DIRECTOR LISA HURWITZ WILL BE IN ATTENDANCE AT THE THEATER TO INTRODUCE THE FILM AND PARTICIPATE IN A Q&A 

Featuring an original new song written and performed by Mel Brooks, THE AUTOMAT tells the 100-year story of the iconic restaurant chain Horn & Hardart, the inspiration for Starbucks, where generations of Americans ate and drank coffee together at communal tables. From the perspective of former customers entertainer Mel Brooks, Starbucks founder Howard Schultz, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Secretary of State Colin Powell, the Horns, the Hardarts, and key employees - we watch a business climb to its peak success and then grapple with fast food in a forever changed America.

Featuring: Mel Brooks, Elliott Gould, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Colin Powell, Carl Reiner, Wilson Goode and Howard Schultz.

Recorded Q&A with Director Lisa Hurwitz and Wendy Honig, Artistic Director

of the Festival. Click Here to Watch.