July 1, 2021
North American Premiere of 'Blitzed' to Kick Off aGLIFF's Prism 34
READ TIME: 4 MIN.
The following is a press release from aGLIFF:
Austin's oldest film festival, aGLIFF (All Genders, Lifestyles, and Identities Film Festival), announces the North American premiere of "BLITZED: The 80's Blitz Kids' Story" as the opening night film for PRISM 34 at The Paramount Theatre in Austin on August 26, 2021.
Directed by Bruce Ashley and Michael Donald, and with music by Rusty Egan, "BLITZED" tells the untold story of a cultural revolution, spawned from a grimy West End club, its lavish trendsetters, and a proto-DJ who cultivated the sound of the New Romantic Movement (and paid the price for it), and how he and key arbiters influenced and seeded generations of artists, synth poppers, and fashionistas with the sound, style, and sexuality of the '80s.
"It was karma finding 'BLITZED.' This is the perfect film to open PRISM this year, and to bring us back to the Paramount Theatre. After a year cooped up in our homes, the idea of this pioneering night club bringing our community together again to celebrate music and film in a venue that is an Austin institution, seemed like predestination. aGLIFF at the Paramount again, it's all the colors of my dreams... red, gold and green," said artistic director Bears Rebecca Fonté.
Out of one small London venue called The Blitz came a generation of outrageous teenagers, working-class and art school kids, who would define the look, the sound, the style, and attitude of the '80s and beyond. This is the history of the London venue that – amid strikes, racism, and homophobia in 1979 – became the Soho equivalent of Studio 54, and gave us the likes of Boy George, Spandau Ballet, Visage, Ultravox, Sade, and more. This is their story.
Featuring: Boy George, Midge Ure, Gary Kemp, Rusty Egan, Marilyn, Princess Julia, Andy Polaris, Robert Elms, Chris Sullivan, Stephen Jones, Dylan Jones, La Roux, Michele Clapton, Darla-Jane Gilroy, Fiona Dealey, and Steve Dagger.
"A goal of the film was to pay homage to all types and the attitude of the time," said co-director and co-writer Ashley. "It didn't matter if you were gay, or straight, what color you were, everyone was a misfit who just wanted to dress up, dance and be together. Not to mention the '80s was a breakthrough era when it came to personal expression and the Blitz Kids were a huge part of that, and we feel we expressed that paradigm shift in attitude, its relevance and importance since then to this day in the film."
Ashley expanded on premiering the film in North America at aGLIFF's PRISM 34: "To us the significance of being gay was something we wanted to emphasize in the film and the influence the sexualities had on each other on a creative level as well as a social one at that time, and at a time when persecution and homophobia was still rife. Andy Polaris expressed this perfectly in the film, too (towards the end). Consequently, we are utterly delighted and honored that the film has been selected for the aGLIFF festival and we are excited to have the film's US debut at such an event. We hope the film helps to perpetuate an individuals' choice to express themselves as they see fit without prejudice with a 'nod' to some of the origins of the LBGTQ movement."
Co-Director and Co-Writer Michael Donald added, "One thing that really stood out for me was that while it was a party and a huge amount of fun for all concerned, these people were actually incredibly brave. In England in the 1970's you could get beaten up for just looking at someone the wrong way. England was a violent place. Homosexuality had only been legalized in 1967. This was not the tolerant society we can take for granted today. For Marilyn and George to publicly flaunt their sexuality wasn't just unheard of, it was dangerous. It is very easy, because they looked like they were having so much fun, to overlook just how brave those statements were."
More information about the PRISM 34 festival lineup will be announced over the coming weeks.
North American Premiere of BLITZED | Thursday, August 26, 2021 | The Paramount Theatre | 713 Congress Ave. | Austin 78701
Tickets: aGLIFF encourages fans to consider membership to get the best access and support aGLIFF's year-round programming. Members and badge holders have priority access to reserving tickets for individual films and events upon purchase.
PRISM 34: Early bird festival badges are available through the end of July for $95; regular price badges available at $125 beginning August 1. Memberships get the best access, support aGLIFF's year-round programming, and include festival badges and an array of other perks depending on the level. Memberships are available now; Festival badges are on sale now at agliff.org/badges. Single tickets will start at $12, plus applicable service fees, and will be available one week before the festival.
aGLIFF Membership: Memberships start for as low as $25 a month and are available for purchase now. Memberships can be paid upfront or in monthly installments. Memberships include festival badges and an array of other perks depending on the level and range in price from $300 to $2500 and above. Memberships are available now at https://www.agliff.org/members.
At this time, access to the Opening and Closing Night screenings for PRISM 34 will not be available to stream online and are in-person screenings only. Other access to the PRISM 34 Festival and special events will be available online throughout the United States.
