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“Trees Lounge,” a movie that Roger Ebert called “the most accurate portrait of the daily saloon drinker I have ever seen” is going to open the 2025 RescueFest, a benefit for IndieCollect that starts tomorrow, December 5 at the Laemmle Monica. Star/writer/director Steve Buscemi will be there in person, and it’s just the start of a special event that highlights 8 films that could have been lost to movie history. There will also be a tribute to Mr. Buscemi and a tribute screening the next day, December 6, including a Q&A moderated by Sundance Institute’s Michelle Satter, filmed for Greg Laemmle’s “Inside the Arthouse” podcast. They’re also playing Buscemi’s “In the Soup.”
Other restorations premiering during the event include “The Devil Never Sleeps,” “The Believer,” “Rate It X,” “Tattoo City,” “Bitter Cane,” and “The Smuggler’s Wife.” All screenings with include Q&As.
For more information and to get tickets, click here.
And please see the official press release about the event below:
Dedicated to saving the past & protecting the future of American indie film, RescueFest celebrates eight glorious 4K restorations of indie movies that couldn’t be seen in high-quality digital formats until now. All were restored by nonprofit IndieCollect. RescueFest runs from December 5 to 8, 2025, at Laemmle’s Monica Film Center in Santa Monica, CA.
Opening night, Friday, December 5, the spotlight is on Restoration World Premiere of Steve Buscemi’s 1996 opus, Trees Lounge, a mournful comedy about a man facing his demons. Steve Buscemi will present the film in person with VIP guests. Buscemi wrote and directed Trees Lounge and stars alongside Eszter Balint, Daniel Baldwin, Elizabeth Bracco, Seymour Cassel, Michael Imperioli, Samuel L. Jackson, Mark Boone Junior, Carol Kane, Anthony LaPaglia, Joe Lisi, Debi Mazar, Mimi Rogers, and Chloë Sevigny.
Steve Buscemi is being honored with a tribute on Saturday, December 6, at 2:30pm, followed by 4pm screening of In The Soup, winner of the Sundance Grand Jury Prize,starring Buscemi, Jennifer Beals & Seymour Cassell, and directed by Alexandre Rockwell.
Opening Night Tickets, available only through IndieCollect, are tax-deductible and benefit IndieCollect’s rescue & restoration campaign. The benefit package includes Trees Lounge premiere, Steve Buscemi Tribute , tribute screening of In the Soup, plus All-Access Pass to the entire RescueFest line-up. Individual RescueFest movie tickets at laemmle.com.
The Saturday night special is U.S. Premiere of Henry Bean’s controversial Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner, The Believer, starring Ryan Gosling in a breakthrough performance as a Jew turned neo-Nazi. Fim critic Ella Taylor will conduct on-stage dialogue with director Henry Bean. RescueFest also spotlights:
- Restoration World Premiere of Tattoo City by Emiko Omori
- Restoration World Premiere of Rate It X by Paula de Koenisgberg & Lucy Winer
- Restoration World Premiere of The Devil Never Sleeps/El Diablo Nunca Duerme by Lourdes Portillo
- West Coast Restoration Premiere of Bitter Cane by Ben Dupuy & Kim Ives
- Restoration World Premiere of The Smuggler’s Wife by Glen Pitre, with Tatum O’Neal, Julian Sands & Tim Curry.
RescueFest Background
“We were the underdogs,” says IndieCollect Board Member and Film Independent co-founder Gregory Nava (El Norte, Selina). “In the 1970s & 80s, indie filmmakers of diverse backgrounds found ourselves shut out of the industry. All we had was our guts, yet we made movies that changed the face of American cinema. But young filmmakers don’t know the story of our movement or why it’s important to save and see these films. IndieCollect restorations are our gift to the next generation.”
Incoming Board Member Fran Kuzui (Tokyo Pop) adds, “The American indie film movement was fueled by passion, not algorithms. That why we’re honoring Steve Buscemi — because of his passion.”
IndieCollect was launched by IFP founder Sandra Schulberg to ensure that indie movies made from 1950 to 2000 — on celluloid — remain accessible for generations to come. “Indie films reflect a multi-faceted America. But one film after another is falling into oblivion. Our archive colleagues share our concern but resources are practically nil. It’s time we unite and take a stand before the legacy of the indie filmmakers disappears.”
RescueFest Film Descriptions & Schedule
Laemmle Monica Film Center – December 5 to 8, 2025
www.laemmle.com/theater/monica-film-center
Fri, Dec 5 / Day 1
7:00pm Opening Night / Restoration World Premiere
TREES LOUNGE (1996, 97’)
Written & directed by Steve Buscemi; produced by Chris Hanley & Brad Wyman
Steve Buscemi’s directorial debut premiered in the Director’s Fortnight at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival. Roger Ebert’s review captures the film’s wistful ethos: “Any alcoholic knows that life is not all bad, that there comes a moment between the morning’s hangover and the night’s oblivion when things are balanced very nicely, and the sun slants in through the bar windows, and there’s a good song on the jukebox, and the customers might even start dancing.” The extraordinary cast — Eszter Balint, Daniel Baldwin, Elizabeth Bracco, Seymour Cassel, Michael Imperioli, Samuel L. Jackson, Mark Boone Junior, Carol Kane, Anthony LaPaglia, Joe Lisi, Debi Mazar, Mimi Rogers, Chloe Sevigny — reflect the complexity of the lead character, indelibly portrayed by Steve Buscemi.
- IndieCollect’s restoration, scanned from the original 35mm color negative, was created in collaboration with director Steve Buscemi & DP Lisa Rinzler, in association with the George Eastman Museum. Restoration Supervisor Cameron Haffner. Colorist Eva Yuma. Audio Restoration Nick Bergh.
Sat, Dec 6 / Day 2
2:30 to 3:30pm Tribute to STEVE BUSCEMI
4:00 pm Tribute Screening
IN THE SOUP (1992, 96’)
Produced & directed by Alexandre Rockwell; written by Alexandre Rockwell & Sollace Mitchell
Aspiring New York filmmaker (Steve Buscemi) chases his dream of making a movie to star his beautiful next-door neighbor (Jennifer Beals), but his financier (Seymour Cassel) turns out to be a con artist with ideas of his own. Winner of the Sundance Grand Jury Prize, this quintessential indie — shot in color but released in gorgeous B&W — also stars Stanley Tucci, Sam Rockwell, Will Patton, Jim Jarmusch, Debi Mazar and Carol Kane. Buscemi recalls, “Alex gave me a lot of responsibility for that character. Not that he didn’t have his ideas about this guy but we were constantly discussing ideas. He’s very much an actor’s director, and a brilliant filmmaker.”
- IndieCollect’s restoration, scanned from the B&W 35mm fine grain master positive, was created in collaboration with director Alex Rockwell, in association with Matt Grady of Factory 25. Restoration Supervisors Israel Ehrisman & Cameron Haffner. Colorist Oskar Miarka.
7:30pm U.S. Restoration Premiere
THE BELIEVER (2001, 99’)
Written & directed by Henry Bean; produced by Susan Hoffman & Christopher Roberts
Ryan Gosling stunned audiences with his galvanizing performance as a Jew who becomes a neo-Nazi. The story is inspired by Dan Burros, a member of the American Nazi Party who committed suicide after The New York Times revealed he was Jewish. The film won the Sundance Grand Jury Prize in 2001 but its controversial subject matter scared distributors and it’s among the acclaimed Sundance films that has practically disappeared from view.
- IndieCollect’s restoration, scanned from the original 16mm color negative, was created in collaboration with director Henry Bean. Restoration Supervisor Israel Ehrisman. Colorist David Gauff.
Sun, Dec 7 / Day 3
12:00 to 2:00pm “Reel Resistance” Roundtable
A rallying point for IndieCollect’s Filmmaker Bill of Rights and a chance for filmmakers, archivists and funders to discuss the challenges facing us all. Keynote speakers TBD.
- Roundtable is FREE, but registration required at indiecollect.org
3:00 pm Restoration World Premiere
TATTOO CITY (1980, 24’)
Produced, directed, and edited by Emiko Omori
Emiko Omori and her family were imprisoned in the Poston concentration camp in Arizona from 1942 to 1945. After that trauma she turned her back on all things Japanese, wanting to be accepted by the predominant culture. That changed when she met renowned tattooist D.E. Hardy who introduced her to beautiful Japanese art reflected in his work. She made several films with him over the years. This is the first; it premiered at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco in 1980.
- IndieCollect’s restoration, scanned from the original 16mm color negative, was created in collaboration with director Emiko Omori, with support from the Golden Globe Foundation and Henry & Tomoye Takahashi Charitable Foundation. Restoration Supervisor Cameron Haffner. Colorist Ciara Kain. Audio Restoration Nick Bergh.
5:00pm Restoration World Premiere
RATE IT X (1986, 93’)
Directed by Paula de Koenigsberg & Lucy Winer; produced by Lynn Campbell, Claudette Charbonneau, Paula de Koenigsberg & Lucy Winer
What do men really think of women? This provocative film takes an unflinching look at sexism in America. Sly portraits uncover obvious culprits — advertising firms and porn shops — but the filmmakers also reveal sexist imagery that promotes gender stereotyping in more subtle and subversive ways, showing how sexism becomes normalized through commerce, religion and social mores. Although the #MeToo campaign raised consciousness about sexual harassment in American society, many will shake their heads upon seeing this wry film and conclude that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
- IndieCollect’s restoration, scanned from the original 16mm color negative, was created in collaboration with directors Paula de Koenigsberg & Lucy Winer, in association with the UCLA Film & Television Archive, with support from the Sundance Institute Film Preservation Fund, Women’s Film Preservation Fund of New York Women in Film, Golden Globe Foundation, and Peter & Michele Blacksberg. Restoration Supervision Cameron Haffner. Colorist Ciara Kain. Audio Remix & Restoration Dave Sluberski. Distributor Kino Lorber.
7:30pm Restoration World Premiere
THE DEVIL NEVER SLEEPS / EL DIABLO NUNCA DUERME (1986, 89’)
Written, produced & directed by Lourdes Portillo; co-producer Michelle Valladares
A shocking phone call informs filmmaker Lourdes Portillo that her beloved uncle Oscar has been found dead of a gunshot wound to the head. His widow declares the death a suicide. Other members of the family accuse her of murder. Determined to uncover the truth, Portillo returns to the scene of the crime, in Chihuahua, Mexico. Portillo creates a suspenseful detective story that limns betrayal, evokes the supernatural, and satirizes cultural mores. Richard Brody called The Devil Never Sleeps “as thrilling and as psychologically complex as a great scripted drama.”
- IndieCollect’s restoration, scanned from the original 16mm color negative, was created in collaboration with cinematographer Antonio Scarlata, the son of Lourdes Portillo, with support from the Golden Globe Foundation and donors to IndieCollect’s Jane Fonda Fund for Women Directors. Restoration Supervision Cameron Haffner. Colorist Eva Yuma. Audio Restoration Nick Bergh. Educational Rights: Women Make Movies
Mon, Dec 8 / Day 4
5:30pm West Coast Restoration Premiere
BITTER CANE / CANNE AMÈRE (1983, 76’)
Directed by Ben Dupuy & Kim Ives; produced by Haiti Films
This award-winning film was shot secretly in Haiti during the dictatorship of Jean-Claude (“Baby Doc”) Duvalier by a collective of Haitian and American filmmakers, including Pennee Bender, DeeDee Halleck, and Kyle Kibbe. Most of the Haitians were affiliated with the Mouvement Haïtien de Libération. To protect their identities, the filmmakers created a fictional director, “Jacques Arcelin.” Credits on the restored film reveal their true identities for the first time. Given the violence, economic devastation, and chaos that plague Haiti, this film’s insights remain tragically relevant.
- IndieCollect’s restoration, scanned from the original 16mm color negative, was created in collaboration with co-director Kim Ives following the death of his Haitian comrade Ben Dupuy. It was restored with support from the Golden Globe Foundation. Restoration Supervision Cameron Haffner. Colorist Eva Yuma. Audio Restoration Nick Bergh.
7:30pm Restoration World Premiere
THE SMUGGLER’S WIFE (2002, 100’)
Directed by Glen Pitre; written by Glen Pitre & Michele Benoit; produced by Jerry Daigle & Peggy Rajski
After making his feature film debut with Belizaire the Cajun, Glen Pitre was dubbed the “godfather of Cajun cinema.” For his second movie, he returned to the Louisiana Bayou to tell a story inspired by actual events: German U-boats patrolled America’s southern coast during WWII inspiring fear and suspicion. The townspeople suspect that one of their own, a widow played by Tatum O’Neal, may be sheltering a German fugitive, played by the late Julian Sands. The film also stars the inimitable Tim Curry.
- IndieCollect’s restoration, scanned from the original 35mm color negative, was created in collaboration with director Glen Pitre, with support from Heritage Entertainment. Restoration Supervision Cameron Haffner, Colorist Oskar Miarka. Audio Restoration Larry Blake. Distributor: VMI Worldwide
from Roger Ebert https://ift.tt/t8myeq2
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