As an exhibitor, distributor, and producer, Ben Barenholtz has been a key presence in the independent film scene since the late 1960s, when he opened the Elgin Cinema in New York City.
Barenholtz secured his first job in the film business when he became assistant manager of the RKO Bushwick Theater in Brooklyn in 1958. From 1966-68 he managed and lived in the Village Theater, which ultimately became the Fillmore East. At the Village Theater Barenholtz provided a home for the counterculture, with appearances by Timothy Leary, Stokley Carmichael, Rap Brown, and Paul Krasner. Some of the first meetings of the anti-Vietnam War movement, including Poets Against Vietnam, were held at the Village Theater. It was also a major music venue, with performances by The Who, Leonard Cohen, John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, Nina Simone, and many others.
In 1968 he opened the Elgin Cinema. The theater became the world's most innovative specialty and revival house, re-launching the films of Buster Keaton and D.W. Griffith, Running a variety of independent films by young American directors, and screening cult, underground, and experimental films for the emerging countercultural audience. The films of Stan Brakhage, Jack Smith, Maya Deren, Kenneth Anger, Jonas Mekas, and Andy Warhol, as well as early works by Jonathan Demme and Martin Scorsese, all plat at the Elgin. The First International Cat Film Festival was also held at the Elgin.
Barenholtz also developed new ways of screening movies. He started screening dance and opera films on Saturday and Sunday morning. He created the "All Night Show"-movies started at midnight and ended at dawn. Most notably, Barnenholtz originated the "Midnight Movie" in 1970 with Alexander Jodorwsky's El Topo, which ran for six months, seven days a week, to sold-out audiences. John Lennon eventually bought the film. John Waters' Pink Flamingo followed El Topo at midnight then Perry Henzell's The Harder they come.
Barenhotz formed the specialty distributor Libra Films in 1972. The first Libra distributed was a revival of Jean-Pierre Melville's Les Enfants Terrible, followed by Claude Chabrol's Just Before Nightfall, and Jean-Charles Tacchella's Cousin, Cousine, which became one of the largest grossing foreign films in the US and was nominated for three Academy Awards. Libra also launched and distributed, among others, George Romero's Martin; John Sayles' first feature, Return of the Secaucus Seven; David Lynch's first feature, Eraserhead; Karen Arthur's First feature, Legacy; Earl Mack's first feature, Children of Theater Street; and Peter Gothar's first feature, Time Stands Still.
Barenholtz sold Libra Films to the Almi Group in 1982, but stayed with the company to become President of Libra-Cinema 5 Films. In 1984 he left Almi and joined with Ted and Jim Pedas from Circle Releasing. Among the films released by Circle were Yoshimitsu Morita's The Family Game, Guy Maddin's First feature, Tales From the Gimli Hospital, Vincent Ward's The Navigator, John Woo's The killer, Catherine Breillat's 36 Fillette, DeWitt Sage's First feature, Pavorotti In China, Alain Cavalier's Therese, and Blood Simple, the first film by Joel and Ethan Coen.
His involvement in film production began with Wynn Chamberlain's Brand X and George Romero's Martin. While still at the Elgin he continued working with the Coens on production of Raising Arizona, and as executive producer of Miller's Crossing and Barton Fink, which won the Palme d'Or at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival, as well as awards for Best Director and Best Actor. This was the first and last time the three top honors have all gone to the same film at Cannes.
Barenholtz went on to produce George Romero's Bruiser, J Todd Anderson's The Naked Man, and Adek Drabinski's Cheat, which was Philip Seymour Hoffman's first appearance in film. He executive produced Gregory Hine's directorial debut, Bleeding Hearts, and Ulu Grossbard's Georgia, Which earned and Academy Award nomination for Mare Winningham. He served as co-executive producer of Darren Aronofsky's Requiem for a Dream, Which earned Ellen Burstyn an Academy Award Nomination for Best Actress in 2000.
Barenholtz appeared in the documentary The Hicks of Hollywood, had a bit role in Liquid Sky, and appeared as a zombie in Romero's classic Dawn of the Dead. He was the subject in Stuart Samuels' 2005 documentary Midnight Movies: From the Margin to the Mainstream.
Barenholtz directed his first feature, Music Inn, a documentary about the famed Jazz venue in 2005, and was the producer of Jamie Greenberg's feature film Stages. In 1012, he produced Suzuya Bobo's first feature, Family Games.
Barenholtz recently directed Walkiwood: The Documentary, shot entirely in the slums of Kampala, Uganda and released in 2013.
He is currently developing a autobiographical trilogy, the first one titled Aaron, which will be filmed in 2014.
