Nova 78

Assembled from newly rediscovered and restored footage shot in 1978, Nova ’78 plunges viewers into the electrifying heart of New York’s downtown avant-garde. Centered on the legendary Nova Convention—a three-day multimedia celebration of Beat visionary William S. Burroughs—the film captures a remarkable convergence of artists, musicians, writers, and provocateurs who would come to define a generation of counterculture. Filmed by Howard Brookner, with early contributions from future filmmakers Jim Jarmusch and Tom DiCillo, the footage brings together towering figures including Patti Smith, Allen Ginsberg, Laurie Anderson, Philip Glass, Frank Zappa, and Timothy Leary in a whirlwind of performances, readings, conversations, and experimentation. More than a portrait of a singular event, Nova ’78 evokes a moment when artistic boundaries seemed limitless and the future remained unwritten. Alive with the raw energy, political tensions, and creative ferment of the late 1970s, the film stands as an exhilarating time capsule of a cultural movement whose influence continues to reverberate today.Documentary, MusicPT1H18M2026-10-09PTen
Philip Glass
Frank Zappa
William S. Burroughs
Aaron Brookner
Rodrigo Areias
Aaron Brookner
Rodrigo Areias
Paula Alvarez Vaccaro
Nova 78"Nova 78"

Showtimes

Pickford Film Center