Nobody who was bopping around film festival circuits in the mid-2000s has forgotten 13 TZAMETI, the haunting and inventive noir thriller that made the young Georgian-French filmmaker Géla Babluani’s name in international cinema.

To commemorate the film’s 20th anniversary, Babluani will visit Spectacle this June to present 13 TZAMETI alongside its ill-fated American remake starring Mickey Rourke, Jason Statham, Ray Winstone, Gaby Hoffman and 50 Cent (among others) which he also directed, a gauntlet Babluani now describes as “one of the worst experiences of my life.” For the first time ever, Babluani will tell the story of 13 TZAMETI’s meteoric rise and the unbelievable pressures of adapting his own work for Hollywood, from his perspective, in back-to-back Q+As on Saturday June 7th.

Special thanks to MK2, Swank Motion Pictures and Géla Babluani.

13 TZAMETI
dir. Géla Babluani, 2005
France/Georgia. 95 mins.
In French and Georgian with English subtitles.

SATURDAY, JUNE 7 – 5PM followed by Q+A with Géla Babluani

13 Players. One Bullet Each. Place Your Bets.

Writer/director Géla Babluani’s brother George plays an immigrant worker in Paris named Sébastien, who steals an envelope belonging to a fellow roofer after he dies of a drug overdose. Instead of money, Sebastien finds instructions for a mysterious “job” at a chateau outside the city; following the breadcrumb trail, he finds himself caught up in the titular game of 13 TZAMETI, in which thirteen men (in varying states of ill refute) form a circle, load their revolvers and enter a game of Russian roulette en masse. The less said about what happens next, the better – but it’s not hard to understand why Babluani’s feature debut became a global sensation after winning top prizes at the 2006 Sundance and Venice Film Festivals. 13 TZAMETI is a master class in mounting tension and minimalist mood-building, shot through with unmistakable empathy for the plight of undesirables in a globalized economy, and the lucid violence of a waking nightmare.

“Black and white images of a radical beauty, a story with unrelenting mechanics, of a ruthless efficiency.” – Le Figaro

“Come the end credits, fingernails will be firmly embedded in armrests.” – BBC

“Although it’s likely too stark for everyone, 13 TZAMETI offers a mind-blowing experience for anyone willing to go along for the ride.” – The Los Angeles Times

“This original black-and-white film in the style of film noir is a remarkable testimony of people, their arrogance, malice and fear.” – Karlovy Vary International Film Festival

“Memories of my childhood keep coming back to me… The fixed images I have are like rays of light cutting through the darkness. They are always vaguely present, but when I try to re-discover their virginal quality, I no longer sense that childhood innocence.” – Géla Babluani

13
(aka THIRTEEN)
dir. Géla Babluani, 2010
United States. 91 mins.
In English.

SATURDAY, JUNE 7 – 7:30 PM followed by Q+A with Géla Babluani

Spin. Aim. Survive.

Invited across the Atlantic to remake 13 TZAMETI for American audiences, Babluani nevertheless sought to avoid an easy 1:1 Xerox of his masterful debut. Thus, 13 was shot in crisp color instead of the original’s gritty grayscale, and the action relocated from France to Ohio; British actor Sam Riley (hot off his scorching portrayal of Ian Curtis in Anton Corbijn’s CONTROL) plays the embattled lead, no longer an undocumented immigrant but rather, a Great Recession-era construction worker who needs money to pay for an expensive operation that might save his father’s life. Riley heads off a jawdropping ensemble cast which also includes Jason Statham, Michael Shannon, Ray Winston, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Emmanuelle Chriqui, David Zayas, Gaby Hoffman and Ben Gazarra (HUSBANDS.)

While this big-budget experiment doesn’t reach the heights of pupil-dilating suspense that made 13 TZAMETI so notorious, it deserves to be seen as an experiment in not leaving well enough alone. Babluani’s tango with the Hollywood foreign-language-remake-industrial complex found him caught up in a game of high stakes and unclear gains, not unlike the hero of his original 13 TZAMETI.

“I think the acting is superb, Sam Riley has done a great job transitioning from a fear stricken first round player to the seething finalist. Michael Shannon is also great as the umpire; you can sense the evil in him playing god. The wickedness can also be found among the gamblers and their complete disregard (disrespect) for human lives. Even the light bulb has some evilness in it! The director perhaps trying to relay the message that we are just pawns of fate and there is no escape in the end. It is a pretty dark movie but the mood is consistent throughout and captivating overall.” – somlaign1, IMDB

“i’m going to say nothing about this movie other than you should watch it. Oh and theres an original apparently, i have to see this.” – Naomi, Letterboxd

“This is definitely not a film for the fainthearted. That such a gruesome gambling scheme could exist is terrifying. But the production and the acting and the grisly atmosphere is well worth the moviegoer’s attention. Grady Harp” – gradyharp, IMDB

“And intense deep dive into the hopefully competent fictional underground world of Russian roulette. 13 is an example of early Jason Statham before he was relegated to action star. This is an entertainingly dark and twisted ensemble that is layered with a foreshadowing touch that adds greatly to the story as a whole. “ – Zak, Letterboxd

“What a crazy movie! I started watching it on a premium channel, and could not stop watching it. Not an award winner film, but a very dark and intense film that kept me watching from beginning to end.” – JayPatton88, IMDB

After Stuart S. Shapiro (creator and producer of the iconic 1980s art-variety show Night Flight and now Night Flight Plus) finished production on the releases of MONDO NEW YORK and COMEDY’S DIRTIEST DOZEN, he embarked on creating a series of VHS “video music magazines” each highlighting core music segments: Metal Head, Slammin Rap, Country Music, and Dance International. These VHS video magazines are “all time zone jewels” that captured music trends and pop culture for a brief window of time in the early 1990s.

DANCE INTERNATIONAL in particular focused on the emerging trends in electronic, hiphop, soul and R&B music – really, anything that wasn’t rock, country or jazz – and sourced content from the US and UK music scene. The series combined fresh interviews, music video premieres, fashion dossiers, original documentary featurettes and head-banging footage from concerts and dance floors around the world, anchored by groundbreaking proto-vaporwave (or “webcore”) interstitials with a punky attitude. While many of the faces and names in these tapes remain in the global pop pantheon, even more have been relegated to the margins of history – making DANCE INTERNATIONAL an invaluable time capsule of the clubs, the parties and the music industry at a moment of profound technological and sociological change.

To commemorate the 35th anniversary of DANCE INTERNATIONAL’s groundbreaking experiment in documenting youth culture – as well as that time of the year when temperatures rise, skin starts to show and people start packing in clubs – Spectacle is pleased to present all five surviving volumes, with Stuart S. Shapiro joining for in-person Q+As on May 20 and May 21.

DANCE INTERNATIONAL VOL. 1
prod. Stuart S. Shapiro and Adrian Workman, 1990
Worldwide. 59 mins.
In English.

FRIDAY, MAY 9 – MIDNIGHT
TUESDAY, MAY 20 – 7:30 PM followed by Q+A with Stuart Shapiro
THURSDAY, MAY 29 – 10 PM

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The inaugural edition of DANCE INTERNATIONAL kicks off with a heavy dose of primary-source footage of Italo Disco legends Black Box performing live at London Docklands Arena, joined by 808 State, Guru Josh, Daisy Dee, MC Tunes and others – personally shot on 3/4″ tape by Stuart S. Shapiro. Volume 1 also includes an interview with electronic legends Tommy Musto & Frankie Bones, mini-portraits of UK chanteuse Lisa Stansfield and Moses P. of Logic Records, and a mindblowing zoom-in on the overlap between hot rod racing and house music in the streets of Brooklyn, featuring drum-and-bass maestro Kraze (born Richard Jean Laurent) expounding in a dubious British accent.

“It’s really important to keep close to the basics. We are producing for the dance floor, to give the producers the chance to really DJ, and the really important part is that we can test our product before the release, in the club: see the reaction on the dance floor, could change the mix, and that’s really necessary for us. We have to handle artists, you have to time for that, so we can see what the future really is.” – Mattias Martinson, Co-Owner of Logic Records

DANCE INTERNATIONAL VOL. 2
prod. Stuart S. Shapiro and Adrian Workman, 1990
Worldwide. 58 mins.
In English.

SATURDAY, MAY 10 – MIDNIGHT
WEDNESDAY, MAY 21 – 7:30 PM followed by Q+A with Stuart Shapiro
FRIDAY, MAY 30 – 10 PM

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DANCE INTERNATIONAL’s kaleidoscopic approach is on further display in the second installment, which initially focuses on the fusion of rap, funk and house (featuring Mike G from the Jungle Brothers, Afrika Bambataa and UK producer “Dancin’” Danny D) before refracting outwards to depict something called “Hyperstyle for the 1990s” in a cyberpunk montage of web 1.0 interfaces, gyrating young bodies and a depiction of emergent Virtual Reality worthy of Barry Levinson’s classic Seattle erotic thriller DISCLOSURE (or the Aerosmith video for “Amazing”.) The centerpiece of the tape is a look at the notorious Outlaws parties founded by Vito Bruno, infamous for paying off NYPD officers, supplying musicians with drugs and, in 2020, unsuccessfully running for New York State Senate as a “law and order” Republican. Along the way there’s a 10th birthday party for i-D magazine, a deep dive into the escalation of dancehall reggae culture, an interview with acid house legend Baby Ford and an impassioned screed from Boy George against mainstream pop like Kylie Minogue (“we’re in need of another revolution, like punk”) and bemoaning record labels for liking Black music yet rarely signing Black musicians.

“I have the old promoters, the new promoters, people who don’t even speak to each other working together, I have the Black promoters, the white promoters, the gay promoters, the rock promoters, the disco promoters… Tonight this sleazy little loading dock is gonna be the focal point of the entire music industry, of the entire world. It has that New York, decadent, horrible, rough, raw, raunchy feel to it and that’s what it’s supposed to be. All the fabulous people will be here.” – Vito Bruno

DANCE INTERNATIONAL VOL. 3
prod. Stuart S. Shapiro and Adrian Workman, 1990
Worldwide. 57 mins.
In English.

THURSDAY, MAY 15 – 10 PM
FRIDAY, MAY 23 – 10 PM
FRIDAY, MAY 30 – MIDNIGHT

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Volume 3 testifies to the series’ interest in music’s influence on other cultures worldwide: A profile of Tam Tam Records (featuring A Homeboy, A Hippie & A Funki Dredd) diagnoses the synthesis of “hardcore techno elements” with “hardcore guitar stabs” and rap, effectively X-raying the different styles dominating the charts in the UK at the time. In a piece about the loosening of restrictions on music in former Soviet bloc countries, British DJ Norman Jay ventures to Bratislava to guest-host an episode of the weekly radio show Soul Seduction. Six months after its opening, there’s a profile of the Black Market coffee shop/record store in Vienna – “the only place in town that exclusively features Black music, because there has been no place in Vienna to react on the spot to what’s happening all over the world.” (This also occasions a quick interview with Austria’s only rap group, the Bureaus.) There’s a fascinating interview with legendary fashion designer Michiko Koshino that focuses on the DJs who pick songs for her runway shows and her atelier (although the segment is scored to seminal porn/art group Enigma.)

“I really do think dance music, house music, club music, whatever you wanna call it, is gonna take the States by storm because a lot of kids that were into rap are now into dance music. As far as me being a very internationally known artist in Europe and not as big in America, it really doesn’t phase me that much because I know my time is coming. The first time I went over to Europe, the response to my performances were very good: people enjoyed me, people were receptive, I had a great time, and they just know how to party.” – Adeva

DANCE INTERNATIONAL VOL. 4
prod. Stuart S. Shapiro and Adrian Workman, 1991
Worldwide. 59 mins.
In English.

FRIDAY, MAY 16 – 10 PM
FRIDAY, MAY 23 – MIDNIGHT
SATURDAY, MAY 31 – 10 PM

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If you weren’t feeling ensconced in the Nineties already, DANCE INTERNATIONAL VOL. 4 features an in-depth profile of the short-lived Long Island rap posse ‘Young Black Teenagers” who enjoyed the support of Public Enemy producer (and Sound of Urban Listeners, or SOUL Records mastermind) Hank Shocklee – despite none of the members actually being Black. Ralph Tresvant gets an extensive interview about his first steps as a solo artist (and the wider misconceptions that hindered New Edition, with no shortage of veiled criticisms of their record label.) Also featured is an extended video for the 12” version of Gwen Guthrie’s “Ain’t Nothin’ Goin’ on but the Rent” and a short documentary wherein a group of singers tagged as the “Motown of the 90s” (Ceybil, Dee Dee Brave, D’borah) break down the renaissance in New Jersey soul.

“What is it in the nature of Man that makes us hate? And cheat? And steal? And kill? Why do people get off on bigotry, intolerance and racial intolerance? There’s something wrong with human nature! They put their hands in their pockets. It relieves their conscience. There’s something wrong with human nature! What is it that makes a man gaze down from his penthouse suite, watching those young children sleeping rough on the streets? All over the world, there’s something wrong with human nature…!” – Gary Clail

DANCE INTERNATIONAL VOL. 5
prod. Stuart S. Shapiro and Adrian Workman, 1991
Worldwide. 58 mins.
In English.

SATURDAY, MAY 17 – 10 PM
SATURDAY, MAY 24 – MIDNIGHT
SATURDAY, MAY 31 – MIDNIGHT

GET TICKETS

Like its predecessors, the final DANCE INTERNATIONAL tape gestures towards a more liberated world, where people are able to enjoy music across genres, unburdened by the strictures of race, class and geography. There’s a fascinating study of Crystal Waters that digs into her encouragement by the Basement Boys, for whom she specifically wrote “Gypsy Woman (She’s Homeless) as well as her advocacy for queer pride and the destigmatization of AIDS. George Clinton gets a deep-dive interview in which he discusses a Mothership Connection feature film to be directed by HOUSE PARTY’s Reginald Hudlin – shelved, but in preproduction at the time. The final DANCE INTERNATIONAL segment is a black-and-white music video for a still-unreleased Massive Attack song called “Just a Matter of Time”, in which Robert del Naja, Grant Marshall, Andrew Vowles and Shara Nelson (who famously contributed vocals for “Unfinished Sympathy” and “Lately”) go searching for prodigal member Tricky – perhaps shelved because he left the group after Blue Lines.

“My theory in the studio is, do everything that other producers told you not to do. Everything they told you you can’t put on the record – put it on the record… But I’m preoccupied with extraterrestrial things. If something doesn’t happen pretty soon, we’re all gonna bore ourselves to death.” – George Clinton