“Kings of the City” Graffiti Festival at the Maysles Cinema

343 Lenox Ave
(127th and 128th streets)

Please direct all press inquries to:
cinema@mayslesfilms.com
or contact Philip Maysles at:
212-582-6050 ext 218

Kings of the City at the Maysles Cinema

May 1st – May 27th

- Throughout the month of May, The Maysles Cinema presents “Kings of the City,” a selection of rare and classic documentaries that examine the emergence of graffiti as an art form and culture in New York City, and its influence in Europe culture and back again.  The series will include a month long Graffiti Art gallery (all sales go to the Graffiti Art education non-profit, “The Walls Belong to Us.”)

- The Maysles Cinema: The Best Spot for Film Geeks

“For a $7 suggested donation per screening, you can catch rarely seen documentaries, often followed by discussions and/or appearances by the filmmakers.  What it lacks in stadium seating and surround sound, it makes up in sheer character and inventive programming.”

– New York Magazine (2009 Best of New York)

Please direct all press, requests for reservations, and series passes to cinema@mayslesfilms.com

Friday, May 1st 7pm KET ONE Presents: The Master Class with Straight Man aka Lava One and Two Dream City Dir. Steve Siegel, 1986, 7 min. Excerpts from Steve Siegel’s Dream City with loads of trains from the good old days.Stations of the Elevated: Dir. Manfred Kirchheimer, 1980, 45 min. Director Manfred Kirchheimer presents his cult classic art film with music by Charles Mingus. Director Manfred Kirchheimer will be present for the q&a. Opening Cocktail Reception following screening Saturday, May 2nd 3:00 pm Stylewars Dir. Tony Silver, 1984, 70 min. All City Dir. Henry Chalfant, 1985, 16 min. From Here to Canarsie Dir. Henry Chalfant, 1987, 21 min. Henry Chalfant has been one the most energetic documentarians of New York graffiti over the years. Henry will be available for book signings and will also present a slideshow with unpublished photos from the 80s. Graffiti artist Skeme’s unforgettable mom, Barbara Andalcio, from the film Stylewars and former Transit Police officer Conrad Lesnewski of Hickey & Ski fame will also be available for the q&a. 7:00pm Kings of Broadway Dir. Chris “Freedom” Pape, 1998, 22 min. In the 80s while some NYC writers went the gallery route other writers were kinging the legendary Broadway lines. This film tells the story of the latter and features the writers Ali, Bama, Crash, Ket, Part, Stan 153, Terror 161 and Zephyr. Bombin’ Dir. Dick Fontaine, 1987, 58 min. Join Brim from Tats Cru as he crosses the Atlantic to get up. This rarely seen film also includes Bio from Tats Crew as well as the musician Goldie from the UK. Tats Cru, also known as “the Mural Kings,” is a Bronx based crew of prominent writers that made the transition from trains to commissioned walls. Wednesday, May 6th 7:00pm Graffiti Post Graffiti Dir. Paul Tschinkel, 1984, 26 min. This lesser known film deals with the initial interest from the established art scene in graffiti. The film features art dealers Sidney Janis and Tony Shafrazi and artists like Crash, Lady Pink, Fab 5 Freddie, Jean-Michel Basquiat among others. Inside Outside Dir. Andreas Johnson and Nis Boye Rasmussen, 2005, 57 min. Inside Outside presents some key figures from the current graffiti inspired street art scene including Zevs from Paris, Swoon, KR and Earsnot from NYC, Ron English from Jersey City, Adam & Itso from Sweden and Denmark, and and Os Gemeos and Pigmeus from Sao Paulo. Wednesday, May 13th 7:00pm Cope 2 Documentary Preview Dir. Carl Weston & Sascha Jenkins, 2009, 15 min. See a preview of this work in progress on Bronx legend Cope 2 from the team behind the infamous “Video Graff” series. Writers Dir. Resistance Films, 2004, 90 min. This film tells the story of the Parisian graffiti scene from 1983-2003. The film includes interviews with Henry Chalfant, Futura 2000, Seen UA, Mode 2, JonOne, Bando CTK among many other legendary French writers. Wednesday, May 20th 7:00pm Forbidden Rebels 1983, 29 min. A documentary on the New York scene made in 1983 featuring Dez aka DJ Kay Slay, Sharp, Delta, Spin and G-Man. With bombed trains for days. Kroonjuwelen Dir. Stunnedfilm, 2006, 76 min. The Dutch documentary Kroonjuwelen tells the story of one of the oldest and most important graffiti scenes in Europe. Some of the writers featured are Quik from New York and Delta, Shoe, Zap and High. Wednesday, May 27th 7:00pm Tunnel Vision Dir. Reid van Renesse, 2003, 2 min. This short film with footage shot in 1983 shows Zephyr, Min One and Revolt painting a wall. Reid van Renesse will be present for the q&a. Spraymasters Dir. Manfred Kirchheimer, 2008, 85 min. Spraymasters follows up on some legendary writers from the 70s and 80s. The film includes Lady Pink, Lee, Futura 2000 and Zephyr and lots and lots of trains. Manfred Kirchheimer will be present for post screening discussion.

www.mayslesinstitute.org