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        JACKIE 60: THE MOVIE
       

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SYNOPSIS
JACKIE 60: THE MOVIE is a story of nightclub life, invention, and mischief in downtown New York. This documentary reveals the intense underground club scene at the end of a decade (and a century) in 1999. The film features performances by the House of Domination (the resident female fetish troupe), stars, and "Jackie Legends". Every week the elaborate themes and staged performances were guided by the JACKIE MC's: Paul Alexander, Hattie Hathaway, and Jackie co-founder Chi Chi Valenti. Shot on DV over a one-year period, the movie culminates with the club's epic closing night. The film also features interviews with club regulars including Marc Jacobs, Francesco Clemente, Joey Arias, and dozens more. Encompassing live performances, back-room antics, and clubland scandal and intrigue, this is a rare document of Another New York.

A VERY JACKIE SUMMARY
Jackie 60 is synonymous with underground NYC nightlife. Jackie 60 means art, performance, and satire, seasoned with a sarcasm. Jackie 60 was created out of the fertile minds of Johnny Dynell and Chi Chi Valenti. Their years of involvement in the NYC nightclub scene lead them to create their own club in 1990. They called her Jackie 60. In a matter of months Jackie 60 had become the ultimate place to be on Tuesday night in NYC.

Every week for a decade, the Jackie family created performances and "Method Go-Gos" centered on unique (though sometimes recurring) themes. In 1999, Johnny and Chi Chi decided to bring the Jackie legend to a stately and dignified end. With the club's complete participation, almost all of the Jackie 60 nights were captured along with behind the scenes footage of the hours of work and planning that went into each performance.

The movie features over 50 interviews including Debbie Harry, designer Marc Jacobs, artist Francesco Clemente, choreographer Richard Move, MCs Hattie Hathaway and Paul Alexander, the House of Domination, fetish-clothing designer Kitty Boots, Drag Queens, Street Thugs, Go-Go Boys, performance artists Dancenoise, poet Penny Arcade, The World Famous Bob, drag kings Mo B Dick and Murray Hill, rocker Jayne County, and Maripol. The Jackie story is told though the words of the people who created the scene every week. The footage is rich with character, exposition, and performance. The Jackie 60 story is fascinating, insulting, titillating, vulgar, highbrow, smart and ultimately entertaining.

This is the definitive record of a cultural explosion, an art scene that defined two decades of creativity in the most electrifying city in the world.

THE DIRECTOR
Jack Gulick graduated from New York University with a degree in film and television. Early in his career he worked at the United Nations in the News and Documentaries department, and was Stage Manager at The Palladium. He produced Bruce Springsteen's Grammy-nominated documentary Blood Brothers in 1997 and produced a live concert and television special for Giorgio Armani with Eric Clapton, Fugees, The Wallflowers and d'Angelo and numerous music videos. Gulick served as Line Producer on Paul Taylor's documentary Dancemaker which was nominated for an Oscar© in 1999.

For several years including 2002, Gulick produced The American Fashion Awards for the CFDA in NYC. Other recent credits include Line Producer (for The Shooting Gallery) of the IMAX Feature Film All Access and producer of AEROS, a Dance Television special for BRAVO. He directed a music video for Disco-Icon Gloria Gaynor's single "I Never Knew", released in Fall 2002. Most recently, Gulick was one of the producers of Dave Matthews Band: The Central Park Concert and also of Lightning in a Bottle directed by Antoine Fuqua ("Training Day") and executive produced by Martin Scorsese (To be release by Sony Pictures Classics in July 2004).

DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT
The intention behind shooting Jackie 60 was to preserve a unique time and place in NY club history, and also to record the end of an era. I approached the subject as an anthropologist. Every effort was made to be respectful of everyone involved in the club. I struggled throughout the project to stay impartial and kept my crew from becoming part of the story. There were some near misses. Jackie did her best to pull us in.

I used a shooting technique that preserves the live-wire dynamism of the club. All onstage performances were shot with four or more cameras that run in sync. The movie was shot on Mini DV in 16:9 mode and will be carried over to 35mm film for projection in theaters. The audio was all captured directly from the mixing board for the best overall quality. I interviewed more then 50 people in the club during off-hours for the best sound and control. I also shot extensive behind-the-scenes footage from mundane office work to the outrageous fetish scenes in the dressing room. Along with the shooting crew, photographer Paul Brissman took over 8000 photos.

Music is a vital part of the project and drives the story forward. Dance music is much simpler to clear then most pop music. From pre-production I saw this project as a documentary feature running 90 min or more. I see the story as ageless, as period footage from Andy Warhol's original factory is so riveting. The Jackie family is an incredible group of creators who are a singular creative force. Jackie 60: The Movie captures their unique and influential place in NYC nightclub history. And it's a great party.

Photo of Marti Domination by Paul Brissman

For more information about Jackie 60: The Movie, please e-mail jackie60movie at earthlink.net

© 2004 Empire Films, Inc.

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