Downtown 81

The film follows a day in the life of 21-year-old Jean-Michel Basquiat—graffiti artist, musician, and future icon of the New York art scene. Perpetually short of money, he wanders through the vibrant downtown of the early 1980s, immersed in the worlds of New Wave, hip-hop, and No Wave. Shot in 1980–81 and rediscovered years later, the film is a rare time capsule that captures Basquiat's magnetic presence while featuring performances by Kid Creole and the Coconuts, DNA, Tuxedomoon, Gray, and other cult bands, offering a vibrant snapshot of one of New York's most creative eras. (Solothurner Filmtage)