PRESENTS
Nova ‘78
A FILM by AARON BROOKNER, RODRIGO AREIAS
Films We Like is excited to announce the release of Nova ’78, a new archival documentary by Aaron Brookner and Rodrigo Areias, featuring long-unseen footage from the legendary Nova Convention, held in 1978 at New York City’s now-defunct Entermedia Theatre.
Organized in honour of William S. Burroughs’s return to the United States after more than twenty years abroad, the Nova Convention brought together an extraordinary group of writers, musicians, artists, and performers for a landmark gathering of late-’70s avant-garde culture.
Through newly restored archival footage, Nova ’78 captures a rare moment when literature, punk, performance, music, and countercultural politics converged on one New York stage. The film features appearances by William S. Burroughs, Patti Smith, Frank Zappa, John Cage, Laurie Anderson, Allen Ginsberg, and other defining voices of the era.
Resurrected through a UK-led archival restoration, Nova ’78 offers audiences a vivid window into an event that has long held near-mythic status — a celebration of Burroughs’s influence and a record of a downtown scene alive with experiment, provocation, and artistic possibility.
Running time 78 minutes
Country United States, Portugal
Language English
Media Contact mercy@filmswelike.com
About Films We Like
Founded by award-winning documentary filmmaker Ron Mann (Clairtone, Grass, Comic Book Confidential, Carmine Street Guitars) Films We Like is a boutique distributor of documentary, independent, and international films in Canada. Recent releases include Silent Friend, Kontinental 25 and the Academy Award-winning film Flow.