Hi all!

Big news about our new film, The Work in Progress: We have our first sellout screening—and tickets are moving fast in the Big Apple!

BERKELEY
Our Tuesday, September 15 West Coast premiere at the Rialto Cinemas Elmwood in Berkeley is officially sold out. The theater has had to add a second screening that afternoon at 4:00 p.m. We love getting this kind of update from our friend Ky Boyd who operates the theater!

GET BERKELEY TICKETS

NEW YORK CITY
We open for one week at the Quad Cinema in New York City on Friday, September 4. Our opening-weekend screenings are filling up, but tickets are still available. The entire week is now on sale, with four to five shows each day.

GET NEW YORK CITY TICKETS

Here’s the truth, friends: We really need your help selling out these early shows.

If you’re in New York or Berkeley, please join us. If you know people there, forward this post and encourage them to go.

EVERYWHERE ELSE
When tickets move fast in these markets, theaters across the country—and around the world (hello, Canada!)—pay attention. They see that there’s an audience for a thoughtful, hopeful film like The Work in Progress. And that makes the movie more likely to reach other theaters in other places.

We’re already seeing that happen, with a string of bookings in Maine—the home state of the film’s director, Ian Cheney—and elsewhere.

FIND A SCREENING NEAR YOU

If the secret to playing Carnegie Hall is practice, practice, practice, the secret to a successful theatrical run is momentum, momentum, momentum. Those first bookings can determine how long a film stays in theaters, where it travels next, and how many people get to see it.

We premiered our last film, The Last Class, at these same two theaters: the Quad and the Rialto. Because you showed up, bought tickets, and spread the word, the film played for weeks in both places.

Theaters across the United States and Canada saw the demand in dollars and cents—and decided it made sense to book the film. The Last Class went on to gross well over $1 million at the box office and play in theaters for more than a year — mostly independent theaters!

We believe deeply in The Work in Progress. Please help us give it the momentum it deserves.

Thank you,

Heather & Elliot

You have been the most dedicated group of supporters for The Last Class film, and this is a day we’ve been waiting to share with you! Our next film is here!

Tickets are now on sale for our new film, The Work in Progress with Robert Reich. It’s in 23 theaters across the country with more to come. Scroll down below for the full list of theaters. Please buy tickets and spread the word. We want to highlight our opening Labor Day Weekend at the Quad in New York City and a run later in the month (starting 9/15) at the Rialto Cinemas Elmwood in Berkeley, California.

Get tickets for The Work in Progress

The Work in Progress is a visually stunning, deeply human film about America, bringing strangers together to ask one another what this country means to them—and confronting the hope, hardship, and uncertainty their answers reveal. You can see the trailer here:

If you don’t see a theater in your area, please let us know in the comments where you’d like us to bring the film, especially if you would be interested in helping us by hosting a screening in your area. Your feedback will influence where the film is shown!

Just like with The Last Class, the momentum you bring with early ticket sales is essential. It will shape the trajectory for the rest of the distribution of the film, like the velocity that lets an airplane take off. Other theaters will be looking at these early numbers to see if there is a demand for another Robert Reich documentary that is a thoughtful and hopeful reflection on the United States, its struggles and opportunities.

ARIZONA

• 9/9 — Phoenix • Arizona Center 24 — Buy Tickets

CALIFORNIA

• 9/9 — San Diego • AMC Mission Valley 20 — Buy Tickets

• 9/9 — San Jose • AMC Sartoga 14 — Buy Tickets

• 9/15 — Berkeley • Rialto Cinemas Elmwood — Buy Tickets **

  Q&A with producers Heather Kinlaw Lofthouse and Elliot Kirschner to follow screening

• 9/16 — Sebastopol • Rialto Cinemas Sebastopol — Buy Tickets **

  Q&A with producers Heather Kinlaw Lofthouse and Elliot Kirschner to follow screening

• 9/18 - 9/24 — Berkeley • Rialto Cinemas Elmwood — Tickets Coming Soon

• 10/14 — Berkeley • Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley — Tickets Coming Soon**

  Q&A with Prof. Robert Reich to follow screening

COLORADO

• 9/9 — Denver • Harkins Theatres Northfield 18 — Buy Tickets

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

• 9/9 — Washington, D.C. • AMC Georgetown 14 — Buy Tickets

FLORIDA

• 9/11, 9/12, 9/13 & 9/16 — Fort Lauderdale • Broward County Film Society — Tickets Coming Soon

ILLINOIS

• 9/9 — Chicago • AMC River East 21 — Buy Tickets

INDIANA

• 9/17 - 9/20 — Fort Wayne • Cinema Center — Buy Tickets

MAINE

• 9/27 — Rockland • Strand Theatre — Tickets Coming Soon

• 10/2 - 10/8 — Waterville • Maine Film Center — Tickets Coming Soon

MASSACHUSETTS

• 9/9 — Boston • AMC Boston Common 19 — Buy Tickets

MICHIGAN

• 9/9 — Detroit • AMC Livonia 20 — Buy Tickets

MINNESOTA

• 9/9 — Minneapolis • AMC Southdale 16 — Buy Tickets

• 9/9 — St. Paul • Marcus Oakdale Cinema — Buy Tickets

MISSOURI

• 9/9 — St. Louis • Marcus Ronnie’s Cinema — Buy Tickets

NEW MEXICO

• 9/9 — Albuquerque • AMC CLASSIC Albuquerque 12 — Buy Tickets

NEW YORK

• 9/4 — New York City • Quad Cinema — Buy Tickets**

  Live Q&A with filmmakers to follow screening on 9/4

• 9/5 — New York City • Quad Cinema — Buy Tickets**

  Live Q&A with filmmakers to follow screening on 9/5

• 9/6-9/10 — New York City • Quad Cinema — Tickets Coming Soon

• 9/9 — Saratoga Springs • AMC Saratoga Springs 11 — Buy Tickets

OREGON

• 9/9 — Portland • Cinemark Portland Eastport Plaza — Buy Tickets

PENNSYLVANIA

• 9/9 — Philadelphia • Cinemark University Penn 6 — Buy Tickets

TEXAS

• 9/9 — Houston • Tinseltown 290 16 + XD — Buy Tickets

• 9/9 — Austin • AMC Tech Ridge 10 — Buy Tickets

WASHINGTON

• 9/9 — Camas • Liberty Theatre of Camas-Washougal — Tickets Coming Soon

• 9/9 — Seattle • AMC Pacific Place 11 — Buy Tickets

See you at the movies,
Heather Kinlaw Lofthouse & Elliot Kirschner (co-producers of The Work in Progress)

Our new film — The Work in Progress — comes out in four weeks and we want you to be the first to see it!

100 strangers, across generations and geographies, ask each other questions and engage in eloquent listening as they discuss where America is going and their place in it. Just the kind of dialogue that we need and are often avoiding. It begins when Prof. Reich asks, “What do we owe each other?” This film is a journey to find out. Will you be part of the conversation?

Inequality Media has just released the film’s trailer:

We will use this newsletter (sparingly!) to keep you updated about everything you need to know about the film — where it will be playing, how you can bring it to a theater near you, and our watchalongs!

Please share this with others so they too can join in the discussion!

Share

This film, directed by Ian Cheney, builds on the success (that you all fueled) of The Last Class. In that film, Prof. Reich reflects on his lifetime of teaching and civic engagement, imploring his students to really listen to one another. Democracy, he says, is not a spectator sport. It’s something we must actively nurture and protect — work which often begins with dialogue.

We’re calling this new film The Work in Progress, a (not too subtle) acknowledgement that our democracy is, and must continue to be, a work in progress, committed to our own healing and advancement. Inspired by questions posed by Prof. Reich, our team of filmmakers headed out to six different locations across the country — in Iowa, Arizona, Illinois, Maine, Alabama, and Hawaii — with a simple mission: to get Americans to talk to each other, and to really listen.

Thank you for being part of it with us — we can’t wait for you to see what’s next. Stay tuned!

Heather & Elliot (Producers, The Work in Progress)

Tonight is the final live online watchalong of The Last Class film about Prof. Robert Reich’s final semester of teaching. We are thrilled that so many of you have signed up to join Prof. Reich and us today at 5:30 p.m. PT / 8:30 p.m. ET for our latest experiment in this wild and improbable run of The Last Class.

Click HERE for the link to the live watchalong of the film which, again, will begin at 5:30 p.m. PT / 8:30 p.m. ET.

The Last Class film link

The two of us will be watching the film together with Prof. Reich! We will speak before and after the film, and provide a bit of commentary while it plays.

If you haven’t already seen The Last Class, or even if you have, gather with friends for this special one-of-a-kind event!

The Last Class film link

Here’s what you need to know:

• The watchalong is today, Wednesday, July 8 at 5:30 p.m. PT / 8:30 p.m. ET.

• The three of us will be watching the film along with you!

• At 5:30 p.m. PT/ 8:30 p.m. ET this link will go live with Prof. Reich, Heather, and Elliot.

• You can bookmark the link now so you can find it easier later.

• Prof. Reich will join us to kick-off the watchalong and offer some live commentary during the film (71 mins).

• A short Q&A will follow.

• When the event ends, the link for the film will no longer be watchable.

• The watchalong is FREE. But for those that can afford it, you’re welcome to donate to support our work.

• This is a LIVE event, so there is no ability to pause or rewind the film while watching

Please share this announcement with others. There is no cap on total viewers and we hope to see as many of you as possible.

Watching on your computer (or TV)

Click on the big orange button for the link. It will open in the YouTube app automatically and it will start playing.

The Last Class film link

The primary way to view the film for this watchalong is on your computer. If you want to get more advanced, here is some more info about watching it on your TV: It’s possible to cast from your computer or phone to your TV, depending on what kind of computer/phone and TV you have. With Mac laptops and a smart TV, for example, you can play the film on your computer and then use “Airplay” to cast it from your computer onto your TV. You might also be able to use an HDMI cable (and an adaptor if you have a Mac with USB-C/Thunderbolt ports) to link your two devices.

The Last Class film link

Thank you!

See you at the movies,
Heather & Elliot

We’re writing with one last reminder about the last free live watchalong of, of course, The Last Class film about Prof. Robert Reich’s final semester of teaching.

RSVP for the Watchalong

We’re looking forward to “seeing” so many of you who have signed up! If you’ve yet to sign up, please do so now so you can join Bob and us for the final free live watchalong of the film this Wednesday, July 8 at 5:30 p.m. PT / 8:30 p.m. ET.

And please spread the word to friends and family who you think may be interested. Just forward this email or share the sign-up link here:

RSVP for the Watchalong

On Wednesday we will email you a YouTube link to use to see the film which goes live at 5:30 p.m. PT / 8:30 p.m. ET. (Reminder: This is a LIVE event, so there will be no ability to pause or rewind the film while watching, sort of like TV in the olden days.)

Make sure to sign up if you haven’t yet! And invite others!

RSVP for the Watchalong

A special thank you to all of you who are supporting our film and work with your donations.

See you there, popcorn in hand,
Heather and Elliot (and Bob!)

P.S. Sincere apologies if you received this post twice. Having some technical difficulties (maybe!?) over here. We appreciate your patience!

Dear friends,

We still can’t believe how many of you joined us last December for our live watchalong of The Last Class film about Prof. Reich’s final semester of teaching.

So we’re doing it one more time.

On Wednesday, July 8 at 5:30 p.m. PT / 8:30 p.m. ET, we’ll gather with Bob, and hopefully many of you, for one final live experience of The Last Class. We’ll watch the film together, share behind-the-scenes insights, answer your questions, and celebrate this incredible journey with all of you.

RSVP for the Watchalong

This will be our final live watchalong of The Last Class — and we’d love for you to be there.

There’s also a special surprise: Everyone who joins us live will see an exclusive preview at our next film, coming to theaters this September.

We’re holding a one final live experience to watch The Last Class live with Prof. Reich and us.

RSVP for the Watchalong

Here’s what you need to know:

• The watchalong takes place Wednesday, July 8, and will start right at 5:30 p.m. PT / 8:30 p.m. ET.

• When you RSVP, you’ll be added to a special watchalong email list.

• On the day of the event, you’ll receive a private YouTube link via email.

• At the scheduled start time, Bob, Heather, and Elliot will join live.

• We’ll watch The Last Class together and offer commentary during the film.

• Afterward, we’ll host a live Q&A and answer your questions.

• We’ll conclude the event with a special preview scene from our new film.

• When the event ends, the film will no longer be available through the watchalong link.

Signing up for the watchalong is FREE. But for those that can afford it, we will offer the opportunity to donate to support our work.

Additional information: This is a LIVE event, so there will be no ability to pause or rewind the film while watching, sort of like television was in the olden days. If you sign up within an hour of the start time, your confirmation email will redirect you to the live YouTube link. The RSVP page will close 15 minutes after the film starts (5:45 p.m. PT / 8:45 p.m. ET), but the YouTube link will be live and accessible the whole time.

This is our final live online gathering around The Last Class (for now), so we’d love for you to be there.

RSVP for the Watchalong

Hope to see you on July 8,
Heather and Elliot

Dear Friends,

Thank you!!!

We are just a few days into having The Last Class available for rental, and we are deeply grateful for the response.

What you are helping us build is very important. In the film, Prof. Reich says to his 1,000 students: Pessimism is fine, cynicism is not. Together, we will triumph over cynicism.

There are two ways to watch the film:

1. Right here on Substack with a paid rental subscription. You will be emailed a link to the film once you subscribe.

   Watch the film on Substack

2. Or, if you prefer, we’re offering the same prices, rental options, and experience directly through our website: www.thelastclassfilm.com.

Watch the film on our website

Thank you again for helping us push back against the despair that has come to dominate so much of our culture. And please recommend the film to friends and family who might enjoy it. Word of mouth is essential for independent films like ours.

We’re also planning some exciting online events around the film in the coming weeks, and we look forward to sharing more details soon.

With gratitude,

Heather Kinlaw Lofthouse
Producer (& Executive Director of Inequality Media Civic Action)

Elliot Kirschner
Director

Dear Friends,

We want you to be the first to know: The Last Class film about Prof. Robert Reich’s final semester of teaching is now available to rent.

Watch the film now

Thousands of you have come to theaters to see what one viewer called this “antidote to despair.” Now, we are making the film available to watch at home around the world! This film has already become a movement about the importance of education to democracy, and the hope that a great teacher can inspire. Let’s keep going!

You can rent the film directly for 30 days here on Substack by clicking this button:

Watch the film now

If you prefer, we’re offering the same prices, rental options, and experience through our website: www.thelastclassfilm.com.

These platforms allow us to connect directly with you, our audience, bypassing traditional corporate media gatekeepers, and ensuring that the bulk of the support you provide goes into our work at Inequality Media Civic Action.

We’ve created three rental options at different price levels. We want to make the film as widely accessible as possible. But it also takes significant resources to make and distribute independent films. So if you are able, we hope you’ll consider supporting us at a higher level.

And if you cannot afford to rent the film, please email us at: thelastclassfilm@imcivicaction.org.

All three options include 30 days of unlimited viewing. Higher support levels also include access to behind-the-scenes updates, special features, our newsletter, and previews of upcoming projects.

Most importantly, your contributions help make more work like this possible.

Prof. Reich has always seen the classroom as a special kind of community. We feel that spirit extends to all of you who have supported this film along the way. So please join the conversation in the comments section below. We are ready to jump in and join you.

We’ll also be following what people are saying on social media, so we encourage you to share the film and post your reactions. If we see your posts, we’ll do our best to amplify them.

Please spread the word.

With gratitude,

Heather Kinlaw Lofthouse
Producer (& Executive Director of Inequality Media Civic Action)

Elliot Kirschner
Director

Watch the film now

Share

Join Prof. Robert Reich for his final semester of teaching as he wrestles with the dual realities of his own aging and his students inheriting a world out of balance.

Make s…

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Dear Friends,

It’s been ages since we reached out. We hope you’re doing as well as can be expected.

We have some big news around our film “The Last Class” about Robert Reich’s final semester of teaching. And we wanted you to be the first to know.

Starting May 15, 2026, we will be offering the film for home viewing. It will be available through Substack and directly from our website. And you will be able to watch it anywhere in the world. So if you live in Naples, Italy, Naples, Florida, or anywhere in between, and you’re a fan of Prof. Reich, believe in the power of education, or just want to see a great film, please be on the lookout for more Substack emails from us for when it goes live.

“The Last Class” shows a side of Prof. Reich the world has yet to see—his inspirational and unexpected approaches to teaching, his profound humanity, and his unwavering belief in education’s ability to triumph over cynicism and despair. If you know others who would be interested in seeing it, please encourage them to sign up for this newsletter:

This film has had an incredible theatrical run that has exceeded our expectations, and it continues. The film has played in over 300 theaters and is playing in both Hanover, New Hampshire and Birmingham, Alabama next month. And it was the #5 documentary of 2025. Thanks to you all.

And now, we can finally make the film available for you to watch at home starting May 15, 2026. We will share details over the next two weeks. Get your popcorn ready.

Many of you have seen this film already, right? We’re curious, would you watch it again? If so, with friends and family? And for those of you who haven’t seen it, do you plan to rent it and watch it with family and/or friends? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

All best,

Heather (Producer) and Elliot (Director)

Dear Friends,

We can’t believe it’s been seven months since The Last Class premiered, and seven months of this community coming together to advocate for the essential role of education in a democracy.

Thanks to you, The Last Class was the #5 most successful independent documentary film of 2025!

As 2026 kicks off, we have three big items to share with you:

1. We’re coming to Texas. Join us!

In just a few days, we’ll be heading to the Lone Star State for back-to-back screenings of The Last Class:

• Tuesday, January 27 at 7:00 pm — The Paramount Theatre, Austin

• Wednesday, January 28 at 6:45 pm — Texas Theatre, Dallas

We’ll be hosting Q&As following both screenings, and in Dallas we’ll be joined by Dr. Seemee Ali, Director of the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture at SMU.

These will be two of our biggest screenings yet, and we’d love to pack the house. If you have friends or family in Austin or Dallas, please help us spread the word.

Buy tickets for Austin

Buy tickets for Dallas

2. Soon you’ll be able to watch The Last Class at home. Get ready!

We’re getting very close to announcing when (and how!) you’ll be able to watch The Last Class at home via “Video on Demand.” We plan to launch this at-home viewing campaign this spring. We’ll share more in the coming weeks.

3. We’re still working to help plan your community screenings. Let’s keep going!

A few months ago, we announced that you could buy an institutional license to host your own screening of The Last Class with your church, school, Indivisible group, book club, or broader community. The response was overwhelming (in the best way), and we’re still working through the requests. We’re a small team working with you to make these screenings happen and we appreciate your patience.

If you’d like to explore hosting a screening of your own, you can fill out the form here.

Recently, Goshen College in Indiana hosted a screening and, thanks to a few community organizers, the showing was free to all attendees. You can read more about it in this article published in Goshen College’s independent student newspaper. We’d like to say a huge thank you to Beck Unternahrer who worked directly with the Religion, Justice and Society Department at GC to make this screening happen.

Host a screening

We’ll be back soon with more to share about what we’re envisioning in 2026 and what we’re making. Until then, here’s a complete list of upcoming screenings (as of Jan. 21), having already hit our goal of showing The Last Class theatrically in all 50 states!

Sincerely,

Heather & Elliot

California

2/16/26 — Grass Valley • Prime Cinemas-Sutton (JUST ADDED!) — Tickets

Colorado

1/23/26 — Cortez • Sunflower Theatre (JUST ADDED!) — Tickets

1/30/26 — Telluride • Sheridan Opera House — Tickets

Kansas

2/3/26 — Salina • Salina Art Center (EXTENDED!) — Tickets

Michigan

2/5/26 — Plymouth • Penn Theatre (JUST ADDED!) — Tickets coming soon

New Hampshire

2/5/26 — Plymouth • The Flying Monkey (JUST ADDED!) — Tickets

New York

1/21, 1/23 & 1/24/26 — New Paltz • Denizen Theatre (JUST ADDED!) — Tickets

Pennsylvania

2/23/26 — State College • The State Theatre (JUST ADDED!) — Tickets

Texas

1/27/26* — Austin • The Paramount Theatre (JUST ADDED!) — Tickets

*Q&A with director Elliot Kirschner and Heather Kinlaw Lofthouse to follow

1/28/26* — Dallas • The Texas Theatre (JUST ADDED!) — Tickets

*Q&A with Elliot Kirschner, Heather Kinlaw Lofthouse, and Dr. Seemee Ali, director of the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture at SMU, to follow

Washington

1/24/26 — Longview • Lower Columbia College (Community Organized) — Tickets

We need your help, in a good way.

We’re still amazed that over 50,000 of you joined Prof. Reich and us two weeks ago for our first live online watchalong of The Last Class about Prof. Reich’s final semester of teaching. We’re already planning our next one. The Last Class is still in theaters with more being added. This spring, we will launch the film via “video on demand,” so you can watch at home.

And now to our newest mission: Let’s get the movie into high schools, community colleges, colleges, and universities. We’re calling this push The Last Class on Campus, and we’re announcing it here first. We want to share Prof. Reich’s message with the next generation as well as encourage generational dialogue.

So this is our request for you: Please help us! If you are a teacher, professor, administrator, student, or otherwise affiliated with an educational institution—or if you know someone who might want to host a screening on a campus—we want you to sign up. Click the orange button and fill out the form:

Click to Host a Screening

Organizing these screenings takes significant effort from our small team, and we’re committed to building sustainability for this national campaign. We want to be transparent that, at this stage, we are licensing the film at $750 for a single screening, and $1,500 for an institutional license which allows for unlimited screenings. These fees support our work, but we also understand they are a meaningful investment. Importantly, we are open to working with institutions that may not be able to afford the full cost. We’ve also seen individuals, businesses, and foundations step in to subsidize licenses that are then donated to schools.

Click to Host a Screening

When we play The Last Class on campuses, we see that young people love this film. And we want more of them to see it. Here’s the reaction of students at our sold-out show of 2,000 people at UC Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall:

We are also excited to announce new screenings at theaters in three college towns. We will be there for post-screening discussions in Texas. The full list of theaters is here.

1/19/26 — Bend, Oregon • Tower Theatre — Buy Tickets

1/27/26 — Austin, Texas • The Paramount Theatre — Buy Tickets
Q&A with director Elliot Kirschner & Heather Kinlaw Lofthouse to follow

1/28/26 — Dallas, Texas • The Texas Theatre — Buy Tickets
Q&A with director Elliot Kirschner & Heather Kinlaw Lofthouse to follow

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Hello, all!

Tonight is the first-ever live online watchalong of The Last Class film about Prof. Robert Reich’s final semester of teaching. We are thrilled that so many of you have signed up to join Prof. Reich and us today at 5:30 p.m. PT / 8:30 p.m. ET for our latest experiment in this wild and improbable run of The Last Class.

Click HERE for the link to the live watchalong of the film which, again, will begin at 5:30 p.m. PT / 8:30 p.m. ET.

The Last Class Film Watchalong Link

The two of us will be watching the film together with Prof. Reich! The three of us will speak before and after the film, and provide a bit of commentary while it plays.

If you haven’t already seen The Last Class, or even if you have, gather with friends for this special one-of-a-kind event!

The Last Class Film Watchalong Link

Here’s what you need to know:

• The watchalong is today, Monday, December 8 at 5:30 p.m. PT / 8:30 p.m. ET.

• The three of us will be watching the film along with you!

• At 5:30 p.m. PT/ 8:30 p.m. ET this link will go live with Prof. Reich, Heather, and Elliot.

• You can bookmark the link now so you can find it easier later.

• Prof. Reich will join us to kick-off the watchalong and offer some live commentary during the film (71 mins).

• A short Q&A will follow.

• When the event ends, the link for the film will no longer be watchable.

• The watchalong is FREE. But for those that can afford it, you’re welcome to donate to support our work.

• This is a LIVE event, so there is no ability to pause or rewind the film while watching

Please share this announcement with others. There is no cap on total viewers and we hope to see as many of you as possible.

Watching on your computer (or TV)
Click on the big orange button for the link. It will open in the YouTube app automatically and it will start playing.

The Last Class Film Watchalong Link

The primary way to view the film for this watchalong is on your computer. If you want to get more advanced, here is some more info about watching it on your TV: It’s possible to cast from your computer or phone to your TV, depending on what kind of computer/phone and TV you have. With Mac laptops and a smart TV, for example, you can play the film on your computer and then use “Airplay” to cast it from your computer onto your TV. You might also be able to use an HDMI cable (and an adaptor if you have a Mac with USB-C/Thunderbolt ports) to link your two devices.

The Last Class Film Watchalong Link

Thank you!

See you at the movies,
Heather & Elliot

Dear friends,

The Last Class continues to be shown across the country with people watching it in person, in community, and in theaters. It’s being shown on screens in 47 states and in Canada! By January we will be in all 50 states, thanks to you!

So, we’re excited to offer a one-time-only live online watchalong of the film — Monday, December 8 at 5:30 pm PT / 8:30 pm ET — with Prof. Reich joining us to speak before and after the film, and provide some commentary while it plays.

If you haven’t already seen The Last Class, the illuminating film about Robert Reich’s final semester of teaching (or even if you have), gather with friends for this special one-of-a-kind event!

Sign up for the watchalong now here, or by clicking this orange button:

Sign Up For The Watchalong Here

We continue to prioritize in-person screenings, thrilled that the film is bringing people together. Later next year, we plan to offer the film online via “video on demand” and hopefully a streaming service.

Here’s what you need to know:

• The watchalong is Monday, December 8 at 5:30 pm PT / 8:30 pm ET.

• When you sign up you will be added to a special watchalong email list.

• The morning of Monday, December 8, you will receive an email with a YouTube link.

• At 5:30 pm PT/ 8:30 pm ET this link will go live with Prof. Reich, Heather, and Elliot.

• Bob, Heather, and Elliot will offer some live commentary during the film (71 mins).

• A short Q&A will follow.

• When the event ends, the link for the film will no longer be watchable.

• Signing up for the watchalong is FREE. But for those that can afford it, we will offer the opportunity to donate so that the film can be shared more widely.

Additional information: This is a LIVE event, so there will be no ability to pause or rewind the film while watching, sort of like television was in the olden days. If you sign up within an hour of the start time, your confirmation email will redirect you to the live YouTube link. The RSVP page will close 15 minutes after the film starts (5:45 pm PT), but the YouTube link will be live and accessible the whole time.

Please share this email or the signup link with others. There is no cap on total viewers and we hope to see as many of you as possible.

If you want us to answer a specific question about the film during the watchalong, you can start by adding your thoughts to the comments section below.

Sign Up For The Watchalong Here

Hope to see you on December 8th,
Elliot and Heather

Late December, Vermont, 2023. I’d just finished working on a project that took me the better part of a year and my brain had turned to putty. It was the holidays. My twin sons wanted new skis and I didn’t have another job lined up. Skis are more or less a necessity for kids in this part of the country, but I suggested to my wife that we buy a single pair for them to share—one of them goes up the lift and skis down while the other waits at the bottom, then they switch. She countered that they should go up together and each come down on one ski. I said that would be dangerous.

I don’t want to imply that I took the job just because I needed the money, but the reality was, this was a dark time for those of us who work in the film and TV business. There had been necessary but prolonged strikes by the Writers Guild and the Screen Actors Guild. Simultaneously, after churning out new programming for years and years, all of the streamers, Netflix and Hulu and Apple and HBO and, I don’t know, Petsmart (everyone was making stuff) finally realized that model was unsustainable. They were losing too much money. It had been a time of plenty—when if someone died under even slightly mysterious circumstances, someone else wanted to make a true-crime series about it—and then, almost overnight, it all stopped. No new shows, no new movies. So I was relieved when a filmmaker friend told me she knew a director in need of an editor.

Elliot Kirschner called me just after the new year. Elliot speaks in a gentle mumble punctuated by moments of sudden volume and intensity, a voice that keeps the listener on their toes. I paced around my little home-office while from the other side of the country he described the documentary he was making: It had been intended as a short film chronicling Robert Reich’s final semester of teaching, but the footage was so compelling he’d decided to turn it into a feature. Maybe. For the previous several months he’d been working with an up-and-coming editor and now had a rough assembly. Or maybe it was nearly finished and just needed a little polishing. Or maybe it should go back to being a short. Or maybe… I’d seen this kind of indecision before: Elliot was suffering from a white-hot case of Director’s Paralysis.

You won’t find Director’s Paralysis in the medical literature, though it’s as real as halitosis and even more common. DirParl is what happens when a filmmaker is so immersed in their project that their brain turns into a hall of mirrors. They lose all sense of direction, judgement, and reason. Their mind becomes a tempest, at odds with itself. Their conversation swirls in endless cyclones of doubt. And I could go on.

Maybes aside, I enjoyed talking with Elliot. Though the paralysis was crippling, he was wrestling with it. Glimmers of optimism fought to shine through that fog of indecision. I interrupted him—“It sounds like you want to say this could be good, but you’re holding yourself back.”

There was a pregnant pause. But not a human pregnancy, an elephant pregnancy, twenty-two months. “Yes,” he said, “I think it could be special.”

He asked me to watch the cut.

I should mention that Elliot isn’t the first director I’ve spoken with who thought their unfinished film was special. In fact, I’m not sure I’ve ever met one who didn’t think that—intermittent self-delusion is more or less a prerequisite for the job. But Elliot’s belief was different. He was humble and sincere, and careful to qualify it: not that the film was special, but that he thought there was something in the footage, something untapped, that might be. And that was intriguing.

The version of the film I watched was barebones, closer to an assembly than a rough cut—raw scenes interspersed with a few of Prof. Reich’s lectures. There was no music or pacing. But it was full of big ideas about education, democracy, aging. And it was emotional. I’ve worked on other films about big ideas before, but they’ve rarely felt personal. This did. Seeing Prof. Reich grapple with the end of his teaching life and the future that lay ahead for his students, his place in time, was moving. So, yes, I thought Elliot was right, it could be special.

Skip ahead: I’m editing the movie from Vermont, Elliot is in the Bay Area along with Heather Lofthouse, the film’s producer. If Elliot speaks low and slow with periodic surges of decibels and urgency, Heather is his opposite—she talks in a 1,000-yard-dash of one-liners and zingers, then, without warning, is all business. Being in a conversation with the two of them is like finding yourself in the middle of a Vaudeville routine: Heather is quippy and excitable while Elliot is subdued and self-reflexive—until sometimes, as if on cue, they switch. It’s pretty entertaining. We spoke every day.

Because it was originally meant to be a short film, there wasn’t much footage—three interviews; three lectures, including the first and last days of class (I later got video of the full semester); and a few days of vérité here and there. It’s not unusual for a feature-length documentary to have hundreds of hours of material; we had about thirty. But the cinematography (by Ezra Wolfinger, Derek Reich, and Brandon Yadegari Moreno) was artful and dramatic, and Robert Reich, unique among the documentary subjects I’ve edited, speaks in fully formed ideas, rarely loses his train of thought, and is never boring. So though the footage was scant, what we did have was remarkably usable.

Elliot suggested I start by watching the interview he’d done with Prof. Reich the day before the semester began, which hadn’t made it into the initial assembly but eventually became the backbone of the film. There was something in the footage—early spring in Berkeley, the Bay, San Francisco rising out of the fog—that felt like a jazz soundtrack. Elliot agreed. Over the next six months, I worked my way through the material, recutting scenes and starting others from scratch.

Editing is thousands of tiny decisions and a few big ones every day, with lots of conversation in between. It’s hard to describe how it all works, but I’ll try: You watch the footage over and over and kind of just keep boiling it down to its most interesting parts, simultaneously filing images and lines of dialogue away in the back of your mind. You get up out of your chair two hundred times an hour, check your email at least that many, stand on your head, bounce a rubber ball against the wall, try to meditate but wind up online shopping for pants, walk the dog, dust off the ol’ guitar and play a few tunes, note that your singing has improved since yesterday, have a snack, wonder how you found yourself in this profession in the first place, yell at your sons for disturbing you when you’re at work, check your email again. At a certain point, almost unconsciously, all of those images and lines of dialogue coalesce in your thinking and you start connecting dots, marrying words, pictures, sound, and music, and then somehow at the end of the day you discover you’ve come up with a scene. (Often the director and producer will praise you for your speed and efficiency.)

The greatest challenge of editing this film was figuring out how to weave the classroom lectures into the narrative—what moments to use, and how they spoke to the story as a whole. In the end, we chose a handful of scenes that captured both the class’s core themes and Prof. Reich’s life’s work: inequality and democracy, hope versus cynicism, and the power of civic engagement and leadership.

I didn’t meet Elliot and Heather face to face until we got to the very end. We all travelled to New York for the final leg of the creative process—the color correction, with Jeff Sousa and Shanna Maurizi, at Dungeon Beach, and the audio mix, with Eli Cohn, at Nocturnal Sound. We’d agreed to have breakfast at a coffeeshop in Brooklyn. I was last to arrive and spotted them through the cafe windows. It was strange to see them for the first time in real life after having spent countless hours on video calls from opposite sides of the country. They were both taller than I’d imagined. We sat down, joined by Anna Ely, the movie’s associate producer, and dove in without smalltalk, like we’d been working together for years. The next few days were spent moving back and forth between post-production facilities. For an editor, post is glorious because you stretch out in comfortable chairs, snack, and b.s. while someone else does the heavy lifting. We had the occasional disagreement over the appropriate volume of a bird crowing in the background or whether the color temperature in a certain scene should lean more to tungsten or daylight, but it was all for the good of the film and never devolved into name-calling as far as I can remember.

And so we made a movie. It was small in scope but unique, heartfelt, timely, thought-provoking, and hopeful. Others have told the story of how it eventually found its way into theaters—which is remarkable and worth knowing—but I’ll leave it here, where an editor’s work usually ends. Once a film is out in the world, there’s a brief moment, if you’re lucky, when people see it, write to tell you they enjoyed it, and you get to bask in that glow for a while. But with The Last Class, it’s felt as if the universe threw that window open and never closed it. Hearing from people months after its release warms my surly, crusty, embittered heart. I’m so proud of it, and grateful to Elliot, Heather, Prof. Reich, and all the talented people who helped to make and distribute this film. And especially to everyone who’s bought a ticket—thank you.

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Dear friends,

If you speak with people in the movie industry, it might feel like the only way to fix all that is broken is through divine intervention. Well, perhaps we can settle for the next best thing?

With all going on in the world, you may have missed the breaking news out of Rome. Pope Leo, the first American pontiff, is apparently a big movie fan. This past weekend, he welcomed Hollywood stars like Viggo Mortensen, Cate Blanchett, Greta Gerwig, Spike Lee, Judd Apatow, and Gus Van Sant, among many others, to the Vatican. It wasn’t a fan fest. Rather, the Pope had a stirring message about the importance of film to reflect and shape the human experience. It was a pep talk to directors, actors, moviegoers—to all of us who love film—not to give up. We were also thrilled to see the Pope include an eloquent plea to cherish movie theaters as vital places for community.

We were inspired, and it sounds like some of the feelings you have shared after seeing The Last Class. The Pope’s message is so hopeful and full of wisdom about the importance of art that we thought it would be best to share it with you in full.

We would love to hear your reactions in the comments.

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome!

Although cinema is now over a century old, it is still a young, dreamlike and somewhat restless art form. It will soon celebrate its 130th anniversary, counting from the first public screening by the Lumière brothers in Paris on 28 December 1895. From the outset, cinema was a play of light and shadow, designed to amuse and impress. However, these visual effects soon succeeded in conveying much deeper realities, eventually becoming an expression of the desire to contemplate and understand life, to recount its greatness and fragility and to portray the longing for infinity.

Dear friends, I am happy to greet and welcome you. I also express my gratitude for what cinema represents: a popular art in the noblest sense, intended for and accessible to all. It is wonderful to see that when the magic light of cinema illuminates the darkness, it simultaneously ignites the eyes of the soul. Indeed, cinema combines what appears to be mere entertainment with the narrative of the human person’s spiritual adventure. One of cinema’s most valuable contributions is helping audiences consider their own lives, look at the complexity of their experiences with new eyes and examine the world as if for the first time. In doing so, they rediscover a portion of the hope that is essential for humanity to live to the fullest. I find comfort in the thought that cinema is not just moving pictures; it sets hope in motion!

Entering a cinema is like crossing a threshold. In the darkness and silence, vision becomes sharper, the heart opens up and the mind becomes receptive to things not yet imagined. In reality, you know that your art form requires concentration. Through your productions, you connect with people who are looking for entertainment, as well as those who carry within their hearts a sense of restlessness and are looking for meaning, justice and beauty. We live in an age where digital screens are always on. There is a constant flow of information. However, cinema is much more than just a screen; it is an intersection of desires, memories and questions. It is a sensory journey in which light pierces the darkness and words meet silence. As the plot unfolds, our mind is educated, our imagination broadens and even pain can find new meaning.

Cultural facilities, such as cinemas and theaters, are the beating hearts of our communities because they contribute to making them more human. If a city is alive, it is thanks in part to its cultural spaces. We must inhabit these spaces and build relationships within them, day after day. Nonetheless, cinemas are experiencing a troubling decline, with many being removed from cities and neighborhoods. More than a few people are saying that the art of cinema and the cinematic experience are in danger. I urge institutions not to give up, but to cooperate in affirming the social and cultural value of this activity.

The logic of algorithms tends to repeat what “works,” but art opens up what is possible. Not everything has to be immediate or predictable. Defend slowness when it serves a purpose, silence when it speaks and difference when evocative. Beauty is not just a means of escape; it is above all an invocation. When cinema is authentic, it does not merely console, but challenges. It articulates the questions that dwell within us, and sometimes, even provokes tears that we did not know we needed to express.

In this Jubilee Year, the Church invites us to journey towards hope, your presence here from so many different countries, and your artistic work in particular, is a shining example. Like so many others who come to Rome from all over the world, you too are on a journey as pilgrims of the imagination, seekers of meaning, narrators of hope and heralds of humanity. Your journey is not measured in kilometers but in images, words, emotions, shared memories and collective desires. You navigate this pilgrimage into the mystery of human experience with a penetrating gaze that is capable of recognizing beauty even in the depths of pain, and of discerning hope in the tragedy of violence and war.

The Church esteems you for your work with light and time, with faces and landscapes, with words and silence. Pope Saint Paul VI once spoke to artists saying: “If you are friends of genuine art, you are our friends,” recalling that “this world in which we live needs beauty in order not to sink into despair” (Address of Pope Paul VI to Artists, 8 December 1965). I wish to renew this friendship because cinema is a workshop of hope, a place where people can once again find themselves and their purpose.

Perhaps we could bear in mind the words of David W. Griffith, one of the great pioneers of the seventh art. He once said: “What the modern movie lacks is beauty, the beauty of the moving wind in the trees.” His reference to the wind cannot but remind us of a passage from John’s Gospel. “The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit” (3:8). In this regard, dear seasoned and novice filmmakers, I invite you to make cinema an art of the Spirit.

In the present era, there is a need for witnesses of hope, beauty and truth. You can fulfill this role through your artistic work. Good cinema and those who create and star in it have the power to recover the authenticity of imagery in order to safeguard and promote human dignity. Do not be afraid to confront the world’s wounds. Violence, poverty, exile, loneliness, addiction and forgotten wars are issues that need to be acknowledged and narrated. Good cinema does not exploit pain; it recognizes and explores it. This is what all the great directors have done. Giving voice to the complex, contradictory and sometimes dark feelings that dwell in the human heart is an act of love. Art must not shy away from the mystery of frailty; it must engage with it and know how to remain before it. Without being didactic, authentically artistic forms of cinema possess the capacity to educate the audience’s gaze.

In conclusion, filmmaking is a communal effort, a collective endeavor in which no one is self-sufficient. While everyone recognizes the skill of the director and the genius of the actors, a film would be impossible without the quiet dedication of hundreds of other professionals, including assistants, runners, prop masters, electricians, sound engineers, equipment technicians, makeup artists, hairstylists, costume designers, location managers, casting directors, directors of photography, music directors, screenwriters, editors, special effects technicians and producers… I hope I have not left anyone out, but there are so many! Every voice, every gesture and every skill contributes to a work that can only exist as a whole.

In an age of exaggerated and confrontational personalities, you demonstrate that creating a quality film requires dedication and talent. Thanks to the gifts and qualities of those whom you work alongside, everyone can make their unique charisma shine in a collaborative and fraternal atmosphere. May your cinema always be a meeting place and a home for those seeking meaning and a language of peace. May it never lose its capacity to amaze and even continue to offer us a glimpse, however small, of the mystery of God.

May the Lord bless you, your work and your loved ones. And may he always accompany you on your creative journey and help you to be artisans of hope. Thank you.

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It’s been a whirlwind few months for our film The Last Class about Robert Reich’s final semester of teaching at UC Berkeley. As the movie plays in theaters across the country with sold-out shows and extended runs, I’ve gotten to meet many of you at the post-screening Q&As.

One question I often get is: What’s the film’s origin story? There are many answers to this, but my favorite stretches back nearly three decades to the first time I met Bob in an encounter that I didn’t realize would change my life.

It was late November 1995, and he was still Secretary of Labor. I was a college senior whose summer internship at ABC News had turned into a part-time freelance gig thanks to a generous producer who passed me tasks she didn’t want to handle herself. One assignment was heading to Boston’s Logan Airport on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving to get a sound bite from Bob on his way home from D.C.

It was clear from the moment he sat down that I was dealing with a pro. I, on the other hand, was sweating into the one sports coat I owned, gripping my yellow legal pad scribbled with questions and notes I had spent hours compiling. It was immediately clear that my preparation didn’t matter. Bob knew exactly what he wanted to say. Five minutes after a friendly “hello,” he was out the door with a “Happy Thanksgiving.”

That interview would kick off my career in television news. But our paths didn’t overlap again until 25 years later.

I had just launched a Substack newsletter called Steady with my longtime friend and collaborator Dan Rather. And Bob was considering starting his own. Since we both lived in the Bay Area, Bob’s collaborator and friend, Heather Kinlaw Lofthouse, reached out to see if I would meet them for breakfast and offer Substacking advice. It would be the first of many such get-togethers.

Talking to Bob means being fully engaged, and over the course of our conversations, I saw a side of him that I hadn’t seen before, despite his many appearances on cable news, on late-night talk shows, and as a social media star.

He was as eloquent as ever, but his in-person delivery is different. His eyes dance, his voice shifts playfully in pitch, and his expressiveness feels completely unguarded.

I started to wonder: How can I capture this version of Bob to share with others?

Then Heather told me something that only a handful of people knew at the time: Bob had decided to retire from teaching after the upcoming spring semester. He hadn’t yet shared his plans with UC Berkeley; he wasn’t eager to broadcast his retirement (something we ended up capturing memorably in the film).

I immediately knew I wanted to get him experiencing this chapter of his life on camera. And I wanted to anchor the narrative of whatever we might make around some essential questions: How do you step away from something that brings you joy and a deep sense of fulfillment? How do you confront finality—especially when what, how, and why you’re teaching is desperately needed in a chaotic and unjust world? And what goes through your mind when it’s finally time to say goodbye?

I consider one of the primary responsibilities of a documentarian to be preserving moments in time that might otherwise be lost to posterity. But the initial plan was modest: to film Bob’s final class and record an interview about it.

Bob agreed, a bit reluctantly, to participate—without knowing how the footage might be used or having control over the final product. After further discussion with Heather, who believed in the project enough to sign on as producer, and my filmmaker friend Ian Cheney, who joined as executive producer, we decided to expand the scope.

I ended up interviewing Bob three times—at the beginning, middle, and end of the semester—as well as filming scenes in his office, a retirement party, and his favorite deli. Maybe, I thought, we had enough to make a decent short film.

During production, however, I also knew we were capturing something unique—an inspiring ode to education through the eyes of a remarkable man confronting his own limits and mortality.

Watching Bob teach is like witnessing a great stage actor hold an audience spellbound with his words. The interviews are even more powerful, amplifying the sincerity and emotion that first inspired me during our breakfast meetings. Bob speaks openly about his hopes and frustrations, what teaching means to him, and the educators who comforted and inspired him as a child. He also answers my questions about aging — and what it feels like to step away from a job he had long seen as his calling — with unflinching honesty. It was a vulnerable moment in his life, and he didn’t hold back.

Once we got into the edit room, the more we tried to trim the footage down to the length of a short film, the more it felt like we were losing the soul of the story — the moments that gave it nuance, heart, and complexity. So we let the content dictate the form, and the film grew into a feature-length documentary. Thanks to the artistry of editor and producer Josh Melrod, it now breathes with an urgency and pace that do justice to both Bob’s presence and his purpose.

From the start, I knew I didn’t want to make a traditional biographical documentary filled with celebrity interviews, personal testimonials, and archival footage. I wanted to create a narrative space where Bob could reflect on the past, grapple with the present, and contemplate the future — a space that felt natural because it was unforced.

The Last Class explores the arc of a life — a theme that is ultimately universal, and one that Bob faces with a brave and bracing candor.

I like to think Bob agreed to let us film him because he’s a teacher — and he understands that if we witness him wrestling with his own journey, it might help us navigate our own.

See you at the movies,

Elliot

Note: A version of this post ran on the Through the Fog by Elliot Kirschner Substck in July 2025. You can subscribe here to follow him:

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Dear Friends,

This Wednesday, October 22nd, audiences in 45 cities across the country will come together for what we are calling Education & Democracy Night.

This is a one-night nationwide event where we organized screenings of The Last Class and are encouraging local discussions about a major theme of the film: the vital connection between education and democracy.

The response has been amazing: 25 cities are already sold out and 8 more on the verge (see below). For those who’ve already bought tickets, thank you!

That leaves just 11 cities with tickets to spare — and we’d love your help selling these out too! We want to make the case to the world that these issues of education and democracy matter. And the more people that show up, the more we can point to this as evidence as we work to expand the reach of the film.

If you’re in or near one of these cities, grab your tickets now. And if you’re not but know someone who is, share this post and help spread the word.

Almost Sold Out — Get Your Tickets While They Last

• Charlotte, NC (8 tickets left) – Buy Tickets

• Las Vegas (8 tickets left) – Buy Tickets

• Milwaukee (8 tickets left) – Buy Tickets

• Philadelphia (9 tickets left) – Buy Tickets

• Indianapolis (11 tickets left) – Buy Tickets

• Missoula (13 tickets left) – Buy Tickets

• Baltimore (14 tickets left) – Buy Tickets

• Seattle (19 tickets left) – Buy Tickets

Tickets Remaining — Let’s Fill These Seats!

• El Paso, TX (46 tickets) – Buy Tickets

• Fort Worth, TX (45 tickets) – Buy Tickets

• Houston, TX (44 tickets) – Buy Tickets

• Nashville, TN (39 tickets) – Buy Tickets

• Memphis, TN (36 tickets) – Buy Tickets

• Springfield, IL (32 tickets) – Buy Tickets

• Charlottesville, VA (30 tickets) - Buy Tickets

• Omaha, NE (29 tickets) – Buy Tickets

• Pittsburgh, PA (22 tickets) – Buy Tickets

• Savannah, GA (22 tickets) – Buy Tickets

• Reno, NV (22 tickets) – Buy Tickets

• Fort Lauderdale, FL (21 tickets) – Buy Tickets

If you’ve been thinking about seeing The Last Class, this is a great night to do it. You’ll be joining people across the country coming together to build community and engage in a collective conversation about the importance of teachers, students, and the future of democracy.

As always, for a complete list of screenings click the big orange button below to visit our website:

Click here for the full screening list!

If you’d like to know more about the film, and where to watch it, visit: thelastclassfilm.com.

If you’d like to ORGANIZE A SCREENING of The Last Class, we can bring the film almost anywhere! We can work with your local theater to try to arrange a screening. Or you (or your organization) can license the film to play at a community center, college, library, museum, or church. And we’ll be right there to help make it happen! Click the following orange button to sign up to host:

Host a screening of The Last Class

Finally, if you like the film, please post about it on social media and tag it with #thelastclass. We’ll amplify your posts.

Thank you!

See you at the movies,

Bob, Heather (producer of The Last Class), & Elliot (director of The Last Class)

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Dear Friends,

What does it look like when 2,000 people come to watch your film?

And it’s at the majestic Zellerbach Hall, where you’ve sat through so many unforgettable performances?

And then Robert Reich and W. Kamau Bell walk on stage to thunderous applause and spark an inspiring conversation?

And then everyone spills into the plaza on a beautiful fall evening—radiating hope, community, and resilience?

We’re sharing pictures and videos, but we also want to let you know that the two of us — Heather and Elliot — are joining Bob for a Substack Live here and on Prof. Reich’s Substack on this Thursday at 3:00 ET / 12:00 PT. We’ll talk about the film and the state of democracy, and take your questions. Join us! You’ll get an email alert right before noon to log in.

Thank you to all who continue to make The Last Class something that continues to defy all of our expectations.

Best,

Heather & Elliot