Bursting from the immigrant streets of 1920s Brooklyn, Harvey Kurtzman ignited a creative revolution reshaping comics, satire, and popular culture. Through rare archives, unseen interviews, handcrafted animation, and an original jazz score, this documentary reveals the man who created MAD Magazine and helped redefine American humour and visual storytelling forever.
WEBSITE: kurtzmanfilm.com | INSTAGRAM: @kurtzmanfilm
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
Friday, November 13, 2026 at 8:45 PM – IFC Center
Saturday, November 14, 2026 at 8:55 PM – Village East by Angelika
Director: Bart Simpson
Co-Production: Intuitive Pictures and Aconite Productions
Producers: Ina Fichman, Aimara Reques
EPs: Terry Gilliam, Mark Thomas, Mark Achbar
Run Time: 92 Minutes
LOGLINE:
Bursting from the immigrant streets of 1920s Brooklyn, Harvey Kurtzman ignited a creative revolution reshaping comics, satire, and popular culture. Through rare archives, unseen interviews, handcrafted animation, and an original jazz score, this documentary reveals the man who created MAD Magazine and helped redefine American humour and visual storytelling forever.
SYNOPSIS:
As the chaotic, disposable comic-book industry is born in wartime America, the obsessive cartoonist Harvey Kurtzman unknowingly starts a revolution.
His relentless perfectionism and singular vision quickly set him apart, earning the respect of bosses like Marvel’s Stan Lee, while putting himself at odds with the industry and the money behind it.
Investigated by the FBI for anti-war comic books, he responds by creating MAD, a comic that exposes the absurdity of the new pop culture medium emerging around him: film, television, celebrity.
As comics come under fire by the US Senate for warping the minds of children, Kurtzman brazenly leaves MAD to work with Playboy’s Hugh Hefner… and then the story gets wilder.
The film features rare and unseen interviews with Kurtzman and those closest to him, alongside insights from cultural figures shaped by his legacy, including Matt Groening (The Simpsons), Terry Gilliam, Robert Crumb and Art Spiegelman. The MAD World of Harvey Kurtzman combines exclusive material drawn from his private archives with specially crafted animation that bring his artwork vividly to life.
Driven by an original jazz score that captures Kurtzman’s restless energy and irreverent spirit, the film is a visually vibrant and raucous deep dive through decades of wild creativity, inane business decisions, and one cartoonist’s role in shaping the radical counterculture that followed in his wake.
Behind the laughter lies the story of a restless genius whose battles, triumphs and contradictions helped reshape modern popular culture—sparking a creative revolution that continues to inspire generations of artists, writers, and satirists.
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT:
Harvey Kurtzman’s comics scared me when I was young. His warping of the
idealized life I saw on TV and in magazines felt funny but forbidden at the same time.
I wanted Harvey to tell his own story as much as possible, and diving deep into the
rich textures of his archives allowed us to build the visual and musical environment
that captured the awkward, cheeky and daring attitude that leaps from his pages.
We are challenged every day by the threats of unchecked power, and endless media
distractions. The fact that Harvey’s work invites us to step back and laugh at the
world we’ve created for ourselves is a gift…and the start of a conversation.
ABOUT BART SIMPSON – DIRECTOR:
Bart Simpson (filmmaker, not cartoon – it was his Dad’s fault) is an award-winning
Canadian-UK director and producer. His feature documentaries have been
screened worldwide including at Sundance, Toronto, and San Diego Comicon. As a
kid he religiously waited in the rain for Boxing Day sales at his local comic shop, and
is currently developing his next film in northern Iceland.
Bart is a past National Chair of the Documentary Organization of Canada, and is a
member of the Directors Guild of Canada.
ABOUT TERRY GILLIAM – EXEC PRODUCER:
It was all because of Harvey that I learned to work at a certain level, a certain
seriousness about what I’m doing, no matter how silly it may be.
My films have always been about what my version of reality is, or what it seems to be, and I keep wanting them all to be grounded in reality. They may be come surreal, they may become silly, but the reality is the central to it, and that all comes from Harvey. I am his creation (and you are my audience, so Harvey is still alive and with us
folks.).
—
When Mad Comics came out, it completely changed my view of the world. Because it was the first time I was dealing with humour in a way I’d never experienced before, and the idea of parody was something I didn’t even know of.
It was the beginning of my fascination with Harvey Kurtzman. He was the god
ultimately for me by the time I got to college. I would practically worship him.
ABOUT INA FINCHMAN – PRODUCER:
Oscar, BAFTA, Emmy nominated and Peabody award-winning producer Ina
Fichman, Intuitive Pictures, has been producing high profile creative documentary and fiction films, and interactive projects for close to 30 years. Many of her creative documentaries have been released in theatres in Canada and abroad and have played at festivals including Sundance, Berlin, Hot Docs, Locarno, Karlovy Vary, CPH:DOX, Venice, SXSW, Tribeca, TIFF and others.
Recent films include the Sundance award winning films THEYDREAM and
COEXISTENCE, MY ASS!, as well as UVALDE MOM and EVEREST DARK. Ina
produced the Oscar- nominated documentary FIRE OF LOVE, which had its world
premiere at Sundance 2022. Other films include ADRIANNE & THE CASTLE, 7
BEATS PER MINUTE, THE BONES, STRAY, THE GIG IS UP, ONCE UPON A SEA,
BLUE BOX, THE OSLO DIARIES, INSIDE LEHMAN BROTHERS, GIFT and LAILA
AT THE BRIDGE, Amer Shomali’s THE WANTED 18 and MONSOON (Canada’s
Top 10).
ABOUT AIMARA REQUES – PRODUCER:
Aimara Reques is Founder and CEO of Aconite Productions, a Scottish company making award-winning, internationally focused documentaries. With 30+ years in the UK film industry, she is celebrated for ambitious, visually striking films and international co-productions. Her credits include AQUARELA (Venice 2018, Oscar-shortlisted, Sony Pictures Classics), ELECTRIC MALADY (BAFTA-nominated 2023), and THE BOY AND THE SUIT OF LIGHTS (Sheffield Doc/Fest Grand First Feature Jury Winner 2024 supported by Netflix). Aimara has received two BAFTA Scotland Awards, a Fox Searchlight Award, an Amnesty International Media Award, the El Gouna Golden Star, and a Saltire Society Grierson Award nomination.
ABOUT INTUITIVE PICTURES:
INTUITIVE PICTURES is a Montreal-based company dedicated to producing quality creative documentary and narrative features and series, and interactive projects. We have developed an expertise in international co-production and collaborate with partners worldwide. Veteran producer/executive producer Ina Fichman helms the company. Recent projects include: ADRIANNE & THE CASTLE, 7 BEATS PER MINUTE, THE BONES, FIRE OF LOVE, THE OSLO DIARIES, LAILA AT THE BRIDGE, INSIDE LEHMAN BROTHERS AND GIFT.
ABOUT ACONITE PRODUCTIONS:
Aconite Productions is an award-winning Scotland-based production company recognised for its distinctive slate of high-end creative documentaries for international audiences. The company is known for bold, director-led work that combines artistic ambition with strong global reach. Its acclaimed catalogue includes Victor Kossakovsky’s Aquarela (Venice 2018, Academy Award shortlisted), Marie Lidén’s Electric Malady (BAFTA-nominated, 2023), and The Boy and the Suit of Lights (Grand Jury Award, International First Feature Competition, Sheffield Doc/Fest 2024, supported by Netflix). The current slate features Interspecies by two-time Oscar-nominated Lucy Walker (in co-production with Decia Films), The Mad World of Harvey Kurtzman by Bart Simpson (in co-production with Intuitive Pictures), and Conscious by artist-filmmaker Suki Chan.
Dan Kleiner