15 Questions With Hannah Zook, Advertising Strategist

"The film community in NYC helped my mental health more than my therapist."

Name: Hannah Zook
Location: New York
Occupation: Strategist at an Advertising Agency
Links: Hannah’s TikTok, IG, Letterboxd

1. What’s your favorite day & time to go to the movies?

I love a weekday after-work movie to break up the week with fun plans, and I also love a weekend morning movie that I get out of, hopefully enjoyed, and sets the tone for the rest of my day.

2. What’s your favorite movie theater?

I love the FiDi Alamo Drafthouse forever because I like the threat of reporting people who talk, or are on their phones. I never feel like a Karen unless I’m at the movies. Silence please! I recently saw Hamnet and had three girls sitting behind me chatting, and oddly reciting the lines back to the screen?! I was so mad that I shushed them until they left.

Alamo Drafthouse, Lower Manhattan, NY (photo cred)

But I also want to mention that I love the AMC Lincoln Square. At this point, it just feels familiar - I’ve seen so many good and bad movies there. Sometimes the 70 mm IMAX screen gives me vertigo because it’s so big, but it’s part of the experience.

3. What’s your go-to movie theater snack & drink combo?

It used to just be popcorn, but I’m going so often now that I have to switch it up. I love taking in a Chomps and a piece of candy. Peanut M&Ms are usually what I go for if I’m purchasing at the theater. I’m trying to train myself to buy a water bottle in advance because I’ve TOO MANY TIMES purchased $8 water bottles at the theater.

4. What’s your dream movie theater snack & drink combo (if noise and sound weren’t an issue)?

I love to graze and snack; so some cheeses, meats, veg, nuts would be fab. Imagine eating that while watching something like Sentimental Value. Kind of chic?

5. First movie you remember seeing in a theater?

Either Ice Age or Pitch Perfect. I went home and downloaded Pitch Perfect on my little iPod Nano and watched it legit daily on that tiny screen.

6. Last movie you saw in a theater?

I saw Sentimental Value at the Alamo after seeing it a few months ago at NYFF. I have never thought to myself, “I want to print out this screenplay and take notes while I’m watching”, but I did during this.

7. Is there a movie you wish you could have seen in a theater?

SO MANY. But above all else, it’s Tàr.

Tár dir. Todd Field (Focus Features)

8. Please describe your ideal movie theater seat.

Towards the end of the aisle in the type of seating where the aisles get raised as you go back. I’d want to be in the first row of raised seats. And then just enough room where I can put both of my arms on the armrests.

9. One thing you would change to make movie theaters better?

I think if I belabor the quiet thing again, people are going to think I can’t have fun. I love fun, I promise!

But I would just keep movies in the theater for longer to really give word-of-mouth a chance to work. I would put in more 70mm screens. I would open more theaters in the suburbs and wide-release more “niche” films. It’s interesting making TikToks/Reels about movies because a ton of people don’t even have access to them until months after we get to see them in NYC.

10. Tell me about an especially memorable moviegoing experience that stands out in your mind.

This is easy. The most memorable moviegoing experience for me is seeing Marty Supreme at NYFF. My friend George got us the last tickets available by going to the box office as soon as the announcement was tweeted out. It was a “surprise movie”, but everyone knew it was Marty. Alice Tully Hall was BUZZING as we walked in. We saw Sean Fennessey. The movie absolutely ripped. I’ve genuinely never been simultaneously more locked in and openly celebratory during a movie. We all walked outside afterwards, and EVERYONE stood around outside for hours not wanting to leave, because we were all on such a high.

@timoatreidesDREAM BIGGGGGG🏓 #martysupreme #timotheechalamet #edit

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11. Is there a trailer you’ve seen before a movie recently that stuck with you?

Oh interesting. I think The Brutalist (which is a movie I liked, but didn’t love)

12. What’s a movie you’re looking forward to seeing?

I’m seeing Wake Up Dead Man (in theaters as God intended), which is exciting because I just realized it means I will have seen all 4 of Josh O’Connor’s 2025 films in theaters!

13. What’s your dream combination of director and lead(s)?

Literally just because of The Lost Daughter, I would say Maggie Gyllenhaal as director. And then for leads, I would say we’ll stick with Jessie Buckley, and then add Myha’la Herrold, Jodie Comer, and then maybe Frankie Corio and Greta Gerwig in supporting? Maybe it’s a 20th Century Women-esque film?? Okay, I’m getting excited.

14. If you could live in a movie, which one would it be?

Little Women.

Little Women dir. Greta Gerwig (Sony Pictures)

15. Why do you think people should continue seeing movies at the movie theater?

UGH. It’s a beautiful communal experience! You’re not on your phone, so you’re locked in. You can go by yourself and have a meditative experience, or go with friends, get some food and drink afterwards, and try to make sense of the world together! The film community is the best thing that’s happened to me in NYC. It’s helped me gain so many friends, it’s expanded my worldview, and honestly, it’s helped my mental health more than my therapist. I have movies to thank for a lot in my life, and I don’t take that for granted.