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AN EVENING WITH DON HERTZFELDT!
WED., NOV. 19TH AT THE IFC CENTER.
Monday, November 17, 2008 | 11:46 AM
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.
INTERVIEW WITH YLVA FORNER,
DIRECTOR OF "POLVO (DUST)"
Monday, November 17, 2008 | 9:00 AM
"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?!
The Betrayal (Nerakhoon) Opens at IFC Center on November 21st
Friday, November 14, 2008 | 4:20 PM
A 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. When the U.S. withdrew, thousands of Laotians who fought alongside American forces were left behind to face imprisonment or execution. Thavisouk's family made the courageous decision to escape to America. There, they discovered a different kind of war.
The Betrayal is epic in scope yet devastatingly intimate, featuring a score by Academy Award winning composer Howard Shore, the film is a testament to the resilient bonds of family and an astonishing tale of survival.
Of course, Kuras' film is particularly relevant today, as countless families in Afghanistan and Iraq that assisted the U.S. quite possibly will face (or already have faced) the same sort of retribution that the Laotians did. Many supporters in those countries will be killed and many others will be forced to flee their homeland, but to this point we have heard very little talk of their plight as the U.S. prepares to slowly pull their security forces out of those countries. In The Betrayal, we see the real human consequences of U.S. policy decisions, and Kuras' deft cinematic touch, astonishing footage, and lyrical sensibilities turn the tale of the Phrasavaths into a narrative poem with genuine depth and power.
Of course, it is exceedingly difficult in the present marketplace for a subtle and meaningful film like this to get a proper theatrical run and reach the audience that it deserves, so please do try to support the film while it is in theaters and spread the word. If you have seen or heard about the film and want to support it, the filmmakers are requesting that you lend a hand and:
• Send personalized emails to your friends, co-workers, family and like-minded organizations to get them out to see THE BETRAYAL opening weekend starting November 21st @ the IFC CENTER
• Talk about the film on your website and listserv's by linking to the movies website
• Write about the film!
• Friend Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk on Facebook
INTERVIEW WITH BRYAN WIZEMANN,
DIRECTOR OF "THE MORNING SUN"
Friday, November 14, 2008 | 9:00 AM
The Morning Sun (Bryan Wizemann | Brooklyn, NY | 5:30)
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 own. It stars Allison Lawrence, and was shot at Gary's Shooting Lofts here in Brooklyn.
The film that played Rooftop this year isn't on IFC.com, at least not yet, and is called Film Makes Us Happy. That film is a short doc that tries to depict the last fight I'll ever have with my wife about making films. It gets pretty emotional, and I can't quite pull the trigger about it being online. My wife goes back and forth as well, between feeling it's important to see and not wanting anyone to see it, ever.
RF: What was your inspiration?
BW: For The Morning Sun, I was at the Pittsburgh Art Museum with my cinematographer Mark and my friend Sam, seduced by a blurred Andy Warhol film still of a young woman on a bed. My next feeling was that I was completely sure that the film I created in my mind around the still was no doubt more satisfying (and arguably much shorter) than the actual film would prove to be. To be fair, I never saw the film that the still was from, but other Warhol film experiments lead me to believe I wouldn't be able to suffer through it. So we argued and crafted and conceived on the drive home, and decided to try and figure out what the simplest short film could be that captured that kind of feeling. The story of The Morning Sun came out of that conversation. I always wanted to make a low dialogue short, and Mark had just purchased the Panasonic HXV, so we were desperate to shoot something using available light to see what it could do. Inspiration also comes from want, I suppose.
For Film Makes Us Happy, the inspiration literally came from trying to stop having the same fight with Sabina (my wife) about all the money I've pissed away in independent film. I had a screenplay that was personally invited to submit to the Sundance Lab. With the promise of the lab and what that would have meant, and after the third invitation, and the third rejection, and after almost two years of waiting, it was too much for my wife to bear. Her feeling was just that film was a closed society, and only a foray of the rich and connected. Not to mention that we recently had a kid and sold our place to get out of the film debt I amassed from my last credit card feature (Losing Ground, on Netflix, go check it out!).
The fight was easy to start, so after three months of browbeating her she finally relented and agreed to put it on film, the caveat being that she would have final say on the edit and if anybody actually got to see it. By showing her some of the selects to try and convince her to let it screen, she actually ended up helping me edit it. And it did work to some degree; we reference the film more than we fight about all the money I've set fire to. It played the Hamptons and IFF Boston and was recently part of Rooftop's best of summer screening, so I'm happy it got some exposure. I think I'm going to put it back into hiding now though.
RF: Ever been in a similar situation?
BW: For The Morning Sun, kind of. For Film Makes Us Happy, the film was the similar situation, so yes, unfortunately, many times.
RF: Are you a full-time filmmaker? If not, what else are you up to?
BW: I'm not entirely sure how these people who get to make films full-time get to make films full-time. I don't know how anyone could unless they are independently wealthy and have access and opportunity and a lot of time on their hands. Really I'm just envious, and would love nothing more than to focus more on film. The one time I was able to freelance from home and swallow the debt and focus on writing was a really productive time. It just wasn't sustainable.
And I'm amazed at all the stories I hear of seven-figure indies where the writer/director received no compensation. No compensation. It's been said that no one knows how anyone makes any money in this business, and I think the answer is they just don't.
RF: What is your current/next project?
BW: I've gotten lucky this past year. That script that kept getting invited and rejected by Sundance ended up being one of the top three winners of the Slamdance Screenplay Competition. Slamdance is trying to become a frontrunner in that arena, and offer a lot of different specialized screenplay entry opportunities. I highly recommend it.
I was able to get representation from the awards publication in the trades, and Barbara DeFina recently signed on to produce. I'm a big fan of her work, not just the Scorsese films, but the smaller ones like You Can Count on Me and The Grifters. I think it's a good fit, and it's developing well. We have some key supporting roles cast, and are gearing up for production in the spring. The film is called An Entire Body, and more information is up at the film's website: www.anentirebody.com. I very excited about it.
RF: If you've been to a Rooftop show, how was the experience?
BW: I love going to Rooftop shows, but have yet to be on an actual Rooftop. The Yard venue on the Gowanus Canal is my favorite, and the selection of pre-show bands never fails to impress. The music oddly maps to the venue somehow. I was excited to be on the roof of the LES Public School they screen at [New Design High School. -ed.], but alas, there was rain a comin', so it was held indoors. That's the other fun thing about Rooftop, they always have a plan b for shitty weather.
RF: What excites you about having your short film on Rooftop Films at IFC.com?
BW: IFC is becoming one of the strongest distributors for independent film. Indeed, one of the few. I've always trusted their taste and think they've done quite a bit to push audiences toward great films that would have otherwise struggled. The Morning Sun was actually an early winner of their online Media Lab, and out of that it was able to screen on the IFC channel. It's always exciting for me when something small like that finds a way to get out into the world.
RF: Do you have any questions for the viewers? We hope they'll post comments!
BW: Do people really ever read blogs? Do they ever read blogs about filmmakers? I don't have any questions really, but I'll try and check back for comments and do my best to answer them. I once tried to have it out with Mike Plante on a Wholphin blog, but it became pretty clear that we were the only two who were reading the thing anyway. (I actually like Mike and the stuff that Wholphin programs, at least the stuff that isn't film celebrity b-sides). But yes, go ahead, ask away. Most of my film exploits are online on www.ballastfilms.com.
"CAPTURED" SCREENS AT MAYSLES CINEMA
WED., NOV. 12, 7PM
Wednesday, November 12, 2008 | 11:22 AM
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 to our mission at Rooftop Films is to show movies that are germane to the environment/community in which we choose to screen them, and Captured was no exception. We hope you'll check out the screening tonight! Directors Ben Solomon, Dan Levin and Jenner Furst will be there for a post-screening Q&A, as well as Clayton Patterson himself.
Wednesday, November 12th, 2008
Captured (Dir: Solomon, Levin, Furst)
7:00 PM
The Maysles Institute Cinema
343 Lenox Avenue/Malcolm X Boulevard, NYC
(between 127th and 128th. 2/3, 4,5,6, A,B,C,D to 125th Street)
cinema@mayslesfilms.com, 212-582-6050 ext. 218
ROOFTOP MUSIC:
THE QUAVERS, FUGAZI & VIC CHESNUTT
ON A ROOF IN VIENNA, INSPIRED BY JEM COHEN
Wednesday, November 12, 2008 | 9:00 AM
At Rooftop, we love the quiet, lovely experimentations of The Quavers (who played our festival in 2007), and are glad to post about their latest music-film collaborations. So it's sure to get us excited when you set up this scenario: T. Griffin from the Quavers, Guy Picciotto from Fugazi (other members of which played at Rooftop in 2006) and Athens, GA, indie-folk hero Vic Chesnutt, brought together by a screening for Brooklyn indie-film legend Jem Cohen . . . on a rooftop!
Observe, listen, reflect and enjoy.
* * *
"Holed up in a basement once used as a bolthole for Latvian sailors, Brooklyn's T. Griffin teamed up with singer/violinist Catherine McRae for this spectral third album. His grainy blend of electro-folk and found sounds (he calls it "porch techno") resembles a hushed collision of Vic Chesnutt, Low and Jim O'Rourke. Deathly strings and lonely guitar - allied to telephone static, samples and snatches of Casio - make this record appear salvaged from some creaky urban junk shop. It holds together admirably, though, its wounded ambience both delicate and dense." - Uncut Magazine (UK)
Saturday, November 15th, 8PM
The Quavers play at Barbes
376 9th Street, Park Slope Brooklyn
all ages
$10 suggested donation
MEERKAT MEDIA MIXER / FUNDRAISER
SAT., NOV. 15, 8-11PM @ DCTV
Tuesday, November 11, 2008 | 9:00 AM
Rooftop Alums Gina Telaroli and Eric Phillips-Horst, who both screened short films at our 2008 edition of "New York Non-Fiction," are part of a couple of very cool film collaborations: The Brooklyn Filmmakers Collective, and Meerkat Media. As technology makes it easier and easier to make and share media, the key challenge these days is making good media. Having a group of like-minded artists to collaborate with is key, so getting involved with groups like Meerkat or BFC makes a lot of sense. And it's fun.
To raise money for Gina's next feature film, they're having a party this weekend at DCTV. Stop by, start making some connections, and support truly independent cinema!
Saturday, November 15, 8-11pm
Meerkat Media Mixer / Fundraiser
at DCTV (87 Lafayette, NYC)
Sliding Scale $8-20
INTERVIEW WITH SARA POMERANCE,
DIRECTOR OF "RELAX AT HOME"
Friday, October 31, 2008 | 10:16 AM
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 me. Rather than psychoanalyze, I use the material to construct a narrative. Through stories, I ask questions such as: Does thinking positively actually change people's lives? Relax At Home, is a portrait of my mother, as she continually reassures my grandfather. She repetitively affirms the positive. He responds non-verbally.
RT: Obviously, you captured some very intimate moments here. How did you approach your subjects about the film?
SP: I always ask permission before filming. The relationships of people around me are a rich territory in which to study contradictions found in everyday interaction.
RT: Did you shoot a lot of footage? And how did you know that these few short minutes were the ones you wanted to become the film?
SP: I do shoot a lot, but only show the moments most relevant to the subject of each piece. By constructing and revealing my characters I form a critique of social mannerisms and routines. My video pieces are intended to function as shorts, but together, when shown in sequence, portray the complexity of individual and family relationships.
RT: How do you feel about growing old?
SP: I hope that life get easier as I age.
RT: What is your current/next project?
SP: I prefer not to talk a lot about projects before they are complete. Currently my fascination is teenagers and I am also interested in autism.
RT: What excites you about having your short film on Rooftop Films at IFC.com?
SP: I am honored and look forward to having a larger audience.
RT: Do you have any questions for the viewers? They'll post comments.
SP: What do you think is the function of reassurance? Does thinking positively actually change people's lives?
To view more of Sara's work including videos and photography, visit her website.
BRENT GREEN WITH DREW & THE MEDICINAL PEN
AT THE STONE (NYC) ON TUE. OCT. 14
Monday, October 13, 2008 | 10:52 AM
Rooftop Films events are more than just a movie screening--there's films you won't see anywhere else, live music, filmmakers in attendance, and a communal energy that exceeds just about anything you'll get in a theater.
Which is why we're so crazy about Brent Green--his shows have all that magic and passion, pinched together with wires and duct tape, and blasted forth though old phonographs, scratchy woodcuts, and a creaking, plaintive voice. Brent makes astonishing and inspiring animated films about strange old houses, alcoholic Santas, and bringing our soldiers home from an unnecessary war one piece at a time, and he sings the lyrics to a driving, indie-folk gospel.
With an ever-changing lineup of musicians to collaborate with (Fugazi, Califone, The Quavers, Sin Ropas, etc.), every show Brent does is unique. (I've written more here, and Brent played at Rooftop in 2006 and 2007).
On Tuesday, October 14, Brent will be playing two shows at The Stone in New York, the second of which will be with Rooftop's very own Drew and the Medicinal Pen, led by Rooftop staff member Drew Henkels. Drew's own brand of indie-carnival-folk-rock should provide a uniquely upbeat backdrop to Brent's euphoric despair. It will be a fantastic show, so don't miss it.
Tickets are $5, available at the door (no advance sales at John Zorn's cool new downtown club).
You can watch some of Brent's films online, but oh how it pales in comparison to the live act. Here's a taste. Come eat the full meal at The Stone...
ROOFTOP PROGRAMMERS AT APEXART
Cell Phone Videos: Screening and Discussion
Monday, September 22, 2008 | 4:33 PM
apexart
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 and capture a larger message about a city's ethos. With contributions by Maiju Ahlgren, Brian Alfred, Dave Bennett, Dmitry Bulnygin, Sean Capone, Pierre Yves Clouin, Daria Dorosh, Juliana Forero, Marcus Hansson, Kristen Jensen, Alex Katsenelinboigen, Mollie Murphy, Wayne Pyle, Wendy Richmond, Kathryn Sabatini, Reza Safavi, Ronan Sharkey, Rudy Shepherd, Vitamin Green, Linda Weiss.
ROOFTOP WEEKEND RECAP - September 5th & 7th
TWO SHOWS ON COMING TO AMERICA
Monday, September 8, 2008 | 3:05 PM
FRIDAY 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 filled to capacity.
Photo by Dillon DeWaters.
On Friday, for the second year in a row, we were collaborating with the Morelia International Film Festival in Mexico. In just six years, Morelia has become one of the premiere festivals for Mexican and Latino cinema, a destination festival for international industry insiders and a tremendous boon for local cinema lovers. Rooftop Artistic Director Mark Elijah Rosenberg attended in 2007, and highly recommends their fest.
This final screening was of Juan Manuel Sepulveda's haunting documentary La Frontera Infinita, a lovely and lyrical film about the hardships which tens of thousands of immigrants face every year while traveling thousands of hazardous miles for a chance to work in the States. Splendid shots of train travel and long hikes are offset by harrowing accounts of train-hopping accidents and intimate scenes of infinite patience as the travelers wait at waystations and in the woods for the right moment to move on. At the crowded after-party, one viewer called the film "Beckett-like," not only because of the eternal waiting and desperate hope, but because of the film's ingenious dislocation of space and distance. The subjects have a general sense of heading North, but in both dialogue and cinematic reference, the sense of direction and expanse is always vague, leaving the viewer feeling as lonely and lost as the documentary subjects. Often, a film like this could be difficult to watch outside, but the packed house was riveted, and deeply moved.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7: Arusi: Persian Wedding on Roosevelt Island
Hurricane rains did hit New York on Saturday, forcing us to reschedule this screening for Sunday. But the weather was beautiful that night, and despite the postponement there were still some 200 people on the lawn, with the Queensboro Bridge looming over the screen as a stunning backdrop. Special thanks to the New York City Council's Manhattan Delegation, and Council Member Jessica Lappin, for bringing Rooftop out to Roosevelt Island.
Three short films began the night, each touching on themes that would be elaborated in the feature--finding a new way to see (A Different Color Blue), traveling to some place foreign (The Tourists), and metaphorically "lifting the veil" (A L'Ombre du Voile).
The feature film covers all that and more, as Iranian-American filmmaker Marjan Tehrani travels with her brother and his American-born wife back to Iran, for the first time, for a traditional Persian wedding. The touching film simultaneously tells the story of a couple in love, of a family being reunited, and of a country at odds with itself and the world, and the crowd loved it--people cheered throughout, particularly at points which expressed pride in Iranian culture.
During the Q & A, you could tell that people with varying political views, religions and cultural backgrounds were all moved by the universality of this story of love and family, as seen on a global political stage.
A FILM ABOUT VIOLENCE
(Ethan Knecht | 1:05 | Drama)
Wednesday, July 30, 2008 | 5:05 PM
If you like this film, see similar ones this Saturday, August 2, at Rooftop's unique and wonderful "Home Movies" show!
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 there was more to the frame. If we knew the identity of the slapper or the reasons behind it, it would most likely change how we react to the action of violence. Filmmaker Ethan Knecht undergoes pain for the sake of art, and changes our reactions to the scene from laughter to self-reflection, all in just over one minute.
A Film About Violence, made in 2006, was featured in the Takoma Park Film Festival in 2007, and will be featured as part of Rooftop's Home Movies show this weekend on August 2. This show features fun, fascinating, personal, profound, and ultimately unfiltered depictions of the filmmakers in their own spheres, preserved (and also distorted) by the medium of motion pictures and how we perceive them--how we reflect on what we are shown. The films in this program are consciously mining the filmmakers' personal lives, using the immediacy of the footage to settle their own feelings, by turns comic and cartoonish, romantic and violent.
RF: Tell us about your film?
EK: My film is a short performance piece on the nature and reality of violence. Violence is both an attractive and unattractive force in contemporary America. On the one hand, violence, as it has for centuries, is a significant and profitable form of entertainment. On the other hand, it has also become a major factor in The War On Terror and of American foreign policy in general. This film explores this duality as well as question the context of violence in film and media.
RF: What was your inspiration?
EK: I'm not positive what my inspiration for this was. This was created in my first year of not having a TV and I think that stepping away from that experience gave me a new perspective on the American media...
RF: How did you withstand all those slaps to the face?
EK: Patience and humor. We only had to do about five takes.
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.)? Any interesting stories about the production?
EK: I was in the middle of a longer project and I was borrowing this great camera from my friend. I had to give it back to him the next day and I wanted to get all the use I could out of it. I was in the library studying and the idea for this project, for lack of a better term, hit me. I wrote the outline in 5 min. and then I ran home and filmed it in 10. In total it took about 30min to make and $0 which, in a world of huge budget Hollywood films, is an important thing to still be able to do. Keeping a straight face was exceedingly difficult, also my roommates heard things and weren't sure what was going on in my room.
RF: Are you a full-time filmmaker? If not, what else are you up to? What is your current/next project?
EK: I currently work for the New York Public Library in the Bronx as an Information Assistant. I'm making a film with the Library right now. In the Bronx there is obviously a huge population of immigrants. For immigrant week this year I am in the process of making a film in which I interview immigrants at the library and have them talk about their experience in the third person as a "She". In this way, all of their stories mesh into this single narrative. It has been a really great experiment so far.
RF: If you've been to a Rooftop show, how was the experience?
EK: I've been going to Rooftop for three years now. The first show I went to was on a pier in Tribeca, I didn't know that it was possible to watch films in such a beautiful setting. I have watched and been to the IFC center many times as well. It is an amazing honor to be a part of the show not just the audience.
ROOFTOP WEEKEND RECAP - July 25-26
ANIMATION, FAMILY DRAMA, AND A VISIT FROM THE PRESIDENT
Monday, July 28, 2008 | 3:48 PM
FRIDAY: 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 bit more about this amazing school, where students can grow crops on school grounds and convert your car to bio-diesel, all right in the heart of hipster Williamsburg.
At intermission, Rooftop hosted a public rally for Sparrow, a real live cartoonish presidential candidate. Sparrow's 5th attempt NOT to win the presidency had never before reached so many people, and though he seemed a bit overwhelmed, he also overwhelmed the masses. Screening some of his non-campaign commercials--"The Wisdom of Sparrow"--delivering a unique anti-speech, and engaging in lengthy rambling discourses trying to convince eager supporters to run the other way, Sparrow was a huge hit.
SPARROW AT ROOFTOP FILMS
And, of course, the focus of the evening was the dozens of short animated films, which had the animated audience giggling, gasping and gawking all night long, curated and hosted by the tireless Casey Saffron. After the films, the crowd packed in Matchless Bar for free drinks courtesy of Radeburger Pilsner. As a mid-summer peak for Rooftop, and the kick-off for the weekend-long ABP screenings, we couldn't've rocked a bigger or better night.
SATURDAY: In A Dream at The Old American Can Factory
Despite being a Philadelphia film, the New York premiere of Jeremiah Zagar's stunning documentary In A Dream drew a massive and enthusiastic crowd. Again, we had to set up two screens to accommodate the approximately 600 people who roamed out to The Old American Can Factory to watch the infamous Zagar family on screen. The show started with live music, presented in partnership with Sound Fix Records, and we were really thrilled to have a gorgeous set from Kelli Scarr, who composed the score for the film. The captivating documentary about a family falling apart and rebuilding themselves--using art as part of the rehabilitative process--had the audience completely enraptured.
Ironically, Jeremiah's parents and brother couldn't attend the screening because of a big family reunion. "I'm in the doghouse for missing it," Jeremiah said during the Q & A. But when asked if it was hard exposing his family like this and continuing filming, Jeremiah said, "My friends all think I'm pretentious because I keep quoting Diane Arbus, but it's fitting. She said, 'As long as I've got the camera in front of my face, a tank could roll over me.'" The elated crowd was thrilled that Jeremiah and his family had the courage to let that tank--and camera--roll.
Following the film, hundreds of folks hung out in the outdoor courtyard, dancing and drinking free drinks, courtesy of Brooklyn Oenology, completing another magical weekend at Rooftop.
CUSPS
(Sara Zia Ibrahimi | 14:28 | Documentary)
Tuesday, July 22, 2008 | 8:53 AM
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 the use of photography and animated line drawing, she evokes a nostalgic and dreamlike emotional landscape, where something is seen in the emptiness and the changing city is a character alongside the filmmaker's consciousness.
Cusps screened as part of our "INDUSTRIANCE: Eminent Domain" series on June 14th, 2008 at the Old American Can Factory in Gowanus, Brooklyn. It was accompanied by other shorts sharing the spirit of the changing landscape, as well as a panel discussion with the directors who could attend.
Sara Zia Ibrahimi is a 30 year old Iranian-American artist and activist, involved in community organizing, independent media production, and distribution. She has had a hand in numerous independent radio and video projects, and was recently in the MFA program in Film and Media Arts at Temple University. "Cusps" was her thesis film. Currently, she is on the board of the Philadelphia Independent Film and Video Association, and on the Steering Committee and Submissions Coordinator for the Black Lily Film and Music Festival.
In 5-10 years, says Sara, she hopes to open an art venue in Philadelphia that screens independent films and offers light fare food, called the "Flickering Light".
Look out for it!
THE MORNING SUN
(Bryan Wizemann | 05:32 | Drama)
Tuesday, July 15, 2008 | 12:33 PM
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 "documents the last fight my wife and I will ever have about making films."
Check back with Rooftop Films in the next few weeks to find out the details of the Home Movies Program and to purchase tickets.
HOT DOG MAN
(Joyce Ventimiglia & Jim Haverkamp | 5:45 | Comedy, Documentary)
Thursday, July 10, 2008 | 4:55 PM
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 is no doubt that the statue provokes reactions from everyone who passes by. How do you feel about the Hot Dog Man?
Haverkamp and Ventimiglia have been familiar to Rooftop for some time now, screening Last Pack in 2001, Armor of God in 2002, and most recently, Hot Dog Man in 2007 as part of our annual July 4th "Un-American Films" program, examining what exactly "America" means. Haverkamp runs Foggy Notion Studios, and his most recent projects include Willow Garden in 2006 and Monster Road in 2004, a documentary about animator Bruce Bickford currently screening on the Sundance Channel and co-produced by Ventimiglia. Currently in production is The Man Who Would Be Polka King. Nearly all of Haverkamp's films have won awards at over 100 film festivals worldwide. He is a freelance editor in his local North Carolina, a professor at Duke University's Center for Documentary Studies, and has been deemed a "Film Impresario" by Indyweek.com.
The only question that remains is what has become of the Hot Dog Man...does he still cause debate on the streets of Durham, NC?
ROOFTOP WEEKEND RECAP - June 12-14
3 SOLD-OUT SHOWS
Monday, June 16, 2008 | 10:33 AM
The 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 to come together all at the same time.
Hence the creation of Rooftop Panorama, three days of screenings, panel discussions, live music, parties and more, as an opportunity to showcase all that we do and bring together the diverse communities we serve. Would it work?
With dozens of filmmakers in attendance, write-ups in publications from IndieWire and Variety to TK, and over 2,000 audience members in one weekend, Rooftop Panorama turned out to be one of the most successful weekends in Rooftop's 12 year history.
THURSDAY, JUNE 12
Making the Mission--a program full of films that, in both content and execution, know that taking a risk is sometimes just as important as the thing you're risking--drew 650 people to Automotive High School, and filmmakers William Lamson, Zachary Treitz, Dana O'Keefe and Rooftop Filmmakers' Fund recipient Benh Zeitlin were in attendance for a lively Q & A and an extended after-party at Matchless Bar, with free drinks courtesy of Radeberger Pilsner.
FRIDAY, JUNE 13
With the 20-year anniversary of the Tompkins Square Park riots coming up this summer, Rooftop was thrilled to host the World Premiere of Captured, a powerful and exciting documentary about Clayton Patterson, the riots and the gentrification of the Lower East Side. It's a key part of Rooftop's mission to show films about specific communities in the very neighborhoods they're covering, and this screening on a graffiti-covered roof in the LES demonstrated the persuasive power of that symbiotic relationship.
Former Mayor Ed Koch and former Parks Commissioner Henry Stern came to the show, despite being portrayed in a relatively negative light in the film, joining an astonishing 1,150 other people who formed one of the most raucous and enthusiastic crowds we've ever had at Rooftop. For a generation accused of being apathetic, the throngs at this show were clearly invigorated by the dynamic and rebellious recent history represented in the film. And with dozens of distributors in attendance for this world premiere, it's possible that because of the Rooftop premiere the film will reach an even wider audience soon.
SATURDAY, JUNE 14
Rooftop Films teamed up with IndiePix and Shooting People to host our first ever panel discussions, covering topics that are key to Rooftop's mission: Cinema and Social Justice and The Art of the Short Film. The esteemed panelists were Ryan Harrington (Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund); Simon Kilmurry (Executive Director of POV); Esther Robinson (director, A Walk Into the Sea; Founder of Art Home), and Katy Chevigny (Director, Election Day; Co-Founder of Arts Engine), Benh Zeitlin (Filmmaker, Glory at Sea); Duana Butler (Filmmaker, Curator of ReelNY); Signe Baumane (animator, Veterinarian and Teat Beat of Sex), and Casimir Nozkowski (the man who has shown more short films at Rooftop than any other)
The two lively discussions offered ranged from useful information on the state of funding for documentaries to comic information on the state of workaholism among short film animators. Despite a day of rain, it was our third sold-out show of the weekend, and an astonishing conclusion to the first annual Rooftop Panorama.
Check out Sara Zia Ibrahimi's Cusps from the Saturday night show, "INDUSTRIANCE: Eminent Domain.". The film gave us the subtitle for the show--"Films about Communities on the Cusp"--and encapsulates the thesis of the program.
CUSPS
(Sara Zia Ibrahimi | 14:28 | Documentary)
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.