on screen
Forgotten cult classic Miami Connection returns to theaters thanks to DrafthouseFilms
As much as you want to believe, that is not John Oates.
The streets of Orlando were a rough place in 1987.
Miami Connection is a martial arts film that in the first reel captures everything we like about good-bad 80s movies. Sincere yet flat acting, tight martial arts from a trained master, terribly synthetic music and most of all, unashamed wearing of The Mullet.
The film follows “multinational martial arts rock band” Dragon Sound, whose members all have an affinity for martial arts and crushing motorcycle ninjas. When they're not rocking club crowds with their hit song “Against The Ninja” they're out on the streets of Orlando cleaning up drug scum. 80s culture, “kill-crazy ninjas” and crime-crushing justice. Miami Connection is a certified cult classic.
Unfortunately, very few people have seen it. After a short theatrical run in 1987 and equally short lived VHS release, the film faded away into obscurity. A fate all too common for certain movies from that era, one that until recently could rarely be reversed. Thankfully, the folks at Drafthouse Films and the American Genre Film Archive specialize in just that.
Austin's own Drafthouse Films, in association with the film's director Grandmaster Y.K. Kim, have acquired distribution rights for Miami Connection throughout North America. After a July 7 re-premiere at the New York Asian Film Festival, it will be brought to cinemas around the nation, home video and digital platforms throughout the globe.
The fascination with Kim's cult classic began two years ago when Alamo programmer Zack Carlson purchased a 35mm print of the movie from eBay. After that, Alamo and AFGA teamed up for a viewing party they called “Let The Reel One In.”
Don't miss your opportunity to see one of America's lost classics.
The event ran the first reel of three different genre films no one had seen before and Miami Connection stole the show. The first 20 minutes had the audience hooked and in similar Alamo events, the movie won over multitudes of fans.
Don't miss your opportunity to see one of America's lost classics. A film that stands tall amongst titans such as Troll 2 and The Room, Miami Connection is one that will be talked about for ages.
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Drafthouse Films full press release can be read here.
