Josh Safdie and Red Bucket Films, the makers of a bunch of charming films about quirky urban fairy tales and curious encounters (including The Back of Her Head, Rooftop 8/11/07), have a new vignette about two adorable kids unsatisfied with their frighteningly metallic Christmas tree. They go off in search of a real, old-fashioned tree, encountering some typical New York gruffness and some of that unexpected generosity which makes NYC so special year round.
And, by the way, props to the Times for recognizing these low-budget native New Yorker filmmakers as the true bearers of authentic urban holiday spirit.
At Rooftop, our events are more than just screenings: they're interactions between the film, the filmmakers, the audience, the venue, and the local community. In 2006, when we screened Chris Metzler and Jeff Springer's documentary "Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea," a film about the man-made ecological disaster turned weirdo-haven, the screening was held on the roof of the Old American Can Factory, a former industrial complex turned artists-haven, located just a few blocks from the direly polluted Gowanus Canal.
The wildly entertaining and sneakily informative film was the starting point for a lively conversation between the filmmakers and audience, in which we wondered if environmental disasters weren't sometimes good for a community. Certainly, as the film shows, for the eccentric people who live near the Salton Sea, the fact that this once glorious resort town is now essentially in ruins allows them to live cheaply and happily while waving to tourists in the nude, building a colorful concrete prayer mountain, and doing all sorts of bizarre and wonderful things they couldn't do elsewhere, say, in the wealthy nearby city of Palm Springs. (Visit plaguesandpleasures.com and click on people to read more about the above-mentioned kooky characters.) Similarly, the 200 artists who call the OA Can Factory home (including Rooftop Films) couldn't carry on our work if the canal was cleaned and the industrial buildings replaced with luxury condos.
Of course, we wouldn't advocate for the toxic pollution of all waterways, but "Plagues and Pleasures," Rooftop Films, and our INDUSTRIANCETM screening series (co-presented with XO Projects Inc.) all point to the importance of considering the local inhabitants when advocating environmental cleanup. We all want healthy people and a sustainable planet, but when you "improve" a neighborhood, what happens to the people who were there when it was "deteriorated"?
It's great to see that long since completing "Plagues and Pleasures," and while hard at work on a documentary about Fishbone, Chris and Jeff are still involved with the Salton Sea community. Their latest newsletter mentions that Congress just overrode a presidential veto of an environmental study, which should be good news. On the sad side, a number of people in the film have since passed away.
If you haven't already seen "Plagues and Pleasures," the filmmakers are still touring it around the world so look on their site for a screening in your area. The film is also for sale in a new tricked-out DVD edition (along with a variety of other curious Salton Sea tchotchkees).
With so many film-watching options available these days
(films playing for one week only, movies On Demand, on DVD, on the web), it's
hard to get excited about going to the cinema. For 11 years now, Rooftop Films
has been finding ways to make movie-going an exciting communal event again. We
combine live music with unique outdoor spaces and show fantastic films,
creating memorable experiences for audiences and filmmakers alike. I'm really
excited that other filmmakers are coming up with their own creative ways to
entice and energize large crowds of movie-goers.
Most recently, Paul Lovelace and Sam Wainwright Douglas, the
directors of a wonderful doc called "Holy Modal Rounders...Bound To Lose," have made a
festival out of their New York Theatrical premiere, with screening events all
week long at the Anthology Film Archives packed
with live musical performances, keynote introductions, and free drinks. The
hard-work and commitment to putting on a great show is worth supporting.
Furthermore, "Bound to Lose" is a delightful film about the
most laid-back, agro-psychedelic pre-punk druggie band you ever saw. Sam and
Paul brilliantly capture the strange and shifting dynamic between Peter
Stampfel and Steve Weber, the band's two main progenitors for over 30 years
(early members also included Sam Shepard). Stampfel and Weber are contentious but needy, bickering but collaborative, working
in the most roundabout way in music history to create some beautifully bizarre
music, all while their lives teeter like a runaway wagon on two wheels.
So if you don't get a chance to be part of the spectacular show at the Anthology, certainly buy the film on DVD.
PS: Sam also co-produced and edited "Dan Asher: Near
Life Experience," which we screened at Rooftop in September 2007. Directed by
Stephanie Schwam, it's a lovely portrait of a truly amazing artist, and worth
seeking out.
Submit your movies! We are currently accepting submissions for the 2008 Summer Series. In June 2008 we will begin celebrating our 12th year of bringing the best underground films in the world outdoors and to the rooftops of New York. Submit your films and videos now and participate in one of the most unforgettable, unique, filmmaker-friendly, independent film events in the world! The easiest way to submit is via Without a Box but you can also submit directly to us by downloading this PDF submission form, filling it out, and sending the film in to us directly. Click here for DEADLINES, GUIDELINES, RULES FEES.
Rooftop Films alum Brad Neely has a new series on SuperDeluxe.com that is nearly as funny as his masterpiece (and YouTube hit), Washington, which showed at Rooftop back in 2006 (the rights to which have been semi-legally stolen by Spike and Mike). Check out the adventures of Baby Cakes (the baby of cakes)! Yeah he says Smurves and he says Milves because of Wolves and of Elves. While you are at it there are also the Professor Brothers, music about JFK, and a shocking quantity of great, hilarious, crudely animated films by this prolific master of bad rap.
Submit your movies! We are currently accepting submissions for the 2008 Summer Series. In June 2008 we will begin celebrating our 12th year of bringing the best underground films in the world outdoors and to the rooftops of New York. Submit your films and videos now and participate in one of the most unforgettable, unique, filmmaker-friendly, independent film events in the world! The easiest way to submit is via 