This weekend:
5TH AVENUE CINEMA PRESENTS
Downtown ‘81
Dir. edo bertoglio (2000); us; english; 72 min
Programmed by Clara Johnson
We follow along a day in the life of a young artist, Jean-Michel Basquiat, who needs to raise money to reclaim the apartment from which he has been evicted. He wanders the downtown streets carrying a painting he hopes to sell, encountering friends, whose lives (and performances) we peek into.
Basquiat is a joy to watch as his unwavering cool grace wanders around the explosive Lower Manhattan’s New Wave art and music scene. However, the production company went bankrupt during the film’s post-production and was unable to be completed until 1999. The original dialogue was lost and had to be dubbed, giving the film a unique and comically eerie vibe. Many say it captures a piece of NYC that no longer exists and shows Basquiat before his rise to extreme fame a couple of months later.
SHOWTIMES
FRIDAY
6:00 PM
8:30 PM
saturday
6:00 PM
8:30 PM
SUNDAY
3:00 PM
doors open 30 minutes before showtime
Winter 2025
Winter 2025
This Is the End on 35mm
Week 1: January 10 - 12
Dir. Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg (2013); US; 107 min
Programmed by Clara Johnson
The Color of Pomegranates
Week 2: January 17 - 19
Dir. Sergei Parajanov (1969); Soviet Union; 78 min
Programmed by Sarah Schaeffer
Living in Oblivion
Week 3: January 24 - 26
Dir. Tom DiCillo (1995); US; 90 min
Programmed by Alyssa Glaze
Round Midnight
Week 4: January 31 - February 2
Dir. Bertrand Tavernier (1986); US & France; 133 min
Programmed by Isaac Odai
Downtown ‘81
Week 5: February 7 - 9
Dir. Edo Bertoglio (2000); US; 72 min
Programmed by Clara Johnson
Love & Basketball
Week 6: February 14 - 16
Dir. Gina Prince-Bythewood (2000); US; 127 min
Programmed by Isaac Odai
Drylongso
Week 7: February 21 - 23
Dir. Cauleen Smith (1998); US; 86 min
Programmed by Sarah Schaeffer
The Blood of a Poet x Return to Reason
Week 8: February 28 - March 2
The Blood of a Poet dir. Jean Cocteau (1922); France; 50 min
Return to Reason dir. Man Ray (1932, 2024); France; 70 min
Programmed by Naomi Nguyen x Sarah Schaeffer
Synecdoche, New York on 35mm
Week 9: March 7 - 9
Dir. Charlie Kaufman (2008); US; 123 min
Programmed by Alyssa Glaze
Butterfly in the Sky
Week 10: March 14 - 16
Dir. Bradford Thomason & Brett Whitcomb (2022); US; 87 min
Programmed by Naomi Nguyen