Babylon (Franco Rosso, 1980)- May 2nd

“That Franco Rosso’s Babylon should be given a U.S. release at this time, nearly 40 years after the film premiered in the UK, is particularly poignant…This is, essentially, Mean Streets for a dubwise audience. Rosso left nothing to chance, creating a world so complete and so compelling, it’s impossible to look away.”

— Lloyd Bradley, Pitchfork

The Downtown Independent is thrilled to welcome Babylon to our theater for a very special 5-day run.

Babylon, originally banned in the US and given an X-rating in the UK for its controversial content, is finally available to enjoy on the big screen.

Co-written by Martin Stellman (Quadrophenia) and shot by two-time Oscar® winner Chris Menges (The Killing Fields), this film is a unique vision of the explosive world of reggae, dub and lovers rock.

Following a young reggae DJ (Brinsley Forde, frontman of landmark British group Aswad) in Thatcher-era Brixton,Babylon explores his journey pursuing his musical ambitions and battling fiercely the racism and xenophobia of employers, neighbors, police, and the National Front.

This is a unique and brilliant cinematic experience and not to be missed!

Get your tickets ahead of time!