Uncompromising Cinema: MoMA Presents the World Premiere of Rob Tregenza’s ‘FAST’
Photo Credit: Courtesy of MoMA Film Press Archives / August 2026
The Museum of Modern Art continues its storied tradition of championing bold independent visionaries. From August 12 to August 18, 2026, MoMA Film hosts the world premiere engagement of FAST, the striking sixth feature film from legendary American independent director Rob Tregenza.
Since his acclaimed 1988 debut Talking to Strangers, Tregenza has built a formidable, self-financed body of work outside traditional festival-circuit economics. Celebrated by critics for prioritizing the physical weight of recorded reality over conventional narrative tropes, Tregenza's cinema is a testament to pure, unadulterated visual lyricism.
The Narrative: High-Octane Ambition in the American South
Shot on location in Lexington and Richmond, Virginia, FAST shifts focus to the high-stakes world of motorsports, grounding high-speed adrenaline within an intimate character study:
The Protagonist: The film follows Sterling (played by Madison Pankey), a determined young Southern woman aiming to break barriers and carve out a path toward F1 racing.
The Style: Operating as a "rhapsodist of the unworldly," Tregenza captures Sterling’s relentless drive with irony-free emotion and raw cinematic texture, avoiding Hollywood clichés in favor of genuine human grit.
Screening & Retrospective Architecture
To contextualize the premiere, MoMA Film’s week-long run provides audiences and film scholars a rare opportunity to engage with one of indie cinema’s most fiercely uncompromising auteurs:
Program ElementSchedule WindowEvent DetailsWorld Premiere EngagementAugust 12–18, 2026Exclusive theatrical screenings of FAST at MoMA, New York.Location TapestryLexington & Richmond, VAAuthentic Southern backdrops framing high-speed racing ambitions.Critical AcclaimThe New Yorker HighlightRecognized by Richard Brody for delivering "lyricism without cynicism."
For cinephiles seeking high-octane storytelling rooted in true independent spirit, Rob Tregenza’s FAST stands out as an essential cinematic event this summer.