After the hugely successful The Last Days of Disco screening at the ICA in January it was clear there was an enormous appetite and appreciation for Whit Stillman’s films in the UK. Having had such a great time organising this event, it seemed a good idea to explore more screenings and Q&As when Whit was next in the country. The result is this Whit Stillman Tour which will take Lost Reels and Whit to four regional venues over four consecutive evenings in July. Featuring 35mm prints of two of his best-loved films, Metropolitan and The Last Days of Disco, this is a one-off event for some venues and the kick-off to a Whit Stillman retrospective for others.

We’ll be at Sheffield Showroom, Manchester HOME, Tyneside Cinema, and the newly reopened Edinburgh Filmhouse between July 22-July 25. All screenings are on film and for our Metropolitan events we’ll be featuring a special 35mm print struck for the film’s 20th anniversary screening at Sundance in 2010, rarely if ever shown in the UK since.

If this programme is well-received it could lead to subsequent tours with other films and filmmakers, and a future model where Lost Reels collaborates with UK-wide partner cinemas on a regular basis.

We hope you can join us at one of these wonderful venues for what will surely be a memorable Whit Stillman 35mm screening and Q&A event.

Special thanks to Whit Stillman for his support and participation.

Metropolitan (1990)

Written and directed by Whit Stillman, featuring Carolyn Farina, Edward Clements, Chris Eigeman, Taylor Nichols. Colour, 98 mins, English, Cert 15

One of the great American independent films of the 1990s, the surprise hit Metropolitan, by writer-director Whit Stillman, is a sparkling comedic chronicle of a young man’s romantic misadventures while trying to fit into New York City’s debutante society. Stillman’s deft, literate dialogue and hilariously highbrow observations earned this first film an Academy Award nomination for best original screenplay. Beneath the wit and sophistication, though, lies a tender tale of adolescent anxiety.

The Last Days of Disco (1998)

Written and directed by Whit Stillman, featuring Chloë Sevigny, Kate Beckinsale, Mackenzie Astin, Chris Eigeman, Matt Keeslar, Robert Sean Leonard. Colour, 113 mins, English, Cert 15

The self-confident Charlotte (Kate Beckinsale) and demure Alice (Chloë Sevigny) work in low-level publishing jobs by day and search for entertainment and romance at night in a Studio 54-esque club in Manhattan in the early 80s. As the two women navigate their jobs, relationships, roommates, and “railroad” apartments with their mostly male friends (Chris Eigeman, Matt Keeslar, Robert Sean Leonard, and others), Whit Stillman’s dryly comic drama delivers sharp observations about class, gender, generational tension and coming-into-adulthood. A successful indie upon release it has since become a cult favourite and remains as funny and incisive as when it was made. With an evocative disco soundtrack and appealing performances from the ensemble cast it’s a vivid and affectionate elegy to a bygone age.