Preview: Expressway By Nicolas Winding Refn
Nicolas Winding Rein is, as anyone whose seen any of his films will testify, a man of remarkably good taste.
It’s not just his highly stylised features either – a lavish coffee table book of horror and trash film posters and a compilation album hand-picked by Refn himself, taking in everything from Sparks’ mid-period Moroder produced Euro-disco belter No 1 Song in Heaven through to porto-electronic punks Suicide and new wave punks 999, are further testament to his credentials.
A keen film collector, he has a wealth of his own prints, posters and film ephemera.
And now, he’s launching his own new venture, byNWR.com, an online video on demand project that will host films selected by the maestro. Working in tandem with a raft of players such as cinephiles’ favourite subscription video on demand provider Mubi.com, many will be rarely seen obscurities, with Refn hoping to inspire a new generation of filmmakers.
And there’s more too – for to help launch the whole project, Refn is kicking off with a hand-picked night of entertainment at the rather refined location of the Royal Academy, entitled Expressway.
Set in and around the Keeper’s House part of the Academy, there’s a room of musical entertainment provided by sometime Ransom Note collaborator and editor Ivan Smagghe alongside Nathan Gregory Wilkins and Annabel Fraser; another room will be run by Refn’s sibling, Julian Winding, himself a film soundtrack composer; in another poetry with some of the UK’s leading lights; with more space set aside for an interview with New York face Jimmy McDonough, talking about the good old days when NY was still Sleaze Central.
And, of course, film is integral to it – there’s a screening of a newly restored (by Refn and co) print of early Dennis Hopper starrer Night Tide, as well as masked wrestling action in early 1960s flick Santo Vs The Infernal Men.
Refn won’t be there in person – he’s currently filming for TV in LA, but will be airing a message at the event.
You can get your tickets here…
