Harvey Kurtzman Documentary Makes Its World Premiere at Edinburgh Film Festival
The Mad World of Harvey Kurtzman, a documentary about the life and work of MAD creator and founding editor Harvey Kurtzman, had its world premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival on August 17.
Directed by Bart Simpson, the 92-minute documentary traces Kurtzman’s work at MAD and his wider influence on American humor, comics and counterculture. The film draws on rare archival material, previously unseen interviews, handmade animation and an original jazz score.
The documentary features Kurtzman’s daughter Adele Kurtzman alongside artists, writers and collaborators connected to his work and legacy. Al Jaffee, Arnold Roth, Art Spiegelman, Robert Crumb, Denis Kitchen and Terry Gilliam are among those appearing in the film, while Stan Lee is featured through archival footage.
Kurtzman created MAD at EC Comics in 1952 and served as its editor during its formative years. The publication began as a comic book before switching to magazine format with issue #24 in 1955. Kurtzman remained at the helm until 1956, when he left MAD following a dispute with EC publisher William Gaines.
His career extended well beyond MAD, and the documentary follows those later chapters as well as the influence his approach to satire had on subsequent generations of cartoonists, comics artists and humorists.
A Canada–Scotland co-production, The Mad World of Harvey Kurtzman is produced by Ina Fichman and co-produced by Aimara Reques, with Intuitive Pictures and Aconite Productions behind the film.
Sources
Edinburgh International Film Festival — The Mad World of Harvey Kurtzman
https://www.edfilmfest.org/film/the-mad-world-of-harvey-kurtzman/
Screen Scotland — The Mad World of Harvey Kurtzman
https://www.screen.scot/film-in-scotland/made-in-scotland/film/2026/the-mad-world-of-harvey-kurtzman
Screen Daily — The Mad World of Harvey Kurtzman review
https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-mad-world-of-harvey-kurtzman-review-breezy-insightful-portrait-of-influential-mad-magazine-founder/5219418.article
The Reviews Hub — Edinburgh International Film Festival 2026: The Mad World of Harvey Kurtzman
https://www.thereviewshub.com/edinburgh-international-film-festival-2026-the-mad-world-of-harvey-kurtzman/
Grand Comics Database — Harvey Kurtzman / MAD archive
https://www.comics.org/creator/5344/
