nightshift poster

Nightshift

1981 / dir. Robina Rose / 68 min / New 4K restoration

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Over the course of a single nightshift, a West London hotel clerk (U.K. counterculture icon Jordan) plays silent witness to a nocturnal constellation of guests ranging from punk rockers and scenester magicians to seemingly staid businessmen and old-world gentry. As the hours march deeper into night and the varied clientele depart the waking world, the hotel transforms into an otherworldly, liminal space swaying between the everyday and the enchanting.

Gorgeously photographed by Jon Jost (All the Vermeers in New York) with a soundtrack by Simon Jeffes of the legendary Penguin Cafe Orchestra, Nightshift is both a potent snapshot of London’s early-‘80s art scene (actor/poet Heathcote Williams and filmmaker Anne Rees-Mogg also star) and a bold, instantly engrossing artistic statement from director Robina Rose. A masterwork of surreal, somnambulant cinema, the film casts a resonant spell audiences won’t soon forget.

Essentially unseeable for decades, Arbelos is proud to bring Nightshift to North American audiences in this rich new 4K restoration courtesy of Lightbox Film Center.

Nightshift has been digitally restored by Lightbox Film Center at University of the Arts (Philadelphia) in collaboration with the British Film Institute and Cinenova. Restoration funding provided by Ron and Suzanne Naples. Restored in 4K resolution from the original 16mm reversal a/b rolls and 16mm optical track on loan from the British Film Institute. Digital picture restoration: Illuminate Hollywood. Color grading: Andrew Drapkin. Sound restoration and transfers: John Polito, Audio Mechanics. Restoration supervised by: Ross Lipman, Corpus Fluxus. Special thanks: Robina Rose, Jesse Pires, Charlotte Procter, Kieron Webb, Lynn McVeigh.

Screenings:
May 6-8, 2025 The Beacon Seattle, WA buy tickets
May 4-7, 2025 Amherst Cinema Amherst, MA buy tickets
Apr. 23, 2025 Lightbox Film Center Philadelphia, PA buy tickets
Apr. 17+23, 2025 Cinema Moderne Montreal, QC buy tickets
Apr. 14, 2025 Hollywood Theatre Portland, OR buy tickets
Apr. 4-5, 2025 Austin Film Society Austin, TX buy tickets
Apr. 3-6, 2025 Los Angeles Festival of Movies Los Angeles, CA buy tickets
Mar. 28-29, 2025 Union Cinema Milwaukee, WI buy tickets
Mar. 22-24, 2025 FilmScene Iowa City, IA buy tickets
Mar. 20-22, 2025 Cleveland Cinematheque Cleveland, OH buy tickets
Mar. 14-20, 2025 Anthology Film Archives New York, NY buy tickets

nightshift street poster