ROOFTOP WEEKEND RECAP - Sept. 12th & 13th
NEW YORK NON-FICTION AND DARK 'TOONS

By Rooftop Films on 09/14/2008

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 - "New York Non-Fiction" at Open Road / New Design High School
New Yorkers are a tough, dedicated breed. And so a night of steady rain didn't keep the crowds away from Rooftop's ever-popular annual "New York Non-Fiction" short film show. Some 400 people filled the auditorium at Open Road / New Design High School, and as always with NYNF almost all the filmmakers were in attendance, making for an exuberant and raucous evening. People love to see their city reflected back to them, particularly the unique individuals, strange moments, and curious locations which we focus on for this show. (On a personal note, Rooftop Artistic Director Mark Elijah Rosenberg's New York-inspired birthday message to his girlfriend fit in well with the down-to-earth flicks. You can check it out
HERE. (It's one of 568 videos on YouTube with the heading "Happy Birthday Steph.")

A lot of old friends and long-time loyal fans were on hand, and it was also fun to see all these New York filmmakers, from diverse backgrounds and with very different movies, all get to hang out at the packed after-party at Fontana's, featuring free beer from Radeberger Pilsner. If you missed it this year, don't ever miss it again, as Rooftop's New York Non-Fiction has truly become one of the defining NYC experiences.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 - "Dark 'Toons" at The Old American Can Factory
Another signature show for Rooftop is our annual "Dark 'Toons" screening of animation from the darker side of the imagination. Cartoons have the ability to be even more evocative than live action films, because as works of pure imagination, the viewer is challenged to imagine and dream along with the filmmaker. This program was sexy and scary, daring and disturbing, and enjoyably evil, and the sold-out crowd loved it.

Simply and strangely drawn, the world created by Fran Krause draws from the tropes of B-movie horror films, classic children's animation and especially "Night of the Hunter."

Filmmakers Megan Petras, Wyeth Hansen, Fran Krause, and Ethan Clarke were all on hand, as were many industry folks in town for IFP this week. The show was presented in partnership with the Rhode Island School of Design, as the RISD Biennial, which is produced in collaboration with our hosts XO Projects Inc., is being held here at our home base at The Old American Can Factory. The excellent building-wide art show, featuring gallery works and site-specific installations made by 55 RISD alums, is open weekends through
September 27, so stop by and check it out if you can.