The Criterion Closet Is Going on a Nationwide Road Trip to Celebrate 40 Years

Samantha Bergeson
·2 min read

Bill Hader has some big news on behalf of Criterion: The famed Criterion Closet is going on a nationwide road trip.

After social media sleuths spotted a Criterion-branded van on the street, IndieWire can announce that the Criterion Closet is in fact going on the road. (To note, there is a very real actual closet that the collection is housed in usually.)

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Criterion has built a replica of their famous film closet inside an 18-foot delivery van and will be taking their Criterion Closet Picks show across the U.S., starting in New York City at the New York Film Festival on September 28 and 29, plus October 5 and 6. In the below video, Hader announces the national tour.

The road trip is in celebration of Criterion’s 40th anniversary. While Criterion launched in 1984, the Criterion Closet Picks video series began in 2010 when Guillermo del Toro first allowed the brand to film him choosing selections from the closet. In the 14 years since del Toro pioneered the concept, nearly 200 filmmakers have entered the closet, with John Waters, Gregg Araki, Sean Baker, Cate Blanchett, Raúl Castillo, Kim Cattrall, Willem Dafoe, Lee Daniels, Ayo Edebiri, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Gina Gershon, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Jeremy O. Harris, Ethan Hawke, Zo? Kravitz, Channing Tatum, Jude Law, Molly Ringwald, Winona Ryder, and Josh and Benny Safdie among the filmmakers who have documented their selections.

Now, cinephiles from across America will be able to have their own Criterion Closet experiences and record their own Closet Picks videos as the mobile closet makes its way around the country. The closet is stocked with more than 1,500 definitive editions of the most important classic and contemporary films from around the world.

To additionally celebrate the anniversary, fans can shop the closet at a 40 percent discount and receive a free signature Polaroid shot and a Criterion tote bag while in the closet. The offer coincides with the recent release of the forty-film box set CC40 that celebrates 40 years of the Criterion Collection curated by the closet picks.

The mobile Criterion Closet will make its debut at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall during the Opening Night and Centerpiece weekends of the 62nd New York Film Festival. The van will be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

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