
Angelika Saleh
Film producer, businesswoman, co-founder of Angelika Film Center
- Lifespan
- August 18, 1935 – February 12, 2026Aug 18, 1935 – Feb 12, 2026
- Location
- New York City, New York, USANY City, New York

Film producer, businesswoman, co-founder of Angelika Film Center
Remembering those we recently lost
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Key moments and achievements from Angelika Saleh's life.
Angelika was born
· New York City, New York, USA
Career Start
Born Angelika Maria Ohl in Munich, Germany, Saleh moved to New York in 1957 after being hired as a stewardess for Pan American World Airways. The glamorous international airline brought her to the United States, where she would build her life and eventually revolutionize independent film exhibition.
Career Start
Born Angelika Maria Ohl in Munich, Germany, Saleh moved to New York in 1957 after being hired as a stewardess for Pan American World Airways. The glamorous international airline brought her to the United States, where she would build her life and eventually revolutionize independent film exhibition.
Life Event
Angelika met Joseph Saleh, an immigrant from Iran, at a party in New York, and they married in 1959. Together they would become partners in both life and business, eventually creating one of New York's most beloved cultural institutions. They had two daughters, Eva Saleh and Jessica Saleh Hunt.
Life Event
Angelika met Joseph Saleh, an immigrant from Iran, at a party in New York, and they married in 1959. Together they would become partners in both life and business, eventually creating one of New York's most beloved cultural institutions. They had two daughters, Eva Saleh and Jessica Saleh Hunt.
Business Founded
In 1989, Angelika and her husband Joseph opened the Angelika Film Center in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood. Named after Angelika herself, the theater became an iconic destination for independent, foreign, and art-house films, featuring a distinctive cafe and unique basement theater spaces that became synonymous with New York's indie film culture.
Business Founded
In 1989, Angelika and her husband Joseph opened the Angelika Film Center in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood. Named after Angelika herself, the theater became an iconic destination for independent, foreign, and art-house films, featuring a distinctive cafe and unique basement theater spaces that became synonymous with New York's indie film culture.
Industry Impact
Under Angelika Saleh's programming oversight, the Angelika Film Center became a launching pad for independent filmmakers. The theater helped introduce audiences to directors like Kevin Smith and countless other emerging voices in American independent cinema, becoming a crucial link between filmmakers and audiences during the indie film boom of the 1990s.
Industry Impact
Under Angelika Saleh's programming oversight, the Angelika Film Center became a launching pad for independent filmmakers. The theater helped introduce audiences to directors like Kevin Smith and countless other emerging voices in American independent cinema, becoming a crucial link between filmmakers and audiences during the indie film boom of the 1990s.
Cultural Legacy
Over more than three decades, the Angelika Film Center grew into one of New York City's most enduring cultural institutions. Filmmaker Whit Stillman described the cinema as 'hugely important for a lot of us,' reflecting the theater's central role in the city's arts scene and the independent film movement at large.
Cultural Legacy
Over more than three decades, the Angelika Film Center grew into one of New York City's most enduring cultural institutions. Filmmaker Whit Stillman described the cinema as 'hugely important for a lot of us,' reflecting the theater's central role in the city's arts scene and the independent film movement at large.
Angelika Saleh passed away