When Jim McKay’s GIRLS TOWN burst upon the scene at Sundance in 1996, the intense drama captured several prestigious awards, dazzling audiences and critics with its bold portrayal of irreverent young women coming of age. One of the first movies about the secret shame of rape, this “confident debut…tautly controlled in its treatment of a current hot-button theme” (Screen Daily), is no less a hot-button topic today. Newly restored by nonprofit lab IndieCollect, which has previously restored such films as CANE RIVER, IN THE SOUP, JAZZ ON A SUMMER’S DAY, THE STORY OF A THREE DAY PASS and TOKYO POP, Film Movement Classics will release the 4K version to theaters, beginning January 17 at New York City’s IFC Center, with additional markets to follow.

When high school senior Nikki (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor) commits suicide, her shocked friends set in search of the reasons why. Their discovery that Nikki had been raped but kept silent about it leads the girls to confront their own personal struggles: Patti (Lili Taylor) has a child with a violent father. Emma (Anna Grace) is also a rape victim. Angela (Bruklin Harris) keeps a secret brewing inside that only her mother knows. And from this time on, their lives will never be the same. Called “a welcome little gust of teen-age realism” (Stephen Holden, The New York Times), GIRLS TOWN, “part revenge fantasy, part buddy flick for chicks” (Michael O’Sullivan, Washington Post) was written by director McKay in collaboration with cast members Lili Taylor, Bruklin Harris, and Anna Grace. Celebrating young women’s zigzag paths to empowerment, the drama co-stars Oscar®-nominee Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor (King Richard), and also features standout performances by Guillermo Diaz, Michael Imperioli, Stephanie Berry, Tom Gilroy, and John Ventimiglia, and an all-female soundtrack featuring Queen Latifah, PJ Harvey, Roxanne Shante, Salt ‘n Pepa, and others. The 4K restoration by IndieCollect was funded with support from the Golden Globe Foundation (formerly known as the HFPA Trust), Donald A. Pels Charitable Trust, IndieCollect donors, and Fellow Citizen, Inc.

Nominated for the Sundance Grand Jury Award in 1996, GIRLS TOWN would capture the Filmmakers Trophy for McKay and Special Jury Recognition for Collaboration; Lili Taylor would also be recognized for her powerful and unforgettable performance with a Best Actress Award at the Seattle International Film Festival and an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. The film, originally released by October Films, also captured the hearts of critics and audiences alike. “Jim McKay‘s striking feature debut [is] an empowering feminist saga….” wrote Emanuel Levy of Variety, while Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle said “”The performances and the film’s plausible handling of an unusual movie subject make Girls Town special,” and Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun Times said, “I would like to see another movie in three or four years, about what has happened to these angry, gifted friends.”