The director of movies such as “Half Baked,” “Crossroads” and “Billy Madison” will be coming to the Wexner Center on Thursday to premiere her new movie, “Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child.”

Accomplished film director Tamra Davis, 48, directed the documentary about her friend, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and his artwork.

Basquiat is a famed artist from the 1970s who reached his peak before his death in 1988.

Davis met Basquiat in the late 1980s and conducted one interview with him in 1986. She based the film around that one interview with Basquiat.

She originally made a short 20-minute film including her interview with Basquiat and, because of its outstanding reviews, she turned it into a feature-length film.

“I had so much (footage), and when I went back over it, what struck me the most was just how gorgeous he was,” Davis said in an interview for Fader Online. “Just remembering this relationship that I had with him that was filled with flirting and teasing and playing and just being such young people in such a young part of our lives.”

For the film, Davis interviewed close friends of Basquiat, including Julian Schnabel, Larry Gagosian, and Fab 5 Freddy.

“I knew as a friend how complicated he was,” Davis said in an interview for Fader Online. “There were times when you just need to be quiet around him, and other times it was just all-out fun.”

Davis was not available for comment.

Davis waited more than 20 years before releasing the footage of Basquiat, so the film-making process has been an emotional process for her.

“The footage I possessed was a rare glimpse into, and a very intimate portrait of, one of America’s most important artists,” Davis said in a statement for the film.

“Since then I’ve been on an incredible journey to interview those who were close to Jean-Michel and search for archival footage from a fantastic time in New York … I constructed a film that is both documentary and a moving narrative.”

“The Radiant Child” was screened at the 2010 Sundance and Tribeca film festivals and features music by The Beastie Boys, Adam Horovitz and Mike Diamond.

Davis has a long list of films on her resume before the documentary, including her directorial debut with Drew Barrymore in the film, “Guncrazy.” She has also worked with Dave Chappelle, Adam Sandler and Britney Spears.

She began her career working with recording artists and directing music videos. She directed her first video for Depeche Mode and has also worked with artists such as The Beastie Boys, Hanson and Sonic Youth.

“I used to listen to Hanson all the time,” said Amanda Domsitz, a third-year in agricultural communications. “I had no idea she directed their videos. Some of them were really creative.”

Before the nighttime showing of the documentary, Davis will host a student session about the film and her experiences as a director for those interested in her work.

“It is a great experience for a professional filmmaker to talk about their work,” said Dave Filipi, curator of the Wexner Center. “She will provide ‘sparked’ conversations and give reasons as to why she made the career decisions she did.”

The film will show at 7 p.m. for members only, and Davis will introduce the film and talk about her experience making it, Filipi said.