Woody Allen to chat with students at Max Palevsky

Woody Allen’s films have graced the screen at Doc Films numerous times, but the filmmaker himself will appear next Thursday afternoon at Max Palevsky Cinema.

For the first time in 25 years, Allen is making special appearances to promote his new film, Small Time Crooks. In addition to Chicago, Allen will visit only three other campuses, New York University, Harvard University and UCLA.

The campus visits, which will include screenings of Small Time Crooks, are specifically designed to reach younger audiences, who will see a 10-minute retrospective of Allen’s work before the new film begins.

Free passes to the Chicago screening will be distributed to students on a first-come, first-served basis at 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 3, in Ida Noyes Hall. Fostin Cotchen and Maren Hozempa, co-chairs of Doc Films, expect to fill the 490-seat theater.

After the screening, Allen will answer questions from students. Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert, who also teaches a film class for the Graham School of General Studies, will moderate.

Small Time Crooks stars Allen as an ex-con dishwasher and Tracey Ullman as his manicurist wife. Elaine May, who frequented Chicago’s campus in the 1950s when she began her comedic collaboration here with Mike Nichols (X’53), is a member of the ensemble along with Hugh Grant, Jon Lovitz and Michael Rapaport.

The film will open nationwide Friday, May 19.