Summary: Mindy Kaling (actor/screenwriter), Ike Barinholtz and Paul Walter Hauser (actors) at The Landmark in West Los Angeles. Moderated by Scott Mantz. Film synopsis: After almost 30 years, a groundbreaking talk-show host suspects she may soon be losing her coveted seat on late-night television unless she manages a game-changing transformation in the dramatic comedy Late Night, the first feature film from Emmy-nominated writer and producer Mindy Kaling (“The Office”). Legendary talk-show host Katherine Newbury (Oscar winner Emma Thompson) is a pioneer in her field. The only woman ever to have a long-running program on late night, she keeps her writers’ room on a short leash—and all male. But when her ratings plummet and she is accused of being a “woman who hates women,” Katherine puts gender equality on her to-do list and impulsively hires Molly Patel (Kaling), a chemical plant efficiency expert from suburban Pennsylvania, as the first and only female on her writing staff. With rumors swirling that Katherine is being replaced by a younger, hipper male host, she demands that the writers make her funny and relevant again. A lifelong fan, Molly is determined to prove she’s not just a diversity hire, but the one person who can turn her idol’s career around. Going against everything Katherine has staked her reputation on, she urges her to make the show more contemporary, authentic and personal, a move that could make Molly’s career—or send her back to the chemical plant for good. John Lithgow co-stars. Directed by Nisha Ganatra (Chutney Popcorn).
