Underground movies outdoors.
Documentary
INTERVIEW WITH TALMAGE COOLEY
DIRECTOR OF "DIMMER"
By Rooftop Films on 02/05/2009
Filed under: Documentary, Rooftop Filmmakers, Rooftop News, Watch Short FilmsDIMMER (Talmage Cooley | 12:12 | Documentary) callBrightcove(5663587001, 594, 445, "#ffffff"); Talmage Cooley's award-winning documentary short film presents a poignant and memorable snapshot of life within a gang of sight-impaired teenage boys who create their own world among the abandoned factories of Buffalo's rust belt. Q&A Rooftop Films: What was your inspiration? Talmage Cooley: The band Interpol was looking for short film ideas they could commission to accompany the release of their album ANTICS. One of my best friends had been home to Buffalo, NY, for Thanksgiving and his cousin told him about this gang of blind teenage boys who... MORE »
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ROOFTOP FILMS @ SUNDANCE: OLD PARTNER REVIEW
By Rooftop Films on 01/26/2009
Filed under: Documentary, Rooftop NewsIn my last post, about The Yes Men Fix the World , I wrote about the more obvious manipulations in documentary filmmaking, acknowledging that every documentary contains subjective choices. Lee Chung-ryoul's wonderful film Old Partner contains more traditional manipulations. The film observes a 79-year-old Korean farmer, his wife, and the ox they've had for 40 years, and from a jumbled (and essentially banal) year in their life, the director crafts a narrative with multiple levels of significance, but with the simplicity, charm and clear emotional arc of a children's book. During the film, the central trinity--father, mother, and (surrogate child)... MORE »
"CRIPS AND BLOODS: MADE IN AMERICA"
- 2008 SUNDANCE HIT -
OPENS AT IFC CENTER ON FRI., JAN. 23!
By Rooftop Films on 01/21/2009
Filed under: DocumentaryCrips and Bloods: Made in America Short-listed for an Academy Award and distributed by Rooftop Board Member Jim Browne's Argot Pictures New York: One Week Only: Jan 23-29, 2009 IFC Center: 323 Sixth Ave, New York, NY Director Stacey Peralta will be in person for a Q & A at the 7:45 screenings on Friday and Saturday. Los Angeles: Feb 6-9, 2009 Laemmle's Sunset 5 : 8000 Sunset Blvd. Below is Rooftop Films' Artistic Director Mark Elijah Rosenberg's review of the film from Sundance in 2008. Made in America is a radical film about the history of African-Americans in the... MORE »
ROOFTOP FILMS @ SUNDANCE: TYSON REVIEW
By Rooftop Films on 01/20/2009
Filed under: Documentary, Rooftop NewsMike Tyson has still got it. The ability to shock, excite, charm and terrify. When the audience found out before Saturday night's screening that Iron Mike would be at the Q&A, the atmosphere became even more electric than it already was. It felt like one of his heavyweight title fights, buzzing with tension and danger. Tyson has always been a hypnotic figure. For me, growing up in the 1980s, his rise and fall took me from junior high school through college, and his character was as engrossing and crucial to my development as that of Kurt Cobain. Both were flawed... MORE »
ROOFTOP FILMS @ SUNDANCE: O'ER THE LAND (REVIEW)
By Rooftop Films on 01/19/2009
Filed under: Documentary, Environmental Films, Rooftop NewsDeborah Stratman's film O'er the Land is not likely to get a multi-million dollar deal out of Sundance. There is no hot-button issue, no unbelievable scenario, no celebrities, crazy characters, or even much dialogue at all. But to me, this is the type of film I'm most pleased to see at Sundance, the type of film that keeps festivals vital. Stratman's experimental documentary explores America's relationship to nature, technology and violence in a way that is smart, poetic and darkly humorous. At the start of the film, man drifts fleetingly through the landscape. A static shot of the woods... MORE »
ROOFTOP FILMS @ SUNDANCE: REPORTER REVIEW
By Rooftop Films on 01/19/2009
Filed under: Documentary, Political Films, Rooftop NewsNew York Times reporter Nicholas D. Kristof is walking through an impoverished village in central Africa. Little kids are swarming up to him, flies on their faces, bellies distended. The director of Reporter, Eric Daniel Metzgar, says in voice over, "Kristof is here for one reason: to make you care about what's on the other side of that hill." Whether that's a starving child, an adult wracked with disease, or a village slaughtered by a warlord, Kristof wants his readers -- wants the world -- to pay attention. And to help. This curious documentary is operating on multiple levels in... MORE »
INTERVIEW WITH ROB TYLER,
DIRECTOR OF "MAGIC HOSTESS"
By Rooftop Films on 12/11/2008
Filed under: Comedy, Documentary, Watch Short FilmsMAGIC HOSTESS (Rob Tyler | 3:50 | Experimental) callBrightcove(2688433001, 594, 445, "#ffffff");Rob Tyler's playful tribute to the wonders of 20th-century technology (and vintage can labels). www.archmotion.com and www.vcr100.com Q&A Rooftop Films: Tell us about your film. Rob Tyler: Well, Magic Hostess: The Electric Can Opener is a short movie about one of the most powerful and commanding kitchen appliances around - the can opener. Basically its a highly stylized portrait of domesticated technology. RF: What was your inspiration? RT: Unsure really. One part boredom and one part interest in industrial design. It is part of a video series I created... MORE »
MORE ROOFTOP ALUMS
AMONG THE SUNDANCE SHORTS
By Rooftop Films on 12/09/2008
Filed under: Animation, Documentary, Rooftop Filmmakers, Rooftop Filmmakers' Fund, Rooftop NewsLast week we listed the Rooftop alums showing features at Sundance in January, but there are also a bunch of short films playing that were made by filmmakers who have shown films at Rooftop previously. Hopefully we will see you all out in Park City in January. "I Am So Proud Of You," Director: Don Hertzfeldt. Dark family secrets cast a shadow over Bill's recovery; in this second chapter to Don Hertzfeldt's 'Everything will be OK'. (Winner of the 2007 Sundance Film Festival Short Film Grand Jury Prize, U.S.). We gave a Rooftop Filmmakers' Fund grant to Don for I... MORE »
ROOFTOP ALUMS AT SUNDANCE
By Rooftop Films on 12/03/2008
Filed under: Call For Entries, Documentary, Drama, Rooftop Filmmakers, Rooftop Filmmakers' FundSundance announced their films in competition today, and we're proud to say that there are three Rooftop Films alums in competition. With over 9,000 submissions, it's a pretty great honor for these filmmakers. The films are: • Humpday(Director and Screenwriter: Lynn Shelton)A farcical comedy about straight male bonding gone a little too far. Cast: Mark Duplass, Joshua Leonard, Alycia Delmore, Lynn Shelton, Trina Willard. World Premiere. Lynn's narrative film My Effortless Brilliance played at Rooftop in 2008, and is now available on pay-per-view from IFC.(Star and director, pictured left.) • Toe to Toe (Director and Screenwriter: Emily Abt)The story of an... MORE »
THREE DOCS FROM THE 2008 SUMMER SERIES
SHORTLISTED FOR THE ACADEMY AWARDS
By Rooftop Films on 11/18/2008
Filed under: Documentary, Rooftop Filmmakers, Rooftop NewsThree fantastic docs that we showed this year made the short list for an Academy Award nomination: Carl Deal and Tia Lessin's Trouble the Water; Steve James and Peter Gilbert's At the Death House Door; and Jeremiah Zagar's In A Dream. Congratulations to all those filmmakers and to everyone who made the list, especially Ellen Kuras (The Betrayal, which opens in New York this week--see our appeal below), Daniel Jung (They Killed Sister Dorothy, which I loved when I saw it at SXSW) and James Marsh (Man On Wire, which blew us away at Sundance). Good luck to all... MORE »
The Betrayal (Nerakhoon) Opens at IFC Center on November 21st
By Rooftop Films on 11/14/2008
Filed under: Documentary, Home Movies, Political Films, Rooftop NewsA truly beautiful and heartbreaking new documentary is opening at the IFC Center on November 21st, and we recommend you all go check it out. I saw Ellen Kuras' film at Sundance this past January and everyone who I spoke to was as moved by the film as I was. Filmed over 23 years by Kuras (the cinematographer for countless fantastic films, including the miraculous Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), The Betrayal (Nerakhoon) tells the story of Thavisouk Phrasavath and his family. During the Vietnam War, the U.S. government conducted a secret war in the neighboring country of Laos.... MORE »
"CAPTURED" SCREENS AT MAYSLES CINEMA
WED., NOV. 12, 7PM
By Rooftop Films on 11/12/2008
Filed under: Documentary, Home Movies, Political Films, Rooftop FilmmakersCAPTURED TRAILER Head to the Maysels Cinema tonight for a screening of Captured, an engaging and provocative documentary about vigilante-photographer Clayton Patterson and the sordid history of Manhattan's Lower East Side. Rooftop was thrilled to host the World Premiere of Captured as part of our Panorama Week in June. Over 1,000 people packed Open Road Rooftop, a graffiti-covered roof on the Lower East Side, to learn more about the ever-changing downtown community. Even former Mayor Ed Koch and former Parks Commissioner Henry Stern showed up, despite being portrayed in a not-so-positive light in the film. One of the goals paramount... MORE »
INTERVIEW WITH LAURA TERRUSO
DIRECTOR OF "THE LAST BUTCHER IN LITTLE ITALY"
By Rooftop Films on 11/05/2008
Filed under: Documentary, Rooftop Filmmakers, Rooftop Filmmakers, Watch Short Films, Watch Short FilmscallBrightcove(1873835562, 594, 445, "#ffffff");This shop is the last that remains of Elizabeth Street's Italian American history. At eighty two, Moe is the only employee. RT: Tell us about your film: LT: My film documents the changing landscape of Little Italy, told by Moe Albanese, an Italian-American butcher who has never left the famous Manhattan neighborhood. RT: What was your inspiration? LT: Moe was my inspiration for making the film. I interviewed him for an oral history course that I was taking at NYU and I was really taken with him. He is a true New Yorker in every sense. When... MORE »
COURT 13 PRODUCTIONS ("GLORY AT SEA")
MAKE VIDEOS FOR OBAMA
By Rooftop Films on 11/04/2008
Filed under: Documentary, Documentary, Political Films, Rooftop Filmmakers, Rooftop Filmmakers, Rooftop Filmmakers' Fund, Rooftop Filmmakers' Fund, Watch Short Films, Watch Short FilmsMany of the filmmakers from Court 13 Productions, the team behind the amazing Rooftop-co-funded film Glory At Sea, have been working for Barack Obama's campaign for months. I can't think of a better group of artists to craft inspirational films with a poignant social message. Check out a couple short samples of their work. If this doesn't make you weep with hope and joy, and get out of your seat to help change America, I don't know what will: Rooftop Films is immensely proud to have supported filmmakers doing such honorable work. Want more? Check out another wonderful video on... MORE »
COURT 13 PRODUCTIONS ("GLORY AT SEA")
MAKE VIDEOS FOR OBAMA
By Rooftop Films on 11/04/2008
Filed under: Documentary, Documentary, Political Films, Rooftop Filmmakers, Rooftop Filmmakers, Rooftop Filmmakers' Fund, Rooftop Filmmakers' Fund, Watch Short Films, Watch Short FilmsMany of the filmmakers from Court 13 Productions, the team behind the amazing Rooftop-co-funded film Glory At Sea, have been working for Barack Obama's campaign for months. I can't think of a better group of artists to craft inspirational films with a poignant social message. Check out a couple short samples of their work. If this doesn't make you weep with hope and joy, and get out of your seat to help change America, I don't know what will: Rooftop Films is immensely proud to have supported filmmakers doing such honorable work. Want more? Check out another wonderful video on... MORE »
INTERVIEW WITH SARA POMERANCE,
DIRECTOR OF "RELAX AT HOME"
By Rooftop Films on 10/31/2008
Filed under: Documentary, Home Movies, Home Movies, Personal Narrative, Personal Narrative, Rooftop Filmmakers, Rooftop Filmmakers, Watch Short Films, Watch Short FilmscallBrightcove(1683647535, 594, 445, "#ffffff"); One of the misfortunes of old age is revealed in this simple slice of life at a relaxing brunch.. Sara Pomerance's short Relax At Home, played as a part of Rooftop Film's "Home Movies" Program this past summer. We were happy to be able to ask her a few questions about her short film and her filmmaking process. Q & A RT: So tell us little bit about this film. What was your inspiration for the film? Were these people you knew personally? SP: My lens observes the behaviors and psychological coping mechanisms of people around... MORE »
CELIA MAYSLES' WILD BLUE YONDER
OCT. 24TH, 2008 - RVSP NOW!
By Rooftop Films on 10/17/2008
Filed under: DocumentaryRooftop Films is proud to announce the New York Premiere of Celia Maysles debut feature documentary, Wild Blue Yonder. Just seven years old when her father David Maysles (Salesman, Grey Gardens, Gimme Shelter) died in 1987 from an unexpected stroke, Celia Maysles grew up having no idea her father and his brother Albert were pioneers of verité documentary filmmaking. Determined to uncover the secrets surrounding her background, Celia set out on a quest to rediscover her father by using his own artistic process: verité filmmaking. In Wild Blue Yonder, Celia takes us on a daring journey to the past,... MORE »
RURAL ROUTE FILMS - OCTOBER 17-19
AT ANTHOLOGY FILM ARCHIVES
By Rooftop Films on 10/15/2008
Filed under: Documentary, Drama, Environmental Films, Personal Narrative, Rooftop Filmmakers, Rooftop NewsSince 2005, Rooftop Films has been proud to collaborate with the enchanting Rural Route Film Festival, an urban fest dedicated to showing the greener side of life. We've hosted selections from Rural Route during our Summer Series, and collaborated on screenings at their festival. Now Co-Founder Alan Webber is preparing to embark on a year-long, world wide Rural Route tour--The Year of the Nomad--jetsetting to major cities and strolling down country lanes to find and show the world's most idyllic cinema. This weekend, catch this amazing festival one last time in NYC! THE RURAL ROUTE FILM FESTIVAL Friday-Sunday, October 17-19... MORE »
ROOFTOP PROGRAMMERS AT APEXART
Cell Phone Videos: Screening and Discussion
By Rooftop Films on 09/22/2008
Filed under: Documentary, Home Movies, Rooftop Newsapexart Wednesday, September 24, 2008, 6-8pm 291 Church St (btw. Walker & White, NYC) FREE In conjunction with the exhibition Scrawl. Please join apexart, Mark Elijah Rosenberg (Founder & Artistic Director of Rooftop Films) and Dan Nuxoll (Rooftop's Program Director) in a discussion on the technological movement in cell phone capability that is influencing and altering the public's ability to capture moments, generate content, and create entirely new modes of communication. The event also includes a screening of selected videos from apexart's open call for cell phone videos that present moments that are an intimate snapshot of a city's inhabitants... MORE »
THE JOSHUA TREE LAUNCH SERIES
(William Lamson | 3:08 | Documentary)
By Rooftop Films on 09/20/2008
Filed under: Documentary, Watch Short FilmscallBrightcove(1634709677, 594, 445, "#ffffff");Lamson is known for performing actions that shock delicate objects with inventive violence. In this lovely and playful series, he casts monumental versions of a child's toy into the imposing Nevada desert. Some habits you had when you were a kid will never die...they'll just grow bigger with you. William Lamson must know this all too well--he is an artist and a filmmaker, and has, here, constructed giant versions of paper planes to launch into the Nevada Desert. Lamson seems to be fascinated by flight, and though time after time the plane crashes downward, he does it... MORE »
ROOFTOP ALUM ANDREW BERENDS
BACK IN THE US
By Rooftop Films on 09/19/2008
Filed under: Documentary, Political Films, Rooftop FilmmakersAndrew Berends, whose film When Adnan Came Home played at Rooftop in 2006, has returned home himself. Andy had been in Nigeria working on his new documentary for six months when he was suddenly detained for 10 days without charges. He was then released and deported. Andy was at Rooftop the other night, and told me that the endeavor was frightening, but that he was mostly just annoyed, though certainly very glad to be home. That kind of bravery is what makes Andy's films so unflinchingly powerful. Here's more from the Free Andrew Berends website: Andrew Berends, the American filmmaker... MORE »
ROOFTOP WEEKEND RECAP - September 5th & 7th
TWO SHOWS ON COMING TO AMERICA
By Rooftop Films on 09/08/2008
Filed under: Documentary, Home Movies, Personal Narrative, Political Films, Rooftop Filmmakers, Rooftop Weekend RecapFRIDAY SEPTEMBER 5: La Frontera Infinita at El Museo del Barrio (East Harlem) The rain threatened all night, but never came, and Rooftop Films concluded an excellent run of shows at El Museo del Barrio. The museum, which is committed to exhibiting the work of Latino artists from East Harlem and abroad (even while under renovation and expansion), made an excellent partner for Rooftop Films, where we don't screen in theaters, we screen in communities. In 2008, we hosted three evenings of music and film, focused on the local and international Latino community. Each show, including this one, was... MORE »
DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER ANDREW BERENDS
STILL DETAINED IN NIGERIA
By Rooftop Films on 09/06/2008
Filed under: Documentary, Political Films, Rooftop Filmmakers, Rooftop NewsAnother update, straight from D-Word. To read the original report, and a call for action, scroll down or click here. We are now in the fifth day of [Rooftop alum] Andrew Berends' detainment in Port Harcourt, Niger Delta, Nigeria. Andrew's friends, family and colleagues are outraged about his situation and find it incomprehensible that more has not been done to secure his release. The U.S. State Department has been aware of Andrew's detainment since day one. Yet he still has not been visited by a State Department official. We believe it is beyond acceptable protocol for an American citizen to... MORE »
ROOFTOP ALUM ANDREW BERENDS
DETAINED IN NIGERIA
By Rooftop Films on 09/03/2008
Filed under: Documentary, Political Films, Rooftop Filmmakers, Rooftop NewsTroubling news from D-Word: Andrew Berends, an established, award-winning American filmmaker and journalist from New York, was detained Sunday, August 31st by the Nigerian military along with his translator, Samuel George. Andrew entered Nigeria legally in April 2008 to complete a documentary film. Back in 2006, Rooftop hosted the first US screening of Andrew's film When Adnan Comes Home. Andrew was held in custody without food, sleep, or representation, and with limited water for the first 36 hours. He has been questioned by the army, the police, and the State Security Services in Port Harcourt. The State Security Services has... MORE »
A LOUD COLOR
(Brent Joseph I 06:35 I Documentary)
By Rooftop Films on 08/29/2008
Filed under: Documentary, Watch Short FilmscallBrightcove(1634691264, 594, 445, "#ffffff");Self-perception is crucial to 72-year-old Louis Harding, rebuilding the community center he opened one month before Hurricane Katrina. He discusses the importance of history, heroes and self-esteem for African-Americans. New Orleans native and filmmaker Brent Joseph shows us an touching and intimate portrait of Louis Harding, a community leader who's years of hard work to benefit the youth of New Orleans was washed away by hurricane Katrina. Despite the massive set back, Louis keeps moving forward and believes that making his dream a reality is more important now than ever before. We were able to ask Brent... MORE »
THE DRIFT
(Kelly Sears | 8:13 | Animation)
By Rooftop Films on 08/13/2008
Filed under: Animation, Documentary, Political Films, Watch Short FilmscallBrightcove(1634691271, 594, 445, "#ffffff");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. What happens when the final frontier has been crossed one too many times? Space, the moon, the emptiness-we've already been there. But when astronauts of a new, exalted space mission hear "the drift," a hypnotic song that sounds like emptiness, it draws them further from the ground of Earth and augments a desire to explore and live in wonder. With Kelly Sears' looped DVD projection, still photographic images of the "American Dream"... MORE »
A FILM ABOUT VIOLENCE
(Ethan Knecht | 1:05 | Drama)
By Rooftop Films on 07/30/2008
Filed under: Comedy, Documentary, Drama, Home Movies, Watch Short FilmsIf you like this film, see similar ones this Saturday, August 2, at Rooftop's unique and wonderful "Home Movies" show!callBrightcove(1683828054, 594, 445, "#ffffff");The simple and powerful example of the ways the film frame shapes (and distorts) our understanding. Like many great short films, this one starts by making you laugh. A Film About Violence presents us with the awkward situation of the filmmaker, on camera, undergoing a series of slaps to the face while he spills his thoughts on what exactly violence is. It's all about the context--how we would feel if there was a context in this situation, if... MORE »
ROOFTOP WEEKEND RECAP - July 25-26
ANIMATION, FAMILY DRAMA, AND A VISIT FROM THE PRESIDENT
By Rooftop Films on 07/28/2008
Filed under: Animation, Documentary, Drama, Home Movies, Personal Narrative, Political Films, Rooftop News, Rooftop Weekend Recap, Sparrow, Watch Short FilmsFRIDAY: Animation Block Party at Automotive High School We always have an amazing turnout for our partnership with the exuberant Animation Block Party but this week we set a record: two screens at Automotive High School allowed some 1,000 people to check out the packed program. The night began with comments from AHS teacher Jenny Kessler, who has started a student gardening program at this uber-urban school, growing vegetables on the very lawn we were watching films. She was selling a lush selection of produce to fund student activities, and our wonderfully supportive audience was thrilled to learn a little... MORE »
ROOFTOP'S FAVORITE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE
- SPARROW -
TO APPEAR LIVE AT ROOFTOP ON JULY 25
- SPARROW -
TO APPEAR LIVE AT ROOFTOP ON JULY 25
By Rooftop Films on 07/24/2008
Filed under: Comedy, Documentary, Political Films, Rooftop Filmmakers, Sparrow, Watch Short FilmsOn July 4, America's holiest of days, a day of patriotism and political awareness, celebrated by setting off fake bombs and drinking enough beer to ruin a lesser nation, one man towered above the thick and rowdy crowd at Rooftop Films, and gloriously announced his 5th successive run for President (that is, every election since 1992). The much-heralded campaign was met first with disbelief, then astonishment, then wild laughter. Which is good. Because Sparrow doesn't want you to vote for him. He wants you to revolt! Sparrow is a poet, a politician, a plebe. He writes bumper stickers ("I'm crazy... MORE »
CUSPS
(Sara Zia Ibrahimi | 14:28 | Documentary)
By Rooftop Films on 07/22/2008
Filed under: Documentary, Home Movies, Personal Narrative, Watch Short FilmscallBrightcove(1634707660, 594, 445, "#ffffff") ; Paralleling changes in the city of Philadelphia with those in her own life, Iranian-American filmmaker Sara Zia Ebrahimi explores her experiences living as an urban nomad. Cusps is a unique visual journal of an artist on the cusp, caught between the lure of stability and the freedom one needs for artistic expression. Sara Zia Ibrahimi uses the film medium as a confessional, as a diary, of her experiences being pushed from place to place as Philadelphia changes, and as she changes along with it in the time of the rise of the creative class. With... MORE »
HOT DOG MAN
(Joyce Ventimiglia & Jim Haverkamp | 5:45 | Comedy, Documentary)
By Rooftop Films on 07/10/2008
Filed under: Comedy, Documentary, Home Movies, Rooftop FilmmakerscallBrightcove(1556197798, 594, 445, "#ffffff") ; A hilarious and poignant home movie about an absurd American icon, a giant self-devouring hot dog statue in downtown Durham, North Carolina. What goes through your head when you drive downtown and one day, there is a giant and somewhat sinister looking statue of an anthropomorphic Hot Dog? Joyce Ventimiglia and Jim Haverkamp, a husband and wife filmmaking team, gave people a chance to talk about it in their short documentary. Some people are attached to the statue, and say the town wouldn't be the same without it; and of course, some hate it--but there... MORE »
VISION TEST
(Wes Kim | 6:00 | Documentary)
By Rooftop Films on 07/10/2008
Filed under: Documentary, Political Films, Watch Short FilmscallBrightcove(1556197803, 594, 445, "#ffffff"); Who would you feel most comfortable with as CEO of a Fortune 500 company? What begins as a routine eye exam turns into an examination of people's subconscious attitudes towards race, gender and power. Wes Kim really catches us off guard with this one. This well-developed 6-minute satirical documentary film has you questioning your own predispositions, making apparent the differences we perceive in people because of their race, gender, and power. We enter into a routine Vision Test, and for the first minute, nothing seems out of the ordinary, if perhaps a bit blurry...but when the... MORE »
ROOFTOP WEEKEND RECAP - June 12-14
3 SOLD-OUT SHOWS
By Rooftop Films on 06/16/2008
Filed under: Animation, Documentary, Home Movies, Political Films, Rooftop Filmmakers, Rooftop Filmmakers' Fund, Rooftop Weekend Recap, Watch Short FilmsThe First Annual Rooftop Panorama a huge success Rooftop Films is more than a film festival--we are a community, a collaboration between filmmakers and audience members, between movies, venues and neighborhoods. We not only screen films outdoors; we also foster collaborations by renting equipment, teach filmmaking to young people at partner schools, and co-produce new films through The Rooftop Filmmakers' Fund. But because our festival runs through five months (weekends and more from May 31-September 27), as opposed to many that last a weekend or a week, there's not always the same opportunity for filmmakers, distributors, critics, and audience members... MORE »
ROSWELL
(Bill Brown | 19:17 | Documentary)
By Rooftop Films on 06/05/2008
Filed under: Comedy, Documentary, Home Movies, Personal Narrative, Political Films, Rooftop Filmmakers, Rooftop Filmmakers' Fund, Watch Short FilmscallBrightcove(1557911184, 594, 445, "#ffffff");In this action-packed experimental documentary, Bill Brown drifts through New Mexico trying to find out what caused that lonely spacecraft to crash land in a tiny town in the American desert half a century ago.Bill has been one of Rooftop Films' favorite filmmakers for years. He covers an astonishing and amusingly diverse range of topics--including aliens from outerspace (here in Roswell) and aliens from across the border (in The Other Side)--with an low-fi aesthetic and an extremely personal touch. It's really a thrill to have unique and thoughtful film art like this online. Two whole DVDs of... MORE »
DEVIL'S TEETH
(Roger Teich | 8:30 | Documentary)
By Rooftop Films on 05/19/2008
Filed under: Documentary, Environmental Films, Personal Narrative, Rooftop Filmmakers' Fund, Watch Short FilmscallBrightcove(1556133929, 594, 445, "#ffffff"); A Rooftop Films co-production. A film about Ron Elliot, the only sea urchin diver who works the Farallon Islands, even though he regularly encounters enormous sharks. Made possible in part by a grant from the Rooftop Filmmakers' Fund. MORE »
About the Rooftop Films Blog on IFC.com
By Rooftop Films on 05/01/2008
Filed under: About Rooftop Films and This Blog, Animation, Comedy, Documentary, Drama, Environmental Films, Home Movies, Personal Narrative, Political Films, Rooftop Filmmakers, Rooftop Music, Rooftop News, Watch Short FilmsFor those of you who know don't know much (or anything) about Rooftop Films, here is a brief introduction: Rooftop Films is a non-profit film festival and production collective that has been screening and producing independent films since 1997. We are most famous for our annual Summer Series, a summer-long outdoor film festival that features more than 35 screenings each year. All of our summer screenings take place in stunning outdoor locations--either on rooftop or in parks, along piers, or in other scenic outdoor locations all over New York City (and occasionally beyond). We have screened more than 1,500 films... MORE »
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