This September 9, the Brooklyn Academy of Music will house a special fundraiser in honor of the iconic graffiti documentary Style Wars. Nearly 25 years since it first stunned viewers, the film’s negative stock is beginning to decay and the makers are hoping to raise enough money to preserve them.
The event will feature three screenings of the film and a Q&A session with filmmakers Tony Silver and Henry Chalfant and a number of the bombers and b-boys featured in the film. To cap off the evening, there will be a fully catered reception featuring a number of the featured artists’ original canvases and DJ Kay Slay on the turntables.
Originally airing on PBS in 1984, Style Wars chronicled the rise of artists like Kase 2, Skeme and the late Dondi and put a spotlight on the greater moral issue of graffiti’s place in society. The film heralded by taggers and critics alike and even on to win Grand Prize for Documentaries at the 1984 Sundance Film Festival.
Screenings are scheduled for 4:40 PM, 6:50 PM and 9:15 PM, with the Q&A session following the second screening. Tickets and information can be found here, and donations to the film’s restoration can be made here.
