Event

Downtown 81

(Edo Bertoglio, 1981/2000, USA, 35mm, 72 min) Featuring Jean Michele Basquiat, Vincent Gallo and Debbie Harry amongst other downtown New York luminaries of the era, Downtown 81 depicts the extreme creative ferment of the Lower Manhattan music and art scenes in the early 80s. Basquiat wanders through Manhattan, looking for a place to stay. Along the way he skims the surface of what was, in retrospect, a golden age of creativity. As Fab 5 Freddy shows him around, Basquiat sees James Chance and The Contortions, DNA, even Kid Creole and the Coconuts. What other movie score features Liquid Liquid, The Lounge Lizards, Rammellzee, Gray and Tuxedo Moon? It's a romantic immersion into a world that few took seriously at the time, but formed a blueprint for bohemianism for years to come.

"Basquiat is a joy to watch. He floats through the movie with cool grace and unflagging energy; he's a natural in front of the lens..." ARTFORUM