On this week’s podcast we’re looking back to a fascinating and insightful conversation with the great director Jonathan Demme, who passed away last week at age 73.
As part of our 2012 series celebrating 50 years of the New York Film Festival, Demme came to Film Society to screen and discuss two of his early films that premiered at NYFF: 1977’s Citizen’s Band and 1980’s Melvin and Howard. Sitting down with Program Director Richard Peña as well as actor and frequent collaborator Paul Le Mat, Demme gave the packed house a very personal look into the beginning of his incredible career.
Demme, who started his career making films for the prolific Roger Corman, concluded the conversation with an amazing anecdote about meeting François Truffaut when he was a 22-year-old publicist in New York. Truffaut autographed Demme’s copy of Hitchcock, writing “good luck on your first film.” When Demme said he wasn’t interested in directing, Truffaut just looked at him and said: “yes, you are.” Eleven years later, in 1977, they both had films playing in the New York Film Festival.
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On May 14, join us to celebrate the career of Jonathan Demme with screenings of Married to the Mob and Stop Making Sense. Get tickets here.
