“25th Anniversary of SLC PUNK! (1998) + AMERiKANA (2001) w/ James Duval IN PERSON”
May 31, 2024

Actor James Duval will be IN PERSON and writer/director James Merendino will be live via Facetime to celebrate the 25th anniversary 4K restoration of James Merendino’s SLC PUNK! (1998) along with a very rare screening of their phenomenal follow-up feature: AMERiKANA (2001), which was the 13th Entry of Dogme 95. Presented by MOViES FOR MANiACS and hosted by Jesse Hawthorne Ficks, a very special Q&A will occur between the double bill.

SLC Punk!
7:00 pm

Released in 1999, Rated R, 97 minutes long

Directed by James Merendino
Written by James Merendino
Cinematography by Greg Littlewood
Containing Matthew Lillard, Michael Goorjian, Annabeth Gish, Jason Segal, James Duval

Watch the trailer

Based on the writer/director James Merendino’s mid-1980s experience growing up in Salt Lake City, Utah, the film explores the hyper-kinetic daily life of a punk named Stevo (perfectly encompassed by Matthew Lillard), his best friend, “Heroin” Bob and a myriad of SLC tribes such as Rednecks, Heavy Metal guys, New Wavers, Neo-nazis, Punks and Mods.

Actors Michael A. Goorjian, Jason Segal, Annabeth Gish and James Duval are all quite memorable in their respective roles making this quintessential 1990s film — about the 1980s — a fascinating amalgamated time-capsule that has been begging for a cinematic re-evaluation. James Duval, who plays Frank the Bunny Rabbit in DONNiE DARKO will be IN PERSON, and writer/director James Merendino will be live via Facetime to celebrate this 25th Anniversary 4K screening! Rated R. 98 minutes. 4K DCP courtesy of Sony.

Amerikana (2001)
9:30 pm

Released in 2007, Rated R, 95 minutes long

Directed by James Merendino
Written by James Merendino
Cinematography by Isabell Spengler
Containing Michael A. Goorjian, James Duval

Watch the trailer

This extremely rare screening of writer/director James Merendino’s follow-up to SLC PUNK! pits James Duval and Michael A. Goorjian as a pair of best friends who take an EASY RiDER-esque road trip across the plains from South Dakota to Los Angeles in a vespa.

The film is a hilarious yet devastatingly honest look at friendship, which makes perfect sense when realizing it was the thirteenth official Dogme 95 release. This often breath-taking and profoundly moving flick has been underrated and overlooked for far too long.

Star James Duval, will be IN PERSON along with writer/director James Merendino who will be live via Facetime to discuss this lost mini-masterpiece. Unrated. 95 minutes.