Program Supporters

Few institutions have contributed as much to film culture in the United States as Janus Films and the Criterion Collection, as evidenced by this overflowing series curated by filmmaker and Film Streams board member Alexander Payne.

Founded in 1956 in Cambridge, Mass., Janus helped build the burgeoning art house movement by importing films by directors like Ingmar Bergman and Michelangelo Antonioni stateside, helping to establish a canon for young cinephiles and film students and contributing in no small way to the development of the New American Cinema of the 1970s.

Janus’ partner company, the Criterion Collection, grew from a boutique outfit issuing laserdiscs in the 1980s to the preeminent DVD/Blu-ray label for foreign, classic, and independent films in North America. Both Criterion and Janus continue to champion amazing cinema both new and old, a pursuit truly worthy of a 19-film retrospective.