The film tells the story of one of New York's most notorious clubs and its owner, Peter Gatien.
Magnolia Pictures is set to release a documentary called Limelight, telling the story of the legendary Manhattan club and its owner, the nightlife impresario Peter Gatien.
Gatien founded a series of clubs called Limelight throughout the '70s and '80s, but the location in a former church on Avenue of the Americas in Manhattan was by far the most famous. The venue opened in '83 as a disco and rock club, and later became one of New York's best places to hear techno and house, and meanwhile grew notorious for its sexually-charged and blatantly drug-fueled atmosphere. When Mayor Giuliani decided to clean up the city's nightlife in the '90s, he took aim at the Limelight—an easy target given its popularity and reputation, not to mention the famous murder of Angel Melendez by promoter Michael Alig (an incident depicted in the 2003 film Party Monster). The club was raided and closed several times throughout the '90s, and Gatien was eventually charged with tax evasion, to which he plead guilty in 1999 before being deported back to his native Canada. He hasn't been back to the US since.
Limelight is directed by Billy Corben, the man behind the documentary Cocaine Cowboys, and produced by Gatien's daughter, Jen Gatien. You can watch the trailer below.
Mangolia Pictures will release Limelight on September 23rd, 2011.