Playback: The Brooklyn Watch Party

Help us build a new cultural tradition for Brooklyn.

Created by Spike Lee, Clara Wu Tsai, and Nicholas Ma, Playback: The Brooklyn Watch Party is a new kind of film festival, bringing Brooklyn together to rediscover extraordinary movies, hear from the people who love them, and celebrate the borough's vibrant creative community.

Launching November 6–7, 2026, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), Playback opens with a screening of Spike Lee's Crooklyn, followed by a cast reunion on stage. On Saturday, our inaugural guest curators—Questlove, Bryan Stevenson, and John Turturro—will share films that have shaped their lives and work, from The King of Comedy and City of God to The Battle of Algiers and Salaam Bombay!, with talkbacks featuring incredible special guests.

And the celebration extends beyond the theater. On Saturday, we're taking over the streets outside BAM for a free Brooklyn block party, featuring local musicians, community organizations, food trucks, street art, dancing, and more, all programmed by The Soapbox Presents. Our ambition is to make Playback feel like Brooklyn's living room—a place where neighbors from across the borough can gather, discover something new, strike up a conversation with a stranger, and feel right at home.

We also want Playback to be a festival for all of Brooklyn, not just those who can afford to attend. That's why we're committed to making 25% of all festival tickets available free of charge to community members who might otherwise be priced out.

Your contribution of $1,000 to $25,000 will help us fulfill that commitment, bring these extraordinary experiences to more Brooklynites, and establish Playback as a beloved annual tradition.

We hope you'll join us in making it happen!