What film programmers know that you don't.

Aaron Hillis speaks with actor/filmmaker Paul Dano at the American Pavilion (Cannes Film Festival).
Paul Dano masterclass at Cannes, hosted by Aaron Hillis

THE SECRET SCREENING is a reader-supported publication with no A.I. creation by Aaron Hillis.

Subscribe for groovy media recommendations and pragmatic industry advice.

No guru-posturing bullshit. Just insider access and a passion for cinema.

Who the heck are you?

I'm a longtime New Yorker who has sat in the rooms you're trying to get into. I've read the scripts, watched the submissions, and discovered the emerging talents. For 25 years, I've worked every angle of independent film:

  • Critic: Village Voice, Variety, VICE, Time Out NY, Premiere Magazine, Spin
  • Programmer: Cucalorus Film Festival, reRun Theater
  • Distribution: Benten Films, Fandor, genre consultant for Bleecker Street
  • Marketing: Head of Indiegogo's NYC film & creative office
  • Filmmaker: SXSW doc feature FISH KILL FLEA
  • Video store owner: Video Free Brooklyn (sold to Alamo Drafthouse)

Brooklyn Magazine once called me one of the "100 Most Influential People in Brooklyn Culture" alongside Spike Lee and Lena Dunham.

I've scouted acquisitions at film festivals such as Cannes, Sundance, Toronto, Berlin, Fantasia, Tribeca, and SXSW (Film Advisory Board, 2013 – 2019). I've moderated panels and Q&As for the Cannes American Pavilion, IFC Films, Apple, A24, Warner Bros., Sony Classics, Kino Lorber, Oscilloscope and Metrograph – and interviewed hundreds of celebrities. I've helped raise over $2M for indie projects. I've consulted for Bleecker Street, Cineverse, Gunpowder & Sky, Shaka King's I'd Watch That, and dozens of filmmakers.

This newsletter is where I pull back the curtain... with a curatorial eye.

What you get (free)

  • Weekly recommendations – new and retro films (and music!) from someone who has consumed too much media, much too long
  • Industry intel – practical advice and behind-the-scenes anecdotes, as told while waist-deep in cinema’s trenches

Premium access (unlocked at 250 subscribers)

  • Vintage film reviews – rescued from the Internet Archive, back when outlets like The Village Voice could be held in your hand. An ongoing unearthing of published articles from my 15 years as a critic, with new commentary
  • "Office hours" recordings – real questions from consulting clients, anonymized but never sanitized
  • Festival reports – from wherever I am. Maybe some fresh interviews?
  • Monthly deep-dives – more films, more media, more deep cuts. What I'd actually program if I owned a microcinema or Pee-wee’s Playhouse.

Consulting

  • Need one-on-one help? Festival strategy, script or screening notes, marketing and distribution advice, what to do next. [Click for details.]

What inspired this endeavor?

Raise a gin & tonic to my pal Sergio (a great film producer and an even greater dancer) for suggesting the idea during Cannes 2026. Who could argue with a gentleman who introduces me as "Successful Aaron Hillis"?