York, Arlyck reflects on a life rooted in place—surrounded by longtime friends, daily rituals, and a landscape that holds decades of meaning.

In the spirit of Agnès Varda’s Daguerréotypes, Arlyck brings us into a world shaped by curiosity and connection. He introduces us to neighbors and friends he’s known for years, if not decades—men and women who have grown old alongside him, and who now confront the strange and sometimes funny realization that they’ve become the age their parents once seemed “old.” The result is a film that is as intimate as it is universal: a gently humorous, deeply human look at what it means to grow older while still finding joy and purpose in the everyday.

Ralph Arlyck studied journalism at Columbia University and began to make documentaries during his studies. Over six decades, Arlyck has created a singular body of work, producing and directing more than a dozen films that have screened and received awards at festivals worldwide, including An Acquired Taste (1981, short), Godzilla Meets Mona Lisa (1984), Current Events (1991), and Following Sean (2005).The latter played theatrically across the United States and on PBS, and was nominated for two Emmy awards. Throughout his career, Arlyck has been an advocate for American independent filmmaking, testifying twice in Congress on the role of independents in public television. He is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and a Rockefeller Foundation Fellowship.

Post-screening conversation with Katherine Dieckmann

Writer-director Katherine Dieckmann has made four feature films, most recently Strange Weather, starring Holly Hunter and Carrie Coon. She began her career as a journalist before directing music videos for artists such as R.E.M., Aimee Mann, Wilco, and Sharon Van Etten, and was the originating director on Nickelodeon’s The Adventures of Pete & Pete. A Professor of Professional Practice at Columbia University’s School of the Arts, Dieckmann has taught screenwriting for 25 years and has served as a Creative Advisor for the Sundance Institute. She is a member of both the Writers Guild and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.

Join us for a screening and conversation that explores the art of noticing, the intimacy of place, and the enduring beauty of a well-lived life.