Directed and edited by Brian Vincent in his feature directorial debut and produced by Heather Spore,[4] it is about the rise and fall of the East Village art scene in New York City in the 1980s through the unlikely lens of little known neo expressionistpainter Edward Brezinski. The film premiered at the New York Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Film Festival on October 17, 2021. It was released exclusively in theaters in the United States on June 22, 2023, by Red Splat Productions. The film received positive reviews from critics.
Domestically, the film had a sold out pre-theatrical sneak peek at the Museum of the City of New York on April 18, 2023.[12] The film was released in theaters in a self-distributed theatrical with openings on June 22, 2023 at the Roxy Cinema and June 23, 2023 at the New Plaza Cinema with additional screenings at the Alamo Drafthouse in Lower Manhattan.[13]
With a continued presence in New York City, the film screened 17 times at Roxy Cinema and played monthly at the New Plaza Cinema for 26 screenings.[19] Other notable screens who programmed the film in New York City were Nighthawk Cinema in Prospect Park and Williamsburg and Syndicated Brooklyn in Bushwick. On July 27, 2024 the film will screen on the Lower East Side at the Village East by Angelika.[20]
Reception
Critical Response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 24 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7/10.[21] The website’s consensus reads, “”Make Me Famous” brings notoriety to its subject and his peers while delivering a gritty time capsule of New York City's art scene before it was gentrified.”[22]
The Hollywood Reporter wrote "The first half of the project breathlessly divulges as much information about Brzezinski as possible, sketching his character through his makeshift community’s vision. There is a straightforward tone, an uncomplicated visual style, and a focus on the interviewees’ stories and ideas, which occasionally take one too many tangents. Suddenly it all changes, and Make Me Famous adopts a true-crime quality."[23]
The Guardian called the film a "touching documentary revisits the grimy Manhattan of the 70s and 80s in search of long-lost painter Edward Brezinski."[24]
Artforum called the film a "brilliantly digressive structure for a feature-length movie...remarkably loving and deeply empathetic conjuring for which Vincent should be commended, the conceit of this picture, what has indeed sold it so successfully to audiences, is how its protagonist is ultimately a surrogate, a blank upon which we can project the full spectrum of desire and dread that circulates through creative ambition like the lifeblood of culture.”[25]
Box Office
The opening weekend Box Office Gross was $5757 across 5 screenings. Domestically, the film earned $51,809 with an eventized theatrical model and in the UK earned $4572 on two screens.[26]
The Numbers which tracks film box office revenue lists the film with milestones in all-time records for Limited Release Movies.[27]
Biggest Weekend at the Domestic Box Office for Limited Release Movies
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