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Downtown '81


  • 5th Avenue Cinema 501 SW Hall St. Portland, OR 97201 Multnomah (map)

A day in the life of Jean-Michel Basquiat…

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. 

19-year-old 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.

Dir. Edo Bertoglio (2000); US; 72 min

Programmed by Clara Johnson

Friday, February 7 at 6:00 PM & 8:30 PM
Saturday, February 8 at 6:00 PM & 8:30 PM
Sunday, February 9 at 3:00 PM

trailer

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Earlier Event: January 31
Round Midnight
Later Event: February 14
Love & Basketball