Lost & Found #02: AFTER HOURS | Second Chances for Great Films at FOMO Cinema Tbilisi

LOST & FOUND at FOMO is our new fortnightly series dedicated to criminally underseen films that deserved a much bigger audience. These aren’t cult films selected simply for being weird or notorious. They’re genuinely good films that slipped through the cracks because of bad marketing, poor timing, controversy, distribution problems or simple bad luck.

Following each film, filmmaker and critic Mark Popov will lead a 60 minute interactive film discussion and Q&A with the audience.

For L&F#2 Mark has chosen Martin Scorsese’s AFTER HOURS

Martin Scorsese | 1985 | USA | 1h37m + 60 minute film discussion | Presented in the original English audio with English subtitles

Scorsese is so closely associated with gangsters, violence and New York crime that it is easy to forget just how odd his filmography can get. AFTER HOURS might be the strangest film he ever made.

Griffin Dunne plays Paul, an ordinary office worker who agrees to meet a woman in downtown Manhattan after work. What should be a simple late-night date turns into an increasingly absurd nightmare involving stolen money, eccentric artists, furious strangers, mistaken identities, an angry mob and a seemingly endless series of attempts to get home.

The whole film takes place over one increasingly disastrous night.

Made in 1985, AFTER HOURS came at an unusual moment in Scorsese’s career. Several larger projects had fallen apart, and he returned to a smaller production with a relatively modest budget. The result is fast, funny, paranoid and completely different from the films most people associate with him.

It plays like a nightmare constructed according to the rules of a screwball comedy. Every decision Paul makes seems reasonable at the time, and almost every one makes his situation worse.

That combination of anxiety and comedy is what has allowed AFTER HOURS to grow in reputation over the decades. It was never one of Scorsese’s biggest films, but it has become one of his most loved cult titles.

And that makes it exactly the kind of film LOST & FOUND exists for.

Mark will introduce the film, explain why he chose it and give some context before the screening. Afterwards, he’ll lead a live, informal audience discussion and Q&A. Guests are encouraged to join in, ask questions and share their own thoughts.

SCHEDULE

19:30 Doors open, grab a refreshment and meet Mark

20:00 Opening Talk

20:15 Feature film starts

22:00 Short break

22:10 Q&A Film Discussion with Mark

FOOD AND DRINK POLICY: SHEREKILEBI Bar in FOMO Secret Cinema opens 1 hour before the first screening of the day and closes at 01:30, serving a wide selection of beer, wine, cocktails, and non-alcoholic refreshments, as well as fresh hot popcorn! Food purchased in the Bazari is allowed in the bar but not in the cinema. No alcohol or drinks from outside are allowed. All guests are invited to arrive early and stay late!

LOCATION: FOMO Secret Cinema, Bazari Orbeliani, Tbilisi. A five minute walk from Liberty Square metro.

HOW TO FIND FOMO: Enter Bazari Orbeliani via Atoneli St above Carrefour and take the stairs on your left to Level 2. Signage on the door. You can also check our Instagram story highlights for a video showing exactly how to find us: https://www.instagram.com/s/aGlnaGxpZ2h0OjE3OTMzMTA2Mjk0MDI5MjM1

REFUND & CREDIT POLICY: If FOMO cancels a screening, all ticket holders will receive a full refund. If your plans change and you can no longer attend, we’ll issue you a credit for the value of your ticket, which can be used for any FOMO film screening within the following 30 days.

TICKETS are also available at SHEREKILEBI Bar on arrival unless sold out.