First Run Features
First Run Features was founded in 1979 by a group of filmmakers to advance the distribution of independent film. Under the leadership of the late film pioneer, Fran Spielman, First Run Features quickly gained a reputation for its controversial catalog of daring documentaries and fiction films. Today First Run remains one of the largest independent distributors in North America, releasing between 15-20 films a year in theaters nationwide and an additional 30-40 films annually to schools, libraries and other educational institutions; on home video on DVD and Blu-Ray; to television broadcasters; and online through a diverse group of innovative digital partners.
Over the years, First Run Features has survived everything from FBI surveillance to the demise of so many of its competitors. First Run proudly celebrated its 30th Anniversary in August 2009 with a retrospective at the Film Society of Lincoln Center. In 2001 we were honored with a major retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
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Vito
Directed by Jefffrey Schwarz • Documentary • With Vito Russo, Lily Tomlin, Larry Kramer, Charles Russo, Armistad Maupin, Phyllis Antonellis, Michael Schiavi, Arnie Kantrowitz, Bruce Vilanch • 2011 • 93 minutes
On June 27, 1969, a police raid on a Greenwich Village gay bar took a surprising turn ...
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Welcome to Leith
Directed by Michael Beach Nichols & Christopher K. Walker • Documentary • 2015 • 86 minutes
Welcome to Leith chronicles the attempted takeover of a small town in North Dakota by notorious white supremacist Craig Cobb. As his behavior becomes more threatening, tensions soar, and the residents des...
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When Justice Isn't Just
Directed by David Massey • Documentary • 2016 • 42 minutes
Directed by Oscar-nominated and NAACP Image Award winner David Massey, this dynamic documentary explores why so many unarmed black people have been targeted and killed by police officers. The filmmakers talk to legal experts, activists a...
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When Two Worlds Collide
Directed by Heidi Brandenburg & Mathew Orzel • Documentary • 2016 • 103 minutes
In this tense and immersive Sundance award-winner, audiences are taken directly into the line of fire between powerful, opposing Peruvian leaders who will stop at nothing to keep their respective goals intact. On the...
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Windfall
Directed by Laura Israel • Documentary • 2010 • 83 minutes
Wind power: it's sustainable... it burns no fossil fuels... it produces no air pollution. What's more, it cuts down dependency on foreign oil.
That's what the people of Meredith, NY first thought when a wind developer looked to suppleme...
