Tally Brown, New York

Both a loving portrait of a larger-than-life personality and a vivid record of New York’s 1970s downtown demimonde, this captivating documentary follows Tally Brown—cabaret chanteuse, underground film star, and a staple of Andy Warhol’s Factory—as she takes filmmaker Rosa von Praunheim on a tour through the grit and glamour of the city that made her. Capturing Brown’s mesmerizing performances (including her breathtaking bilingual cover of David Bowie’s “Heroes”) as well as her social world among fellow queer cult icons like Holly Woodlawn, Divine, and Taylor Mead, TALLY BROWN, NEW YORK is an essential snapshot of a scene that has passed into legend.

2K restoration by the Deutsche Kinemathek.

Summer Tour

SUMMER TOUR is a poetic documentary that follows Jerry and Annie, a magnetic young couple devoted to the music and community of Dead & Company, as they journey across America for the band’s final tour. Blending intimate portraiture with lyrical road imagery, the film captures the essence of the Deadhead experience: an unconventional family bound together by music, freedom, and the open road. At once a love story and a celebration of a uniquely American tradition of wandering, SUMMER TOUR reflects on what it means to seek belonging, adventure, and transcendence in a fleeting moment of cultural history.

Official Selection: Telluride Film Festival

River’s Edge

On the bank of a river lies the naked body of a brutally murdered young girl. At the nearby high school, Samson brags to Matt and his friends about how he killed her. Matt suddenly finds himself in a troubling position: should he do what he thinks is right, or should he keep quiet and live with this demon for the rest of his life?

Screening as part of Waverly Midnights: Think of the Children

La Retaguardia (The Ones Who Stay)

Cuba is experiencing one of the most severe crises since its revolution. “LA RETAGUARDIA (THE ONES WHO STAY)”  follows four artists in Havana grappling with staying behind in the midst of massive migration. Devon, Tomás, Elephanto and Israa are young, creative, ambitious — and haunted by the question of whether to stay or leave their home. As they press on with their work and their lives, they both reflect the crisis and resist it.

Wild Style

Thursday, July 2 at 7:00: Q&A with director Charlie Ahearn after the screening

Endlessly sampled, imitated and debated, WILD STYLE is the truest portrait of hip-hop’s adolescence and remains one of the most important music films of the 20th century.

In this groundbreaking hybrid of fiction and documentary from filmmaker Charlie Ahearn, lone graffiti artist Lee “Zoro” Quiñones studies for success on his own terms while mingling with some of the coolest people to have ever walked the earth. Featuring historic and electric live performances by Grandmaster Flash, Busy Bee, The Fantastic Five, The Cold Crush Brothers, and The Rock Steady Crew, WILD STYLE’s influence and soul-affirming power cannot be understated—this is cinema for the people.

Screening as part of our series Declaration of Independents!

See more and save! Get an Independents Pack ($30 for IFC Center members and $45 for non-members). Ticket packs are good for any three screenings in the series.

Variety

Wednesday, July 8 at 6:45: Q&A with director Bette Gordon after the screening

The sexually charged tale of a woman’s journey of self discovery, VARIETY is a fascinating independent film that challenges common notions about feminism and pornography. Emerging out of the underground NYC arts scene that produced the late 80s boom in American independent cinema, VARIETY contains the contributions of an impressive array of talent, including cinematographer Tom DiCillo (Living in Oblivion), actor Luis Guzman (Boogie Nights), a script by the late cult novelist Kathy Acker, and a score by actor and musician John Lurie (Stranger than Paradise). The film stars Sandy McLeod as a woman who takes a job selling tickets at a Times Square porn theatre, gradually becoming drawn into the life a gangster (Richard Davidson). Will Patton, Spalding Grey and Nan Goldin co-star. Joining Gordon for a post-screening discussion will be a panel of talent from the film’s cast and crew including Luis Guzman, Will Patton, Sandy McLeod and others to be announced.

Screening as part of our series Declaration of Independents!

See more and save! Get an Independents Pack ($30 for IFC Center members and $45 for non-members). Ticket packs are good for any three screenings in the series.

Twice as Nice + Dreams of Passion

Thursday, June 9 at 9:00: Introduction by DREAMS OF PASSION director Aarin Burch

TWICE AS NICE
The second feature by pioneering director Jessie Maple is a wonderfully relaxed, comic portrait of twin sister basketball players Caren and Camilla Parker (played by real-life twins and NCAA basketball stars Pamela and Paula McGee) competing to be the first draft pick in the women’s professional league (here, the “MBA,” anticipating the future WNBA). With her keen eye for telling details honed through her documentary work, Maple explores questions of sisterhood, ambition, and what it means to succeed as a young Black woman in America.

Screening with DREAMS OF PASSION (dir. Aarin Burch, 1989, 5 min)
Through her groundbreaking cinematic lens, Bay Area-based filmmaker Aarin Burch explores Black lesbian artistic expression and desire. With “Dreams of Passion” Burch, a trained dancer, uses the intimacy of a dance studio as a playground of movement, touch, and affection between contemporary dancers Matima Hadi and Debra Floyd. Burch’s tender eye depicts the earliest known same-sex kiss between Black women on screen.

DREAMS OF PASSION has been remastered by the University of Chicago Film Studies Center in collaboration with Colorlab. Support for restoration was provided by the National Film Preservation Foundation. A Milestone Films release.

Screening as part of our series Declaration of Independents!

See more and save! Get an Independents Pack ($30 for IFC Center members and $45 for non-members). Ticket packs are good for any three screenings in the series.

Tokyo Pop

Friday, July 3 at 7:20: Q&A with director Fran Rubel Kuzui

Bleach-blonde wannabe rocker Wendy (Carrie Hamilton) is disillusioned with her life in New York City. After receiving a postcard from Japan saying “wish you were here,” she spontaneously hops on a plane to Tokyo with dreams of making it big as a singer. Quickly finding herself broke and a fish out of water, she moves into a youth hostel for gaijin (foreigners) and takes up work as a hostess at a karaoke bar. Just when she’s at her breaking point, she meets Hiro (Diamond Yukai), a rock ‘n’ roller whose band is looking for their big break. They form a romantic and musical connection and Hiro convinces Wendy to become their lead singer. Through a combination of hustle and luck, they stumble into their 15 minutes of fame, but Wendy soon comes to realize that being a gaijin rocker may be nothing more than a passing fad. An underseen gem of ‘80s American independent cinema by Fran Rubel Kuzui (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), TOKYO POP takes us on a breezy tour through bubble era Tokyo, replete with knowing nods to the city’s vibrant pop culture.

4K Restoration by IndieCollect, with support from Dolly Parton & Carol Burnett.

Screening as part of our series Declaration of Independents!

See more and save! Get an Independents Pack ($30 for IFC Center members and $45 for non-members). Ticket packs are good for any three screenings in the series.

Seeing Red

Friday, July 3 at 4:50: Q&A with co-director Jim Klein after the screening

A film about passionate commitment, numbing disillusionment and renewal, SEEING RED is an informed look at the hopes and aspirations of more than a million people who joined the American Communist Party between the Great Depression and the Cold War, and were transformed by their experience. Fighting for the causes of unionization, unemployment and Social Security benefits, and the eight-hour day, they committed themselves to what they believed was the right way for America.

One of the most widely seen theatrical documentaries of the 1980s, SEEING RED premiered at the Telluride and New York Film Festivals and played in nearly 100 cities, including a 10-week run in New York City.

4K Restoration by IndieCollect

Screening as part of our series Declaration of Independents!

See more and save! Get an Independents Pack ($30 for IFC Center members and $45 for non-members). Ticket packs are good for any three screenings in the series.

School Daze

Friday, July 1 at 6:40: Q&A with director Spike Lee moderated by Ashley Clark (Curatorial Director of Criterion Collection) after the screening

Innovative filmmaker Spike Lee brings to the screen a music-filled, offbeat contemporary comedy that takes an unforgettable look at Black college life. Amidst gala coronations, football, fraternities, parades and parties, the stars of the film – Laurence Fishburne (“Dap” Dunlap), an intense student who encourages his buddies (“DaFellas”) to fight for his beliefs; Giancarlo Esposito (Julian “Big Brother Almighty” Eaves), out to strengthen the Greek system with his Gamma PhiGamma fraternity brothers; Spike Lee (“Half-Pint”), driven to become a “Gamma man”; and Tisha Campbell (Jane Toussaint), leader of the sorority, “Gamma Rays,” find themselves caught up in romance and relationships/rituals and rivalries during one outrageous homecoming weekend. With dynamic music, including EU’s hit “Da Butt”, and dance numbers choreographed by Otis Sallid (Fame), Lee successfully challenges viewpoints about self-identity and self-esteem in this original, contemporary musical comedy.

Screening as part of our series Declaration of Independents!

See more and save! Get an Independents Pack ($30 for IFC Center members and $45 for non-members). Ticket packs are good for any three screenings in the series.