As of right now, nearly two-hundred filmmakers, actors, and industry-adjacent movie-lovers have made their closet picks. Even some more fringe guests like the New Jersey indie rock band Yo La Tengo, or Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek— who shared his love for the 1975 Australian cult classic Picnic at Hanging Rock by Peter Weir— have made appearances.
Whether past guests were Paul Dano, Willam Dafoe, or Isabelle Huppet, Criterion is now extending their invitations to the public. Announced by comedian Bill Hader last week, the closet-mobile will start its journey at Lincoln Center on September 28th to coincide with the New York Film Festival, before traveling from city to city to lure local cinephiles onto the bus.
Those lucky enough to have their experience recorded should expect to leave with a 40% discount to all 1,500 films included in the closet, a commemorative tote bag, and a polaroid. Though the archive has been generally mum about the extent of the van’s itinerary, fans hope to steal a glimpse of it outside New York.
Despite some speculation that the closet was nothing more than an urban myth, designed to create mystique around the popular video series, it’s confirmed to exist in no other place— though not for long— than New York.
