Underground movies outdoors.
Drama
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 »
-
- Comment
AN EVENING WITH DON HERTZFELDT!
WED., NOV. 19TH AT THE IFC CENTER.
By Rooftop Films on 11/17/2008
Filed under: Animation, Comedy, Drama, Home Movies, Personal Narrative, Rooftop Filmmakers, Rooftop Filmmakers' FundAN EVENING WITH DON HERTZFELDT:Wednesday, November 19 at 7:00, 9:15 and 11:15pm at IFC Center. Don Hertzfedlt comes to New York's IFC Center on Wednesday, November 19th to present three screenings of his work. The highlight of the program is the New York premiere of I AM SO PROUD OF YOU, the sequel to his Sundance winning short Everything Will Be Ok. I AM SO PROUD OF YOU was funded in part by the Rooftop Filmmakers Fund. Tickets are on sale now and quickly selling out - $15 general admission/$12 for IFC Center members. You can purchase tickets on... MORE »
INTERVIEW WITH BRYAN WIZEMANN,
DIRECTOR OF "THE MORNING SUN"
By Rooftop Films on 11/14/2008
Filed under: Drama, Home Movies, Rooftop Filmmakers, Watch Short FilmsThe Morning Sun (Bryan Wizemann | Brooklyn, NY | 5:30)callBrightcove(1556133939, 594, 445, "#ffffff");A woman wakes up, takes a shower, gets dressed, and leaves the house. In this fascinating and ephemeral film -- a study in the use of available light and narrative restraint -- it's up the audience to string together the pieces of her morning, and the night before. Rooftop Films: Tell us about your film: Bryan Wizemann: The film up at IFC.com is actually from last year, called The Morning Sun, and it's really just a story of a girl waking up in an apartment that's not her... MORE »
THE BRAGGART
(David Andalman | 12:43 | Drama)
By Rooftop Films on 10/19/2008
Filed under: Drama, Rooftop Filmmakers, Watch Short FilmscallBrightcove(1745049791, 594, 445, "#ffffff");The melancholy tale of a lonely little girl being raised by a single mom. This heartbreaking short film directed by David Andalman follows the solemn, lonely wandering of a little girl, Mona, who is left to her own devices by a neglectful single mother. The scene is set in a quiet, suburban town, one where whimsy and adventure is not readily available but must be sought in bubble filled bathtubs and abandoned couches near the polluted riverbed. Not surprisingly, Mona's melancholic existence manifests itself in the form of compulsive lying, lies to draw her out of her... 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 »
PUMPKIN HELL
(Max Finneran | 21:42 | Horror / Drama)
By Rooftop Films on 10/15/2008
Filed under: Drama, Rooftop Filmmakers, Watch Short FilmscallBrightcove(1701198733, 594, 445, "#ffffff");A short coming-of-age horror film about sons, fathers and the roles they play and imagine for one another. Abandoned by his father at a highway-side pumpkin patch, an eleven year-old boy spends a peculiar and life changing night. With Halloween looming over us, our guilty desire for horror films seems hardly satiated by late-night viewings of Nightmare on Elm Street (for the umpteenth time). What to do? Perhaps one might dim the lights, lock the doors, and watch Pumpkin Hell , the dark comedy short centered around a young boy, Terry, who has a rather strange experience... MORE »
IFP'S "FIRST WEEKEND" SERIES BEGINS WITH LANCE HAMMER'S BALLAST
By Rooftop Films on 09/29/2008
Filed under: Drama, Personal NarrativeRooftop's noble partners at the Independent Feature Project (IFP) are, like us, always looking for innovative ways to support emerging filmmakers, from their Market (which helps find funding for works-in-progress), to their Labs (which provide artistic feedback for films at the rough cut stage), and now onto distribution. Their new "First Weekend" Series will help independent filmmakers secure a crucial, successful opening weekend in a New York theater. It's a great program, and Rooftop is proud to be promoting it. And the opening film--Lance Hammer's Ballast--is truly remarkable cinema, a powerfully-restrained drama of working-class tension and violence, reminiscent of Bresson... MORE »
BERLIN
(Jessica Duffin Wolfe | 3:49 | Drama)
By Rooftop Films on 08/14/2008
Filed under: Drama, Watch Short FilmscallBrightcove(1634707667, 594, 445, "#ffffff");She craves adventure. He wants to settle down. In order to win her over, he tries to do something spontaneous. But she knows that "Adventures are as common as rooftops." Berlin, a point he picked out on a map--it came to embody all his hopes and dreams of adventure that he thought would make him more like the girl he loved. She was adventurous, but gave up her journey because she wanted to be with him. He wanted her, but was he good enough? He could not see adventure in the every day like she could. This... MORE »
Cave Flower (Sam Fleischner | 19:31 | Drama)
By Rooftop Films on 07/31/2008
Filed under: Drama, Rooftop Filmmakers, Watch Short FilmscallBrightcove(1701198742, 594, 445, "#ffffff"); Sam Fleischner's story about an unlikely romance sprouting between two people living at polar opposite ends of society. Cable lives in an abandoned building and operates a freight elevator, while Claire with her suit, bluetooth and PDA, appears to be all business. Shot in both HD and Super 8, Cave Flower captures how New York is an amalgamation of people living in distinct and separate social spheres. Fortunately for Cable and Claire, its also a city where chance often conspires to create opportunities for people to connect despite the gaps between their respective worlds. Cave Flower... 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 »
THE MORNING SUN
(Bryan Wizemann | 05:32 | Drama)
By Rooftop Films on 07/15/2008
Filed under: Drama, Home Movies, Rooftop FilmmakerscallBrightcove(1556133939, 594, 445, "#ffffff");A study in available light and narrative restraint. A one-night stand. Friends with benefits. No stings attached. Call it what you will, but the sun always rises and someone has to go back home in the morning. In this beautifully crafted film (using only available lighting) it's up to the viewer to decide what events lead up to a woman waking up alone, in someone else's bed. Later on this summer we'll be featuring another film by Rooftop favorite Bryan Wizemann in our Home Movies Program. According to Wizemann, the short film titled Film Makes Us Happy... MORE »
ROOFTOP WEEKEND RECAP - JUNE 26
SOLD-OUT FOR SURREAL SOUNDS AND SHORTS
By Rooftop Films on 06/28/2008
Filed under: Drama, Rooftop Filmmakers, Rooftop Weekend Recap, Watch Short FilmsA 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... 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 »
Categories
Recent Comments
- “confidence comes in pairs and its nice to share.”
- Patch on INTERVIEW WITH SARA POMERANCE,
DIRECTOR OF "RELAX AT HOME" - 10/31/2008 - “ And if you can't donate, work even harder to get TWO friends to chip in! Thanks, Rooftop...”
- Rooftop Films on A COMPLIMENTARY ROOFTOP FILMS DVD! - 12/09/2008
- “If you make a donation, be proud! Tell all your friends. Be the leader. Show how cool you are that y...”
- Mark Elijah Rosenberg on A COMPLIMENTARY ROOFTOP FILMS DVD! - 12/09/2008
- “Look for more announcements soon about Rooftop alums and friends in the other sections of Sundance, ...”
- Rooftop Films on ROOFTOP ALUMS AT SUNDANCE - 12/03/2008
- “As you guys know, we love your work. A few topics I'd love to see you cover with your special brand ...”
- Rooftop Films on INTERVIEW WITH DALLAS PENN,
CO-WRITER AND STAR OF "CHECKMATE" - 11/26/2008
