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”.