Blank City: documentary about '70s-'80s NYC underground film

StyleKouncil's Kat Yeh points us to a trailer for Blank City, a new documentary about the New York City underground film scene of the late 1970s and early 1980s. What an amazing, inspiring, gritty, and creative period that must have been. From the film description:

Directed by French newcomer Céline Danhier, BLANK CITY weaves together an oral history of the “No Wave Cinema” and “Cinema of Transgression” movements through compelling interviews with the luminaries who began it all. Featured players include acclaimed directors Jim Jarmusch and John Waters, actor-writer-director Steve Buscemi, Blondie’s Debbie Harry, hip-hop legend Fab 5 Freddy, Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth, photographer Richard Kern as well as Amos Poe, James Nares, Eric Mitchell, Susan Seidelman, Beth B, Scott B, Charlie Ahearn and Nick Zedd. Fittingly, the soundtrack includes: Patti Smith, Television, Richard Hell & The Voidoids, The Contortions, The Bush Tetras, Sonic Youth and many more.

Blank City (film site)

"Blank Generation, Blank City," interviews with director Céline Danhier, Pat Place, and Amos Poe (WNYC)

David Pescovitz is Boing Boing's co-editor/managing partner. He's also a research director at Institute for the Future. On Instagram, he's @pesco.

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pauldavis

What an amazing, inspiring, gritty, and creative period that must have been.

funny, that’s not what i remember being said at the time.

but .. same as it ever was, eh?
Anonymous

Hit me with your rhythm stick!
drivenbyboredom

It was one of the most inspiring films (although equally frustrating and depressing) I have seen in ages. I need to get it on DVD to watch whenever I am feeling creatively stifled. I went out and shot three rolls of film the night I saw it.

Plus my friend Daze is interviewed in it which I was not at all expecting and was very cool.

Less than 15 minutes ago I just wrote a story of a productive week I had which was sort of started off by watching Blank City last weekend.

http://www.drivenbyboredom.com/2011/05/27/story-time/
dia sobin

Thanks for the memories, David! I lived in a tiny room in an area described as a “shooting gallery” on the lower East side… inking a comic strip entitled “Fear of Living” at the time. I just caught the end of what was, in retrospect, (apparently) a pretty cool period. But, trust me, it was also bullshit.
Jenonymous

Holy crap, I am so seeing this. Am I the only one who remembers some of the stuff on old UHF or PBS?