DOWNTOWN 81, SCREENING AT FOLKEN

KL1900 THURSDAY 5TH OCTOBER AT FOLKEN, STAVANGER. ADMISSION: FREE

Nuart Festival and Folken present the indie cult classic DOWNTOWN 81 prior to an evening of music from legendary No Wave musician James Chance and his band the Contortions.

Depicting a day in the life of Jean Michel Basquiat, the film explores the explosive downtown New York art and music scene of 1980-81, of which Chance was a key figure.

Synopsis:

Starring the legendary American painter, graffiti artist, poet and musician Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988), DOWNTOWN 81 is both a post-modernist fairytale and a vivid depiction of the downtown New York art and music scene in the early 1980s. The film chronicles a day in the life of a 19 year-old starving artist (Basquiat) who must raise money to reclaim the apartment from which he has been evicted. Hoping to sell a painting to earn the rent, he wanders the downtown streets, painting in hand, encountering painters, models, junkies, graffiti artists, rappers and rockers whose lives and performances provide a slice of life from one of the most exciting periods in American culture.

A 'lost' film, shot in 1981 but not completed and released until two decades later, DOWNTOWN 81 not only captures one of the twentieth century's most interesting and lively artists in Basquiat, but also features music from many of leading musical artists of the era.

Soundtrack featuring: Basquiat's own band, Gray; John Lurie (who cameos in the film) and the Lounge Lizards; DNA; Tuxedomoon; the Plastics; Marvin Pontiac; Kenny Burrell; the Specials; Chris Stein; Melle Mel with Blondie; Kid Creole and the Coconuts; James White and the Blacks; Vincent Gallo; Lydia Lunch; Steve French, and Suicide.

Running time: 72 minutes