Matt Tyrnauer's STUDIO 54, a Portrait of the Iconic '70s Nightclub, Opens on October 5th at the IFC Center

On behalf of Zeitgeist Films in association with Kino Lorber, and A&E IndieFilms, you are invited to a screening of Matt Tyrnauer's STUDIO 54, a fascinating documentary look at the rise and fall of the legendary '70s New York nightclub. The film was a favorite at the Sundance and Tribeca film festivals and was the opening night gala of Outfest. STUDIO 54 will open in New York on Friday, October 5 at the IFC Center followed by a national rollout beginning on October 12 in Los Angeles.

For 33 months, from 1978 to 1980, Studio 54 was the place to be seen in Manhattan. A haven of hedonism, tolerance, glitz and glamour, Studio was very hard to gain entrance to and impossible to ignore, with news of who was there filling the gossip columns daily. Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager, two college friends from Brooklyn, succeeded in creating the ultimate escapist fantasy in the heart of the theater district. Rubell was the outgoing party-boy who wanted to be everybody's friend and was photographed with every celebrity du jour who entered the club and Schrager was the quiet, behind-the-scenes workhorse who shunned the limelight. Studio 54 was an instant success and a cash cow, but the drug-and-sex-fueled dream soon imploded in financial scandal and the club's demise.

With unprecedented access to Schrager, who tells the whole unvarnished story for the first time, and a treasure-trove of rare footage, director Matt Tyrnauer (Valentino: The Last Emperor, Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood) constructs a vivid, glorious portrait of a disco-era phenomenon, and tells the story of two friends who stuck together through an incredible series of highs and lows.

STUDIO 54 was produced by Altimeter Films and Passion Pictures. John Battsek, p.g.a and Corey Reeser, p.g.a. are producers; Robert Sharenow, Elaine Frontain Bryant and Molly Thompson are executive producers for A&E IndieFilms.

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