Sundance 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 inter-racial friendship put to the test by the intense pressures of a competitive Washington, D.C. prep school. Cast: Sonequa Martin, Louisa Krause, Silvestre Rasuk, Leslie Uggams, Gaius Charles, Ally Walker. World Premiere.

Emily screened her film Take It From Me at Rooftop in 2000--before the internet!

• William Kunstler:  Disturbing the Universe
(Directors: Sarah Kunstler & Emily Kunstler)
With clients including Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and the Chicago 10, the late civil rights attorney William Kunstler was one of the most famous lawyers of the 20th century. Filmmakers Emily and Sarah Kunstler explore their father's life from movement hero to "the most hated lawyer in America."  World Premiere.

Sarah and Emily (pictured above, with their father), producer/director/activists at Off-Center Media, had three shorts play at Rooftop in 2002-4: A Pattern of Exclusion: The Trial of Thomas Miller-el; Tulia, TX: Scenes from the Drug War; Getting Through to the President. They were also some of the earliest recipients of support from the Rooftop Filmmakers' Fund.

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We're also pleased to see these friends on the roster:

• The Glass House (Director: Hamid Rahmanian)--The Glass House follows four teenage girls striving to overcome drug addiction, abandonment and abuse by attending a rehabilitation center in Tehran. North American Premiere.

• Dare (Director: Adam Salky; Screenwriter: David Brind)--Three very different teenagers discover that, even in the safe world of a suburban prep school, no one is who she or he appears to be. Cast: Emmy Rossum, Zach Gilford, Ashley Springer, Ana Gasteyer, Alan Cumming, Sandra Bernhard, Rooney Mara. World Premiere.

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Lastly, our heartfelt condolences go out to all the filmmaker alums and friends who didn't get in. There's lots of other festivals out there . . . including Rooftop! Submit your films for Rooftop's 2009 Summer Series, and good luck to all, at Sundance and beyond.

By Rooftop Films in Call For Entries, Documentary, Drama, Rooftop Filmmakers, Rooftop Filmmakers' Fund | Link | 1 Comments | Recommended (4)

Tags: Adam Salky, Emily Abt, Emily Kunstler, Hamid Rahmanian, Lynn Shelton, Rooftop Filmmakers, Sarah Kunstler, Sundance Film Festival, William Kunstler

The music of flowers, bugs and leaves.

Q&A

Rooftop Films: Tell us about your film.

Jim Downer: Animators have been making synesthetic films for years--visually interpreting sound. In this realm Compost is nothing new. At its core it's an experimental film made with sticks and leaves. On another level, through the symbolism provided by nature's cycles Compost represents continual change through rebirth and decomposition. The film includes the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and other conditions through quick successive interchanges of subject matter.

RF: What was your inspiration?

JD: Found animation--multiples--easily accessible everyday objects. While food shopping I couldn't help looking at piles of vegetables and thinking, "This stuff would make a great series of animated replacement objects." The idea later shifted from produce to things in the backyard.

RF: Is there anything you'd like to share about the film that might not be immediately apparent (your conception of the film, backstory, production methods, etc.)?

JD: It would have never been made without Diane, my wife, who had looked at some tests I'd done earlier in the year and then suggested we create an entire film. She's the primary force behind the film. It wasn't apparent to me at first, but now looking back on the project I see it as a documentary, a record of all the walks Diane and I took together with our four dogs to collect specimens. Things go by so quickly on the screen, when in reality they took months to collect and assemble. There's a lot of wonderfully peaceful memories associated with this film. Also, along with being entertaining the film also has scientific value. It represents a cross section, a sampling of Rochester's biomass. Grade-school children always seem to make that connection when they watch the film.

RF: What is the piece of music playing along with the images?

JD: Dave Shaw and John Nyerges are the musicians. A couple of talented individuals--easy going, intelligent, open minded, fun to work with. I'd been working with Dave, getting digital recording lessons, torturing him with avant-garde musical directing when John stopped in. He sat at the piano and I asked him to play some Baroque jazz. That's the longest piece of music in the film. All the bits and pieces are improvisational tinkerings done by Dave. At the time of recording there were no plans to make a film, it was just the three of us doing what we do as artists.

RF: What, if any, is the correlation between the images and the tonality and rhythms of the music?

JD: I relied heavily on intuition. Shooting each series of replacement objects, then testing them against the music for appropriateness. In the back of my mind I kept a visual catalogue of shapes and colors. Listening to the music I'd run through the visual possibilities internally before doing any cutting of image to music. I purposely wanted to keep the improvisational spirit of the film free from over analysis.

RF: Where did you find all of these lovely, colorful, natural images to work with? How did you select which would appear in the film?

JD: ll of the collected objects come from property around our home. Again I give Diane most of the credit here. She's a painter whose sensibilities in selecting color and texture really comes through in the film. I would have discarded, or overlooked many of the things she picked up. I had to learn not to edit, or over-think while gathering.

RF: Any interesting stories about the production? Any particular difficulties or serendipitous events or pleasant/unpleasant surprises?

JD: Now and then we picked up a stowaway--insect or spider. A couple became a part of the film and were later released. It's tough to photograph a bug who's running around an animation table. I also suffer from plant allergies. Some things we brought back into the studio made my eyes water and nose run. I had to shoot right away and then get them back outside as quick as possible. Thorns and splinters where also a bit of a painful issue. Some plants just don't want anyone touching them--understandable. On the upside, I never got poison ivy.

RF: Are you a full-time filmmaker? If not, what else are you up to?

JD: Yes, as full-time as I can be. As well as a full-time husband, graphic artist, illustrator and college professor. All simultaneous responsibilities. My wife and I also volunteer as a wildlife rehabilitators for the Department of Environmental Conservation.

RF: What is your current/next project?

JD: Just after Compost an unexpected film happened-- The Bringing of Spring. A one minute puppet film that was recently selected for screening at the LE:60 festival in Cambridge, MA. I don't talk much about current project(s). It's superstition, I don't want to jinx things. I'm also not a fan of verbal portfolios, however I will say it's a drawn animated piece, approximately four to five minutes in length.

RF: If you've been to a Rooftop show, how was the experience?

JD: I must say the Rooftop organizers have been fantastic--kind, generous, courteous, helpful. They do a great thing for independent filmmakers and I hope they continue for a very long time. Hats off to Rooftop--the work they do is not easy. They deserve enormous amounts of credit and thanks.

RF: What excites you about having your short film on Rooftop Films at IFC.com?

JD: Reaching a larger audience, and potentially influencing / encouraging someone else to make a short film.

RF: Do you have any questions for the viewers? We hope they'll post comments!

JD: Feedback is always appreciated--good, bad or ugly. Like compost, it may stink sometimes, but it helps artists grow.

By Rooftop Films in Animation, Environmental Films, Watch Short Films | Link | 0 Comments | Recommended (3)

Tags: Compost, Jim and Diane Downer, LE:60, Rooftop Films, The Bringing Of Spring

Little Spirits (Cecelia Condit | 8:34)


In Little Spirits, two little girls explore beyond Grandmother's limits, coming face to face with their own emerging animal natures.


Q&A

Rooftop Films: Tell us about your film. What was your inspiration?

Cecelia Condit: I was inspired to do a piece about close friends and betrayal. When I starting filming and putting these very big grownup emotions onto these two little girls, it became easier for me to see that resentment is a very useless thing.

RF: Is there anything you'd like to share about the film that might not be immediately apparent (your conception of the film, backstory, production methods, etc.)?

CC: These two girls are the very best of friends. I started shooting them with only an outline in mind. I don't find myself terribly confined by using scripts anymore. I want the freedom to explore. However, clearly the freedom from a script takes more time - not a good idea when shooting children who are impatient.

RF: How did you find your young actors? How did they interpret the story?

CC: Annie, the little girl who is left in the woods, was in the previous 2004 video that I did called "All About a Girl." She is my son's best friend's little sister. Madeleine is in real life - Annie's best friend. Madeleine felt sad that I had her being so mean to Annie in the story. She apologized over and over again.

RF: The landscape in your film was beautiful and diverse. Where did you shoot?

CC: I shot the "Little Spirits" in city and county parks near my home here in Milwaukee.

RF: Are you a full-time filmmaker? If not, what else are you up to?

CC: I teach at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and am Director of the Graduate Program there. But I do find time to work.

RF: What is your current/next project?

CC: I just finished a video called "Annie Lloyd" which is a documentation of the last few years of my mother's life and a portrayal of the courage and wisdom of old age. In it, I act out my mother's favorite memories and loves. I found that I like performing and I plan to try it again in my next video.

RF: If you've been to a Rooftop show, how was the experience?

CC: I never have been to a Rooftop show, but I love the image of the screening from the website. It is really beautiful.

RF: What excites you about having your short film on Rooftop Films at IFC.com?

CC: It is nice to share work with people and it is a different experience for me.

RF: Do you have any questions for the viewers? They'll post comments.

CC: I have no particular questions, but comments? Yes, that would be nice.

By Rooftop Films | Link | 0 Comments | Recommended (5)

Tags: Cecelia Condit, IFC, Little Spirits, Milwaukee, Rooftop Films, Short

Manhattan Canyon (Gregory King | New York | 2:03)


For two full days in the summer of 2004, Gregory King strapped three cameras (two Super-8 and one video) onto his body and trekked up and down the length of Manhattan, taking one picture at each intersection. Music by Rachel's.

Q&A

Rooftop Films: Tell us about your film.

Gregory King: It's an experimental/poetic portrait of Manhattan that highlights its architectural density and pace of life. I slung three cameras (two Super 8mm film and one mini-DV video) around my neck and shot either one frame of film or a short second-burst of video at every intersection of the city, looking south, starting from as far north as I could go safely on the east side, and an equivalent spot on the west side. It's a miracle I wasn't run over, cause once I was in the zone shooting, I wasn't watching traffic much at all.

RF: What was your inspiration?

GK: Loving the sense of a 'canyon' one feels when looking down an avenue in Manhattan, and how this creates a powerful effect of space and light .

RF: Is there anything you'd like to share about the film that might not be immediately apparent (your conception of the film, backstory, production methods, etc.)?

GK: The process of shooting it was really enjoyable, because it offered me a unique experience of the city and its neighborhoods, compressed in the span of a couple days. I started with the east side, on Madison Ave and walked the length of the city in one day. This took me through an enormous diversity of neighborhoods and cultural expressions in a way that was so thoroughly 'New York', but which I hadn't experienced before.

RF: How long did it take you to gather all of this footage?

GK: Two days; one for the east side, and another for the west side. It took about 9 hours each day to capture all the shots. Not as much as I thought!

RF: Tell us a bit about the aesthetics of the film. Why did you choose to place the eastern and western images horizontally side by side as opposed to vertically? What effect did you hope this would achieve?

GK: To create in essence a 'third form', that being the negative space shape of the sky, that has a life of its own and which I felt was a more original approach to the subject matter. I've seen other artists depict the streets of Manhattan, but none in quite this manner. I wanted to give the sky equal footing to the buildings, which would have been lost had I set them in a 'normal' orientation.

RF: Is there a specific comment about life in New York City held within this film?

GK: I like to think about the fact that this city is never static, never 'settled' or fixed; it's always undergoing its own organic-if steel, glass and brick can be seen as organic-transformation and realization. Buildings go up, come down, get altered, cleaned or otherwise renovated, layered with scaffolding, spray painted and etched by weather, all of which I find endlessly fascinating. New York tomorrow is a different organism than New York today. Some of that, unfortunately, can be heart-breaking, as in the case of landmark buildings being bulldozed, but as a whole, it never ceases to amaze me.

RF: How did you decide on the pace of the editing in the film? Does its rapid pace have to do with your own experience of the city itself?

GK: I played around with various durations for each frame, corresponding of course to various speeds overall. I found that if each frame lasted only 'a frame of video' (30 fps is standard video), the piece went by too fast and was jarring, but if each frame lasted too long, there wasn't the sense of traveling down the avenue. Ultimately, I felt I found a 'sweet spot' that allowed for both a recognition of its frame-by-frame nature and enough time to feel the character of each part of town represented. But yes, certainly the speed relates to what it is like to live in New York, especially in Manhattan.

RF: Any interesting stories about the production? Any particular difficulties or serendipitous events or pleasant/unpleasant surprises?

GK: This was shot only a few years after 9/11, so there was definitely a sense of caution/uncertainty on my part as to what obstacles I might encounter while shooting, since I would be, for the better part of a day, pointing up three different cameras at every single intersection to photograph the buildings of New York. And sure enough, I was met with a host of interesting reactions from pedestrians (mostly positive, I must say): a police officer asked what I was doing the second I entered the upper east side, and said 'people in the neighborhood were asking questions', but he let me go without another thought when I said 'making art' (it felt like a jedi mind trick); a truck driver cursed me out while making a turn, calling me a terrorist; a very put-together businesswoman in Midtown said in a snooty tone, "You shouldn't be doing that"...it was quite an interesting couple days. Ultimately though, the only real obstacle I encountered was at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge (my east side route took me there), where 24/7-stationed police officers said I couldn't film that part of the bridge. So the film lacks two shots because of this, sorry to say.

OH! But also--and this is CRAZY--the second day I shot happened to be one of the days of the Republican National Convention in 2004, and I walked RIGHT THROUGH just throngs of convention-goers, police, and who knows who else on 7th Ave, and not one person asked what I was doing. But they had probably already done a background check on me via satellite before I got even close.

RF: Are you a full-time filmmaker? If not, what else are you up to?

GK: I am in the sense that I make my living as an editor and cameraman, and the fact that I'm always making something of my own.

RF: What is your current/next project?

GK: I'm in post-production on my first feature-length documentary film called 'Our House', co-directed with Brooklyn filmmaker David Teague (the man behind the NYC chapter of Flicker Film Festival), which should be done in early 2009. It's very New York in its own right; it's about a group of punk rock dudes in their 20s that ran a community house for the poor and homeless in an abandoned warehouse in Williamsburg. The guys are also devout Christians, so it was a truly unique expression of faith and social activism; anarchist-squatters helping people on the street, going to hardcore shows, sleeping in sub-zero sleeping bags in an empty building...all in the name of Jesus.

RF: If you've been to a Rooftop show, how was the experience?

GK: I love going to Rooftop shows! They are a fantastic venue to see new work, AND to experience the city, as the locations are all situated in interesting areas. I love the sense of community it supports, and the fact that live music precedes each show; it's a great way to hear new music and feel like you're a part of the cultural bedrock that makes this city great.

RF: What excites you about having your short film on Rooftop Films at IFC.com?

GK: That it's so accessible, and easy to share. Anyone in the world can see it! You can't beat that. Plus, all the other shorts are awesome, so it's fun to be grouped with such a wide assortment of ideas and talented people.

By Rooftop Films in Rooftop Filmmakers, Watch Short Films | Link | 0 Comments | Recommended (5)

Tags: Experimental, Gregory King, IFC, Manhattan Canyon, New York, Rooftop Films, Video

Checkmate (Casimir Nozkowski, Dallas Penn, Rafi Kam | New York City | 9:43)

Why are there always jewelry stores next to check-cashing spots? Why is there only 1 bank per 50,000 people living in Bushwick?

Q&A

Rooftop Films: Tell us about your film

Dallas Penn: Checkmate was a video we developed as a response from one of our viewers who after viewing our film 'Bodega' asked us to make a film about another one of the center city's ubiquitous retail locations - the check cashing store

RF: What was your inspiration?

DP: SInce Rafi and I had used check cashing stores previously (and I still do) we thought we could create a film that described them accurately

RF: Is there anything you'd like to share about the film that might not be immediately apparent (your conception of the film, backstory, production methods, etc.)?

DP: I think the interesting thing we discovered about check cashing locations as opposed to banks was that they were less predatory than we originally envisioned, especially when you consider all the latent fees that banks assess to customers who are less than wealthy.

RF: Any interesting stories about the production? Any particular difficulties or serendipitous events or pleasant/unpleasant surprises?

DP: The production for the film was an overall enjoyable experience. We found people on the street who were ready to describe their experiences when dealing with check cashing stores as well as banks. I think the biggest discovery for me was that making it rain (the practice of wantonly throwing wads of cash in the air) outdoors was the quickest method to losing all of your money.

RF: What initially sparked your interest in the idea of check cashing? Why this particular social exploration?

DP: Check cashing stores are fairly ubiquitous in the center city but not too many people know what takes place on the inside of these stores and the people that do know rarely examine them comprehensively.

RF: The tone of the film is comedic but it is clear that there is also a fairly dire social message about the nature of consumerism, debt, urban planning etc in America. How did you balance the two sides in making the film?

DP: I love to laugh before I cry so I don't think having a laugh at a funeral is a bad thing. Discussing serious issues with our Web 2.0675 constituency means that we need to inject some humor into our rants and and messages.

RF: Most of the film was shot in Brooklyn. Do you have any ties to Brooklyn or do the actors in the film?

DP: We all have ties to Brooklyn in various ways from growing up inside of the borough to actively using the landscape today to work, play and live. We would like to make a film in every borough of the city to help us get our points across on the universatility (my word bitches) of the urban experience.

RF: Are you a full-time filmmaker? If not, what else are you up to?

DP: I am a full-time shit-talker on the web log that I manage daily. My career goal is to make films full time since we are living in a post-literate society. I say that we are post-literate not because people can't read, but because they choose not to. They like to use video for delivering much of the information they use.

RF: What is your current/next project?

DP: We have several projects underway right now. I am anxious to complete them as opposed to talking about them.

RF: If you've been to a Rooftop show, how was the experience?

DP: The Rooftop shows have been the most fulfilling aspect of my filmmaking career up to this point. The audience contains the prime demographic that we target with our videos and to see and hear them laugh and enjoy our films is satisfying and energizing. It is one thing to have over a half million views of a film on YouTube and a totally different experience to commune with an audience full of your peers.

RF: What excites you about having your short film on Rooftop Films at IFC.com?

DP: I'm excited for more people to see our work and follow us as we make more films and tackle more subjects

RF: Do you have any questions for the viewers? We hope they'll post comments!

DP: What would you like to see us discuss in an upcoming film. We do make these films for fans you know.

By Rooftop Films in Comedy, Rooftop Filmmakers, Watch Short Films | Link | 2 Comments | Recommended (6)

Tags: Bodega, Brooklyn, Check Cashing, Checkmate, Comedy, Dallas Penn, IFC, Internet Celebrities, Rafi, Rooftop Films

Barbara Leather (Seth Lind | Brooklyn, NY | 10:14)

Q&A

Rooftop Films: Tell us about your film.

Seth Lind: Barbara Leather is a short documentary about old-school East Village sandalmaker Barbara Schaum, who was the first woman served at McSorley's Old Ale House.

RF: What was your inspiration?

SL: I lived near Barbara's store, which keeps odd hours. When I'd walk by it was normally closed, and I enjoyed peeking through the windows at all the old tools and workbenches and piles of leather. It seemed out of time. I thought that the space would look really great on 16mm film because that medium tends to make things look old. So my inspiration was to film the space, and I happened to find a fascinating person who inhabited it.

RF: Is there anything you'd like to share about the film that might not be immediately apparent (your conception of the film, backstory, production methods, etc.)?

SL: For some reason, everyone's first question is how much do Barbara's sandals cost. They start around $300.

RF: Any interesting stories about the production? Any particular difficulties or serendipitous events or pleasant/unpleasant surprises?

SL: I really wanted to film a llama, but it was wintertime in New York City, so I figured I was out of luck. But to my surprise the Queens Zoo has llamas outdoors year round, and the Zookeepers were super accommodating about me filming them. So that was a nice surpise.

RF: How did you discover Barbara's shop? Did you have any sandals made? What are they like?

SL: (See #2.) I don't have a pair of Barbara's sandals yet. I hope to get a pair before she retires. In the film, the woman being fitted for a sandal is Danielle DiGiacomo, who now works in film distribution at Indie Pix. Danielle was excited because she thought she might get a pair of sandals out of the deal, but if you watch closely you can tell that Barbara only really finishes one of the sandals. She put it in the window as a demo, and never finished the other one. Sorry, Danielle.

RF: What kind of film is this shot on? It has that lovely, homespun quality to it that seems apt for the story being told.

SL: It's 16mm. I can't remember which stock. Probably the cheapest. I shot on an old hand-wound Bolex, which only holds two and a half minutes of film, and can't shoot longer than a 30 second take. So that added to the homespun look. So did my inexperience. This was the first (and only) time I shot film, and I was really just hoping that something would be there after it was developed. I didn't always use the right filters, so it sometimes has that look of an old home movie - becuase those were also shot by amateurs. I shot the re-enactments in high-contrast black and white, slightly sped up to mimic how old films look when projected on new projectors designed for a faster frame rate.

RF: Why did you choose to use voice over in the film?

SL: The Bolex can't do synch sound. Also, I wanted to start with an audio interview and shoot to match the story I first crafted in audio editing. This was to save film and to be sure I'd end up with a complete narrative.

RF: How long did you shadow Barbara in her shop?

SL: I began by videotaping Barbara for one day, to choose some of the shots I'd put on film, get her used to me being there, and learn enough about her story to know what questions to ask on tape. I filmed her for two days in her store: one day for her making the sandal, and one day of portraiture. I filmed for four other days: B-roll interiors of the store, exteriors, the McSorleys' re-enactment, and the llamas. I shot 40 minutes of film total, for a 10 minute film.

RF: Why did you choose particularly the stories about McSorley's and the story about the llama to insert into the main narrative of the film?

SL: Those were the two most interesting things I came across while interviewing Barbara that I could also put on film and that I could relate tangentially to her sandal-making. She also told this incredible story about registering black voters in the South during the civil rights movement. She packed a Colt pistol and was not to be messed with. But she didn't have photos, and I didn't know what to film or how I could jump from making a sandal to that story, so I left it out.

RF: Do you consider yourself a craftsman?

SL: Yes. I really like to draw, and to build things. I'm don't feel like an expert in any specific craft, but I love visuals and structure and fabrication and gear, which means I love every phase of filmmaking. Except maybe the no funding and no ideas phase. That phase sucks.

RF: Are you a full-time filmmaker? If not, what else are you up to?

SL: My day job is production manager for the public radio show This American Life. I also perform in New York with the improv comedy group Thank You, Robot.

RF: What is your current/next project?

SL: I plan to write and direct a fiction short in 2009, and after that, a fiction feature. I have ideas for a feature set in Haiti during the US occupation, and would also love to someday adapt Bruce Olds' novel about John Brown, Raising Holy Hell. But my writing leans toward comedy, and those are huge period pieces, so neither ar realistic as a first feature. We'll see.

RF: If you've been to a Rooftop show, how was the experience?

SL: First off, it's just really fun to be up on a roof. And the entrance to the Old Can Factory roof, at least when I was there, is comically labarynthine. I think there were 17 arrows you had to follow. I bet there was secretly a more direct route, but it wouldn't have been as fun. The outdoor, elevated setting makes movie watching much more exciting, and can lead to cool moments. Like when I went to a 4th of July show at Rooftop a few years back, and right after this really freaky short film about war, with night vision bombing footage, fireworks started exploding in the distance. People were just like, 'wow.'

RF: What excites you about having your short film on Rooftop Films at IFC.com?

SL: I live in New York, so I'm happy when Barbara Leather has local screenings. I also really appreciate that Rooftop supports a community of filmmakers with things like grants - grants that jump-start awesome projects like Benh Zeitlin's Glory At Sea, for example. That justifies Rooftop's whole existence in my opionion.

RF: Do you have any questions for the viewers? We hope they'll post comments!

SL: How did you end up being so awesome that you would take the time to watch my movie? Thank you.

By Rooftop Films | Link | 0 Comments | Recommended (5)

Tags: Barbara Leather, Danielle DiGiacomo, IFC, Indie Pix, McSorley's, Rooftop Films, Seth Lind, Short, The Old American Can Factory

Three 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 of you.

Read more HERE.

By Rooftop Films in Documentary, Rooftop Filmmakers, Rooftop News | Link | 0 Comments | Recommended (6)

Tags: Academy Award, At the Death House Dorr, Best Documentary, Carl Deal, Documentary Film, In a Dream, Jeremiah Zagar, Peter Gilbert, Rooftop Films, Steve James, Tia Lessin, Trouble the Water

Rooftop Films is now accepting submissions for the 2009 Summer Series! (Please help us out by forwarding this post to filmmakers and/or posting it to relevant websites)

Submit your movies! In May 2009 we will begin celebrating our 13th year of bringing the best underground films in the world outdoors and to the rooftops of New York. Submit your films and videos now and participate in one of the most unforgettable, unique, filmmaker-friendly, independent film events in the world!

• A complete list of rules and regulations are available on the Rooftop Films Website.
• Films can be submitted via Withoutabox.com or directly to Rooftop Films.
• General deadlines and fees have changed since last year: Earlybird: $9, postmarked by January 5, 2009; Regular: $13, postmarked by February 02, 2009; Late: $16, postmarked by March 1, 2009; Without A Box Extended: $16, April 1, 2009 (Without A Box members only).
• Rooftop continues to accept films year-round, but if you want to guarantee that your films will be considered for the 2009 Summer Series please make sure to submit them on or before the deadlines.

THE FESTIVAL

The Rooftop Films 2009 Summer Series will run from May through September and will feature more than 200 daring new films, all screened outdoors, in front of big, loyal audiences in parks, along the water, and on rooftops overlooking the greatest city on earth. More than 15,000 people attended Rooftop screenings in 2008, making it one of the most popular festivals in New York City. The 2009 Summer Series will surely feature even bigger crowds, even more beautiful venues, and more incredible films.

SUBMITTING TO ROOFTOP

Rooftop Films is committed to helping filmmakers get their films screened and we believe that it is the responsibility of a film festival to make it as easy as possible for filmmakers to submit their films and get them screened. That is why we don't demand that filmmakers send us exorbitant submission fees. There is a recommended early submission fee of $9.00 per filmmaker or curator for any films postmarked prior to January 5th, and for that fee you can submit as many films as you like without paying additional submission fees. Our early submission fee is the same as our regular ticket price, and every filmmaker who submits to Rooftop will get TWO free passes to any regular Rooftop Films show (a value of $18). We try to keep the cost to filmmakers as minimal as possible and though we can't show all the films sent in to us, we hope that all the filmmakers that submit come out to our shows--and the first one is on us.

If you have any other questions--please email Program Director, Dan Nuxoll at *submit at rooftopfilms dot com*

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Tags: 2009 Summer Series, Deadline, Documentary, Feature Films, Film Festival, Rooftop Films, Short Films, Submission, Submit, Without a Box

AN 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 the IFC Center website.

ABOUT THE SCREENING: An Evening with Don Hertzfeldt, a special event with the Academy Award-nominated animator in person to present the New York premiere of his newest film, takes place Wednesday, November 19 at 7:00, 9:15 and 11:15pm at IFC Center. Mr. Hertzfeldt will screen his latest, I AM SO PROUD OF YOU, featuring his trademark hand-drawn animation, along with a selection of his earlier films. The evening also includes a on-stage interview and Q&A session with the audience.

Hertzfeldt's longest piece to date, I AM SO PROUD OF YOU is the eagerly anticipated second chapter to Everything Will Be OK, which screened at Rooftop Films on Opening Night 2007, was the winner of the Sundance Film Festival's Grand Jury Award in Short Filmmaking and was named by many critics as one of the "best films of 2007." Like all of Hertzfeldt's films, I AM SO PROUD OF YOU was single-handedly animated and photographed by hand without the use of computers. It was shot entirely on an antique 35mm animation stand, one of the last remaining cameras of its kind left in America. The film's special effects were meticulously created directly on film, using traditional double exposures, in-camera mattes, and innovative experimental techniques. The 22-minute film was nearly two years in the making.

Mr. Hertzfeldt's appearance at IFC Center is part of a national tour, with additional screenings scheduled for Los Angeles, Chicago, Denver, Atlanta, Seattle and other cities. Find out more at http://www.bitterfilms.com/

ABOUT THE ROOFTOP FILMMAKERS FUND: Rooftop Films commits $1 of every ticket sold and every film submission fee to fund new productions, an innovative approach to the exhibition/production cycle which uses the support of our community to produce dynamic films. This year, Rooftop Films screened a number of films we co-funded, including Jay Hodges and PJ Raval's documentary Trinidad, Benh Zeitlin's award-winning short film Glory at Sea, a post-Katrina shipwreck epic; and an excerpt from Fabio Wuytack's upcoming feature Persona Non Grata, about his father, a radical left-wing missionary working in Venezuela in the 1970s. I AM SO PROUD OF YOU will likely screen outdoors as part of the 2009 Summer Series (dates announced in the spring).

In 2007-8, Rooftop Films gave away over $12,000 in cash and more than $10,000 in services to help produce work by filmmakers whose works have shown with Rooftop Films previously.

Read more about the fund HERE.

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Tags: Benh Zeitlin, Don Hertzfeldt, Everything Will Be OK, Fabio Wuytack, I Am So Proud Of You, IFC Center, Rooftop Filmmakers' Fund, Rooftop Films

"Polvo (Dust)" (Ylva Forner | Spain | 12:45)


A young woman about to get married works cleaning houses for elderly people. One day an old man offers to pay her well if she just undresses and sits in a chair over by the window for him. A story about memories and missing someone long gone.

Q&A

Rooftop Films: Tell us about your film.

Ylva Forner: This film "Polvo (Dust)" was actually one of my first short films. The title in Spanish has a double meaning that's lost in translation. It literally means "Dust", but in Spanish slang it can also mean to "Screw". I had lived in Barcelona, for a very short time when I made Polvo and I had to make something that was not based on dialogue, basically because I didn't speak much Spanish. I was interested in making a film where only the audience got the full picture, where as the characters never got to know the objectives of the other. I wanted to start with one character and end with another, like shifting the focus. I would love to make a whole full feature film like that some day, where the story is passed like the baton in a relay race.

RF: What was your inspiration?

YF: For this film my inspiration was dust in afternoon sunlight. Jazz records with Ella Fitzgerald. The shot in Gilda where she takes of her gloves.

RF: Is there anything you'd like to share about the film that might not be immediately apparent (your conception of the film, back-story, production methods, etc.)?

YF: What might be said is that we hade an extremely low budget (non-existent really). The whole film is shot in one day. This was a very strange shooting, basically because there is so much nakedness is the film, on top of that I´m doing the part of the woman in the past myself, which meant that I was walking around the set naked with forties-makeup on the set, directing the crew. After a while everyone got used to it, and there are some very funny photos...

RF: The light in the film was beautiful. How did you create it?

YF: We worked with very little filters and lit a lot.

RF: How did you create the superimposition of the two images of the women in the film?

YF: What we did was first of all to use the same framing and location, but re-decorating the room as it was in the forties when there was still life in the room for the old days - shot. Then we shot the whole part from the past on super-8 to get that "old" feeling. It created a sense of something long gone, maybe our memories are now days on video...Technically we then taped the super-8 projection and superimposed the two images. To me it's very important that when the man's memory begins, the traveling begins and crosses the space from "his corner" in his chair, into the room where the girl is. It's the only time in the film that that happens, and after that moment the story focus has changed from her to him.

RF: Are you a full-time filmmaker? If not, what else are you up to?

YF: I'm a director and actress hoping to soon be able to take away the waitress... Ultimately I have directed more than I have acted, but I love acting and hope to soon work more as an actress on other peoples films, that's one of the best ways to be a better director too...And the best job in the world!

RF: What is your current/next project?

YF: I've just finished a new short film in Stockholm (where I live), and it's going very well. It's called Greetings From Slussen, Sthlm, and it's is in competition at the Stockholm International Film Festival starting Nov 20th. It's also showing at the Palm Spring Festival in Jan. 2009, and the Scandinavian Film Festival in LA in Jan. 2009. And I'm of course hoping that it will be chosen for next year's Rooftop Films Summer Series. A part from that I have just received a grant to go to LA for 3 months from January - April, to develop my filmmaking and hopefully make a short film there.

RF: If you've been to a Rooftop show, how was the experience?

YF: I whish I could say I had. I really wanted to come over last summer, but couldn't get the financing to do so...I think that the idea of showing films on the roof is one of the most beautiful I know, so hope to be part of that some night!

RF: What excites you about having your short film on Rooftop Films at IFC.com?

YF: I love that people I don't know on the other side of the globe actually see my work and that it hopefully moves them in some way. That's the whole idea of art I suppose... It gives me a bit of Vertigo to be honest... hahaha...

RF: Do you have any questions for the viewers? We hope they'll post comments!

YF: I will be in LA from beginning Jan-end of March, and in New York from March 27-April 5. What shall I do? Where should I go? What can I not miss?!

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Tags: Greetings From Slussen Sthlm, Palm Springs Film Festival, Rooftop Films Summer Series, Scandinavian Film Festival, Stockholm International Film Festival, Ylva Forner