Rooftop Filmmakers
ROOFTOP ALUMS AT SUNDANCE
Wednesday, December 3, 2008 | 4:41 PM
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.
INTERVIEW WITH GREGORY KING,
DIRECTOR OF "MANHATTAN CANYON"
Monday, December 1, 2008 | 11:17 AM
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.
INTERVIEW WITH DALLAS PENN,
CO-WRITER AND STAR OF "CHECKMATE"
Wednesday, November 26, 2008 | 10:55 AM
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.
THREE DOCS FROM THE 2008 SUMMER SERIES
SHORTLISTED FOR THE ACADEMY AWARDS
Tuesday, November 18, 2008 | 4:01 PM
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.
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 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.
INTERVIEW WITH BECKY JAMES,
DIRECTOR OF "SNAKE"
Thursday, November 13, 2008 | 10:13 AM
Deceptively playful, Snake is a film about stubbornness in the face of change.
Rooftop Films: What was your inspiration?
Becky James: I wanted to make something about growing up and I was kind of feeling like people were forcing me into situations that made me have to change. And then I knocked out nine teeth falling down the stairs. So I had the premise and then I just figured out each scene as I wrapped up the previous one. Animating by hand is so slow that you have lots of time to get to know the character and world and you can kind of just let the situations play out on their own.
RF: Are you a full-time filmmaker? If not, what else are you up to?
BJ: I also work at James Fuentes LLC, a downtown gallery that shows contemporary art. It is actually really great working there although the job makes it easy to feel satisfied and productive when I am doing nothing of my own stuff. Usually I am motivated by boredom.
RF: What is your current/next project?
BJ: I am working on a new film about a camel. I lost a couple weeks of work when I moved and kind of had a breakdown but actually just yesterday some friends found it in their basement. yay! although I already finished redoing that section last Tuesday.
RF: If you've been to a Rooftop show, how was the experience?
BJ: I went to a couple of shows and they were awesome. The crowds were just enormous which was super exciting and the other work was really smart and unique, the kind of stuff I was hoping to see when I first started going to festivals but remained almost completely elusive for ages.
"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
wawawawawawawawawawawawawawawawa:
AN EVENING OF INSANE SHORT FILMS
by ROOFTOP ALUM zZalgern0n
Thursday, November 6, 2008 | 5:00 PM
This is borderline offensive, but insanely bizarre and brilliant. Made by a mysterious dude named zZalgern0n, who showed his film The Loneliest Probe at Rooftop in 2006.
If you like that, check out zZ's show in LA this weekend:
An Evening of Insane Short Films
Saturday, November 8th -- 8pm
**A Los Angeles METROMIX
Pick-of-the-Week**
ZZalgern0n film retrospective, featuring selects from the 150+ short films he's made!
Existential kids cartoons, documentaries, music videos, cooking shows, and much more! Program features a great deal of not-as-yet-aired TV work, films unavailable on the internet, and a vegan halftime snack!
Steve Allen Theater
4773 Hollywood Blvd.
A paltry $5!
Watch out for a zZalgern0n show in New York City the first week of December.
INTERVIEW WITH LAURA TERRUSO,
DIRECTOR OF "THE LAST BUTCHER IN LITTLE ITALY"
Wednesday, November 5, 2008 | 11:42 AM
This shop is the last that remains of Elizabeth Street's Italian American history. At eighty two, Moe is the only employee.
RT: Tell us about your film:
LT: My film documents the changing landscape of Little Italy, told by Moe Albanese, an Italian-American butcher who has never left the famous Manhattan neighborhood.
RT: What was your inspiration?
LT: Moe was my inspiration for making the film. I interviewed him for an oral history course that I was taking at NYU and I was really taken with him. He is a true New Yorker in every sense. When I listened to the audio interview, I realized that the story was so visual and that it needed to be told on film. I enlisted Eugene Lehnert, a truly gifted cinematographer. We decided to shoot on 16mm--as that film stock is becoming as archaic as the local butcher shop.
RT: 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.)?
LT: New York City's Little Italy is a community that had changed dramatically throughout the past century. The tumultuous history of Italian-American immigrants has produced nostalgia in its subsequent generations; all Americans with Italian ancestry want to visit Little Italy. Nostalgia for this once oppressed ethnic community has led to gentrification which has, in turn, acted to rapidly change the course of its history and culture.
"Albanese Meats" seems to be the last vestige of what Little Italy once was and unlike the restaurants that line Mulberry Street, Moe does not exploit the nostalgia of his shop for financial gain; he keeps it open because it connects him personally to his past. The last time I visited "Albanese Meats", Vinny Vella , an actor and close friend of Moe's, was teasing Moe, saying, "Look at all of this stuff! When you gonna throw out all this junk?" Moe threw his hands up in the air and said, "I can't! It's sentimental!" The shop serves as a physical reminder not just of his entire life's work, but also of his family. Moe's mother ran the shop until she passed away at age ninety seven. She lived in the tenement building across the street and watched over the neighborhood old timers just as Moe does. Moe keeps the shop open because he can. He keeps the shop open because it reminds him and everyone who passes of what once was.
RT: Any interesting stories about the production? Any particular difficulties or serendipitous events or pleasant/unpleasant surprises?
LT: When shooting at the San Gennaro Festival, I really wanted to get a rooftop high angle shot of Mulberry Street. I lived on Mulberry Street for a year right after graduating college but no longer had a connection with the building. I decided that we would try the old New York trick of pressing all the apartment buzzers at once and seeing if anyone would buzz us in and it worked! We scurried up to the roof and were able to get a great shot. Only in New York can you get away with that.
RT: Did you have a prior relationship with Moe and Little Italy?
LT: I grew up in a part of Brooklyn that was predominantly Italian-American. I moved to Manhattan for college and have been living here ever since. In 2004, just after graduating college, I moved to the area of New York City known as Little Italy. Of course, by this time, Little Italy was nothing more than a string of Italian restaurants, many of which were not even owned by Italian-Americans. In the evenings, I would return home from my job and tip my hat to the restaurant barkers from South America who would reply "Ciao Bella" or "Buona Sera Signorina." It was clear to all of us that "Little Italy" was a farce; we inhabited a movie set and a nostalgia factory fueled by tourist dollars. In my explorations of the neighborhood now known as Nolita, I never once visited the "Albanese Meats", butcher shop on Elizabeth Street. The store's placement on a tree lined strip of upscale boutiques made it even more of a mystery. Elizabeth Street's designer storefronts lure customers with flashy window displays, each more flamboyant than the next. Despite my Italian heritage, I still felt more comfortable browsing the racks than I would have entering the butcher shop. The shop was there for the old timers it seemed, and I was a part of the neighborhood's new order. It is not surprising then that it was my mother who finally introduced me to Moe Albanese. I was telling her about my graduate courses at NYU and how I needed someone to interview for my oral history class. She told me that a friend from work had a father who has owned the same butcher shop in Little Italy for over fifty years. I immediately remembered the little shop from my time in the neighborhood and now I know that Moe has the best meat in New York City.
RT: As a filmmaker, how was your experience with Moe different from your experience with other local shop owners?
LT: The local shop owners were all very welcoming since they saw the piece as free advertising. It was actually more difficult trying to do follow up interviews with Moe. Every time I returned he would say, "Again? We already did the interview!"
RT: Are you a full-time filmmaker? If not, what else are you up to?
LT: I am not a full-time filmmaker, though I hope to someday be one. I work as the program coordinator for the Center for Religion and Media and the Center for Media, Culture and History at NYU. I am also a graduate student at NYU.
RT: What is your current/next project?
LT: I am working on a few projects. One is a short comedy about relationships. I am also working on two more documentaries.
RT: If you've been to a Rooftop show, how was the experience?
LT: It was a truly exciting feeing. Rooftop films is a really dynamic festival and I'm honored to be a part of it.
RT: What excites you about having your short film on Rooftop Films at IFC.com?
LT: I'm thrilled that lots of people will see the film!
RT: Do you have any questions for the viewers? We hope they'll post comments!
LT: Yes, I'd be interested in hearing about the Little Italy's in their cities.
COURT 13 PRODUCTIONS ("GLORY AT SEA")
MAKE VIDEOS FOR OBAMA
Tuesday, November 4, 2008 | 2:32 PM
Many of the filmmakers from Court 13 Productions, the team behind the amazing Rooftop-co-funded film Glory At Sea, have been working for Barack Obama's campaign for months. I can't think of a better group of artists to craft inspirational films with a poignant social message.
Check out a couple short samples of their work. If this doesn't make you weep with hope and joy, and get out of your seat to help change America, I don't know what will:
Rooftop Films is immensely proud to have supported filmmakers doing such honorable work. Want more? Check out another wonderful video on Obama's website and his YouTube page.
Although the election is just a day away, there's still time to volunteer for Obama (or any other candidate, since we're legally required to be non-partisan). Keep in mind, in 2004, as late as November 2, John Kerry was leading in many polls. And in 2000, it was a mere 537 votes in Florida that separated Bush and Gore. Although the election may look decided, it could be crucial for you to go to a swing state to knock on doors or drive people to the polls, or just call voters from your home.
Don't wake up on November 5 and regret you didn't help more.
INTERVIEW WITH ETHAN CLARKE,
DIRECTOR OF "PRINCESS"
Monday, November 3, 2008 | 10:33 AM
PRINCESS (Ethan Clarke | 7:05 | Animation)
A likely story of an unbreakable friendship between a woman and her cat. We need them. Do they really need us?
Q&A
Rooftop Films: Tell us about your film: What was your inspiration?
Ethan Clarke: I attempted to write 'Princess' after reading a blurb in the newspaper about an old woman who was found dead in her apartment. The police discovered several bite marks on her that they concluded were from her cat. Her cat was found emaciated but still alive. The whole story fleshed itself out immediately in my mind.
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.)?
EC: I ended up using a little bit of every production program i have. I liked being able to utilize my limited knowledge of 3D animation for creation of the backgrounds.
RF: Any interesting stories about the production? Any particular difficulties or serendipitous events or pleasant/unpleasant surprises?
EC: One morning I woke up to find my laptop in a pool of liquid. There were no tipped over cups or anything nearby. I was devastated. I had been sleep walking all week, one night my roomate said I had walked into his room naked while he was with his girlfriend. To this day I don't know what happened but there's a possibility that I urinated on it while sleep walking. That was quite a set back. I lost a lot. Most of the files for 'Princess' had been backed up however and after collecting myself and purchasing a new machine, I was able to continue. I back up my work all the time now. And I work on a tower computer which bares less resemblance to a toilet.
RF: Do you have a pet? Do you have any stories about your favorite pet?
EC: I currently live petless in San Francisco. I feel like i should have a good answer for this one. Pets make good cartoon characters. There's this cartoon called 'Princess' that's a good pet story.
RF: Do you prefer cats above dogs?
EC: I prefer Dogs because cats seem more indifferent to our well being.
RF: Are you a full-time filmmaker? If not, what else are you up to?
EC: I work full time in a bicycle repair shop. The owner rented me the back of the shop which happens to be a full one bedroom apartment with a back yard. On slow days when it is raining I can open the "employees only" door and my bedroom door, and work on my computer while keeping an eye on the bike shop.
RF: What is your current/next project?
EC: I'm currently working on a piece about godlessness. 'Wind in the Willows' meets Richard Dawkins in space, on acid. That's the quick description. It follows the life of a tadpole as he watches his friends mostly die off. He becomes a frog which is quite an accomplishment for tadpoles. Some tadpoles might even consider frogs the gods of their species, with the ability to leave the water's surface like they do. One of the characters can been seen on the main page of www.mega-beast.com
RF: If you've been to a Rooftop show, how was the experience?
EC: I loved coming out to New York and hanging on a roof with the Rooftop squad they are such a nice group of people. Some of my old friends including Amy Seimetz, the co-writer of 'princess', live in New York now so I ended up hanging out with a big crew. Seeing my own drawings and hearing my own voice-over projected out over Brooklyn was exhilarating. I haven't been able to get to most of the festivals 'Princess' has been a part of, but Rooftop, I had to attend.
RF: What excites you about having your short film on Rooftop Films at IFC.com?
EC: I just like getting it out there so more people can see it. I'm glad there's a place like IFC.com where one can thumb through work by up and coming film artists.
RF: Do you have any questions for the viewers? We hope they'll post comments!
EC: Do you have any stories about your favorite pet?
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.
INTERVIEW WITH IAN MARTIN,
DIRECTOR OF "THE EUROPEAN KID"
Thursday, October 30, 2008 | 9:41 AM
THE EUROPEAN KID (Ian Martin | 22:03 | Comedy)
One night, the European kid turns up unexpectedly and wrecks havoc on all the relationships in the house.
Q&A
Rooftop Films: Tell us about your film.
Ian Martin: I tell people that "The European Kid" is about a young man who is forced to have dinner with a family who hates him. I don't know if that's really what it's about but my hope is that explanation will get them to watch the film.
RT: What was your inspiration?
IM: Growing up, I had a lot of friends who were immigrants or whose parents were immigrants. It's something I've always been kind of proud of: "I'm friends with immigrants." I guess that's the genesis of the idea.
RT: 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.)?
IM: The house in the film is actually five different houses edited together to appear as if it were a single house. We shot in the homes of family and friends and we wanted to piece together the perfect-looking house as well as not overstay our welcome in any one volunteered location.
RT: Any interesting stories about the production? Any particular difficulties or serendipitous events or pleasant/unpleasant surprises?
IM: We were fortunate to have a very smooth production. Probably our biggest challenge was banana continuity.
RT: Do you personally have any animosity towards the tight jeans and over spiced food of the Europeans?
IM: No. I love tight jeans and spiced food.
RT: Are you a full-time filmmaker? If not, what else are you up to?
IM: I also write. I recently had a short story published in Open City Magazine, issue 24, and I've been working on a novel for about two years. I'm hoping I'll be able to finish it before another two years pass. I also wait tables.
RT: What is your current/next project?
IM: We're putting together a feature that will shoot this spring in Chicago. It's called An Abandoned Werewolf Novel and it's about a married man whose life falls apart when he reconnects with an old college friend.
RT: If you've been to a Rooftop show, how was the experience?
IM: I couldn't make it out to New York but a friend of mine attended and she said it was a lot of fun.
RT: What excites you about having your short film on Rooftop Films at IFC.com?
IM: Many things. I'm glad that we're online and more people will be able to see the film. I'm glad that we're alongside other Rooftop Films because I feel Rooftop works really hard to get a good selection. I'm glad that we're somehow associated with IFC because they help put out some really exciting stuff.
RT: Do you have any questions for the viewers? We hope they'll post comments!
IM: I'm always curious about the people viewing films online. Can you tell me about yourself?
FREE SHOW! ROOFTOP FILMS PRESENTS
INDIE HORROR NIGHT AT CHELSEA MARKET!
OCT. 29TH, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008 | 10:59 AM
Wednesday, October 29th, 2008, 7:00 PM
On Wednesday, August 29th, Rooftop Films returns to Chelsea Market for a FREE screening of independent horror shorts from around the world. There will be surreal shorts about creepy drifters, terrifying thrillers about devious science experiments, nightmarish films featuring practical jokes gone bad, and also a few amusing films about ghostly Shetland Ponies and undead mariachi bands.
Before the films, Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers will be performing their mysterious music live, and throughout the show we will have free bottles of beer courtesy of Radeberger Pilsner, so grab your Lil' Wayne wig, sexy bunny costumes, or Sarah Palin glasses and head over to Rooftop's pre-Halloween screening party.
Free Radeberger Pilsner for all in attendance (must be 21 to drink)
Venue: Chelsea Market
Address: 75 9th Ave (Between 15th and 16th Streets, Manhattan)
Directions: A, C, E, or L to 14th Street and 8th Ave
7:30 PM: Live Music by Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers
8:00 PM : Independent Horror shorts
Admission: Free!
INTERVIEW WITH E.S. WOCHENSKY,
DIRECTOR OF "SHINER!"
Tuesday, October 28, 2008 | 10:32 AM
SHINER!
(E.S. Wochensky | 05:20 | Comedy)
A black eye and a badass plan make for a rowdy revenge ride, pure and simple.
Q&A
Rooftop Films: Tell us about your film:
E.S. Wochensky: Shiner is a simple moment of revenge. I like those turning point moments. I don't think you need to make too much more out of it. No super deep meaning. There's a little humor thrown in there as well.
RT: What was your inspiration?
ESW: A few things. You always see guys driving lawn mowers on the road in rural areas. They drive them for longer distances than they should. I never understood this. Then I got ticked off a friend. I drove by his house and had a little thought. It's also amazing how many times I've seen tire tracks all over the high school lawn. It happens more often than you think.
RT: 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.)?
ESW: I don't think there's anything special to mention here.
RT: Any interesting stories about the production? Any particular difficulties or serendipitous events or pleasant/unpleasant surprises?
ESW: Our production started with a party to sell shares in the film. Those people who bought shares more often than not became the helpers on the film (main actor, musicians and wife included). You have to make do with what resources you have. I'm sure having few resources is a trait many of the films in this series share. I had a friend weld the car mounts. We got lucky with the owner of the house. We didn't get so lucky with the explosion which looked much cooler in real life. We barely got the shot. One of those not enough time, not enough experience issues. While we worried a lot about the car we actually had many, many problems with the damn lawn mower. Luckily the big guy driving it is a mechanic and was able to fix it.
RT: Do you have any of your own revenge fantasies? Have you ever sought revenge in a similar manner?
ESW: If I ever sought revenge in that manner I wouldn't publicize it. The fact that I made a film about it indicates that I probably never did anything like this. I'm more interested in characters I wish I could be then who I am. Who wouldn't want to set a car on fire?
RT: Any significance to the kind of car the main character drives in the film?
ESW: The only significance the car had was that it was really, really inexpensive. It had to be big. It had to be rear wheel drive. It had to be cheap. I think we did alright.
RT: Did you have a particular back-story in mind for the way he got the shiner?
ESW: We talked about a few scenarios and I don't remember if there was ever one specific back-story. I told the actor to come up with his own. All of the stories had to do with women. Women and cars.
RT: Are you a full-time filmmaker? If not, what else are you up to?
ESW: I spend a lot of time on film. I grow garlic for sale plus a lot of other food. I am completely restoring a house. I have a eight month old son. I do freelance film and video work for mostly cheesy television programs. In the last year I tore down a barn for the reclaimed wood. I have painted houses. I have probably done a few other odd jobs as well.
RT: What is your current/next project?
ESW: I've been working on a full length documentary about a junk collector's 20 year battle with village authorities over his right to keep mounds of junk on his front lawn. It's called the Trial of Tiny Gleed. I'm also working on getting a street band going - The Springville All Stars.
RT: If you've been to a Rooftop show, how was the experience?
ESW: I had a great time at the Rooftop screening for Just Like Golf.
RT: What excites you about having your short film on Rooftop Films at IFC.com?
ESW: My mom knows what IFC is so it makes her happy.
Made in NY announces 12th class of available PAs!
Monday, October 27, 2008 | 9:00 AM
Brooklyn Workforce Innovations and the New York City Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting are proud to announce the certification of the twelfth class of "Made in NY" PAs. Since the program's inception in February 2006, "Made in NY" has graduated 149 production assistants.
The "Made in NY" PAs program offers an intensive four-week training program taught by NY industry professionals. This time around, trainees worked with some illustrious guest instructors including Becky Chin, Roni Wheeler, Marcia Mule, Eva Radke, Joy Lane, Jason "Rowdy" Rody, Becky Morrison, Tom Gaito, Kofi Candela and Gina Cascino. Included in the training were frequent visits to vendors and studios such as Rooftop partners Eastern Effects, Silvercup Studios and The Martha Stewart Show, where students had the chance to put their newly learned skills to use. Before certification, trainees must demonstrate their aptitutde by working on actual productions, shooting on location and in studios around NYC. Cycle 12 interned on many different projects including "Loveless", "No Love in the City", "One Angry Man", "How to Make it in America" and "The Electric Company".
It's easy to hire a "Made in NY" PA. The staff can arrange interviews or direct placements, several weeks in advance or at a moment's notice. Contact the 24 hour hiring hotline 718-757-5816.
Please also take a moment to check out the NEW website www.bwiny.org
A few years ago, Rooftop Films helped the Fifth Avenue Committee to design this program, and we strongly encourage our filmmakers to seek out the Made in NY PAs.
INTERVIEW WITH MAX FINNERAN,
DIRECTOR OF "PUMPKIN HELL"
Sunday, October 26, 2008 | 10:11 AM
PUMPKIN HELL
(Max Finneran | 21:42 | Horror-Drama)
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.
Q&A
Rooftop Films: Tell us a little bit about the film, and how did you come up with the story?
Max Finneran: "Pumpkin Hell" is a short coming-of age horror film about the roles sons and fathers play and imagine for one another. Eleven-year-old Terry is abandoned by his father at a highway-side pumpkin patch, and he discovers an alluring and kindred spirit in Mick, the odd-ball manager of the patch. Circumstances conspire to bring these two weirdos together, and we soon realize there is a dangerous and complex dynamic at play as fantasy and reality interweaves. My hope is that by the end of the film the audience is forced to ask itself: did Terry propel himself into a hopeful future with this new partner, or fall head first into a nightmare of his own making?
My imagination was sparked by a story my sister told me about a lunch-drunk pumpkin patch manager who scared the crap out of a group of school children, screaming: "This is pumpkin fuckin' hell kids!" And I've always been intrigued by pumpkin patches. They're these kind of liminal "no-where" zones that pop up every year and are particularly charged sites of American childhood. On the one hand, pumpkin patches evoke a romanticized agrarian past, where the American family comes together over a seasonal harvest. On the other, the pumpkin patch is the gateway into the collective performance of Halloween, where children are encouraged to put on their masks and purge themselves of their darker demons.
With that dynamic in mind, I envisioned this story about an odd-ball boy on the cusp of adolescence who forms an unusual bond with this strange man whom society has "exiled" to pumpkin hell. In a way, they are two sides of the same person and the psychodrama of their encounter plays out on the stage of the pumpkin patch as it externally reflects their internal states.
RT: In the film, there are some serious adult themes going on, and you were also working with a child actor. Tell me a little bit about that experience.
MF: I was blessed with the remarkably talented young actor Tolan Aman. It also helped that he looked younger but was mature beyond his years. He just really "got it" on an intuitive level (as did his wonderfully patie