After rousing conversations with Matthew McConaughey, Stephen Frears, Steve Coogan, and Elijah Wood earlier this month (see video below), we’re excited to announce a new addition to our Free Talks lineup. Azazel Jacobs will join us on March 18 to screen and discuss three episodes of the HBO comedy Doll & Em.
Jacobs has made a name for himself on the American indie film scene with his last two features, the touching comedy-drama Terri (2011), starring John C. Reilly, and the gonzo family farce Momma’s Man (2008), in which Jacobs cast his own relations including his experimental-filmmaker father, Ken Jacobs. His films have screened in competition at Sundance, Locarno, and the Viennale.
Doll & Em was created by and stars Emily Mortimer (The Newsroom) and Dolly Wells (Some Girls) as fictionalized versions of themselves. When relationship woes strike Doll, she moves across the world and in with her best friend Em, whose career as a Hollywood actress is taking off. But tensions mount as Doll becomes Em’s assistant and the friends’ competitive natures get the better of them. Jacobs co-wrote the series with Mortimer and Wells and directed all six episodes. Doll & Em premieres March 19 on HBO, but our talk includes a sneak peek of the first three episodes!
As part of our previously announced batch of Free Talks, join us on March 31 for Laugh Track: The Evolution of the Sitcom, a discussion with author Saul Austerlitz and critic Emily Nussbaum about the history of television comedy. The talk will include screenings of two classic sitcom episodes, one from The Mary Tyler Moore Show and one from Sex and the City, as well as a book signing for Austerlitz’s newly released Sitcom: A History in 24 Episodes from I Love Lucy to Community.
All of our Free Talks are free (duh) and open to the public. Complimentary tickets will be distributed at the box office starting one hour prior to the talk, but be warned: sometimes people line up earlier than that. And stay tuned because we’ve got some very exciting free events on the horizon that we can’t wait to share with you. In the meantime, here’s video from some of our recent talks.
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