92NY Talks

When Freddie Gray was arrested for possessing an "illegal knife" in April 2015, he was, by eyewitness accounts that video evidence later confirmed, treated "roughly" as police loaded him into a vehicle. By the end of his trip in the police van, Gray was in a coma from which he would never recover. In the wake of a long history of economic inequality and racial injustice in Baltimore, this tragedy felt like a final straw—it led to a week of protests and then five days described alternately as a riot or an uprising that set the entire city on edge, and caught the nation's attention. While attending Gray's funeral, Wes Moore saw every strata of the city come together: grieving mothers; members of the city's wealthy elite; activists; and the long-suffering citizens of Baltimore—all looking to comfort each other, but also looking for answers. Join him to get his unique perspective of the uprising and the events that followed leading up today. Purchase Five Days-The Fiery Reckoning of an American City here.

Join celebrated director Gina Prince-Bythewood (Love & Basketball, Beyond the Lights) and rising star KiKi Layne (If Beale Street Could Talk) for a conversation with Academy Award-winning filmmaker Barry Jenkins about Prince-Bythewood's brilliant new Netflix movie The Old Guard. A tough and thoughtful action thriller starring Charlize Theron and KiKi Layne, The Old Guard is already being hailed by critics as one of the freshest blockbusters of the summer. Be there as Prince-Bythewood and Layne talk to Jenkins about why they wanted to dive into the genre, adapting a film from a comic book, stories from behind the scenes, and more.

We all know that Martin Luther King made his "I Have a Dream" speech at the March on Washington but the march was much more than that speech. All three TV networks covered it live (using the exotic new Telstar satellite) and the March helped lead to passage of the Civil Rights Act and later the Voting Rights Act. Join Harry Belafonte - one of the organizers of the March and financial supporters for the movement at crucial moments - and fellow civil rights leaders Julian Bond and Clarence Jones in conversation with Budd Mishkin.

The second season of Shrill, Hulu's powerful, acclaimed comedy, drops January 24—and who better to sneak a peek at an episode and mull over the backstory than with its star, exec producer, and co-writer Aidy Bryant? Join the SNL cast member for an in-depth conversation about her return to the show as Annie, the millennial on a body-positivity journey of self-acceptance. We'll dig in to the issues, hear behind-the-scenes stories, and discuss highlights from Bryant's brilliant career.

Join Emmy Award-winning comedian John Mulaney, along with co-writers Marika Sawyer and Eli Bolin, Director Rhys Thomas, and actress Shereen Pimentel as they discuss Mulaney's new Netflix special, John Mulaney & The Sack Lunch Bunch—a variety show packed to the gills with song, dance, existential hilarity, special celebrity guests, and a bunch of kids ages 8–13 who John thinks are more talented than he is. Created in tribute to the classic 80s variety shows for children that he grew up on, Mulaney and his co-conspirators will try to describe this wonderfully indescribable thing in a discussion moderated by Seth Meyers.

Apple TV+ Little America Executive Producers Lee Eisenberg, Emily V. Gordon, Kumail Nanjiani, Joshuah Bearman, and Alan Yang with Lola Ogunnaike With a 100% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, Little America is shaping up to be a major hit for Apple TV+. Inspired by true stories of immigrants in America, first published in Epic Magazine, the anthology series is written and produced by Emmy-nominated Lee Eisenberg (The Office, Good Boys) and executive produced by Kumail Nanjiani (The Big Sick, Silicon Valley) and Emily V. Gordon (The Big Sick). Join members of the creative team to hear more about these funny, romantic, heartfelt, and surprising stories of truly inspiring people.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus returns to 92Y with Zach Woods and director Jim Rash for clips and conversation about her film, Downhill, in which she stars opposite Will Ferrell. Join the multiple award-winning actress and the Oscar-winning director to hear behind-the-scenes stories and about the movie—a biting comedy of a married couple thrown into disarray as they are forced to reevaluate their lives after barely escaping an avalanche during a family ski vacation in the Alps.

Issa Rae, Golden Globe and Emmy-nominated creator and star of Insecure, and writer and director Stella Meghie, join author Roxane Gay for a discussion of their new film, The Photograph—a powerful multigenerational story of love, family history, and art. Already generating buzz for the project from critics and audiences alike, Rae and Meghie discuss the making of the film and Rae's effortless chemistry with co-star Lakeith Stanfield—along with stories from behind the scenes, why we need more romantic movies in 2020, and much more.

Join Kevin Kline, Tony award winner for On the Twentieth Century, The Pirates of Penzance and Present Laughter, and Oscar winner for A Fish Called Wanda, along with legendary Oscar-winning producer-director Irwin Winkler (Rocky, Raging Bull, The Right Stuff, Goodfellas, The Irishman), and Oscar-nominated screenwriter Jay Cocks (The Age of Innocence, Gangs of New York) as they reflect on their groundbreaking Cole Porter musical biopic De-Lovely, which explored the complicated man behind some of the world's most brilliant and beloved songs.

High Maintenance, the critically acclaimed series that made the leap from web series to TV in 2012 and now in its fourth season, was recently hailed as one of 2019's "Best Shows of 2019" by The New Yorker. Created by Katja Blichfeld (Emmy®-winning casting director of 30 Rock) and Ben Sinclair (Maniac, Home Again), the series centers around The Guy, a marijuana dealer who traverses the city on his bicycle, to connect a variety of distinctly authentic, empathetic, and insightful stories about the New York community, including his own. Join Sinclair, Blichfeld, and their fellow executive producer Russell Gregory, along with a behind-the-scenes discussion about this highly loving and original show.