Algren will spotlight the hard-knock life and authentic creative legacy of one of the most underrated writers of the twentieth century, Nelson Algren. Algren's brutally honest portrayal of the American underclass and his hard-nosed lifestyle became his pathway to compassion. Through interviews with Algren contemporaries, experts, and "literary soulmates," as well as through the photography of Algren's friends, Art Shay and Stephen Deutch, the film will tell his story. It will celebrate his tremendous contribution to and influence on American letters, and push Algren, champion of the marginalized, out from the margins.

Nelson Algren
Self (archive footage)

Russell Banks
Self

Billy Corgan
Self

Andrew Davis
Self

William Friedkin
Self

Philip Kaufman
Self

Wayne Kramer
Self

John Sayles
Self
Suzanne McNear
Self

Stephen Elliott
Self

Studs Terkel
Self

Salvador Dalí: Génie tragi-comique
Salvador Dalí: Génie tragi-comique

Ronald Reagan: The Great Communicator
Ronald Reagan: The Great Communicator

Einstein and the Bomb
Einstein and the Bomb

Adam Sandler: Funny Guy
Adam Sandler: Funny Guy

When My Sorrow Died: The Story of Armen Ra and The Theremin
When My Sorrow Died: The Story of Armen Ra and The Theremin

Christopher Reeve, Superman Forever
Christopher Reeve, Superman Forever

Inmate #1: The Rise of Danny Trejo
Inmate #1: The Rise of Danny Trejo

The Comeback
The Comeback

The Man Who Was Too Free
The Man Who Was Too Free

The Garden That Doesn't Exist
The Garden That Doesn't Exist

Hi, How Are You Daniel Johnston?
Hi, How Are You Daniel Johnston?
The Two Loves of Anthony Trollope
The Two Loves of Anthony Trollope