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Poster for Cult 101: Escape From New York (1981) 4K Restoration
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Cult 101: Escape From New York (1981) 4K Restoration

Opens on April 12

Director: John Carpenter Run Time: 99 min. Rating: R Release Year: 1981

Starring: Donald Pleasence, Ernest Borgnine, Isaac Hayes, Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef

Country: United States
Language: English


Cult 101 at Gateway Film Center

A celebration of the best cult films of all time.

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About the film:

In 1997, the island of Manhattan has been walled off and turned into a giant maximum security prison within which the country’s worst criminals are left to form their own anarchic society. However, when the President of the United States crash lands on the island, the authorities turn to a former soldier and current convict to rescue him.

Set in a dystopian New York City, the cult classic Escape From New York influenced popular culture and inspired a generation of directors, including Robert Rodriguez and JJ Abrams. The film was nominated for four Saturn Awards, including Best Science Fiction Film and Best Direction.

About the filmmaker:

Director, writer, and composer John Carpenter, founding father of the modern slasher film, is the mind behind classics Halloween (1978), The Fog (1980), The Thing (1982), Christine (1983), Big Trouble in Little China (1986), and more. Called “a creative genius of raw, fantastic, and spectacular emotions,” Carpenter was awarded the prestigious Golden Coach at Cannes 2019 for his innovative projects. One of his first, the short film The Resurrection of Broncho Billy, won an Academy Award in 1971, and was co-written by Carpenter and Nick Castle, who also co-wrote Escape From New York.

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