Nearly 50 years after it was released, NETWORK remains one of the most prescient cinematic commentaries on media, which—when considered against our contemporary news and social media consumption levels—delivers a relevant and savage bite. When UBS Evening News anchorman Howard Beale (Peter Finch) learns he’ll be laid off due to declining ratings, he threatens, on air, to kill himself on live television. When he goes off script during a staged apology, Beale becomes a sensation, with America tuning in nightly to his furious diatribes. Ambitious producer Diana Christensen (Faye Dunaway) seizes the opportunity to exploit Beale’s instability, ironically seeing his rants on the dehumanization of society as the station’s, and her, ticket to major success. Winner of five Academy Awards (for Finch, Dunaway, Ned Beatty, Beatrice Straight, and Best Original Screenplay), NETWORK is cynical, razor sharp and—if you squint your eyes—you might swear it was made in 2024.