ROOFTOP WEEKEND RECAP - JUNE 26
SOLD-OUT FOR SURREAL SOUNDS AND SHORTS

By Rooftop Films on 06/28/2008

A successful collaboration with MoMA and The Premiere Commission

If you thought that Rooftop Films was just for young hipsters, or that "classical" music and retrospective MoMA exhibitions were out of touch with contemporary culture, the huge crowd and dynamic synergy at Rooftop's Friday night "Surreal Sounds and Shorts" show proved you wrong. Over 700 people packed the sold-out event, which began with a piano performance by Bruce Levingston, one of the most acclaimed classical concert pianists in the world. Bruce has been a dear friend and supporter of Rooftop Films for years, and has served on our Board of Directors since 2006. His witty and insightful remarks in between songs engaged the diverse crowd, while his gorgeous and impassioned performance of works by Frederic Chopin, Philip Glass, Erik Satie had our normally rambunctious crowd in a breathless and appreciative silence.

The film portion of the evening commenced with two rarely-seen silent films from The Museum of Modern Art's upcoming exhibition, Dali: Painting and Film . For the films, made by Luis Bunuel and Alma de Luce, both featuring Salvador Dali, Rooftop and Bruce Levingson's Premiere Commission enlisted acclaimed emerging composer Keeril Makan to compose original scores, which Levingston performed live, perfecting nailing the delicate timing of the images and music. Levingson concluded his performance with another world premiere of a Makan composition, a score to excerpts from Red Bucket Films' Buttons. (Red Bucket Films' debut feature, The Pleasure of Being Robbed will have its official New York Premiere at Rooftop on September 19.)

Photo (c) Sarah Palmer.
The enraptured crowd then enjoyed a program of contemporary short films in some ways inspired by surrealism. Many of the filmmakers were in attendance and hung around to talk to audience members at Rooftop's rockin after-party at Fontana's , with free drinks courtesy of Radeberger Pilsner . Those in attendance included Josh Safdie, Benny Safdie, Alex Kalman, Signe Baumane, Stephnie Lempert, Becky James, Ben Philippi (down from Montreal) and Kelly Sears (in from California).

Check out Kelly, Becky and William's films for a sense of the way that the illogical approach of surrealism infuses the rich imagery and bizarre ideas of The Drift, Snake and The Joshua Tree Launch Series. Post a question if you weren't at the show to ask it then, and the filmmakers will get back to you here!

THE DRIFT
(Kelly Sears | 08:13 | Animation)


An absurd fable crafted from images found in thrift store bookshelves about our country's unflinching frontierism and the desire to push too far, too fast.

SNAKE
(Becky James | 3:03 | Animation)

Deceptively playful, Snake is a film about stubbornness in the face of change.

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