Blank City (2010)

During the punk rock stage in the late '70s, downtown New York experienced a wave of "Do it yourself" independent filmmaking.

Director:

Celine Danhier

Stars:

Amos Poe, Ann Magnuson, Becky Johnston

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Amos Poe
Ann Magnuson
Becky Johnston
Beth B	...	(as Beth B.)
Bette Gordon
Casandra Stark
Charlie Ahearn
Daze
Deborah Harry
Eric Mitchell
Fab 5 Freddy
Glenn O'Brien
James Chance
James Nares
Jim Jarmusch

Storyline

Today, Manhattan is a byword for overpriced property, overexposed landmarks and overdressed fashionistas. In the late 70s, however, it was rat-infested, crime-crippled, cheap and nasty - somewhere for America to dump its immigrants, poor people and artists. Music, art, fashion and filmmaking burgeoned, fueled by drugs, dares, fads, feuds, and a fair helping of madness.

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Taglines:

New Cinema. New Wave. New York.

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Genres:

Documentary

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 April 2011 (USA)

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$13,989 (USA) (8 April 2011)

Gross:

$116,037 (USA) (22 July 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Insurgent Media, Pure Fragment Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Color:

Color

User Reviews

Awesome documentary tracing the youth of some of our favorite figures in film

I was really intrigued by this film and found myself very satisfied with the content and execution. Considering the amount of emphasis placed on the rise of independent film and the fall of the studio system, the amount of time talking about the following generation pales in comparison. Independent film never disappeared, it just became briefly overshadowed by larger block-buster films like The Godfather, Jaws, Star Wars. Granted, these are all enjoyable films, but it's refreshing to see a glimpse into the lives of the independent filmmakers of the 1970's. It's sort of a testament to the idea that these now-pivotal figures didn't necessarily struggle through obscurity as much they reveled in it, instead embracing an anarchistic style of creativity that really came to define them and make them such poignant artists.