An intimate portrait of an artist in 1970s New York
In December 1974, photographer Peter Hujar met writer Linda Rosenkrantz in her apartment to recount, in meticulous detail, the previous day in his life. Based on a recently discovered transcript of a conversation, Ira Sach’s chamber piece captures a vivid portrait of downtown New York’s art scene through Hujar’s encounters with Susan Sontag, William S. Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, and others, while reflecting on the precious economics of artistic life.
An intimate mediation on memory, creativity, and the rhythms of daily existence in 1970s bohemian Manhattan. Sachs creates a mesmerizing time capsule of artistic life where every mundane detail – a phone call, a darkroom session – reveals the delicate balance between commerce and integrity that defined a generation of downtown artists.
Cast/Avec
Ben WHISHAW
Rebecca HALL
Screenplay
Ira Sachs
based on the book “Peter Hujar’s Day” by Linda Rosenkrantz
“... an intriguing experiment in recovering the moment-by-moment reality of a lost time and place.”
Peter Bradshaw The Guardian 14/02/2025
AISGE Award for Best Actor, Gijón International Film Festival, 2025, es
Berlin International Film Festival, 2025, de
Sundance Film Festival, 2025, us
Ira Sachs
Ira Sachs is an American director and screenwriter. Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, Sachs studied film at Yale before pursuing filmmaking in New York City. His breakthrough Forty Shades of Blue (2005) won the Grand Prize Jury at Sundance, establishing his signature style of closely-observed character studies that probe the complexities of love and family. Keep the Lights On (2012) and Love Is Strange (2014) further cemented his reputation for nuanced portrayals of queer relationships. Peter Hujar’s Day is his ninth feature.
