Recently in Rooftop Films News Category
Eugene Hernandez, Editor-in-Chief at IndieWire:
It's a been a tough summer for cinema. The economic crisis has hit film organizations and festivals hard. With corporate support for arts programs and events dwindling, administrators and planners have taken a closer look at their financial situations and, in many cases, made significant cutbacks. In the past few months, organizations such as the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Denver Film Society, Seattle's Northwest Film Forum, New York's Rooftop Films and others have faced economic hardships that have played out in public.
LACMA slashed its forty year old repertory and foreign film program in June but last week agreed to reinstate it through next year after cinema activists and moviegoers mobilized online. They changed course after a couple of corporations stepped with cash donations to temporarily save the program.
"It's not that people don't love film here, but it's hard," LACMA museum director Michael Govan told the LA Times recently, "We are getting diminishing audiences. This is a good time since we are shrinking to spend time thinking and rethinking. We do have to stem our losses."
* * *
Here at Rooftop, we have indeed been hit hard by losses in government funding, foundation support, and corporate sponsorship. But the good news is that unlike most other film organizations, our attendance is better than ever--up 20% from 2008 to 2009. By the end of our annual Summer Series, almost 25,000 people will have come to Rooftop Films this year. Despite heavy financial losses in the winter and spring, Rooftop Films presented our festival as planned, with no cuts to public programming.
Sadly, ticket sales covers only 1/4 of the expenses that go into presenting the Summer Series, and while we're clearly still a popular and growing organization that is creatively finding ways to get people to see movies, if we don't raise additional funding soon, we will be in serious trouble. Individuals who care about Rooftop Films should please make a tax-deductible donation. Foundations that want people cinema to reach wide audiences should support our populist work. And corporations who see the value in one of the few arts organizations with steadily increasing audiences should get behind Rooftop.
Thanks.
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Rooftop Films (NYC) and the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) have joined forces to present two remarkable films from IFFR 2009 in Rooftop's Summer Series. Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly by Edwin (Indonesia) and Los Herederos by Eugenio Polgovsky (Mexico) will be screened on July 17 and 18, 2009 with the filmmakers and IFFR director Rutger Wolfson attending. Q&As with the filmmakers will be hosted by Rooftop Films Founder and Artistic Director Mark Elijah Rosenberg.
The collaboration, a pilot project between the International Film Festival Rotterdam and Rooftop Films, sets out to raise the profile and track record of both films in the US. The films screened at IFFR and have been supported financially by its Hubert Bals Fund.
Also that weekend, Rooftop Films will host a forum with film industry leaders about the future of independent, alternative film exhibition.
Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly, a dark comedy from Indonesia about the local Chinese community, was made by first-time feature filmmaker Edwin (who uses only his first name as his artist name). Los Herederos, by Mexican filmmaker Eugenio Polgovsky, is an impressive and artful documentary about child labor.
Rooftop Films' 13th Annual Summer Series runs every weekend from May 15-September 20. Programming for the 2009 Summer Series includes feature-length films and programs of shorts--all new, all independent. Rooftop screens films outdoor in unique locations, with live music before each screening, filmmaker Q&As after the screening, and after-parties for all in attendance. Rooftop creatively matches the film, the music and the venue, connecting films with communities and artists with audiences so that each event is unique and memorable.
The IFFR is interested in exploring new ways of finding an audience for independent cinema and therefore is glad to collaborate with Rooftop. Rooftop Films Founder and Artistic Director Mark Elijah Rosenberg said of the partnership, "Both our festivals are dedicated to supporting truly independent filmmakers who are making daring films, and in finding unique new ways to produce and exhibit these films. It's an honor for Rooftop and the Rooftop Filmmakers' Fund to be working with Rotterdam on this new venture."
For screening dates, locations, visit www.rooftopfilms.com. To buy tickets, click here.
Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly is a film that is both serious and playful. The film tackles a sensitive racial political issue, namely the denial of the cultural identity of the Chinese minority in Indonesia, but is also filled with humorous and bizarre jokes and situations.
Edwin's film premiered November 2009 in Pusan's New Currents section, then went on to compete in Rotterdam's VPRO Tiger Awards Competition and there was honored with the FIPRESCI Award of the international film critics' jury.
Edwin (1978, Indonesia) studied graphic design in Surabaya and film in Jakarta. Besides short fiction, Edwin makes music videos and documentaries. In 2005 his film Kara, the Daughter of a Tree became the first Indonesian short film ever invited to the Directors' Fortnight at Cannes. For the IFFR, Edwin made the short film Hulahoop Soundings (2008), a kind of remake of Joel Coen's graduation film Soundings. Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly (2008) is his feature début.
Rooftop Films Summer Series screening date and location of Blind Pig: July 17, 2009, on the roof of the Old American Can Factory. Address: 232 3rd St. @ 3rd Ave. (Gowanus/Park Slope, Brooklyn). Doors open at 8:00pm. Live music at 8:30pm. Film at 9:00pm. BUY TICKETS.
Edwin's film premiered November 2009 in Pusan's New Currents section, then went on to compete in Rotterdam's VPRO Tiger Awards Competition and there was honored with the FIPRESCI Award of the international film critics' jury.
Edwin (1978, Indonesia) studied graphic design in Surabaya and film in Jakarta. Besides short fiction, Edwin makes music videos and documentaries. In 2005 his film Kara, the Daughter of a Tree became the first Indonesian short film ever invited to the Directors' Fortnight at Cannes. For the IFFR, Edwin made the short film Hulahoop Soundings (2008), a kind of remake of Joel Coen's graduation film Soundings. Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly (2008) is his feature début.
Rooftop Films Summer Series screening date and location of Blind Pig: July 17, 2009, on the roof of the Old American Can Factory. Address: 232 3rd St. @ 3rd Ave. (Gowanus/Park Slope, Brooklyn). Doors open at 8:00pm. Live music at 8:30pm. Film at 9:00pm. BUY TICKETS.
Los Herederos (The Inheritors) is a hypnotic documentary that observes the young working poor in the hinterlands of Mexico, alternately expressing the joy of children finding ways to play, the frustration of their harsh and repetitive lives, and the fateful acceptance of their existence.
Eugenio Polgovsky (1977, Mexico) studied film, photography and directing at the CCC in Mexico and won the Special Prize in a UNESCO photography contest. He works as director and cinematographer. His first feature-length documentary Tropic of Cancer (2004) was awarded several times at festivals. Polgovsky's Los Herederos received a digital production grant in 2007 from the Hubert Bals Fund, premiered August 2008 during the Venice Film Festival and was selected for Rotterdam 2009's Bright Future section for first and second time filmmakers.
Rooftop Films Summer Series screening date and location of Los Herederos: July 18, 2009, On the roof of El Museo Del Barrio. Address: 1230 Fifth Ave. @ 104th St. (East Harlem). Doors open at 8:00pm. Live music at 8:30pm. Film at 9:00pm. BUY TICKETS.
Rooftop Films Summer Series screening date and location of Los Herederos: July 18, 2009, On the roof of El Museo Del Barrio. Address: 1230 Fifth Ave. @ 104th St. (East Harlem). Doors open at 8:00pm. Live music at 8:30pm. Film at 9:00pm. BUY TICKETS.
____________________________________________________________________________________Rooftop Films and WNYC's The Brian Lehrer show are proud to share a similar ethos: we love New York, baseball, arts, bicycling, and political issues explored through personal stories. We both value populist media, made by, reported on and respecting the views of everyday people and experts alike. Here at Rooftop, we have a tremendous respect for Brian Lehrer's journalism, and are thrilled to be collaborating with his show on a new crowdsourcing-style reporting contest.
The contest asks people to tell us your story, or report on what you see, for an online project that includes your local stories of economic activity in the New York City area--jobs lost or found, stores opening or closing, good deals on rent, whatever you find. The Brian Lehrer Show (and now Rooftop Films) want to tell this complex story with the help of your calls, photographs, video and writing. What matters is that we get YOUR stories about the economy from the places you are familiar with.
We will choose submissions to air on the show each week so our listeners can hear what you have noticed as well. Videos will be online, and finalists will receive a WNYC gift bag and an appearance before a live audience to screen the winning video with Brian Lehrer in the new Jerome L. Greene performance space.
The grand prize winner will receive a screening at Rooftop Films.
INSTRUCTIONS
As you plan your video, consider our Uncommon Economic Indicator categories: housing, employment, behavior, commerce, swindlers or bright spots. On the submission form, enter your name and email (in case we need to contact you), assign a category and add a title. Because your submission can appear on our map, make a note of where you shoot and enter the address. After you upload your video to YouTube (never did that? get help here) an icon will appear on our map. Click there to see your video, or you may also view it as an entry in our Your Uncommon Economic Indicators 2009 Video Contest.
Contest Period: The Brian Lehrer Show's Uncommon Economic Indicators video contest begins at 10:00:01 a.m. Eastern Time on May 26, 2009 and ends at 11:59:59 a.m. ET on June 21, 2009.
Prize: The winning video will be screened this summer by Rooftop Films. Finalists will receive a WNYC gift bag and an appearance before a live audience to screen the winning video with Brian Lehrer in the new Jerome L. Greene performance space.
Requirements: Add your YouTube video to the WNYC Group, complete the contact information form and enter the video URL on Your Uncommon Economic Indicators.
Your video should be no longer than one-minute and should show your take on an Uncommon Economic Indicator. You get extra points during the judging if one of these 6 category icons from our project appears somewhere in your shot:
+ Behavior--Piggy Bank
+ Bright Spots--Sunshine
+ Commerce--Bank
+ Employment--Handshake
+ Housing--A white house
+ Swindlers--Skull & Crossbones
Tips: What Makes a Better Video?
+ A steady hand. If you don't have a tri-pod, do all you can to support your arm (keep it close to your body, support with other hand, short takes).
+ Lighting matters! If you don't have good light, find some or shoot at a different time.
+ Sound matters! Be aware of the mic on your camera and be sure to get close if you conduct an interview.
+ Have fun!
INSTRUCTIONS
As you plan your video, consider our Uncommon Economic Indicator categories: housing, employment, behavior, commerce, swindlers or bright spots. On the submission form, enter your name and email (in case we need to contact you), assign a category and add a title. Because your submission can appear on our map, make a note of where you shoot and enter the address. After you upload your video to YouTube (never did that? get help here) an icon will appear on our map. Click there to see your video, or you may also view it as an entry in our Your Uncommon Economic Indicators 2009 Video Contest.
Contest Period: The Brian Lehrer Show's Uncommon Economic Indicators video contest begins at 10:00:01 a.m. Eastern Time on May 26, 2009 and ends at 11:59:59 a.m. ET on June 21, 2009.
Prize: The winning video will be screened this summer by Rooftop Films. Finalists will receive a WNYC gift bag and an appearance before a live audience to screen the winning video with Brian Lehrer in the new Jerome L. Greene performance space.
Requirements: Add your YouTube video to the WNYC Group, complete the contact information form and enter the video URL on Your Uncommon Economic Indicators.
Your video should be no longer than one-minute and should show your take on an Uncommon Economic Indicator. You get extra points during the judging if one of these 6 category icons from our project appears somewhere in your shot:
+ Behavior--Piggy Bank
+ Bright Spots--Sunshine
+ Commerce--Bank
+ Employment--Handshake
+ Housing--A white house
+ Swindlers--Skull & Crossbones
Tips: What Makes a Better Video?
+ A steady hand. If you don't have a tri-pod, do all you can to support your arm (keep it close to your body, support with other hand, short takes).
+ Lighting matters! If you don't have good light, find some or shoot at a different time.
+ Sound matters! Be aware of the mic on your camera and be sure to get close if you conduct an interview.
+ Have fun!
Please keep your video under one minute. Don't forget a title!
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Now decades later, Wuytack returns to Venezuela as a working-class and artistic hero in this gorgeous and inspiring film. Featuring exciting material from his days an activist and touching footage from his return, the film has won numerous awards at European film festivals and competitions. Be the first to see it in the US!
Panelists include:
Lina Srivastava (consultant to non profit media companies working for social change) - moderator
Justin Schein (Co-director of No Impact Man)
Fabio Wuytack (Director of Persona Non Grata)
Bilge Ebiri (film critic from New York magazine)
Paola Mendoza (Director of Entre Nos)
Fabio Wuytack will be in attendance on Saturday at Rooftop Films, partaking in a panel discussion before the film and a Q & A afterward. I hung out with Fabio and his family in Belgium, and he's a brilliant speaker and a lot of fun. Watch an interview with him below.
Prosecuted as a rebel. Banned as a priest. Committed as an artist. Loved as a father. An inspiring documentary--co-funded by Rooftop Films--about the filmmaker's father, Franz Wuytack, a radical left-wing Belgian missionary in the slums of Venezuela in the 1960s. With a new liberal movement sweeping Latin America, and people like Wuytack needing to continue the fight for social justice in the US and around the world, this film is crucially relevant today.
Venue: On the roof of the Old American Can Factory
Address: 232 3rd St. @ 3rd Ave. (Gowanus/ Park Slope, Brooklyn)
Directions: F/G to Carroll St. or M/R to Union Ave.
Rain: In the event of rain the show will be held indoors at the same location
5:00PM: Panel discussion: "Message Vs. Craft," outside in courtyard
6:30PM: Panel discussion: "Filmmaking Strategy," outside in courtyard
7:30-9:00PM: Reception in the courtyard including free sangria courtesy of Carlo Rossi
8:30PM: Live music by Nutria NN presented by Sound Fix Records
9:00PM: Film
Tickets: $9-$25 at the door or online
Presented in partnership with: Cinereach, New York magazine, IndiePix, Shooting People & XØ Projects
MAP
5:00-6:00PM
Message vs. Craft: The Art of Effective "Issue" Storytelling
When a filmmaker takes on a topic related to social justice or human rights it is often with the hope of influencing public opinion and inspiring action. To achieve that, a film must reach and engage the right audience, in the right numbers. It must also portray the human impact of the issue or problem persuasively. How does a "social issue" filmmaker balance the need to educate with the public's desire to be entertained? How does he/she move past preaching to the choir and make a film that can become a catalyst for real change? This panel will provide advice on the above from documentary and fiction filmmakers including Fabio Wuytack (Director of Persona Non Grata) and Paola Mendoza (Entre Nos), whose work successfully walks the issue/entertainment line. Leah Sapin of Arts Engine (which specializes in production and outreach for socially relevant films), and New York magazine film critic Bilge Ebiri will join the discussion, to be moderated by Lina Srivastava.
Message vs. Craft: The Art of Effective "Issue" Storytelling
When a filmmaker takes on a topic related to social justice or human rights it is often with the hope of influencing public opinion and inspiring action. To achieve that, a film must reach and engage the right audience, in the right numbers. It must also portray the human impact of the issue or problem persuasively. How does a "social issue" filmmaker balance the need to educate with the public's desire to be entertained? How does he/she move past preaching to the choir and make a film that can become a catalyst for real change? This panel will provide advice on the above from documentary and fiction filmmakers including Fabio Wuytack (Director of Persona Non Grata) and Paola Mendoza (Entre Nos), whose work successfully walks the issue/entertainment line. Leah Sapin of Arts Engine (which specializes in production and outreach for socially relevant films), and New York magazine film critic Bilge Ebiri will join the discussion, to be moderated by Lina Srivastava.
Panelists include:
Lina Srivastava (consultant to non profit media companies working for social change) - moderator
Justin Schein (Co-director of No Impact Man)
Fabio Wuytack (Director of Persona Non Grata)
Bilge Ebiri (film critic from New York magazine)
Paola Mendoza (Director of Entre Nos)
Tony Gerber (Co-Director of Full Battle Rattle)
6:30-7:30pm
Filmmaking Strategy:
Tips, Tools and Wisdom to Help You Make the Right Decisions For Your Film
Filmmakers have to be both artists and strategists to get their films made and seen and this is the case now more than ever as changes in funding and distribution force filmmakers to shoulder more of the crucial decisions on their own. This panel will help you learn how to be the best advocate for your film by asking all the tough questions that you will have to ask along the way. For example: How much work (and what work) do you need to achieve on your own before approaching a funder? And how can you tailor your pitch to communicate your vision to a foundation vs. an equity investor? What other funding options are there? How do you balance traditional outreach to festivals, sales agents, broadcasters, and distributors with the need to also create your own fan base? Which distribution deals do you accept? How do know when a deal is a good deal? How do you hope for the best but plan for the worst?
6:30-7:30pm
Filmmaking Strategy:
Tips, Tools and Wisdom to Help You Make the Right Decisions For Your Film
Filmmakers have to be both artists and strategists to get their films made and seen and this is the case now more than ever as changes in funding and distribution force filmmakers to shoulder more of the crucial decisions on their own. This panel will help you learn how to be the best advocate for your film by asking all the tough questions that you will have to ask along the way. For example: How much work (and what work) do you need to achieve on your own before approaching a funder? And how can you tailor your pitch to communicate your vision to a foundation vs. an equity investor? What other funding options are there? How do you balance traditional outreach to festivals, sales agents, broadcasters, and distributors with the need to also create your own fan base? Which distribution deals do you accept? How do know when a deal is a good deal? How do you hope for the best but plan for the worst?
Panelists include:
Ingrid Kopp (Shooting People) - moderator
Adella Ladjevardi (Cinereach)
Janet Brown (Cinetic)
Liz Ogilvie (B-Side)
Simon Kilmurry (POV)
Tia Lessin (Co-Director of Trouble the Water)
Andy Bichlbaum (Co-Director of The Yes Men Fix the World)
___________________________________________________________________________
Ingrid Kopp (Shooting People) - moderator
Adella Ladjevardi (Cinereach)
Janet Brown (Cinetic)
Liz Ogilvie (B-Side)
Simon Kilmurry (POV)
Tia Lessin (Co-Director of Trouble the Water)
Andy Bichlbaum (Co-Director of The Yes Men Fix the World)
___________________________________________________________________________
On Thursday, June 11, Rooftop Films and The Fledgling Fund will present the fascinating documentary No Impact Man. The film is a local family drama with global implications, as the inspirational (and controversial) No Impact Man (and family) challenge themselves to make no environmental impact for one year. As part of Rooftop Films core goal to engage audiences in unique and interesting ways, Rooftop and The Fledgling Fund invite you to join the challenge.
THE SCREENING WILL GO ON RAIN OR SHINE, EITHER INDOORS OR OUT, SO GET YOUR TICKETS NOW.
All in attendance will be welcome at the after-party at Matchless Bar, with free drinks courtesy of Radeberger Pilsner.
THE SCREENING WILL GO ON RAIN OR SHINE, EITHER INDOORS OR OUT, SO GET YOUR TICKETS NOW.
All in attendance will be welcome at the after-party at Matchless Bar, with free drinks courtesy of Radeberger Pilsner.
Before and after the screening--rain or shine--the lawn (or auditorium) of Automotive High School will host a celebration of environmentally-friendly activities, as Rooftop Films and The Fledgling Fund utilize the screening of No Impact Man to engage audience members in making environmentally-friendly lifestyle commitments.
Just Food will get people involved in their "make bee keeping legal in NY campaign", the Greenmarket will do a local foods cooking demonstration, The NY Office of Recycling will do a "what can you recycle/what can you not recycle" game, the LES Ecology Center will demonstrate how to use a compost kit, Artistic Evolution will bring their "bike blender" to make environmentally friendly lemonade, and the students of Automotive High School will demonstrate their bio-diesel cars and distribute organic produce grown on school grounds. Audience members who make personal pledges to change aspects of their lifestyles will be entered into a raffle to win various prizes.
The Hungry March Band, New York's legendary political street brass march band, will help create a festive atmosphere as they perform in the anarchic style that has become their trademark.
This promises to be one of the most crucial Rooftop events ever, so come on by!
The pledges Rooftop, Fledgling and No Impact Man himself are asking you to make are:
1. Save the world by improving your diet. Really! All you have to do is stop eating beef. Worldwide, beef production contributes more substantially to climate change than the entire transportation sector. Plus, a diet with no or less beef is better for you. The carbon footprint of the average meat eater is about 1.5 tons of CO2 larger than that of a vegetarian. Cutting beef out of your diet will reduce your CO2 emissions by 2,400 pounds annually.
2. Get your drinking water for free. You can save money and your environment by giving up bottled water. The production of plastic water bottles together with the privatization of our drinking water is an environmental and social catastrophe. Bottled water costs more per gallon than gasoline. Plus, the health consequences of drinking water from plastic are not clear.
3. Observe an eco-sabbath. For one day or afternoon or even hour a week, don't buy anything, don't use any machines, don't switch on anything electric, don't cook, don't answer your phone, and, in general, don't use any resources. In other words, for this regular period, give yourself and the planet a break. Keep your regular eco-sabbath for a month. You'll find that the enforced downtime represents an improvement to your life. Every hour per week that you live no impact cuts your carbon emissions by .6% annually, commit to four hours per week that's 2.4%, do it for a whole day each week to cut your impact by 14.4% a year.
4. Tithe a fixed percentage of your income. Currently, many of our societal health and welfare services are tied to consumer spending which, in turn, depends upon planetary resource use. But the idea of buying stuff to help people is crazy, especially when you consider that our consumption is harming the habitat that we depend upon for our health, happiness and security. If you want to help, don't go shopping. Just help. Commit to tithing part of your income to the non-profits of your choice. If an average family contributes 1% ($502.33) of their annual income ($50,233) to an environmental non-profit, they could offset 40.7 tons of carbon dioxide per year.
5. Get there under your own steam. Commit to getting around by bike or by foot a certain number of days a month. Not only does this mean using fewer fossil fuels and creating less greenhouse gasses, it means you'll get good, healthy exercise and we'll all breathe fewer fumes. A city with pedestrian and bike traffic is a lot more pleasant to live in than a city filled with vehicles. If you can stay off the road just two days a week, you'll reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 1,590 pounds per year.
6. Commit to not wasting. Wasting resources costs the planet and your wallet. Don't overheat or overcool your home--a few degrees make a huge difference. Let your clothes hang dry instead of using the dryer. If your old cell phone works, consider not getting another. The list goes on and on. In the summer, for every degree above 72 F you set your thermostat, you save 120 pounds of CO2 emissions per year and if you wash your clothes with cold water you can cut your laundry energy use by up to 90%.
7. Build a community. Play charades. Have dinners with friends. Sing together. Enjoying each other costs the planet much less than enjoying its resources. Let's relearn to joke around and play in ways that cost nothing to our pocketbooks or our planet. It's hard to put an exact number to this but the benefits are priceless.
8. Take your principles to work. The old adage "the cost of doing business" can no longer hold true. We must act as though we care about the world at work as much as we do at home. A company CEO or a product designer has the power to make a gigantic difference through their business, and so do the rest of us. In commercial buildings lighting accounts for more than 40% of electrical energy use, a huge cause of greenhouse gas production. Ask your employer to consider installing motion and occupancy sensors, which can cut this use by 10%.
9. Dedicate a day's worth of TV viewing to eco-service each week. The average American watches four and a half hours of TV a day. Take one day off from the tube each week and joining with others to improve our planet. Voluntary eco-service is a great way to find community who support your values and a great way to learn about environmental issues and the quality of life issues that go along with them. Spend three fewer hours each day sitting in front of your plasma television and you will reduce your carbon emissions by 550 pounds each year.
10. Believe with all your heart that how you live your life makes a difference to all of us. We are all interconnected. We make a difference to each other on many different levels. Every step towards living a conscious life where we consider the consequences of our actions provides support to everyone else--whether you know it or not--who is trying to do the same thing. We are the masters of our destinies. Let's act as though it is so.
COME SEE NO IMPACT MAN AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN YOUR LIFE AND WORLD, WHILE HAVING FUN DOING IT.
Just Food will get people involved in their "make bee keeping legal in NY campaign", the Greenmarket will do a local foods cooking demonstration, The NY Office of Recycling will do a "what can you recycle/what can you not recycle" game, the LES Ecology Center will demonstrate how to use a compost kit, Artistic Evolution will bring their "bike blender" to make environmentally friendly lemonade, and the students of Automotive High School will demonstrate their bio-diesel cars and distribute organic produce grown on school grounds. Audience members who make personal pledges to change aspects of their lifestyles will be entered into a raffle to win various prizes.
The Hungry March Band, New York's legendary political street brass march band, will help create a festive atmosphere as they perform in the anarchic style that has become their trademark.
This promises to be one of the most crucial Rooftop events ever, so come on by!
The pledges Rooftop, Fledgling and No Impact Man himself are asking you to make are:
1. Save the world by improving your diet. Really! All you have to do is stop eating beef. Worldwide, beef production contributes more substantially to climate change than the entire transportation sector. Plus, a diet with no or less beef is better for you. The carbon footprint of the average meat eater is about 1.5 tons of CO2 larger than that of a vegetarian. Cutting beef out of your diet will reduce your CO2 emissions by 2,400 pounds annually.
2. Get your drinking water for free. You can save money and your environment by giving up bottled water. The production of plastic water bottles together with the privatization of our drinking water is an environmental and social catastrophe. Bottled water costs more per gallon than gasoline. Plus, the health consequences of drinking water from plastic are not clear.
3. Observe an eco-sabbath. For one day or afternoon or even hour a week, don't buy anything, don't use any machines, don't switch on anything electric, don't cook, don't answer your phone, and, in general, don't use any resources. In other words, for this regular period, give yourself and the planet a break. Keep your regular eco-sabbath for a month. You'll find that the enforced downtime represents an improvement to your life. Every hour per week that you live no impact cuts your carbon emissions by .6% annually, commit to four hours per week that's 2.4%, do it for a whole day each week to cut your impact by 14.4% a year.
4. Tithe a fixed percentage of your income. Currently, many of our societal health and welfare services are tied to consumer spending which, in turn, depends upon planetary resource use. But the idea of buying stuff to help people is crazy, especially when you consider that our consumption is harming the habitat that we depend upon for our health, happiness and security. If you want to help, don't go shopping. Just help. Commit to tithing part of your income to the non-profits of your choice. If an average family contributes 1% ($502.33) of their annual income ($50,233) to an environmental non-profit, they could offset 40.7 tons of carbon dioxide per year.
5. Get there under your own steam. Commit to getting around by bike or by foot a certain number of days a month. Not only does this mean using fewer fossil fuels and creating less greenhouse gasses, it means you'll get good, healthy exercise and we'll all breathe fewer fumes. A city with pedestrian and bike traffic is a lot more pleasant to live in than a city filled with vehicles. If you can stay off the road just two days a week, you'll reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 1,590 pounds per year.
6. Commit to not wasting. Wasting resources costs the planet and your wallet. Don't overheat or overcool your home--a few degrees make a huge difference. Let your clothes hang dry instead of using the dryer. If your old cell phone works, consider not getting another. The list goes on and on. In the summer, for every degree above 72 F you set your thermostat, you save 120 pounds of CO2 emissions per year and if you wash your clothes with cold water you can cut your laundry energy use by up to 90%.
7. Build a community. Play charades. Have dinners with friends. Sing together. Enjoying each other costs the planet much less than enjoying its resources. Let's relearn to joke around and play in ways that cost nothing to our pocketbooks or our planet. It's hard to put an exact number to this but the benefits are priceless.
8. Take your principles to work. The old adage "the cost of doing business" can no longer hold true. We must act as though we care about the world at work as much as we do at home. A company CEO or a product designer has the power to make a gigantic difference through their business, and so do the rest of us. In commercial buildings lighting accounts for more than 40% of electrical energy use, a huge cause of greenhouse gas production. Ask your employer to consider installing motion and occupancy sensors, which can cut this use by 10%.
9. Dedicate a day's worth of TV viewing to eco-service each week. The average American watches four and a half hours of TV a day. Take one day off from the tube each week and joining with others to improve our planet. Voluntary eco-service is a great way to find community who support your values and a great way to learn about environmental issues and the quality of life issues that go along with them. Spend three fewer hours each day sitting in front of your plasma television and you will reduce your carbon emissions by 550 pounds each year.
10. Believe with all your heart that how you live your life makes a difference to all of us. We are all interconnected. We make a difference to each other on many different levels. Every step towards living a conscious life where we consider the consequences of our actions provides support to everyone else--whether you know it or not--who is trying to do the same thing. We are the masters of our destinies. Let's act as though it is so.
COME SEE NO IMPACT MAN AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN YOUR LIFE AND WORLD, WHILE HAVING FUN DOING IT.
Venue: On the lawn of Automotive High School
Address: 50 Bedford Ave. @ North 13th St. (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)
Directions: L to Bedford Ave. or G to Nassau Ave.
7:30: Eco Carnival: A celebration of environmentally-friendly activities, including bike blenders, raffles, prizes.
Address: 50 Bedford Ave. @ North 13th St. (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)
Directions: L to Bedford Ave. or G to Nassau Ave.
7:30: Eco Carnival: A celebration of environmentally-friendly activities, including bike blenders, raffles, prizes.
8:00: Sound Fix presents live music by The Hungry March Band.
9:00: Film
11:30-1:00: After-party: Free Radeberger Pilsner at Matchless
Tickets: $9 at the door or online at going.com
Presented in partnership with: The Fledgling Fund, Cinereach, New York magazine, IndiePix, Shooting People, Council Member David Yassky & Automotive High School
BUY TICKETS | PROGRAM NOTES | MAP | SOUND FIX | THE HUNGRY MARCH BAND | NO IMPACT MAN BLOG
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9:00: Film
11:30-1:00: After-party: Free Radeberger Pilsner at Matchless
Tickets: $9 at the door or online at going.com
Presented in partnership with: The Fledgling Fund, Cinereach, New York magazine, IndiePix, Shooting People, Council Member David Yassky & Automotive High School
BUY TICKETS | PROGRAM NOTES | MAP | SOUND FIX | THE HUNGRY MARCH BAND | NO IMPACT MAN BLOG
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It will be an emotional night for Stan. First, he'll see the documentary about him, Zach Levy's Strongman, watching it with an audience for the first time. Being the subject of a film--having a rooftop full of strangers peer into the most private and revealing moments of your life--can be a pretty brutal experience. So, to top it off, Stan will lie down and let a truck drive over his chest. Because that's the kind of guy he is. The kind of guy you wanna come out and meet.
Following that, we can celebrate Stan's courage and craziness with free drinks courtesy of Radeberger Pilsner, served at the after-party, fittingly held at Crunch Gym.
It's a daring and stunning film, coupled with a death-defying stunt, so don't miss Strongman, Saturday May 29, on the roof of Brooklyn Tech High School (Ft. Greene).
Please, don't anyone else try this at home (or at Rooftop).
SATURDAY MAY 30
STRONGMAN - BUY TICKETS
Special New York Sneak Preview before Fall 2009 Premiere.
A humorous but heart-wrenching verité documentary about Stanless Steel, the only man in the world who can bend a penny with his fingers, a working class strongman struggling to succeed and survive. Stanless will be in attendance to perform a stunning feat of strength.
OPEN BAR AFTER PARTY FOLLOWING THE SCREENING FOR ALL IN ATTENDANCE
STRONGMAN - BUY TICKETS
Special New York Sneak Preview before Fall 2009 Premiere.
A humorous but heart-wrenching verité documentary about Stanless Steel, the only man in the world who can bend a penny with his fingers, a working class strongman struggling to succeed and survive. Stanless will be in attendance to perform a stunning feat of strength.
OPEN BAR AFTER PARTY FOLLOWING THE SCREENING FOR ALL IN ATTENDANCE
Venue: the roof of the Brooklyn Tech
Address: 29 Fort Greene Place (Fort Greene, Brooklyn) MAP
8:00PM: Doors open
8:30PM: Sound Fix presents live music by Midnight Masses
9:00PM: Film
11:30PM-1:00AM: After-party: Open Bar at Crunch (691 Fulton St.) Courtesy of Radeberger Pilsner
Tickets: $9-$25
Presented in partnership with: Crunch, Cinereach, New York magazine & Brooklyn Technical High School
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Get your Rooftop Web 2.0 savvy on: today, from 11:30am till 1:30pm, tickets to this weekend's Rooftop Films shows are just $6. Spread the word and get tix now!
FRIDAY, MAY 29
DARK 'TOONS - BUY TICKETS
DARK 'TOONS - BUY TICKETS
Animated short films that bring the still to life.
FREE OPEN BAR AFTER THE SHOW
FREE OPEN BAR AFTER THE SHOW
Venue: on the roof of the Open Road Rooftop
Address: 350 Grand Street @ Essex (Lower East Side, Manhattan)
8:00PM: Doors open
8:30PM: Sound Fix presents live music by Javelin
9:00PM: Films
11:30PM - 1:00AM: Open Bar at Fontana's (105 Eldridge St), courtesy of Radeberger beer
Tickets: $9-$25; $6 for limited time only!
+ + +
SATURDAY MAY 30
STRONGMAN - BUY TICKETS
Special New York Sneak Preview before Fall 2009 Premiere.
A humorous but heart-wrenching verité documentary about Stanless Steel, the only man in the world who can bend a penny with his fingers, a working class strongman struggling to succeed and survive. Stanless will be in attendance to perform a stunning feat of strength.
OPEN BAR AFTER PARTY FOLLOWING THE SCREENING FOR ALL IN ATTENDANCE
Venue: on the roof of the Brooklyn Tech
Address: 29 Fort Greene Place (Fort Greene, Brooklyn) MAP
8:00PM: Doors open
8:30PM: Sound Fix presents live music by Midnight Masses
9:00PM: Films
11:30PM-1:00AM: After-party: Open Bar at Crunch (691 Fulton St.) Courtesy of Radeberger Pilsner
Tickets: $9-$25; $6 for limited time only
Presented in partnership with: Crunch, Cinereach, New York magazine & Brooklyn Technical High School
Special New York Sneak Preview before Fall 2009 Premiere.
A humorous but heart-wrenching verité documentary about Stanless Steel, the only man in the world who can bend a penny with his fingers, a working class strongman struggling to succeed and survive. Stanless will be in attendance to perform a stunning feat of strength.
OPEN BAR AFTER PARTY FOLLOWING THE SCREENING FOR ALL IN ATTENDANCE
Venue: on the roof of the Brooklyn Tech
Address: 29 Fort Greene Place (Fort Greene, Brooklyn) MAP
8:00PM: Doors open
8:30PM: Sound Fix presents live music by Midnight Masses
9:00PM: Films
11:30PM-1:00AM: After-party: Open Bar at Crunch (691 Fulton St.) Courtesy of Radeberger Pilsner
Tickets: $9-$25; $6 for limited time only
Presented in partnership with: Crunch, Cinereach, New York magazine & Brooklyn Technical High School
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