Video:Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child

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Tamra Davis examines the mercurial life of Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960 to 1988), a Brooklyn-born artist who started with graffiti in the 1970s and became a rock star-like art figure by 1983, only to flame out from a heroin addiction at age 27. From Independent Lens

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Hollywood Multitasker Tamra Davis Remembers Her Friend, Jean-Michel Basquiat:
You had footage of Jean-Michel for years. Why did you wait until now to make this film?

Honestly I think it had to do with a few factors. I had been working in television and I really wanted to get back into feature film directing and this was a project I could do without having to wait for a studio or for a huge amount of money. I also was feeling confident enough in my skills as a filmmaker that I could make this film pretty much by myself. Those are the technical reasons. On a personal level, having that footage and feeling it still lingering I really felt that it was time for Jean-Michel to have his voice heard. I was getting tired of all the misconceptions about who Jean-Michel was.

How did you come to make Jean-Michel's acquaintance?

I lived in Los Angeles and I was going to film school and working in an art gallery. My best friend Matt worked at Larry Gagosian's gallery and Jean came to L.A. for his first show. Matt and Jean-Michel came into the gallery I worked at and we just immediately...Read more here

Read Director's Statement here...