Bratislava International Film Festival -2000-Nominated-Grand Prix
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Downtown 81
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Film SynopsisLegendary painter, graffiti artist, poet and musician Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960–1988) was only 19 years old when he played the lead in Downtown 81, a striking “lost” film that chronicles the explosive early-1980s Manhattan art and music scene. Completed and theatrically released two decades later, it’s the story of a charismatic artist who attempts to sell a painting amidst the rappers, junkies, strippers, models and art-world matriarchs of a pre-Giuliani Lower East Side. Get Involved |
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Runtime:
73 min.
Genres:
Drama
Biography
Country:
UNITED STATES
Language:
English/American
Color:
Color
Plot Summary
This vividly entertaining slice of life is a fabulous showcase for the music of Kid Creole and the Coconuts, Tuxedomoon, The Plastics, DNA, The Lounge Lizards, and Basquiat’s own band, Gray. Shot on location, Downtown 81 not only captures one of the most important and provocative artists of the 20th-century as he is poised for worldwide fame, but is also a vivid snapshot of a New York City that no longer exists.
Lost for twenty years...Premiered to great acclaim at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival.
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Directed by
Edo Bertoglio
Writing credits
Glenn O'Brien
Cast
| Jean Michel Basquiat | ||
| Kid Creole | ||
| Fab 5 Freddy | ||
| Vincent Gallo | ||
| Deborah Harry | ||
| Debi Mazar | ||
| Amos Poe |
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Downtown 81
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