Film Movement is preparing a Blu-ray release of Jim McKay's Girls Town (1996), starring Lili Taylor, Bruklin Harris, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Michael Imperioli, and Anna Grace. The release is scheduled to arrive on the market on December 30.
Description: Mid-1990s, New York City. Patti, Angela, Emma and Nikki are high school seniors and best friends preparing for life beyond graduation. Their dreams for the future differ greatly – Angela wants to become a poet, Emma and Nikki have are heading for college, and Patti is a young mother looking for stability in her kid's life – but the four bright, young women are steadfastly loyal to each other in a way only teenagers know how to be. Their lives are then completely upended when, after being sexually assaulted, Nikki unexpectedly commits suicide. Grieving, angry and forced to return to daily life without satisfying recourse for their feelings, the girls must come of age with a newfound understanding about the patriarchal world in which they live.
Led by Lili Taylor, Bruklin Harris, Anna Grace and recent Academy Award-nominee Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor (KING RICHARD), the 1996 award-winning Sundance indie was co-written by the actors in collaboration with first-time filmmaker Jim McKay, lending "a welcome little gust of teen-age realism" (The New York Times) to the film's coming-of-age narrative. One of the first films of its kind to frankly address sexual violence as women experience it, GIRLS TOWN continues to be relevant in a post-#MeToo world. An energetic, all-female soundtrack featuring 1990s musical icons Queen Latifah, PJ Harvey, Roxanne Shante, Salt-N-Pepa and others underscore the films timeless message of empowerment.
The 4K restoration by IndieCollect was funded with support from the HFPA Trust, Donald A. Pels Charitable Trust, IndieCollect donors, and Fellow Citizen, Inc.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
NEW 4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM
Making of Featurette
Conversation with director Jim McKay and activist Yasmeen Hassan
Select Scene Commentaries with cast and crew: JIM MCKAY (Director) on NIKKI; JIM MCKAY (Director) on CORNER DELI; AUNJANUE ELLIS-TAYLOR (Actor) on NIKKI AND EMMA ON THE BED; ANNA GRACE (Actor) on BASEMENT: NIKKI'S DIARY; LILI TAYLOR (Actor) on JOSH'S CAR; ANNA GRACE (Actor) on EMMA AND DYLAN IN THE CAFETERIA; JIM MCKAY (Director) on ANGELA AND HER MOM; LAUREN ZALAZNICK (Producer) on THE DUGOUT