For The Love Of Film: Northbrook Native Talks Cinema With Q&A Series

NORTHBROOK, IL — "Make sure it plays in Cleveland!" Those were the marching orders from the studio executives at 20th Century Fox for director David Frankel prior to the start of filming for the modern classic about the fashion industry, "The Devil Wears Prada," back in 2006.

This was just one of many fascinating tidbits Frankel revealed Thursday night during a Q&A Zoom session presented by Picturehouse 441. The new live virtual interview series promotes film literacy and is the brainchild of Northbrook native Joshua Handler, who cofounded Picturehouse 441.

"Northbrook and the North Shore's impact on my life and career in film is incalculable," Handler recently told Patch.

Handler, 29, who currently lives in New York City, holds a BFA in film and television from NYU. The Glenbrook North graduate credits a number of local people and places for helping grow his affinity for cinema, including the Northbrook Public Library.

"The [library's] multimedia department was and still is a miracle. I pay them a visit every time I visit Northbrook," Handler said. "I will never know how they found and acquired some of the rarest titles in existence, but I am grateful to them for that."

Handler said he also spent an "insane" amount of time at the former Landmark Renaissance Place Cinema, which recently closed in nearby Highland Park. Here, he was introduced to independent and international movies from filmmakers like Pedro Almodóvar, David Cronenberg, Michael Haneke and many others.

Robert Gallivan, a social studies teacher at GBN, was also an important mentor. During his sophomore year at GBN, Handler took over the school's film club, with Gallivan being his faculty sponsor.

"He gave me almost complete freedom to program what I wanted [within reason], and having his unwavering support allowed me to freely explore my passion and express myself through my programming," Handler said.

Before GBN, Handler said Ron Belluomini, an eighth-grade language arts teacher at Northbrook Junior High School, would play classic films in class often and encouraged him to explore more films.

Prior to launching Picturehouse 441 last November, which was featured in Variety, Handler welcomed more than 200 top filmmakers through his previous interview series, Classics Cinema Club. In addition to his work at Picturehouse 441, Handler is the senior vice president of ASG Global Entertainment, a film and theatre enterprise.

"More than anything, I'm hoping to promote the cause of film literacy and to give film lovers —cinephile and casual — an intimate, personal glimpse into the creation of some of the greatest films of all time through Q&As with their creators (actors, filmmakers, craftspeople)," Handler said of Picturehouse 441.

Though movies are now more accessible than ever due to the multitude of streaming services available, Handler said many younger filmgoers have never seen the classic films of the past. He's hoping interviews with directors like Mike Leigh, Paul Feig, along with other people behind-the-scenes of movie-making, will change all that.

"We always say that our focus is on 'essential cinema,' which many would take to mean that we stick to the usual 'greatest films of all time,' lists," Handler said. "While certainly quite a few of the films we discuss are usually found on those kinds of lists, many of them are not for whatever reason, but we consider them equally important. We pride ourselves on having unpredictable programming, programming that's both surprising and exciting."

Handler said his favorite films are always changing and evolving, but he lists "McCabe & Mrs. Miller," "Ratatouille," "Brazil" and "Cinema Paradiso," among them. More recently, he calls "RRR," the Indian blockbuster nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song, as "transcendent" and "pure exhilaration."

Next up for Picturehouse 441 is an interview next Thursday with director Paul Feig, who will discuss his comedy classic, "Bridesmaids." Tickets for the approximately one-hour virtual discussion are currently on sale for $6. Buy tickets, send over questions for the filmmakers, and learn more about Picturehouse 441 here.