Downtown 81

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Downtown 81 (a.k.a New York Beat Movie) is a fictional film that was shot in 1980-1981.

This film, directed by Edo Bertoglio, written and produced by Glenn O'Brien with post-production in 1999-2000 by Maripol, is a rare real-life snapshot of ultra-hip subculture of post-punk era Manhattan. Starring renowned artist Jean-Michel Basquiat and featuring such early Village artists as James Chance, Amos Poe, Walter Steding, and Tav Falco, the film is a bizarre elliptical urban fairytale. In 1999, Michael Zilkha, founder of ZE records (the label of several of the film's artists), became the film's Executive Producer.

Downtown 81 from Billy Blaze on Vimeo.