Documentary centers on the vending machine popularized in the 20th century that offered fresh cooked meals in a commissary-style eatery.
Featuring an original new song written and performed by Mel Brooks, The Automat which Premiered at the 2021 Telluride Film Festival and was nominated for four 2022 Critics Choice Awards tells the 100-year story of the iconic restaurant chain Horn & Hardart, the inspiration for Starbucks, where generations of Americans ate and drank coffee together at communal tables. 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.
World Premiere - Telluride Film Festival 2021
Theatrical Premiere - Film Forum 2022
Television Premiere - Turner Classic Movies 2022
SVOD Premiere - HBO Max 2022
