Peter Hujar’s Day, Ira Sachs’ intimate portrait of the legendary New York photographer, is officially heading to digital streaming platforms with a confirmed early-2026 home release window. The film, which expands a 1974 interview between Peter Hujar and writer Linda Rosenkrantz into a formally daring chamber drama, will roll out digitally in the U.S. after its late-2025 theatrical run from Janus Films and Sideshow.
What is Peter Hujar’s Day About?
Set almost entirely in a Manhattan apartment in the mid-1970s, Peter Hujar’s Day dramatizes a real 1974 conversation between photographer Peter Hujar and writer Linda Rosenkrantz, in which Hujar recounts the previous day in meticulous detail. As Ben Whishaw’s Hujar retraces his movements—from waking up to late-night street noise—Rebecca Hall’s Rosenkrantz prompts him toward stories of friends, lovers, and downtown New York’s queer artistic milieu.
Rather than a conventional biopic, the film unfolds as a quietly riveting two-hander that uses talk, memory, and gesture to demystify the working life of an artist. Shot on grainy 16mm and running a concise 76 minutes, it becomes a time capsule of 1970s New York and a meditation on creativity, intimacy, and self-revelation.
Where to Watch Peter Hujar’s Day Online?
Following its U.S. theatrical release on November 7, 2025, via Janus Films and Sideshow, Peter Hujar’s Day is slated for a digital transactional release (PVOD/TVOD) in early 2026, with January 6 frequently cited as the internal target date for its online debut. This digital rollout is expected to include major platforms such as Apple TV and Amazon, where viewers will be able to rent or purchase the film at standard new-release pricing.
While exact storefront listings and preorder options have not yet been widely publicized, industry chatter and specialty-cinema communities point to a coordinated digital launch that will make the film accessible beyond its limited art-house footprint. For fans of Ira Sachs and queer cinema more broadly, this will mark the first chance to legally watch Peter Hujar’s Day at home outside of festival or repertory screenings.
When and Where Will Peter Hujar’s Day Stream?
As of now, a specific subscription streaming platform (such as Max, Netflix, or Hulu) has not been officially announced for Peter Hujar’s Day. Given Janus Films’ established relationship with the Criterion Channel—where many of its titles ultimately premiere—cinephile circles widely expect the film to stream there around or shortly after its digital release window, in line with a reported January 6 online date.
If this pattern holds, the film will likely follow a familiar path: theatrical run, then digital purchase/rental, followed by eventual inclusion in a curated streaming library such as Criterion. Viewers eager to see it at the earliest opportunity should plan for the early-2026 digital release, with a potential Criterion Channel premiere arriving in the same general timeframe.
Festival Run & Critical Reception
Peter Hujar’s Day has been a prominent fixture on the international festival and repertory circuit, screening at venues such as Film at Lincoln Center and the Brattle Theatre as part of curated programs spotlighting contemporary art cinema. Critics have praised the film as a “mesmerizing time warp” and an “almost impossible movie” for the way it transforms a static interview transcript into a dynamic, emotionally layered feature.
Coverage in outlets like Frieze, OutSmart Magazine, and regional critics’ polls has highlighted the film’s formal daring, its rich sense of period atmosphere, and standout performances by Whishaw and Hall, with several year-end lists naming it among the most distinctive films of 2025. This art-house momentum has helped build anticipation for its wider digital availability in 2026.
Why Watch Peter Hujar’s Day?
For viewers interested in queer history, New York’s 1970s downtown scene, and artist-focused cinema, Peter Hujar’s Day offers a uniquely intimate window into the mind and milieu of a legendary photographer. The film’s talky, chamber-piece design foregrounds voice, memory, and small gestures, making it as much about the processes of looking and remembering as it is about biography.
Fans of Ira Sachs’ previous work—and admirers of Ben Whishaw and Rebecca Hall—will find a finely calibrated, performance-driven drama that rewards close attention and rewatching once it reaches digital and streaming platforms. As it moves from theaters into the home-viewing ecosystem, Peter Hujar’s Day seems poised to become an essential text in contemporary queer cinema and in the growing canon of films about working artists.
