The nine shorts in the CLOSING NITE screening at the Nitehawk Shorts Festival highlight bonded families, searching for a sense of belonging, and the effects of media on individuals. Q&A with filmmakers.
LIKE GLASS
ANDREW K. MEYER / U.S.A. / 2017 / DRAMA / 20 MINS / NEW YORK PREMIERE
A club kid grappling with their identity finds liberation in NYC nightlife, while haunted by the pressures of societal norms.
MAMMA, MAMMA
JOSE FERNANDO RODRIGUEZ / PUERTO RICO, U.S.A. / 2018 / DOCUMENTARY, HYBRID / 9 MINS
A son films his middle-aged mother as she undertakes a hallucinatory trip down memory lane.
STREAKERS
BRIELLE BRILLIANT / U.S.A. / 2018 / DRAMA / 11 MINS / NEW YORK PREMIERE
A little girl decides to become a Streaker to distract from her sister’s violent behavior.
THE MATRIX061792
TYNAN DELONG / U.S.A. / 2017 / COMEDY / 6 MINS
A group of friends try to remake THE MATRIX.
MAMA JANE
LISA MARIE HALL / U.S.A. / 2018 / DRAMA / 11:30 MINS / NEW YORK PREMIERE
An imminent death in the family puts a spotlight on the complex relationship of a free-spirited mother and her twenty-something daughter.
BOOMERANG
MATTHEW FROST / U.S.A. / 2018 / COMEDY / 9 MINS / NEW YORK PREMIERE
Our heroine JEN, a regular girl-next-door, tries to quit Instagram.
READY FOR LOVE
DYLAN PASTURE AND LAUREN MCCUNE / U.S.A. / 2017 / COMEDY, DRAMA / 15 MINS / NEW YORK PREMIERE
Amber Lynn Weatherbee knows that the right man is out there. Maybe he’s on The Bachelor?
THE MESS HE MADE
MATTHEW PUCCINI / U.S.A. / 2017 / DRAMA / 10 MINS
A man waits for the results of a Rapid HIV Test in a small town strip mall.
ROADSIDE ATTRACTION
IVETE LUCAS AND PATRICK BRESNAN / U.S.A. / 2017 / DOCUMENTARY / 9:30 MINS / NEW YORK PREMIERE
Palm Beach International Airport’s newest snowbird has become one of the fastest growing roadside attractions in the United States.
Starring: Benfors ‘Wee Do, Boyd Banda, Kalundu Banda
After a minor incident in her village, nine-year-old Shula is exiled to a traveling witch camp where she is told that if she tries to escape she will be transformed into a goat. As she navigates through her new life with her fellow witches and a government official who espouses her, exploiting her innocence for his own gain, she must decide whether to accept her fate or risk the consequences of seeking freedom.
Starring: Katie Douglas, Celina Martin, Sara Canning
Having spent their entire lives trapped in a prison-like school, the teenage girls of Vestalis Academy must follow a strict educational system that enforces conforming to “The Feminine Virtues.” They are forced to follow the school’s rules for fear of extreme punishment – with the light at the end of the tunnel being adoption to a loving upper class family. Sixteen-year-olds Vivien and Sophia, who have reached the final level of the school are on the cusp of adoption, until they learn the horrifying truth about the academy.
Canadian filmmaker Danishka Esterhazy crafts a cold female-centric satire featuring striking imagery of a dystopian society. Loaded with charismatic performances, LEVEL 16 is an intense and cerebral experience like no other. Sure to get under your skin by the finale, Esterhazy will take you on a journey through the past, complete with characters named after classic Hollywood stars to express a sharp, feminist critique.
Starring: Vanessa Paradis, Kate Moran, Nicolas Maury
Known for productions like Anal Fury and Homocidal, successful gay porn producer Anne (Vanessa Paradis) takes her skin flicks as seriously as the most greatness-minded auteur would his or her own prestige dramas. But Anne isn’t the only one who’s infatuated with her company’s films—one by one, and in an exceedingly brutal fashion, someone is butchering Anne’s actors. As she tracks down the killer, Anne begins recreating the murders as part of an elaborate new project, all while losing track of what’s real, who’s dead, and who’s next on the chopping block.
Shot on 35mm and featuring a killer retro score from M83, Yann Gonzalez’s Knife + Heart is an ultra-stylish and blood-soaked ode to ’70s-era De Palma, Argento, and Friedkin. The kills are impeccably staged and gruesome, the performances are campy and spot-on, and the whodunit twists are relentless. Take note, slasher and giallo fans: This will be your new obsession.
Starring: Duane Jones, Judith O’Dea, Karl Hardman
NEW YORK PREMIERE! New 35mm print struck from the 2016 4K digital restoration by MoMA and the Film Foundation, taken from the original camera negative and overseen by George A. Romero. Print courtesy Image Ten.
What can be said about George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead? Not only did it give birth to the modern notion of what a “zombie” is and provided a socio-political context in which we can view the zombie (and horror film as a genre) but it is also one of the most important films of the 20th century. A true case of underground filmmaking capturing the current climate, Night of the Living Dead shows what happens when seven strangers wind up in a barnhouse during the beginning of the zombie apocalypse. And while the dead are rising, it’s the alive ones they really have to worry about.
This screening features the new digital restoration by MoMA and The Film Foundation. Drawing upon the original camera negative, which was carefully guarded over the years by the members of Image Ten, the Pittsburgh partnership that originally produced it, MoMA and The Film Foundation have returned the film to its full, original glory.
Starring: Max von Sydow, Liv Ullmann, Gertrud Fridh
While vacationing on a remote Scandanavian island with his younger pregnant wife, an artist has an emotional breakdown while confronting his repressed desires.
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Andrea Riseborough, Linus Roache, Bill Duke, Richard Brake
Part of our recipe book series NITEHAWK CINEMA PRESENTS. Show your ticket at the bar after the movie to buy a copy of the book for only $20!
Pacific Northwest. 1983 AD. Outsiders Red Miller and Mandy Bloom lead a loving and peaceful existence. When their pine-scented haven is savagely destroyed by a cult led by the sadistic Jeremiah Sand, Red is catapulted into a phantasmagoric journey filled with bloody vengeance and laced with fire.
Starring: Jacques Tati, Jean-Pierre Zola, Adrienne Servantie, Lucien Frégis
Monsieur Hulot’s brother-in-law is the manager of a factory where plastics are manufactured. His nephew grows up in a house where everything is fully automated and the boy is raised in a similar fashion. To take away the influence of the uncle on his son, his brother-in-law gets Hulot a job in his factory.
Starring: Philippe Nahon, Blandine Lenoir, Frankie Pain
A horse meat butcher’s life and mind begin to breakdown as he lashes out against various factions of society while attempting to reconnect with his estranged daughter.
Comedian Kevin Maher hosts a two-hour video variety show celebrating the work of David Cronenberg (Videodrome, A History of Violence, The Fly). The evening includes a close look at his early films, his television directing, his work as an actor and much more. It’s a night of body horror, transhumanist biomech and film footage that’s bold and bizarre. Long live the new flesh!
with special guests:
Amber Dextrous (from Kevin Geeks Out About Famous Monsters)
Matt Glasson (editor, filmmaker)
Bill Scurry (filmmaker and Podcaster)
Caroline Symons (writer, SUSAN VAGINAHANDS: ATTORNEY AT LAW)
Camila Jones (Mistress of Ceremonies)
Marcus Pinn (creator of Pinnland Empire website and co-host of the ZEBRAS IN AMERICA podcast)
plus John Cribbs & Christopher Funderburg (creators of the website ThePinkSmoke.com)
See why BestNewYorkComedy.com called the show “ONE OF THE BEST SHOWS IN NYC” and SyFy.com called Kevin an “insane genius.”
