BLANK CITY
If ever a neighborhood could symbolize economic devastation, it would be Manhattan’s Bowery in the 70’s and 80’s. Overrun by crumbling squats populated with drug addicts and prostitutes and flophouses for the homeless, this depraved landscape was nevertheless a fertile playground for artists, musicians and filmmakers like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Patti Smith, Jim Jarmusch and the Ramones, who came to epitomize Downtown style. Blank City is peppered with hilarious anecdotes from the major downtown players when they were all young, poor and struggling. The documentary also shows rare and quite beautiful Super-8 and 16 millimeter footage of the first films directed by Eric Mitchell, Charlie Ahearn, Lizzie Borden and Amos Poe, who is credited with starting what’s known as No Wave Cinema. Often the stars of these Do-It-Yourself films would be musicians like the young Debbie Harry and local slackers Vincent Gallo and Steve Buscemi. The cross-pollination of music, cinema and art was clearly at its most intense. (Joy Dietrich)
- Jim Jarmusch
- Bette Gordon - Friend
- Ann Magnuson
- John Lurie
- John Waters
- Fab 5 Freddy
- Glenn O’Brien
- Amos Poe
- Becky Johnston
- Beth B
- Cassandra Stark
- Mele
- Charlie Ahearn
- Daze
- Debbie Harry
- Eric Mitchell
- Jack Sargeant
- James Chance
- James Nares
- J. G. Thirlwell
- Céline Danhier
- Ryo Murakami
- Peter Szollosi
- Claire Houghtalen
- Vanessa Roworth
- Patti Smith
- DNA
- Lydia Lunch
- Sonic Youth
- Television
- Contortions
- Bush Tetras
Celluloid Dreams
