Death & Taxes Opens IFC Center NY July 17th

8 Above has acquired the theatrical rights to Death & Taxes. Los Angeles/nationwide July 25th

We’ve all heard the old saying, “Only two things in life are certain: death and taxes.” But in Death & Taxes, the brilliant, decades-in-the-making documentary from Justin Schein and Robert Edwards, those two collide in a way that feels uncomfortably personal—and politically urgent.

This isn't just a film about America’s estate tax (though it certainly digs into that). It’s a film about legacy. About wealth. About the American Dream and the generational costs of chasing immortality through money. Filmed over 20 years, it tells the story of Schein’s own family—his relationship with his father, Harvey Schein, a man who rose from Depression-era Brooklyn to the top of Sony America, and spent the last part of his life fiercely trying to shield his fortune from the IRS. That obsession nearly tore the family apart.

My company, 8 Above, is proud to have acquired the US theatrical rights to this wonderful film and we open in NYC at IFC Center next Thursday July 17th with a Q&A featuring:

• Brad Lander (NYC Comptroller & Mayoral Candidate)!!!!

• Ana Maria Archila (Co-Director, NY Working Families Party)!!!!

• Morris Pearl (Chair, Patriotic Millionaires)

• Last but not least - the amazing director Justin Schein

Tickets for the Thursday night screening are available.

Other guests for opening weekend with director Justin Schein:

• Friday, July 18th - Chuck Collins - Author and Director of the Program on Inequality and the Common Good at the Institute for Policy Studies.

• Saturday, July 19th - Matthew Desmond Professor at Princeton University, Pulitzer Prize winning author and moderated by Jesse Drucker (Investigative Reporter at The New York Times)

• Sunday, July 20th - Darrick Hamilton (Director of the Institute for the Study of Race, Power, and Political Economy at The New School) and Charles Khan (Deputy Director at Stronger Together).

Tickets for the rest of the run will be available Monday July 14th.

The film opens in Los Angeles on July 25 at Laemmle’s Royal and will continue to roll out in select cities across the country after that.

We are working with a wide variety of NYC and national partners including: Fair Share America, Pennsylvania Policy Center, Indivisible, Stronger Together, Invest in Our New York, Americans for Tax Fairness, Inequality.org, Patriotic Millionaires, Advancing AZ, Action Together NEPA, Excessive Wealth Disorder Institute, and Strong Economy For All Coalition.

If you want to bring the film to your community—or just want to be the first to know when it’s playing near you—head over to deathandtaxesfilm.com and sign up.

Produced with striking intimacy, the film features perspectives from leading voices like Paul Krugman, Robert Reich, Matthew Desmond, and Felicia Wong. But it never loses sight of the personal. It’s a family film, in the most complex sense—about the cost of legacy and the fragile bonds that define us.

I hope to see you on July 17th in NY!