Ben Barenholtz

Who is Ben Barenholtz?

Ben Barenholtz is an independent film exhibitor, distributor, and producer.

In the late 1960s, he opened the Elgin Cinema in New York City, which became a prominent arthouse theatre. He relaunched the films of Buster Keaton and D. W. Griffith, as well as a variety of independent films by new American directors. The works of Stan Brakhage, Jack Smith, Maya Deren, Kenneth Anger, Jonas Mekas, Andy Warhol, Jonathan Demme, and Martin Scorsese were played at the theatre.

Barenholtz created the concept of the "midnight movie". He screened Alejandro Jodorowsky's El Topo, John Waters' "Pink Flamingoes", and Perry Henzell's "The Harder They Come" each for months at a time, seven days a week.

In the 1970s, Barenholtz formed the distribution company, Libra Films, which went on to re-release a variety of foreign films from notable and young directors, as well as new films including David Lynch's first feature, "Eraserhead".

After years as a distributor, Barenholtz began producing. He supported the Coen brothers directorial debut through several titles such as, Blood Simple, Barton Fink, and Miller's crossing. He also became involved with filmmakers such as George A. Romero and Darren Aronofsky.