FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contact: Seanna Hore, Ginsberg/Libby
seanna.hore@ginsberglibby.com

Gladys Santos, Ginsberg/Libby
gladys.santos@ginsberglibby.com
 

LOS ANGELES (July 9, 2026) – Film Independent, the nonprofit arts organization behind the Spirit Awards, has teamed up with MUBI to bring a one-night-only Live Read® of the provocative 2002 cult classic Secretary. Guest-directed by Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma writer/director Jane Schoenbrun, and starring as the film’s leads Hannah Einbinder and Gillian Anderson, the event will take place on Tuesday, July 28 at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.

For more information, please visit filmindependent.org.

“Every Live Read® is an opportunity to rediscover a great screenplay through a completely new perspective. Secretary is a bold, provocative film that continues to spark conversation more than two decades later. With Jane Schoenbrun directing and Gillian Anderson and Hannah Einbinder leading the cast, this promises to be one of our most unforgettable Live Reads yet,” said Rachel Bleemer, Director of Programming and events at Film Independent.

Secretary, written by Erin Cressida Wilson and directed by Steven Shainberg, follows a timid young woman who begins working for a demanding lawyer and discovers a new way to deal with her self-harming urges. The film received three Film Independent Spirit Award nominations, including Best Feature and Best Female Lead for Maggie Gyllenhaal, with Erin Cressida Wilson winning Best First Screenplay.

Now, audiences will experience the acclaimed screenplay through this live performance, reimagined by visionary filmmaker and Spirit Award nominee Jane Schoenbrun, and brought to life by Emmy Award winners Gillian Anderson and Hannah Einbinder. The full cast is to be announced soon.

Jane Schoenbrun (they/them) is a filmmaker, writer, and curator. Their work as a director includes I Saw the TV Glow, We’re All Going to The World’s Fair, and the experimental documentary A Self-Induced Hallucination. I Saw the TV Glow was nominated for six Film Independent Spirit Awards including Best Picture, Best Screenplay and Best Director, and it was nominated for three Gotham Awards. Their first novel, Public Access Afterworld, will be published by Hogarth in 2026. They are also set to write, direct and executive produce the acclaimed graphic novel Black Hole as a TV series for Netflix, with Plan B and New Regency.

This special performance is part of Film Independent’s ongoing Live Read® series, presented in partnership with MUBI, that has delighted audiences since 2011. Each exclusive event reunites high-profile actors for a fresh on-stage reading of celebrated screenplays.

Past Live Read guest directors and their chosen scripts include Edward Berger (Conclave), Paul Feig (Bringing Up Baby), Laurence Fishburne (The Maltese Falcon), Karyn Kusama (Jennifer’s Body), Zoe Lister Jones (Wayne’s World), Marlee Matlin (Sunset Boulevard), Natalie Morales (Napoleon Dynamite), Ruben Östlund (Triangle of Sadness), Patton Oswalt (Raising Arizona), Alex Russell (Single White Female), Ben Schwartz (Back to the Future), Quentin Tarantino (The Hateful Eight), Justine Triet (Anatomy of a Fall), David Wain (Tootsie) and Julio Torres (Cruel Intentions), among others.

Previous Live Read cast members include Alison Brie (Together), Nicholas Braun (Succession), Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary), Sherry Cola (GOAT), Ayo Edebiri (The Bear), Maya Erskine (Mr. and Mrs. Smith), Brett Goldstein (Ted Lasso), Abbi Jacobson (Broad City), Riley Keough (Jay Kelly), Troy Kotsur (CODA), Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul), Sam Richardson (Detroiters), Rachel Sennott (I Love LA), Tessa Thompson (Hedda), Taika Waititi (Thor: Love and Thunder), Olivia Wilde (The Invite), Steven Yeun (Nope) and many more.

Tickets are $30 for Film Independent Members and $45 for the general public. Tickets will be available to Film Independent Members and Wallis subscribers beginning Thursday, July 9 at 12:00 pm PT, with sales opening to the general public on Monday, July 13. For more information, please visit filmindependent.org.

The Wallis is at 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd. Beverly Hills, CA 90210. They can be contacted at 310.746.4000 or at thewallis.org.

Film Independent Presents is supported year-round by Lead Sponsor The Golden Globe Foundation. Additional support for this special event is provided by MUBI. Special thanks to writer Erin Cressida Wilson.
 

ABOUT FILM INDEPENDENT

For over 40 years, Film Independent has helped filmmakers get their projects made and seen. The nonprofit organization’s core mission is to champion creative independence in visual storytelling in all its forms and foster a culture of inclusion, in support of a global community of artists and audiences who embody diversity, innovation, curiosity and uniqueness of vision.

In addition to producing the Film Independent Spirit Awards, the organization supports creative professionals with Artist Development programs, grants and labs. Signature mentorship program Project Involve fosters the careers of talented filmmakers from underrepresented communities. Weekly Education events and workshops equip filmmakers of all ages and experience levels with tools and resources. International programs provide cultural exchanges and career-building opportunities for film professionals around the world. And year-round screening series Film Independent Presents offers a robust program of unique cinematic experiences, including screenings, conversations, Live Reads and Bring the Noise musical events.

For more information or to become a Member, visit filmindependent.org.
 

ABOUT WALLIS ANNENBERG CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts (The Wallis) was lauded by Culture Vulture: “If you love expecting the unexpected in the performing arts, you have to love The Wallis.” Broadway legend Patti LuPone, who was The Wallis’ 2015/2016 Season Artistic Advisor, described the venue as “one of the best in the country, allowing for an unparalleled intimacy between [the artist] and the audience.”

Since its doors opened in 2013, The Wallis, located in the heart of Beverly Hills, CA, is a dynamic cultural hub and community resource where local, national, and international performers share their artistry with ever-expanding audiences. Distinguished by eclectic programming that mirrors the diverse landscape of Los Angeles and its location in the entertainment capital of the world, The Wallis has produced and presented nearly 500 theater, dance, music, film, cabaret, comedy, performance arts, and family entertainment programs, boasting nominations for 79 Ovation Awards and nine L.A. Drama Critics Circle Awards, as well as six architectural awards.

The breathtaking 70,000-square-foot facility, celebrating the classic and the modern, was named after philanthropist Wallis Annenberg, who’s original $25-million-dollar donation was instrumental in transforming the beloved former 1934 Beverly Hills Post Office (on the National Register of Historic Places) into an arts complex. Designed by acclaimed architect Zoltan E. Pali (SPF: architects), the restored building features one of two sets of eight towering original WPA frescos, these by Charles Kassler, remaining in the entire California Federal Building system. The Wallis’ lobby, now known as Jim and Eleanor Randall Grand Hall, serves as the theater’s dramatic yet welcoming entryway to the contemporary 500-seat, state-of-the-art Bram Goldsmith Theater; the 150-seat Lovelace Studio Theater; an inviting open-air plaza for family, community and other performances; and GRoW @ The Wallis: A Space for Arts Education, where learning opportunities for all ages and backgrounds abound. Together, these elements embrace both the region’s history and its future, creating a performing arts destination for Los Angeles area visitors and residents alike.

Daphna Nazarian is Chair of The Wallis’ Board of Directors and Robert van Leer is its Executive Director and CEO.
 

ABOUT MUBI

MUBI is a global streaming service, production company and film distributor dedicated to elevating great cinema. MUBI creates, curates, acquires and champions visionary films, bringing them to audiences all over the world.

MUBI is a place to discover ambitious films, from both iconic directors and emerging auteurs. All carefully chosen by MUBI’s curators. With MUBI GO, members in select countries can get a free ticket every week to see the best new films in cinemas. And Notebook explores all sides of cinema culture — both in print and online.

Previous and upcoming MUBI Releases include: Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Minotaur, Markus Schleinzer’s Rose, Lynne Ramsay’s Die My Love, Paolo Sorrentino’s La Grazia, Akinola Davies Jr’s My Father’s Shadow, Mascha Schilinski’s Sound of Falling, Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance, Ira Sachs’ Passages, Molly Manning Walker’s How to Have Sex, Aki Kaurismäki’s Fallen Leaves, and Park Chan-wook’s Decision to Leave.

MUBI Productions include Jane Schoenbrun’s Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, Paweł Pawlikowski’s Fatherland starring Sandra Hüller, Andrew Haigh’s A Long Winter, Jim Jarmusch’s Father Mother Sister Brother, Kelly Reichardt’s The Mastermind starring Josh O’Connor and Felix van Groeningen’s Let Love In.

Founded in 2007 by Efe Cakarel, MUBI is the biggest community of film lovers anywhere, with members across 190 different countries. MUBI is headquartered in London, with 15 offices across the world and over 400 employees.

MUBI also owns The Match Factory, a premier international sales company for independent cinema, acquired in 2022. The Match Factory operates alongside MUBI, focusing on world sales for exceptional films that fall outside MUBI’s own distribution slate.

MUBI additionally owns a majority stake in leading Benelux film distributor Cinéart.