Style Wars
Part of BAMcinématek
Thu, Sep 9 at 4:30, 6:50*, 9:15pm
*Q&A with filmmaker Henry Chalfant and many of the artists and B-boys from the film
Directed by Tony Silver, Henry Chalfant
(1983) 69min
“Pulses with energy... A work of art in its own right... Style Wars somehow absorbs [the artists’] spirit and manages to communicate it across the decades so that we can find ourselves, so many years later, back in that city, understanding what made it beautiful.” —A.O. Scott, The New York Times
The definitive graffiti movie and winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, this seminal doc offers both a history and an up-close and personal glimpse of the “writers” who defined New York City’s subculture of subway graffiti in the 1970s and early 80s: one-armed “computer rock” prophet KASE 2 rhyming and boasting; ski-goggled SKEME sparring with his mother in their kitchen; DONDI musing on the solitary artist surrounded by metal machines; and SEEN doing a step-by-step how-to to Dion’s “The Wanderer.” Style Wars captures the pulse and collective psyche of the city at the time, from angry train riders to smug Mayor Koch and Richard Ravitch, then head of the MTA. Special fundraising screening for the film's restoration.
Post-screening Reception
8:30—10pm
BAMcafé
All Style Wars ticketholders are invited to join the artists, B-boys, and special guests from the film for a reception in the BAMcafé, featuring DJ Kay Slay on the turntables, canvases by legendary graffiti masters courtesy of The Legends of Style, complimentary beer, and free pizza and Neapolitan treats provided by Farinella Bakery and MC Polo.