WINDOW ON YOUR PRESENT
dir. Cinqué Lee, 1988
60 mins. United States.
In English.
FRIDAY, MAY 2 – 7:30 PM
SATURDAY, MAY 10 – 5 PM followed by Q+A with Cinque Lee, sound designer Stuart Argabright and cinematographer Leslie Mentel (ONE NIGHT ONLY!)
TUESDAY, MAY 13 – 7:30 PM
MONDAY, MAY 26 – 10 PM
SATURDAY, MAY 31 – 7:30 PM
15 years after being released on DVD (and almost 40 years after it was shot), artist Cinqué Lee’s WINDOW ON YOUR PRESENT returns to the flaming S – this time, with Cinqué Lee in person for Q+A.
Collaborating with Jim Jarmusch on his directorial debut, Lee – who appeared in Jarmusch’s MYSTERY TRAIN and served as both cowriter and coproducer on his brother Spike’s CROOKLYN – gives us an unsettling dreamscape taking place in the rubble and ruins of a post-apocalyptic Brooklyn neighborhood.
WINDOW ON YOUR PRESENT creates a morbid and lonely atmosphere seen through the eyes of two protagonists, Europa and Lever. Surrounded around a colorless existence, the dialogue-free film shows us horrors of neglect, abuse, and dangerous lonesome through the eyes of this young couple while they search for something special outside of their dreary world.
Filmed on the cusp of the No Wave movement specific to New York filmmakers expanding outside of a small screening room on St. Mark’s Place, Lee leans into gritty and guerilla style filmmaking that movement is really known for. Between the visuals from cinematographer Leslie Mentel, the voiceover by Maria Pieneres, and the incredible jazz score by Spike and Cinqué’s father Bill Lee, this collaboration of artists makes WINDOW ON YOUR PRESENT feel less like a movie and moreso a collaborative work of art.
“Genetically much closer to maudit French literature than to mainstream American cinema, Cinqué Lee’s visually haunting 1980s post-apocalyptic narrative tone-poem should be regarded as a true underground classic!” – Jim Jarmusch
CONTENT WARNING: This film includes a scene of sexual assault.
STUART AGRABRIGHT is a veteran musician and composer known for his experimental and innovative work across various genres, including punk, post-punk, industrial, and electronic music. He is associated with the New York City music scene of the late 1970s and 1980s. He was influenced by hard rock, glam rock (like David Bowie), and then the emergence of punk (Sex Pistols, The Clash). Argabright moved to NYC, where he became part of an exciting and dynamic music scene where experimentation and the creation of new genres were common. Argabright has consistently explored new technologies and media in his work, reflecting on how they have shaped the perception of music and art across generations. He is interested in the evolution of media and its impact on culture. He’s described as a veteran “cyberpunk composer” for his interest in the intersection of technology and society in his music.
LESLIE MENTEL is a filmmaker and director known for work in music videos and documentaries, with a notable connection to the musician Q Lazzarus. Leslie directed the 1988 music video for “Goodbye Horses”, which is significant in the context of Q Lazzarus’s work and her reappearance in the public eye after a long absence; the video features Q Lazzarus, along with Bill Garvey and dancer Danny Z. Leslie also appears in the documentary “Goodbye Horses: The Many Lives of Q Lazzarus,” directed by Eva Aridjis Fuentes. The documentary delves into Q Lazzarus’s life, music, and mysterious disappearance. Mentel’s participation in the documentary highlights an ongoing contribution to preserving and sharing the story of this unique artist.
CINQUÉ LEE is a filmmaker, writer, and actor whose career began with Super 8mm films in high school and has grown into a body of work marked by bold, genre-defying storytelling. He made his directorial debut with WINDOW ON YOUR PRESENT, a black-and-white feature that has since become an underground classic. Throughout his career, Lee has collaborated with directors including Jim Jarmusch, Matthew Barney, Spike Lee, and William H. Macy, contributing to a diverse range of distinctive, often boundary-pushing film and performance projects. Lee’s most recent feature, A RARE GRAND ALIGNMENT, stars Gustaf Skarsgård, Roman Griffin Davis, and Kristofer Hivju. The film blends science fiction and psychological drama and was shot using an LED volume soundstage to create a vivid and emotionally charged visual world. The son of acclaimed jazz bassist and composer Bill Lee, Cinqué continues to be a singular voice in independent cinema.