Searching for Mr. Rugoff (2019)
Releasing at August 13, 2021 in theaters
Documentary
Searching for Mr. Rugoff is documentary film directed by Ira Deutchman. The film stars Elyce Bonnell, Peter Broderick, Bea Brydson, Nat Chediak, Costa-Gavras, Ira Deutchman, Jean Donnelly, Robert Downey Sr., Jerome Gary, Annette Insdorf and Sarah Kernochan. The film primiered at November 8, 2019 on DOC NYC Festival.
Searching for Mr. Rugoff is the story of Donald Rugoff, who was the crazy genius behind Cinema 5, the mid-century theater chain and film distribution company. Rugoff was a difficult (some would say impossible) person but was also the man who kicked art films into the mainstream with outrageous marketing schemes and pure bluster. Rugoff’s impact on cinema culture in the United States is inestimable, and his influence on the art film business-from the studio classics divisions to the independent film movement to the rise of the Weinsteins-is undeniable. Yet, mysteriously, Rugoff has become a virtually forgotten figure. The story is told through the eyes of former employee Ira Deutchman, who sets out to find the truth about the man who had such a major impact on his life, and to understand how such an important figure could have disappeared so completely.
Director: Ira Deutchman
Stars: Elyce Bonnell, Peter Broderick, Bea Brydson, Nat Chediak, Costa-Gavras, Ira Deutchman, Jean Donnelly, Robert Downey Sr., Jerome Gary, Annette Insdorf, Sarah Kernochan
►Cast
| Elyce Bonnell | Brian Lindquist |
| Peter Broderick | Stephanie Look-Teller |
| Bea Brydson | Todd McCarthy |
| Nat Chediak | Gary Meyer |
| Costa-Gavras | Ted Pedas |
| Ira Deutchman | Richard Pena |
| Jean Donnelly | Tom Ropelewski |
| Robert Downey Sr. | Edward Rugoff |
| Jerome Gary | Ralph Rugoff |
| John Goldstone | Julian Schlossberg |
| Jim Hudson | Robert Shaye |
| Annette Insdorf | Lisa Sherman |
| Harlan Jacobson | Paula Silver |
| Mary Kay Kammer | Gary Springer |
| Larry Kardish | Bill Thompson |
| Sarah Kernochan | Hilary Wall |
| Wendy Keys | Lina Wertmüller |
| Steve Kutner | John Willis |
| Warren Lieberfarb | Justin Wyatt |