Filmed over the course of three years, this portrait of fashion colossus Yves Saint Laurent’s final show was suppressed right after its first and only public screening at the 2007 Berlin Film Festival. The film was blocked by YSL’s business (and on-and-off romantic) partner Pierre Berge, who objected to the couturier’s portrayal as frail and not quite all there, and to his own depiction of being the behind the scenes mastermind. The dynamic between the two is said to have inspired Paul Thomas Anderson’s depiction of Daniel Day-Lewis and Lesley Manville’s characters in Phantom Thread.

Fortunately, Berge relented in 2015 (he died in 2017), and thus Celebration is finally available. Director Olivier Meyrou presents an opulent and immersive behind-the-scenes look at haute couture designer Yves Saint Laurent’s final show and is a priceless addition to our understanding of the man, the myth, la marque, that is Yves Saint Laurent.

Starring: Marika Engelhardt, Grace Smith, Ireon Roach, Kayla Carter, Tim Hopper

Knives and Skin follows the investigation of a young girl’s disappearance in a stylized version of a rural Midwest town that hovers just above reality, led by an inexperienced local sheriff. Unusual coping techniques develop among the traumatized small-town residents with each new secret revealed. The ripple of fear and suspicion destroys some relationships and strengthens others. The backdrop of trauma colors quintessential rituals—classrooms, dances, courtship, football games—in which the teenagers experience an accelerated loss of innocence while their parents are forced to confront adulthood failures. This mystical teen noir presents coming of age as a lifelong process and examines the profound impact of grief.

Starring: Matthias Freihof, Dagmar Manzel, Dirk Kummer

As a boy, Philipp was strongly attracted to his best friend, but he put that behind him in order to live within the “norm.” He meets a shy girl who falls for him, and soon the couple is sharing an apartment. But Philipp cannot deny his passionate desire for a young man. After years of repressing his sexuality, he finally accepts himself for who he truly is.

Hailed as the first and only feature film about gay life ever produced in communist East Germany, Coming Out premiered on the night the Berlin Wall opened, November 9, 1989.

Starring: Jocelyn DeBoer, Dawn Luebbe, Beck Bennett, Neil Casey, Mary Holland, D’Arcy Carden

In a day-glo-colored, bizarro version of suburbia where adults wear braces on their already-straight teeth, everyone drives golf carts, and children magically turn into golden retrievers, soccer moms and best friends Jill (Jocelyn DeBoer) and Lisa (Dawn Luebbe) are locked in a passive aggressive battle-of-the-wills that takes a turn into the sinister when Lisa begins systematically taking over every aspect of Jill’s life—starting with her newborn daughter. Meanwhile, a psycho yoga teacher killer is on the loose, Jill’s husband (Beck Bennett) has developed a curious taste for pool water, and Lisa is pregnant with a soccer ball. That’s just the tip of the gloriously weird iceberg that is the feature debut from writers-directors Jocelyn DeBoer and Dawn Luebbe, a hilariously demented, Stepford Wives-on-acid satire destined to be an instant cult classic.

This special screening includes exclusive content only available in theaters.

Creating a unique mix of punk, emo and trap, Lil Peep was set to bring a new musical genre to the mainstream when he died of a drug overdose at just 21 years old. From the streets of Long Beach and Los Angeles to studios in London and sold out tours in Russia, the artist born Gustav Ahr touched countless lives through his words, his sound and his very being. During a sweeping journey from the depths of the underground to a meteoric rise through the music industry, Gus wrestled with what it meant to be Lil Peep and in turn, what Lil Peep meant to so many. Everybody’s Everything is an intimate, humanistic portrait that seeks to understand an artist who attempted to be all things to all people.

Starring: Jane Wyman, Rock Hudson, Conrad Nagel, Agnes Moorehead, Virginia Grey, Gloria Talbott

This heartbreakingly beautiful indictment of 1950s American mores by Douglas Sirk follows the blossoming love between a well-off widow (Jane Wyman) and her handsome and earthy younger gardener (Rock Hudson). When their romance prompts the scorn of her children and country club friends, she must decide whether to pursue her own happiness or carry on a lonely, hemmed-in existence for the sake of the approval of others. With the help of ace cinematographer Russell Metty, Sirk imbues nearly every shot with a vivid and distinct emotional tenor. A profoundly felt film about class and conformity in small-town America, All That Heaven Allows is a pinnacle of expressionistic Hollywood melodrama.

In the early 1980’s, a small group of dedicated Bay Area headbangers shunned the hard rock of MTV and Hollywood hairspray bands in favor of a more dangerous brand of metal that became known as thrash. From the tape trading network to the clubs to the record stores and fanzines, director Adam Dubin reveals how the scene nurtured the music and the music spawned a movement.

Murder In The Front Row is told through powerful first person testimony and stunning animation and photography. The film is a social study of a group of young people defying the odds and building something essential for themselves. Featuring interviews with Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax, Exodus, Testament, Death Angel, Possessed, CrumbHead and many more. Narrated by Brian Posehn.

Encore show added Friday nite!

The 2019 Nitehawk Shorts Festival MUSIC DRIVEN program offers a series of music videos and short form documentaries that highlight music as a diverse expression of self at any age.

Programmed by Liz Zimiles, John Woods, and Kris King.

Q&A WITH FILMMAKERS
PROGRAM

E_GO
ALIMZHAN ALAN SABIR / CANADA / 2019 / DANCE, EXPERIMENTAL / 3 MIN / NEW YORK PREMIERE
An analysis of the dualistic nature of the ego mind and its role in shaping one’s identity and self perspective.

MITSKI – A PEARL
SAAD MOOSAJEE, ART CAMP, & DANAE GOSSET  / U.S.A. / 2019 / ANIMATION, MUSIC VIDEO / 2 1/2 MIN
An emotional rollercoaster ride that takes you past the edge of the world and into a landscape of heartbreak, intricately realized through a breakthrough combination of 3D animation and hand-painted frames.

BILL’S RECORDS
CHUCK PRZYBYL / U.S.A / 2017 / DOCUMENTARY / 10 MIN / NEW YORK PREMIERE
73 year old Bill Wisener, record store proprietor of 42 years, has a massive collection of hundreds of thousands of records. He’s an inspired person who reflects on dealing with loneliness and a life lived in a record store.

NO AVOCADOS IN THE GHETTO
JOHN CONNOR HAMMOND / U.S.A. / 2019 / MUSIC VIDEO / 4 MIN
A satirical and musical take on the issue of food deserts. Song by Dekunle.

GIRLS JUST WANNA
STEPHANIA DULOWSKI / U.S.A. / 2019 / MUSIC VIDEO / 16MM & 8MM TO DIGITAL / 4 MIN
A gentle ode to the young women who shape New York with their own unapologetic vibrancies. After all, girls just want to have fun.

END OF TUNNEL
SAM SULAM / U.S.A. / 2019 / DOCUMENTARY / 16MM TO DIGITAL / 5 1/2 MIN / NEW YORK PREMIERE
Henny Mack ruminates on his past failures and how he uses positive feedback as a freestyle rap MC to propel him away from the negativity in his neighborhood.

WHACK WORLD
THIBAUT DUVERNEIX / CANADA / 2019 / MUSIC VIDEO / 15 MIN
Official video of a 15-minute visual album for Tierra Whack, WHACK WORLD, consisting of 15 scenes combining grotesque and absurd situations, which convey the quirky imagination of the rapper.

SKIN I’M IN
CODY BUESING / U.S.A. / 2019 / MUSIC VIDEO, EXPERIMENTAL / 3 MIN / NEW YORK PREMIERE
An original music video for the Brooklyn-based band Ghost Funk Orchestra.

SALVATORE GANACCI: HORSE
VEDRAN RUPIC / SWEDEN / 2019 / MUSIC VIDEO / 3 MIN
This bizarre music video is a revenge tale lead by Gannacci’s Swedish beats and a smattering of taxidermy animals.

DEATH METAL GRANDMA
LEAH GALANT / U.S.A. / 2018 / DOCUMENTARY / 13 MIN
97 year-old Holocaust Survivor Inge Ginsberg decides to break out as a death metal singer.

ROLLER SKATES
MICAH BUZAN / U.S.A. / 2017 / MUSIC VIDEO / 4 MIN
Music Video from Nick Hakim’s debut album “Green Twins,” animation by Micah Buzan.

JESUS CHRIST IS VERY NICE (MARTHA STEWART IS SEVENTY SEVEN)
MAURICE (DEVAN JOSEPH & JASON GAINES) / U.S.A. / 2019 / MUSIC VIDEO / 2 MIN / WORLD PREMIERE
A paranormal video that touches on Martha Stewart’s age and Jesus Christ’s demeanor.

LOVELY
CAROLINE WILLIAMS / U.S.A. / 2019 / MUSIC VIDEO / 4 MIN
In glimpses of her daily routine, a young mother’s frequent consultation of a smartphone appears to influence her decision to enhance her appearance despite the beauty already present on her face and in her life.

CLOSE 2 ME – LADY JAMES MONROE
LAURA MOSS / U.S.A. / 2019 / MUSIC VIDEO / 16MM TO DIGITAL / 3 MIN / WORLD PREMIERE
Halloween night, New York City. A woman becomes haunted by a face in the crowd that she starts to imagine everywhere.

The Nitehawk Shorts Festival and NoBudge (the online platform spotlighting the best in low-budget indie filmmaking) have partnered to present a program of seven short films that are either currently or will soon premiere on NoBudge.com. (84 min).

Programmed by Caryn Coleman and Kentucker Audley.

Q&A WITH FILMMAKERS
PROGRAM

IN FULL BLOOM
MAEGAN HOUANG / U.S.A. / 2019 / FANTASY, SCIENCE-FICTION, DRAMA  / 11 MIN
Cecile, an older Vietnamese-American hoarder, has her life upended when worms open a black hole in her house and threaten to take all her stuff.

MARIPOSA
KRISTIAN MERCADO FIGUEROA / U.S.A. / 2019 / EXPERIMENTAL / 16MM TO DIGITAL / ENGLISH & SPANISH WITH SUBTITLES / 7 MIN
Mariposa is a poetic exploration on single motherhood (shot in Spanish Harlem and Puerto Rico).

DAY ONE
ARIELLE GOLDMAN / U.S.A. / 2019 / DRAMA / 10 MIN / NEW YORK PREMIERE
A woman prepares for her day whilst on her period.

LA BRUJA
ELIZA COSSIO & HAYLEY KOSAN / U.S.A. / 2019 / COMEDY, DRAMA /  ENGLISH & SPANISH WITH SUBTITLES / 17 MIN
A woman meets a witch who offers to help her after a break up.

BENNIFER
RYAN MCGLADE / U.S.A. / 2018 / COMEDY & DRAMA / 16MM TO DIGITAL / 13 MIN
Jed’s family isn’t how he remembered it.

SWALLOW GRASS SNAKES
PEPI GINSBERG / U.S.A. / 2018 / DRAMA / 7 MIN / WORLD PREMIERE
Devin is the star of a sex video that goes viral. When she meets an over-eager fan she is forced to decide how she will protect herself and her young sister from the perils of internet fame.

DOMINANT SPECIES
JOSEPH SACKETT / U.S.A. / 2019 / SCIENCE FICTION, LGBTQ / 19 MIN
10 aliens in human host bodies learn how to be men.

Encore show added Saturday nite!

The Nitehawk Shorts Festival MIDNITE program continues to bring the very best in new genre voices onto the big screen. This program of twelve international shorts highlight a range of fright; from tense coming-of-age thrillers to the kind of creepy tales that keep you up at night.

Programmed by Caryn Coleman and Sam Zimmerman.

Q&A WITH FILMMAKERS

PROGRAM

WHITEOUT
LANCE EDMANDS / U.S.A. / 2019 / THRILLER, COMEDY / 11 MIN
When a young couple encounter a strange old man wandering in a snowstorm, they must decide if he needs help or if he has more sinister intentions.

IT’S BEEN TOO LONG
AMBER SCHAEFER / U.S.A. / 2019 / COMEDY / 8 MIN
Two ex-lovers meet at a rarely-used Aspen lodge to reignite their passions, but first they must confess their past sins.

THE BOOGEYWOMAN
ERICA SCOGGINS / U.S.A. / 2019 / THRILLER / 18 MIN
In the fever of her first period, a curious teenager is drawn to her small town’s local legend, only to find that the “Boogeywoman” is flesh and blood–the mother she never had.

Z-GOAT: FIRST BLEAT
JULIEN JAUNIAUX & BERTRAND LEPLAE / BELGIUM / 2019 / HORROR / FRENCH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES / 13 1/2 MIN
The year is 2078. Run if you can. Crawl if you must. Z-GOAT will tear you apart anyway!

THE TAXIDERMIST
NATALIE JOHNSON / U.S.A. / 2019 / HORROR / 8 MIN
Claire, a woman taxidermist grieves her recent, late-term miscarriage that she has in the middle of the night in her taxidermy shop.

SHE
ZENA S. DIXON / U.S.A. / 2018 / 2 MIN / WORLD PREMIERE
She teases the audience with a tale of an unknown city where a group of women bond over a sinister game. As the story unfolds, the audience is entangled with competitiveness and conspiracy.

THE FOLLOWER
STEPHANIE SZERLIP / U.S.A. / 2019 / THRILLER / 16MM TO DIGITAL / 12 MIN / NEW YORK PREMIERE
A misunderstood teen with dreams of escaping her dreary suburban life is tempted by a would-be internet stalker in this Southern Gothic stranger-danger tale. Based on the 1966 Joyce Carol Oates story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”

DIDDIE WA DIDDIE
JOSHUA ERKMAN / U.S.A / 2019 / SCIENCE FICTION / ENGLISH & FRENCH WITH SUBTITLES / 8 MIN / NEW YORK PREMIERE
A French speaking otherworldly creature shows a recently separated couple what their true emotional needs and desires are.

THE HITCHHIKER
ADELE VUKO / AUSTRALIA / 2019 / HORROR / 13 MIN / NEW YORK PREMIERE
Jade hits the road to Byron Bay with two besties, resolving to keep her terminal diagnosis on the down-low. When an enigmatic hitchhiker makes her an offer, she finds it hard to refuse.

TWIST
ALY MIGLIORI / U.S.A. / 2019 / THRILLER / 10 MIN / BROOKLYN PREMIERE
No choice but to walk home alone, Hannah sees an opportunity for a ride, but others see an opportunity in her.

THE REFLECTION
LOUIS-DAVID JUTRAS / CANADA / 2019 / THRILLER / FRENCH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES / 5 MIN / NEW YORK PREMIERE
Trapped and alone in her apartment, Anais tries to escape this entity that manifests itself only through reflection.

THE ONLY THING I LOVE MORE THAN YOU IS RANCH DRESSING
SYDNEY CLARA BRAFMAN / U.S.A. / 2018 / HORROR, COMEDY / 1 MIN
Ranch. Dipped. Chicken. Fingers.