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Nancy Buirski's in-depth exploration of the making of an X-rated Best Picture winner has secured distribution. Kino Lorber, in collaboration with Zeitgeist Films, has announced the acquisition of all North American rights to Buirski's documentary Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy. Zeitgeist Films will debut the documentary in theaters across North America, starting with a limited release at New York's Film Forum in late June. Following its theatrical run, Kino Lorber will oversee a broader nationwide release, along with digital, educational, and home video distribution.
The documentary focuses on the creation of Midnight Cowboy, a groundbreaking 1969 film that tells the story of Joe Buck, a dishwasher from Texas who moves to New York City in pursuit of fortune. There, he forms an unlikely friendship with Ratso Rizzo, a sickly con man. The film became a classic, not only for its raw portrayal of gritty urban life but also for its unique place in cinematic history as the only X-rated film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Buirski’s documentary is inspired by Glen Frankel’s book Shooting Midnight Cowboy: Art, Sex, Loneliness, Liberation and the Making of a Dark Classic. The film provides an intimate, behind-the-scenes look at the making of this masterpiece, capturing the spirit of 1969 New York City, a time of social upheaval and rebellion against the established norms. It features interviews with key members of the original cast, including Jon Voight, Brenda Vaccaro, and Bob Balaban, as well as cultural critics such as J. Hoberman, Lucy Sante, Ian Buruma, and Charles Kaiser, who offer insights into the film’s cultural impact and the turbulent era in which it was released.
Desperate Souls premiered at the 2022 Venice Film Festival to critical acclaim. Nancy Gerstman and Emily Russo, co-presidents of Zeitgeist Films, praised the documentary, stating: "For those of us who were around when Midnight Cowboy was first released, this incredibly insightful, entertaining, and tragic portrait of the era and its characters brought back vivid memories. But more importantly, it deepened our understanding of the film and its significance. Nancy Buirski has once again delivered an extraordinary work filled with profound compassion and historical context.
English (US) ·