The Grocer’s Son, the Mayor, the Village, and the World…

With Claire Simon joining by live video and Yaara Sumeruk in person

Dir. Claire Simon. France. 2020, 111 mins. In French with English subtitles. In Lussas, in the South of France, an uncommon business rises among the vineyards and orchards of cherry trees: an ultra-modern festival hub and platform to broadcast independent documentary films on the Internet. Documentary master and First Look returnee Claire Simon’s latest is entertaining, incisive, and a marvel of durational observational filmmaking, sticking with a diversity of characters as they try to find common cause among divergent industries and endeavors. Simon’s film stirs up a whirlpool of questions applicable to any self-reflective arts institution in 2021, First Look included: Is there a market for independent documentaries? What’s the purpose of a film festival? What do we actually mean by community? Where is the line between individual passion and institutional exploitation? New York premiere

Preceded by 

If We Say That We Are Friends Dir. Yaara Sumeruk. United States, South Africa. 2019, 17 mins. In English and Xhosa with English subtitles. In Capetown, the Dine with Khayelitsha supper club invites suburban white Capetonians to break bread with Black Capetonians in the townships. Scrutinizing the frank encounters that result, Sumeruk’s film reconnects with the simultaneously curious, confrontational, and optimistic spirit of cinéma vérité. New York premiere

Tickets: $20 ($15 members) includes a post-screening reception. Order tickets online. After your purchase (limit 6 tickets per order), an electronic ticket will be sent via email to facilitate contactless check-in; seating will be assigned upon arrival on a first-come, first-seated basis. Learn more here.