THIS WEEK FROM ROOFTOP FILMS: THE SECRET OF KELLS, AARDVARK, WE DON’T CARE ABOUT MUSIC ANYWAY, BROOKLYN TRANSFORMATIONS
This week at Rooftop they have a very special event coming up: On Thursday, they’ll be celebrating the birthdays of Rooftop Films, indieWIRE, and Snag Films with a special sneak preview of Kitao Sakurai’s debut feature Aardvark. As three New York City organizations deeply committed to independent cinema and all born around the same time, their joint birthday party will be a celebration of the continued vitality of independent filmmaking.
Wednesday, July 14th
THE SECRET OF KELLS – FREE SHOW
A free screening of this Academy Award nominated animated feature film on the lawn at Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City, Queens. A surprise Oscar nominee for Best Animated Film, THE SECRET OF KELLS follows the adventures of 12-year old Brendan on a dangerous mission to help complete a magical illuminated manuscript. Almost entirely hand-drawn, this dazzling film, made in the iconic style of medieval art, is a gorgeous antidote to the familiar style of today’s digital animation.
http://www.rooftopfilms.com/2010/schedule/50-the-secret-of-kells
Where
On the grass along the water at Socrates Sculpture Park
3134 Vernon Blvd. (Long Island City, Queens)
When:
7:00 Live Music
8:30 Film Begins
Thursday, July 15th
ROOFTOP FILMS, INDIEWIRE, AND SNAGFILMS PRESENT: AARDVARK
A special sneak preview of the riveting debut feature by Kitao Sukurai, as part of a birthday celebration for indieWIRE, SnagFilms and Rooftop. Open Bar after party following the screening.
http://www.rooftopfilms.com/2010/schedule/49-aardvark
Where:
Open Road Rooftop
350 Grand Street at Essex (Lower East Side)
When:
8:30 p.m.: Live music by Fall on Your Sword
9:00 p.m.: Film
11:30 p.m.: After party with complimentary drinks courtesy of Sailor Jerry and Radeberger Pilsner
On July 15th Rooftop Films, IndieWIRE and SnagFilms will celebrate their birthdays with a special sneak preview screening of AARDVARK, the debut feature film from noted cinematographer Kitao Sakurai.
AARDVARK is perhaps the first narrative film to star a man blind since birth. In a role inspired by his own life, Larry Lewis plays a solitary man recovering from alcoholism and working towards stability. When he joins a Jiu Jitsu academy he finds a close friend in his young hard-partying instructor, Darren. But, as disturbing aspects of Darren’s life are revealed Larry soon finds himself alone and faced with unraveling the consequences of a horrific act of violence.
Rooftop Films, IndieWIRE and SnagFilms are pleased to present this special sneak preview as a joint celebration of our birthdays. Three New York City organizations committed to supporting independent cinema, all born around the same time, we have grown up together as a vital part of the independent film scene in New York and around the world.
Since July 1996, IndieWIRE has been covering the business and art of indie film, becoming a mainstay in the global press and providing a crucial critical voice. Since July 1997, Rooftop Films has been attracting thousands of viewers to unique outdoor screenings of movies that would otherwise go unseen, and supporting independent filmmakers through grants, partnerships, services and education. Since July 2008, Snag Films has been finding the world’s most compelling documentaries and making them available to audiences world wide for free via the web, allowing other websites to easily “snag” a film and post it elsewhere.
On July 15, 2010, Rooftop, IndieWIRE and Snag will jointly celebrate our birthdays, and the independent film scene we care so much about. This screening of Aardvark, the debut feature by Kitao Sakurai, represents so much of what the three organizations stand for: discovering emerging directors, supporting independent filmmakers, bringing new unseen films to audiences, building a community around cinema, and, of course, hosting great events. This unique event showcases Aardvark prior to its official US and international festival premieres.
“Our organizations are all dedicated to giving exposure to exceptional independent films,” said Mark Elijah Rosenberg, Founder and Artistic Director of Rooftop Films. “Aardvark is the perfect film to celebrate this collective goal. Sakurai is a first-time filmmaker with a strong, distinctive vision who has crafted a thriller that transcends genre. Combining a tight plot with a disquieting mood, the film is suffused with a raw emotional power that immerses viewers in the psyche of a fascinating and wholly unique protagonist.”
The event will be held on top of the gorgeously gritty Open Road Rooftop, in the Lower East Side. Before the movie, there will be live music by the film’s composer, Fall On Your Sword. After the screening, we will have a Q&A with Kitao Sakurai, and an after-party with free drinks courtesy of Radeberger Pilsner and Sailor Jerry Rum.
Friday, July 16th
WE DON’T CARE ABOUT MUSIC ANYWAY
NY Premiere! In this stunning documentary about the avant-garde music scene in Japan, everyday objects are transformed into musical instruments and radical noise art is grounded in a poetic reality.
http://www.rooftopfilms.com/2010/schedule/25-we-dont-care-about-music-anyway
Where:
On the roof of The Old American Can Factory
232 3rd St at 3rd Ave. (Gowanus/Park Slope) Brooklyn, NY 11215 F/G to Carroll St. or M/R to Union
When:
8:00 Doors Open
8:30 Live Music
9:00 Film Begins
11:30 Reception in Courtyard with Complimentary Open Bar
Saturday, July 17th
BROOKLYN TRANSFORMATIONS – FREE SHOW
Neighborhoods are transformed. Communities are fractured. People change. These shifts are common in Brooklyn and throughout urban America. Whether because of natural disasters (and bureaucratic failures) or aberrant designs (and political acquiescence), when cities are torn asunder the victims are all too often the lower class. But in this program of short films, we have stories in which the changes don’t exclusively have negative results. Individuals adapt with remarkable resilience, groups form new bonds, cities find a new face. These films, made entirely by Brooklyn filmmakers–artists in the heart of urban change in America—include personal stories that are by turns quirky, charming, moving and inspiring. A co-presentation with the Brooklyn Arts Council, this program delves deep into the problems of gentrification and immigration, and digs up hope and happiness.
http://www.rooftopfilms.com/2010/schedule/26-brooklyn-transformations
Where:
The Myrtle Avenue Hill in Ft. Greene Park
Myrtle and N. Portland (Fort Greene, Brooklyn)
Enter the park at Myrtle and N. Portland and walk up the path
When:
8:30 p.m.
