Now this is what I would call a baller move. After taking audiences beyond the cosmos in the equally mind-numbing and awe-inspiring Interstellar, Christopher Nolan has announced his next film, Quay, and it will see release on August 19th at Film Forum in New York City. Now before you start imagining some tremendous, unduly grim spectacular that Nolan has somehow been toiling away at over the last year, or an unexpected micro-indie noir, slow down. Quay is, in fact, a short documentary on the great Brothers Quay, Stephen and Timothy, the American identical twins and collaborators behind some of the most influential stop-motion animation, including the brilliant short Street of Crocodiles and two utterly unique features, 1995's Institute Benjamenta and 2005's The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes. They've also helmed music videos for indie-rock stalwarts like His Name is Alive and 16 Horsepower, and influenced a series of hugely popular Tool videos in the 1990s, to the point that they are often credited with directing those videos as well.


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Image via Zeitgeist Films

Along with Nolan's short film on the work process and personal style of the siblings, he's also curated and reportedly helped fund the restoration of a selection of the Quays' work, including Streets of Crocodile, In Absentia, and 1991's The Comb. Considering the dark, dirty, and dilapidated worlds that The Quays often envision in their films, its not hard to see where they fit into the hash of filmmakers that influence Nolan's mordant, brown-and-black-heavy aesthetic. Its a classy move from Nolan on all fronts, and the Quay series, running from August 19th to August 25th (or longer, depending on demand) at Film Forum, will likely hit other cities after its bow in New York, so be on the lookout.

Check out the series at Film Forum here.

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Image via Kino