Arts Circle, Film Lover, Secret (shhh…) Members and Fellows (with an active Membership), you and a guest are invited to Programmers’ Picks, a curated screening series taking place at the Film Independent Theater. Make sure to take advantage of your exclusive priority registration window, after which all Film Independent Members will have the opportunity to register.

Join us for Love, Brooklyn, followed by an in-person conversation with director Tony Ganz.

As funny as they are unsettling, as affectionate as they are trenchant, and made with a refreshing concision that belies the depth of their cultural and social observations, the short documentaries of Tony Ganz and Rhody Streeter are ripe for rediscovery. Featured in their day on the public television series The Great American Dream Machine and The 51st State, and screened in the 1970s at MoMA, Film Forum and the Whitney Museum, as well as in a program curated by Amos Vogel at the Annenberg School for Communication, Streeter and Ganz’s work (which was produced under the banner of Tunbridge Films) has since fallen into obscurity, kept alive only through the devoted efforts of film collectors and programmers, notably Bradley Eros, Brian Frye and Marie Losier.

Now, a number of the films have been newly restored and are poised to regain their rightful place as some of the most eccentric and hilarious examples of 1970s documentary filmmaking in the U.S. Turning their mordant, deadpan eye on a wide variety of uniquely American phenomena – from retirees in Sun Valley and honeymooners in the Poconos, to sign painters in Brooklyn, phone help-line operators, female comportment instructors, Muzak executives, and the denizens of a Bowery men’s shelter – Ganz and Streeter’s films deserve to be set alongside such masterpieces of satirical Americana as Errol Morris’s early films, Garry Winogrand’s photographs, and John Wilson’s short films and television work. –Anthology Film Archives

America: Everything You Ever Dreamed Of consists of the following program of retro shorts directed by Tony Ganz and Rhoden Streeter, originally released in 1967-73/2024:

The Best of Your Life (aka Sun City) 1971, 8.5 min, 16mm-to-digital
Honeymoon Hotel 1971, 3.5 min, 16mm-to-digital
Risen Indeed (aka Campus Crusade for Christ) 1972, 5.5 min, 16mm-to-digital
Hoi – Village Life in Tonga 1967-69, 8.5-min excerpt, 16mm-to-digital
Y.E.S. 1972, 8 min, 16mm-to-digital
A Better Day in Every Way (aka MUZAK) 1972, 5.5 min, 16mm-to-digital
Help-Line 1972, 5.5 min, 16mm-to-digital
Woman Unlimited 1972, 4 min, 16mm-to-digital
Sign Painters (aka Signs) 1972, 6 min, 16mm-to-digital
Bowery Men’s Shelter 1973, 10 min, 16mm-to-digital
A Trip Through the Brooks Home 1971-73, 7.5 min, 16mm-to-digital

Beverages will be served prior to the screening, starting at 7:00 pm PT.

 
2025, 73 minutes, color | Directed by Tony Ganz and Rhoden Streeter
 

Registration Information

Film Independent Arts Circle, Film Lover and Secret Members, and Fellows (with an active Membership) can register for this event starting at 4:00 pm on Thursday, August 28. | Registration is free; one registration per Membership. | Proof of Member status is required.

Film Lover Members, Secret Members and Fellows (with an active Membership) receive priority entry to this event. Email membership@filmindependent.org for more.

Arts Circle Members are guaranteed access, and receive both priority entry and reserved seating. For information about Arts Circle, contact Jennifer Murby at jmurby@filmindependent.org.
 

Tickets/Parking

On the day of the event, registered Members may pick up tickets as early as one hour prior to the scheduled start time – look for Film Independent signage. Tickets are nontransferable and for general, unreserved theater seating only (except for Arts Circle Members). Attendees must be in their seat(s) at least 15 minutes prior to the advertised start time or seat(s) may be released. Entry/seating will be handled on a first-come, first-served basis. Guests may not enter the venue without the Member who registered them present. Registration does not guarantee entry, even with a ticket in hand.

Masks are optional. This is subject to change as we continue to monitor public health guidance.

Complimentary parking provided with validation. Garage entrance on Masselin.
 

Accessibility

Film Independent is committed to hosting events that are accessible. For inquiries regarding accessibility, or to request an accommodation, please contact us at accessibility@filmindependent.org or 323 556 9305.
 

Screening Policies

Availability window and registration capacity may vary; always register as early as possible. Limit one registration per Membership, per event.

Members are required to follow all rules and guidelines as laid out by Film Independent and/or its partners. If a guest has been registered for an event by a Member, these policies shall apply to that guest. Violation of policies may result in suspension or termination of Membership.

Event details and guest participation are subject to change or cancellation without prior notice.