Director Abel Ferrara (1951)

Tommaso (2019) is an internationally co-produced drama written and directed by Abel Ferrara. This compelling film features award-winning actor Willem Dafoe as the main character. Making its debut at the prestigious 72nd Cannes Film Festival on 20 May 2019, it later became available to American audiences on 5 June 2020 through Kino Lorber. The plot centers around a married couple living in Rome – an American artist and his young European wife – and their three-year-old daughter. According to review aggregation website Rotten ...

Pasolini (2014) is an internationally co-produced drama, directed by Abel Ferrara and written by Maurizio Braucci, that delves into the final days of Italian filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini. At fifty-three years old, Pasolini lives in the chaotic Rome of the 1970s. He has recently wrapped up filming his controversial piece, Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom, which has sparked outrage among critics and viewers alike. The public’s disapproval towards Pasolini’s homosexuality and his bold approach to showcasing reality only grows stronger. As he prepares to ...

Abel Ferrara’s Chelsea on the Rocks (2008) is a documentary that showcases the iconic Hotel Chelsea. Through interviews with current and former residents, as well as reenacted scenes of notable moments, the film honors the unique individuals and their artistic contributions to New York’s legendary Chelsea Hotel. Despite its roots as an impenetrable haven for writers, artists, musicians and nonconformists, this storied residence has now been transformed into a boutique hotel by a management company that fails to recognize its rich history.

Abel Ferrara’s independent film, Go Go Tales (2007), follows the story of Ray Ruby, the manager of Ray Ruby’s Paradise. As the number of tourists dwindles, Ray becomes worried about the future of his establishment. To attract more customers, he decides to hold a lottery. However, with finances running low and bills piling up, including payment for the pole dancers, Ray struggles to keep the club afloat. To make matters worse, Lillian, the landlady, threatens to turn the space into a Bed Bath & Beyond if she does not receive rent money soon. In a desperate attempt to ...

Mary (2005), a drama thriller flick, was written and directed by American filmmaker Abel Ferrara. After completing a movie about Jesus named This Is My Blood, Marie Palesi – the actress portraying Mary Magdalene – seeks refuge in Jerusalem to uncover the truth behind the story. Meanwhile, the film’s director (who also portrays Jesus) returns to New York with an aggressive campaign to promote the movie. Controversy surrounds the film due to its use of non-canonical Gnostic Gospels in some scenes, as well as allegations of anti-Semitism that remain unexplained. In New ...

‘R Xmas (2001) is an American crime film directed by Abel Ferrara. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. The movie opens with the following disclaimer: ‘In December of 1993 the Honorable David Dinkins was completing his first and only term as Mayor of New York’. An unnamed Latin-American married couple outwardly live a lavish lifestyle – sending their daughter to an elite private school, residing in a high-rise building with doormen. However, their source of income involves commuting to a dreary apartment in Flushing where they package and sell heroin ...

Directed by Abel Ferrara, The Blackout (1997) is an American drama film starring popular actor Matthew Modine. It was featured at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival, but not in competition. Matty, tired of the Hollywood lifestyle, relocates to Miami and proposes to his French girlfriend, also named Annie. However, she declines and reveals that she had an abortion. Feeling devastated about losing their baby (despite initially suggesting the abortion), Matty and his friend Micky decide to go on a wild night out. While at a nightclub, they meet another waitress named Annie and ...

The American crime-drama film, The Funeral (1996), directed by Abel Ferrara, centers around the death of one of the three violent Tempio brothers. As his brothers Chez and Ray mourn his passing, they each cope with their grief in contrasting ways – Ray with a cool and calculating demeanor while Chez’s hot temper flares. Flashbacks reveal that Johnny, although a criminal, had a softer side and was influenced by communist meetings he attended as a spy. The primary suspect in his murder is rival gangster Gaspare Spoglia. Determined to seek revenge, both Ray and Chez make a vow to avenge their brother’s ...

The American horror film, The Addiction (1995), directed by Abel Ferrara and written by Nicholas St. John, tells the story of Kathleen Conklin, an introverted philosophy graduate student at New York University. One night, she is attacked by a woman who goes by the name ‘Casanova’, and soon begins to exhibit classic signs of vampirism such as avoiding sunlight and losing interest in food. Her behavior becomes more aggressive and she even propositions her dissertation advisor for sex and steals money from him while he sleeps. Her friend Jean, also a doctoral ...

Drama film Dangerous Game (1993), by director Abel Ferrara and writer Nicholas St. John, follows motion picture director Eddie Israel’s journey from New York City to Hollywood, California. There, he rehearses ‘Mother of Mirrors’ with actors Sarah Jennings and Francis ‘Frank’ Burns, depicting a turbulent marriage between ‘Russell’, once a successful breadwinner, and his newly devout wife ‘Claire’. As the characters’ tensions rise onscreen, Eddie begins a relationship with Sarah and encourages Frank to use his drug ...

Body Snatchers (1993) is an American sci-fi horror flick helmed by director Abel Ferrara. The film follows the story of Steve Malone, an Environmental Protection Agency agent who is tasked with investigating the potential ecological effects caused by military activities at a base in Alabama. Accompanying him on this mission are his teenage daughter Marti from his first marriage, his second wife Carol, and his stepson Andy. During their journey to the base, they make a pit stop at a gas station where Marti has a frightening encounter with an MP armed with a knife. The MP lets her go after noticing her distress, seemingly ...

Directed by Abel Ferrara, Bad Lieutenant (1992) is an American neo-noir crime film that follows an unnamed NYPD police lieutenant portrayed by Harvey Keitel. The story begins with the lieutenant dropping off his two sons at Catholic school before indulging in cocaine and driving to Union Square where he discovers a double homicide. In exchange for drugs from the crime scene, the lieutenant gives a bag of drugs to a dealer, smoking crack during the transaction. He then proceeds to get drunk and participate in a threesome with two women at an apartment before visiting a ...

King of New York (1990), a neo-noir directed by Abel Ferrara and written by Nicholas St. John, follows drug lord Frank White as he attempts to gain control over New York City’s criminal underworld. Following his release from Sing Sing Penitentiary, White and his crew, led by his loyal associate Jimmy Jump, solidify their power by eliminating rival groups such as the Colombian drug cartel and Triad. In one instance, White personally takes out a Mafia boss who refuses to cooperate with him. The notorious actions of White and his team attract the attention of the ...

China Girl (1987) is an independent neo-noir romantic thriller film directed by Abel Ferrara and written by his longtime partner Nicholas St. John. Set in 1980’s New York City, the story follows teenage boy Anthony ‘Tony’ who lives in Little Italy and works at a pizzeria making dough. During a night out at a nightclub, he meets and dances with the beautiful Chinese teenager, Tye. Their encounter is cut short when Tony is pursued by the local Chinese street gang led by Tsu Shin, but he is saved by his older brother Alberto ‘Alby’, who heads ...

The American crime drama TV series, Crime Story (1986–1988), was created by Chuck Adamson and Gustave Reininger, and produced by Michael Mann. It aired on NBC for two seasons from September 18, 1986 to May 10, 1988. The show debuted with a two-hour pilot that had previously been shown in theaters and garnered a viewership of over 30 million. Originally airing on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. opposite ABC’s Moonlighting, it was later moved to Fridays at 10 p.m. before eventually settling on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. during the fall of ...

Fear City (1984) is an American neo-noir erotic thriller film directed by Abel Ferrara about best friends Matt Rossi and Nicky Parzeno. They run a management company for Manhattan’s top exotic dancers and handle their bookings at various clubs throughout the borough. Rossi and their top client, Loretta, used to be in a relationship until their breakup due to Rossi’s emotional state caused by accidentally killing an opponent during his time as a professional boxer. Loretta has since moved on to a new relationship with Leila, one of the dancers they represent. However, one night, another dancer is brutally attacked ...

Directed by Abel Ferrara, Ms.45 (1981) is an American exploitation thriller film about a mute seamstress named Thana living in New York City’s Garment District. On her way home from work, she is sexually assaulted at gunpoint by an unknown assailant in an alley. In self-defense, Thana strikes the attacker with a small glass apple and then uses an iron to fatally beat him. Following the traumatic incident, Thana goes into shock the next day when her boss, Albert, aggressively rips a shirt off of a mannequin. This behavior worries her co-workers and she is sent home for the day. Alone at home, Thana dismembers the ...