A transporting doc about the early career of Jean-Michel Basquiat and the environment where he flourished.” - Hollywood Reporter
Films We Like is pleased to announce the acquisition of Sara Driver’s BOOM FOR REAL: The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat, exploring the pre-fame years of the celebrated artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, and how New York City, its people, and tectonically shifting arts culture of the late 1970s and 1980s shaped his vision.
Conveying Basquiat’s personal magnetism, eccentricity and non-stop creativity without romanticizing him, the documentary serves as another chapter in the ongoing effort to rescue Basquiat from his own hype. To tell this story, Driver worked closely and collaboratively with her friends and other artists who emerged from that scene: Nan Goldin, Jim Jarmusch, James Nares, Fab Five Freddy, Lee Quinones, Luc Sante and many others. As they participated in the film with their thoughts, period film footage, music, images, and anecdotes of their young friend, they help visually tell the story of Jean-Michel’s downtown NYC—pre AIDS, President Reagan, the real estate and art boom, and before anyone was motivated by money and ambition.
About Films We Like
Founded by award-winning documentary filmmaker Ron Mann (Grass, Comic Book Confidential, Altman) Films We Like is a boutique distributor of documentary, independent, and international films in Canada. Recent releases include The Divine Order, The Other Side of Hope, and Lucky.
Media contact: Mallory Andrews
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