THE AUTOMAT

Directed by: Lisa Hurwitz | 79 min | 2021 | USA

The Automat tells the 100-year story of the iconic restaurant chain Horn & Hardart, the place where generations of Americans ate and drank coffee together at communal tables — and the inspiration for Starbucks.

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 an original new song written and performed by Mel Brooks.

PRECEDED BY THE SHORT FILM: Peanuts Around Town

Directed by: James Parker Crumbly | 2022 | 8 min | USA

Welcome to Dothan, Alabama, home of the pulic art project known as “Peanuts Around Town”.

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