With 2016 behind us we wanted to share some of the highlights from our past season with you, and thank you for being a part of it. See you on the roof next summer!
In 2016, we programmed Summer Series and community screenings in all five boroughs of New York City, on a working farm in Queens, and rambled under the stars at Storm King Arts Center.
We celebrated Rooftop Films’ 20 year history with two free retrospective short film programs from the early careers of now-famous and acclaimed directors.
We expanded our reach more than ever before, and provided free community screenings to tens of thousands of New Yorkers.
We empowered others to create their own events through the Rooftop Community Fund, and donated or discounted $175,000 worth of equipment and services to artists, non-profits and community groups.
Feature Films: 27
Short Films: 89
Free Screenings: 24
Sneak Peek Screenings: 22
Summer Series Screening Venues: 17
Bands/Musical Performances: 47 (including Growing, Grooms and A Place to Bury Strangers at GOODNIGHT BROOKLYN – THE STORY OF DEATH BY AUDIO)
First Time Filmmakers: 11 (includes 7 feature films!)
Female Filmmakers: 43
NY Filmmakers: 36
Brooklyn Filmmakers: 14
Returning (Alumni) Filmmakers: 54 (includes 18 retrospective screenings)
Foreign Films: 37
Home Video/Found Footage: 11
Animated Films: 19
Experimental: 14
Social/Political Issue Films: 26
Stranger than Fiction Features: 4
Comedies: 27, including five screenings with UCB Stand-up Comedians
Films Featuring Animals: 8
Music Films: 16 including two dance-along screenings (LIVING STARS and KRUSH GROOVE)
GREEN ROOM, from Rooftop Filmmakers Fund Grantee Jeremy Saulnier
HBO’s ANIMALS
Jim Hosking’s outrageous GREASY STRANGLER
BLUE JAY, starring Mark Duplass & Sarah Paulson
Noah Baumbach’s DE PALMA
HIGH MAINTENANCE sneak preview, before its’ release on HBO
Short Film series THE FRAME at Lululemon’s HUB Seventeen.
Directors Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg opened the summer with their doc, WEINER
HOLY HELL director and protagonist Will Allen
DANNY BROWN: LIVE AT THE MAJESTIC director Andrew Cohn and protagonist/singer Danny Brown
LOS PUNKS: WE ARE ALL WE HAVE director Angela Boatwright
JACQUELINE (ARGENTINE) director Bernardo Britto, producer Brett Potter, Production Designer Alexa Haas and actors Sarah Willis and James Benson
Grantee and Director Anna Rose Holmer with her film THE FITS, along with the Q-kidz and actress Royalty Hightower
Director Morgan Neville of THE MUSIC OF STRANGERS: YO-YO MA AND THE SILK ROAD ENSEMBLE
TICKLED director David Farrier (just a day before the saga he documented got even weirder in L.A.)
LIFE, ANIMATED director Roger Ross Williams
IN THE TREETOPS director Matthew Brown, Donald Monroe (DP), Gabriel Douglas (actor), Cameron Morton (actor), and Emma Geer (actor).
GOODNIGHT BROOKLYN – THE STORY OF DEATH BY AUDIO director Matthew Conboy, live performances by featured bands GROWING, GROOMS and A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS
TONY ROBBINS: I AM NOT YOUR GURU director Joe Berlinger and protagonist Tony Robbins.
Director Ira Sachs presented his newest LITTLE MEN
SONITA director Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami
At Short Films from IDFA, NINNOC director Niki Padidar and MY SILICONE LOVE director Sophie Dros
DON JUAN director Jerzy Sladkowski
IN PURSUIT OF SILENCE director Patrick Shen, producers Brandon Vedder and Cassidy Hall
GIRL ASLEEP director Rosemary Meyers
Director Jesse Moss with his new film, THE BANDIT
MY BLIND BROTHER director Sophie Goodhart
WHITE GIRL director Elizabeth Wood and actors: Morgan Saylor, Justin Bartha and actor/musician Brian Marc.
HUNTER GATHERER director Josh Locy and actor Andre Royo
Director/actor Kris Avedisian and actor Jesse Wakeman at DONALD CRIED
Director Jeff Feuerzeig and protagonist Laura Albert at AUTHOR: THE JT LEROY STORY
Comedians who appeared at Rooftop Films: Aparna Nancherla, Jo Firestone, Natasha Vaynblat, Samantha Ruddy, and Anna Drezen!
Number of films with live piano accompaniment by Bruce Levingston: 2
Special silent screenings, with the audience listening to the film on headphones: 1