Searching for Mr. Rugoff

Searching for Mr. Rugoff

94 mins | Documentary | Nov. 8, 2019

The feature documentary 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.

Searching for Mr. Rugoff

94 mins | Documentary | Nov. 8, 2019

Searching for Mr. Rugoff
The feature documentary 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.
Producers Deutchman Company
Original title Searching for Mr. Rugoff
Directors Ira Deutchman
Writers

Cast

Donald S. Rugoff

as Self (archive footage)

Elyce Bonnell

as Self

Peter Broderick

as Self

Bea Brydson

as Self

Nat Chediak

as Self

Costa-Gavras

as Self

Ira Deutchman

as Self

Jean Donnelly

as Self

Jerome Gary

as Self

John Goldstone

as Self

Jim Hudson

as Self

Annette Insdorf

as Self

Harlan Jacobson

as Self

Mary Kay Kammer

as Self

Larry Kardish

as Self

Sarah Kernochan

as Self

Wendy Keys

as Self

Steve Kutner

as Self

Brian Lindquist

as Self

Stephanie Look-Teller

as Self (voice)

Todd McCarthy

as Self

Gary Meyer

as Self

Ted Pedas

as Self

Richard Pena

as Self

Tom Ropelewski

as Self

Edward Rugoff

as Self

Ralph Rugoff

as Self

Robert Shaye

as Self

Lisa Sherman

as Self

Paula Silver

as Self

Gary Springer

as Self

Bill Thompson

as Self

Hilary Wall

as Self

John Willis

as Self

Justin Wyatt

as Self