THE FIRST CLASS

DOC NYC Selects: Winter 2024 Season

Date: Tuesday, March 12
Time: 7:00pm ET
Venue: IFC Center, 323 Sixth Ave, NYC
TRT: 96 minutes

NYC PREMIERE Crosstown High in Memphis, Tennessee, is a part of a national movement aimed at redefining the future of learning in the U.S. Lee Hirsch’s closely observed verité film immerses viewers into the lives of the school’s very first students and teachers as it opens its doors, attempting to break the mold in a city craving change. With every laugh, lesson, and struggle, we witness these curious learners evolve from anxious ninth graders to proud graduates, with ambitions as boundless as their projects – from dreaming up life on Mars to empathizing with refugees. The story of Crosstown’s founding class, full of humor and emotion, gives voice to the beauty and value of high school—and the possibility of what high school can be for students everywhere.

Director: Lee Hirsch
Producers: Lee Hirsch, Robert Fernandez

The screening will be followed by an on-stage conversation with filmmakers Lee Hirsch and Robert Fernandez.