Ethan Hawke and Born to Be Blue at 92Y
Thursday, March 17, 8 PM
New York, NY: March 2, 2016 — Actor Ethan Hawke visits 92Y on Thursday, March 17 at 8 pm with his new film, Born to Be Blue. Following a preview screening, Hawke discusses the film and his career with 92Y Reel Pieces moderator Annette Insdorf.
Fresh from directing the documentary Seymour: An Introduction, Hawke is back playing the jazz trumpet icon Chet Baker. Born to Be Blue is a cinematic riff on musical genius — undermined by drug addiction — set in the late 1950s when Baker was being compared to Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie (both of whom are portrayed in the film). Carmen Ejogo gives a soulful performance as the loving woman who tries to keep Baker away from heroin.
Ethan Hawke’s work of the past few years confirms his stature as one of the most gifted actors of his generation. In addition to receiving an Oscar nomination for Richard Linklater’s Boyhood in 2015, he starred in Good Kill, 10,000 Saints, and the upcoming Maggie’s Plan. His previous films include Dead Poets’ Society, Training Day, Gattaca, and Linklater’s “Before” Trilogy.
As Stephen Dalton wrote in The Hollywood Reporter, “Hawke is natural casting as Baker, sharing enough facial similarities to capture some of the late jazz icon’s chiseled, hollow-cheeked, fallen-angel beauty. He gives an unshowy and vanity-free performance, all soft-spoken mischief and brittle arrogance, but laced with just enough blood, sweat and tears.”
Annette Insdorf—Columbia University Film professor and author—has been bringing audiences the best in film for 35 years, including previews of Oscar Best Picture winners Spotlight and Birdman, as well as Room and Joy, among many others.
About 92nd Street Y
92nd Street Y is a world-class, nonprofit cultural and community center that fosters the mental, physical and spiritual health of people throughout their lives, offering: wide-ranging conversations with the world’s best minds; an outstanding range of programming in the performing, visual and literary arts; fitness and sports programs; and activities for children and families. 92Y is reimagining what it means to be a community center in the digital age with initiatives like the award-winning #GivingTuesday, launched by 92Y in 2012 and now recognized across the US and in a growing number of regions worldwide as a day to celebrate and promote giving. These kinds of initiatives are transforming the way people share ideas and translate them into action both locally and around the world. More than 300,000 people visit 92Y annually; millions more participate in 92Y’s digital and online initiatives. A proudly Jewish organization since its founding in 1874, 92Y embraces its heritage and welcomes people of all backgrounds and perspectives. For more information, visit www.92Y.org.
