Nadja (Michael Almereyda, 1994)

Wexner Center for the Arts is screening Michael Almereyda's Nadja on Tuesday, October 20, at 7 PM. It's a 4K restoration of the 1994 cult classic, presented in collaboration with Cinéseries, a student-led group that puts on monthly screenings with the Center.

If you're not familiar with it, Nadja is a retelling of the Universal Monster vampire tale, blending Dracula's Daughter (1936) with André Breton's 1928 novel Nadja. It's set in 1990s New York and follows the vampire Nadja after the death of her father, Dracula. David Lynch executive produced it and also guest stars, and J. Hoberman once called it "a downright delirious experience."

What makes it stand out is how it's shot. Almereyda pairs 35mm black-and-white film with pixelated digital footage from the PXL2000, a Fisher-Price toy camcorder from the 1980s that recorded onto audio cassette tapes. The two styles run side by side throughout the movie, and this 4K restoration brings that contrast back to the screen. The screening is part of the Center's Film/Video program, which runs about 200 screenings a year across independent, international, documentary, and classic cinema.

After the film, there's an informal discussion and light refreshments over at Heirloom Café, so you can stick around and talk about it. The screening is at the Film/Video Theater in the Wexner Center, and it's free for all audiences with a ticket. It starts at 7 PM on Tuesday, October 20.