Karen Cooper

Karen Cooper was born in Manhattan in 1948 and moved to Queens as a small child. She grew  up yearning for the culture and excitement of Manhattan, taking frequent trips on the E and F  trains into the West Village to visit the shops, theaters, and music venues that were abundant in  the neighborhood at the time.  

Cooper was introduced to Film Forum in 1972, in its first iteration: as a one-screen,  one-projector screening space on the Upper West Side running on a yearly operating budget of  $19,000. That same year, she assumed control of Film Forum’s operations, and in the 51 years  following, transformed the theater from a threadbare screening room to an iconic four-screen  institution with a seven million dollar budget. Cooper built three different downtown iterations of  Film Forum, and in 1990, the theater found its final, lasting home on West Houston Street. She  helped to dramatically expand the scope of international and documentary film programming at  Film Forum — and more broadly, within the city’s film landscape.  

Highlights of Cooper’s interview include memories of each of Film Forum’s distinct locations,  discussions of the intersections between her personal, political, and intellectual interests and her  programming choices, and reflections on the changing arts landscape in New York City. 

Full Audio Oral History