New York Film Festival Downtown

New York Film Festival Downtown

First program, October 1984
Location	New York City, USA

New York Film Festival Downtown was a New York based film festival founded by Tessa Hughes-Freeland and Ela Troyano in 1984.^[1]

Known for its independent and "positively avante-garde" programming,^[2] the festival came to prominence in the East Village art scene. The New York Film Festival Downtown ran for five years, ending in 1988.

1984

• Judgment Day (Directed by: Manuel Delanda)
• Between Two Fires (Directed by: Bradley Eros)
• Blind Love (Directed by: Aline Mare)
• Bargain Slide Show (Directed by: David Schmiddlapp)
• Confidential (Directed by: Joseph Nechvatal)
• Bored (Directed by: Karen Luna)
• Chant Chant Amour Amour (Directed by: Haoui Montaug)
• Sur Reel Selections (Directed by: Sur Rodney Sur)
• Soul City (Directed by: M. Henry Jones)
• Go go girl (Directed by: M. Henry Jones)
• Someplace in Nowhere (Directed by: Joe Coleman)
• Home Move of Warhol Shooting Unreleased Movie (Directed by: Taylor Mead)
• Blue Pleasure (Directed by: FrAnco Marinai)
• David Crocker as Venus (Directed by: Ela Troyano)
• Pompeii: New York Pt. 1: Pier Caresses (Directed by: Ivan Galietti)
• Slides (Directed by: Christof Kohlhofer)
• Electric Pencil Performance #13 (Directed by: Dragan Ilic)
• Show of Force - Blood Boy (Directed by: Richard Kern & Brian Moran)
• No Guilt (Directed by: Nick Zedd)
• Contortionist (Directed by: Greer Lankton)
• Bandits (Directed by: Joey Ahlbum)
• Invasion of the Amazons (Continued Erosion) (Directed by: Penelope Wehrli)
• Joker (Directed by: Tessa Hughes-Freeland)
• August 13th 1961 (Directed by: Kiki Smith)
• City Maze (Directed by: Jane Dickson)
• The Specialist (Directed by: Scott B.)
• The Deadly Art of Survival (Directed by: Charlie Ahearn)
• Not Quite Love (Directed by: David Schmiddlapp)
• The Ballad of Sexual Dependency (Directed by: Nan Goldin)
• Exotic Landlordism of Crab Lagoon (Directed by: Jack Smith)
• Dagmar Poisoned the Pizza (Directed by: Anthony Chase)
• Teddy Foot Beach Grov. (Directed by: Nile Southern & Phoebe Legere)
• Priapic Violations (Directed by: Uzi Parnes with Carmelita Tropicana)
• Poppo at 8BC (Directed by: Tessa Hughes-Freeland)
• Portrait of Glenn Branca, Symphony #4 (Directed by: Arlene Schloss)
• Kate Mannheim and Jack Smith (Directed by: Dan Ochiva)
• A Walled City Documentary (Directed by: David West)
• Mares (Directed by: Alex Steyermark)
• Excerpts from Bubble People (Directed by: Ela Troyano)
• This Object (Directed by: Jacob Burckhardt)

1985

Festival directors Ela Troyano and Tessa Hughes-Freeland at 8BC for the 1985 New York Film Festival Downtown.

• Slide Performance (Directed by: Stephen Holman & Torture Chorus)
• The Ballad of Sexual Dependency (Directed by: Nan Goldin)
• Pyrotechnics (Directed by: Erotic Psyche)
• The Outsiders (Directed by: Dan Ochiva)
• Fall In A Faint (Directed by: Sokhi Wagner)
• Last Nights (Directed by: Sandy Tate & Gretchen Bender)
• Spectre Woman - On the Road (Directed by: Ellen Fisher, Mary Schultz, Tone Blevins & John Van Wagner)
• Work At Nine (Directed by: Julius Klein)
• Frankie Teardrop (Directed by: Edit Deak & Walter Robinson)
• Spills & Thrills (Directed by: Sur Rodney Sur)
• The Agent (Directed by: Mary Bellis)
• A La Vueltecita (Directed by: Ileana Maria Montalvo)
• The Day Koch gets Electrocuted (Directed by: David Schmidlapp)
• Dead On My Arm (Directed by: Cassandra Stark)
• Worm Movie (Directed by: Lung Leg)
• Slight Show (Directed by: Christof Kohlhofer)
• Simonland (Directed by: Tommy Turner)
• Live Ammo (Directed by: Terry Stacey)
• Chett Grant: A Portrait of the Man (Directed by: DirectArt Ltd Productions)
• Thrust In Me (Directed by: Nick Zedd & Richard Kern)
• Submit To Me or From Sex to Death (Directed by: Richard Kern)
• Manhattan Love Suicides (Directed by: Richard Kern)
• Tender HB1 (Directed by: Dragan Ilic)
• It Don't Pay To Be An Honest Citizen (Directed by: Jacob Burckhardt)
• Pompeii New York, Part 1 (Directed by: Ivan Galietti)
• Asparagus (Directed by: Suzan Pitt)
• Excerpts From Apple, Heart , Daisy Film (Directed by: M. Henry Jones & Susan Tremblay)
• Ism Ism (Directed by: Manuel De Landa)
• Cyanide Time (Directed by: David West)
• White Rabbit (Directed by: Andy Somma)
• MasterRay (Directed by: Ruby Ray)
• Loisada Lusts (Directed by: Uzi Parnes & Ela Troyano)
• Stars & Stripes (Directed by: Uzi Parnes & Ela Troyano)
• Revenge of the Dearest (Directed by: Anthony Chase)
• Rhonda Goes To Hollywood (Directed by: Tessa Hughes-Freeland)
• Mime 2 Mind (Directed by: Arleen Schloss)
• Voyage To The Wall (Directed by: Johan Donner & Ulf Nilsson)
• Rome '78 (Directed by: James Nares)

1986

• A Presentation of 3D slides (Directed by: M. Henry Jones)
• Parade (Directed by: Joey Ahlbum)
• C'est la Guerre (Directed by: Karen Mandelbaum)
• Alive With Pleasure (Directed by: Anthony Chase & the Avenue A Ladies' Auxiliary)
• Demeter & Persephone (Directed by: Leslie Lowe)
• Witness Chamber (Directed by: Ruby Ray)
• 8D (Directed by: Nile Southern)
• White Rabbit (Directed by: Andy Soma)
• Monsieur Albet's Kaleidoscope EROTICON (Directed by: Stephen Holman)
• Corrective Measures: Politically Speaking (Directed by: Peter Cramer)
• Titere (Directed by: Ileana Montalvo)
• Bath House (Directed by: Ira Abromowitz)
• I Ride a Pony Named Flame (Directed by: Peggy Ahwesh)
• Performance (Directed by: Julius Klein)
• A Suicide (Directed by: Richard Klemann)
• Vampire Terror Party (Directed by: David Wicked)
• Memorias De La Revolucion (Performance) (Directed by: Carmelita Tropicana)
• The Black Monster (Directed by: Lung Leg)
• Bad Blood for the Vampyr (Directed by: Lis-san Tibodo)
• Coney Island (Directed by: Max Henry)
• Parental Guidance Suggested (Performance) (Directed by: Amy Turner & Tommy Turner)
• You Killed Me First (Directed by: Richard Kern)
• Submit To Me (Directed by: Richard Kern)
• Go To Hell (Directed by: Nick Zedd)
• Kiss Me Goodbye (Directed by: Nick Zedd)
• Human Waste (Directed by: Mark Zero)
• The Deal (Directed by: Mad Max)
• Pus (Directed by: John Spencer)
• a place to beware (Directed by: David Schmidlapp)
• Mild Seven: Cowboy Stories (Directed by: Kembra Pfahler)
• Good Luvin' Guitar Man (Directed by: Direct Art Ltd.)
• Heterosexual Love (Directed by: Direct Art Ltd.)
• The Wages of Sin (Directed by: David Rutsala)
• Devil's In The Dish (Directed by: Jo Andres)
• The Girls Can't Help It (Directed by: Uzi Parnes)
• Police Sexuality (Directed by: Manuel De Landa)
• Black Cat Tea (Directed by: Marzy Quazar)
• Pure War (part two of Amor Amore) (Directed by: Erotic Psyche)
• Where Evil Dwells (Directed by: Tommy Turner & David Wojnarowicz)
• Rat Trap (Directed by: Tessa Hughes-Freeland & Tommy Turner)
• Wrecked on Cannibal Island (Directed by: Cassandra Stark)
• Dumb Blond (Directed by: Ela Troyano)
• Stone Age Lament (Directed by: Tony Caplan)
• Tattoo Suite (Directed by: R.S. Wolkstein)
• Fantasmagoria (Directed by: Richard Bruce Byron)

1987

• Elusive Butterfly (Directed by: Andy Soma)
• Dancenoise with Anthony Chase (Directed by: Dancenoise & Anthony Chase)
• Catwalk (Directed by: Sue Graef)
• Memento Mori (Directed by: Michael Brynntrup)
• Pending (Directed by: Alyson Mead)
• Rush (Directed by: Mary Patierno & Mo Angelus)
• Butter Film (Directed by: Kiki Smith)
• Un Pas Deux (Directed by: Cassandra Stark & Haldor Enard)
• You'll Get Yours (Directed by: Jonathan Quinn)
• Electramorphic (Directed by: Erotic Psyche)
• Whipoorwill, Whip-or-will, Whip-poor-will (Directed by: Carl George)
• The Escape (Directed by: Philly)
• Siegfried (Directed by: Jack Waters)
• Untitled (Directed by: Cheryl Dyer)
• The Invasion of Thunderbolt Pagoda (Directed by: Ira Cohen)
• Shadows (Directed by: Brad Taylor)
• Moxie (Directed by: Adrienne Altenhaus)
• Pay To Live (Directed by: Richard Klemann)
• Police State (Directed by: Nick Zedd)
• Bloodlust (Directed by: Michael Gabriele & Ghislaine Chantel Jourden)
• Astroturf (Directed by: Jourdan Schwartze & David Markey)
• Fingered (Directed by: Richard Kern)
• Death Valley '69 (Directed by: Richard Kern)
• Film/Performance (Directed by: Julius Klein)
• Marilyn (Directed by: Nile Southern)
• The Doorman (Directed by: Dee D. Bache)
• Berlin New York (Directed by: Penelope Wehrli)
• Getting Over Getting Over (Directed by: David Schmidlapp)
• Coney Island (Directed by: Peter Cramer)
• Fifth, Park and Madison (Directed by: Dragan Ilic)
• A presentation of 3D slides (Directed by: M.Henry Jones, Joey Ahlbum & Robert Munn)
• Nocturnes (Directed by: Leslie Lowe & Jack Waters)
• Film Performance (Directed by: Ellen Fisher)
• Perils (Directed by: Abigail Child)
• Bali 1930's (Directed by: Suzanne Pillsbury)
• A-B-City (Directed by: Dieter Hormel & Brigitte Buhler)
• Der Elvis (Directed by: Jon Moritsugu)
• Maneaters (Directed by: Uzi Parnes)
• Fire in my Belly (Directed by: David Wojnarowicz)
• Or Beautiful People (Directed by: David Wojnarowicz)
• Hollow Be Thy Name (working title) (Directed by: Tommy Turner)
• Craftmatic Dreamin (Directed by: Kembra Pfahler)
• Going Jane (Directed by: Tessa Hughes-Freeland)
• Blonde Voodoo (Directed by: Ela Troyano)

1988

• Flag (Directed by: Jonathan Quinn)
• Go-Go Girls (Directed by: M.Henry Jones & Joey Ahlbum)
• Pachanga En Dos Medios (Directed by: Marian Soto)
• The Circle Game (Directed by: Andy Soma)
• Hollow Be Thy Name (Directed by: Tommy Turner)
• Son of Craftmatic Dreamin' 1988 Sequel (Directed by: Kembra Pfahler)
• Untitled (Directed by: Anthony Chase)
• Spectre Woman Chronicles- Involuntary Possession (Directed by: Spectre Woman)
• Trash/Mull (Directed by: Lisa Laquer)
• Candela (Directed by: Carmelita Tropicana, Uzi Parnes & Ela Troyano)
• Betaville (Directed by: Alyce Wittenstein)
• Café Notre Y Sur (Directed by: Maria Victoria Maldonado)
• Family Jewels (Directed by: Leslie Lowe & Jack Waters)
• The Golden Bowl or Repression (Directed by: Chris Krauss)
• Wishes (Directed by: Alessandra Bergero)
• Welcome To The Jungle (Directed by: Mark Zero)
• Which Turn? (Directed by: Sandy Tait)
• Bloodbath (Directed by: Ghislaine Jourden)
• Submit To Me Now (Directed by: Richard Kern)
• Film from performance piece Lucid Possession (Directed by: Jo Andres)
• Maneaters 3 - Squalid Salad (Directed by: Uzi Parnes)
• Sleazy Rider (Directed by: Jon Moritsugu)
• Exploding Limo Show (Directed by: Nile Southern)
• Untitled (Directed by: Steve Gallagher)
• What I did this Summer (Directed by: John Whitehead)
• Plastered (Directed by: Lorraine Llamas)
• Frannie (Directed by: Adrienne Altenhaus)
• Mayhem (Directed by: Abigail Childs)
• 900 Pounds (Directed by: Alan Abrams)
• Apartment Eight (Directed by: Matthew Harrison)
• Politics of Deed (Directed by: Cheryl Dyer)
• Perry (Directed by: Cheryl Dyer)

References

1. J. Hoberman,"Festival Kiss-Off", The Village Voice, October 23, 1984
2. Thomasin Lansing, "Film in Limbo", East Village Eye, December/January 1984/5