With the death of FilmStruck in 2018 and the launch of The Criterion Channel as its own streaming service in 2019, if you’re someone that isn’t a fan of the endless barrage of mediocre Netflix originals and don’t care about the library of Disney/Fox, then there exists a place for you that is filled with some of the best films of all time, underrated international fare, and special programs devoted to the love of cinema. All that to say, if you get excited by names like Paul Schrader and Alex Ross Perry, then you really should sign-up for a Criterion Channel subscription ASAP.
READ MORE: Paul Schrader Chooses His Own ‘First Reformed’ As The Best Film Of The Past Decade
Recently, Criterion Channel announced that the streaming service would be the exclusive home of the next episode in the “Meet the Filmmakers” series of documentaries, titled “Paul Schrader: Man in a Room.” And as if a film about one of the greatest filmmakers of our time wasn’t enough, you’ll probably be happy to know that ‘Man in a Room’ is directed by none other than Alex Ross Perry (“Her Smell”). Perhaps best of all, the new documentary is set to premiere on Criterion Channel in less than two weeks.
Schrader joins filmmakers such as the Safdie Brothers, Athina Rachel Tsangari, Herschell Gordon Lewis, Charles Burnett, and Apichatpong Weerasethakul as those featured in the “Meet the Filmmakers” series. And if you’re lucky enough to attend the upcoming premiere of the documentary in New York City (featuring both Schrader and Ross in attendance), there will be a double-feature with Schrader’s “The Canyons.”
“Paul Schrader: Man in a Room” will have its world premiere on January 17 at the Metrograph in New York, with the streaming debut to follow, exclusively on Criterion Channel, on January 26.
Here’s the description of the film:
In the sixth installment of the Criterion Channel’s Meet the Filmmakers series, director Alex Ross Perry (Her Smell, Listen Up Philip) visits the ever-iconoclastic auteur Paul Schrader during the making of his 2017 masterpiece First Reformed. On set and at home- where, for his own pleasure, he continues to work and rework his previous films- Schrader reflects on the highs and lows of his legendary career, the challenges and rewards of slow cinema, and the influences and experiences that continue to shape his approach to filmmaking. With this insightful portrait of one of his filmmaking heroes, Perry captures an artist who is continually at play, intentionally provocative, and never less than vital.
