ROOFTOP SHORTS:
ARTHUR DES PINS
REVOLUTION OF THE CRABS

This is one of my favorite Rooftop short animations ever, so I am glad that our friends over at Animation Block Party have it hosted online. The short tells the story of a self-defeated Marbled Rock Crab and his species' 120 million years of tragedy. It might seem like an metaphor for the blind obstinacy of the French, but when we showed it on a roof in Montreal the Quebecois in attendance thought it was hilarious, so they found some truth in the story or they totally didn't get the joke.
Click here to watch the film.

DVD RELEASE
JIM FINN'S COSMONAUT MASTERPIECE
INTERKOSMOS

I'm not a fan of sci-fi, but I love films about astronauts which address the odd technical rituals, the overwhelming sense of dislocation, and the historical and social ramifications which are wrapped up with human space travel. Veteran Rooftop filmmaker Jim Finn's debut feature Interkosmos is bizarre delight filled with realistic lift-offs, surreal dance sequences, and a smattering of speculative archival footage. Includes an amazing soundtrack by Colleen Burke and Jim Becker (from Califone, who played at Rooftop's Dark Toons show in 2006). The film is out now on DVD from Thrill Jockey, and I recommend buying a copy now.

ROOFTOP FRIENDS:
HIGH CONCEPT/LOW BUDGET FILMS





Rooftop Films has collaborated with this wonderful festival out in San Francsico since 1999, sharing films and ideas. If you've got intelligent, creative films you want to play on both coasts, submit to both hi/lo and Rooftop Films.

SUBMITTING TO THE 2007 hi/lo FILM FESTIVAL
Is your film high concept, low budget and less than 30 minutes long? If so, get it to us by: December 15, 2006 - Regular deadline, submission fee: $25 January 15, 2007 - Late deadline, submission fee: $30

For more information, visit www.hilofilmfestival.com

ROOFTOP SHORTS:
BENH ZEITLIN'S EGG

Click HERE to watch it.
We are big, big fans of Benh Zeitlin--we awarded him a grant to make a film called Glory at Sea that sounds absolutely amazing and is in production along the coastline in New Orleans as I write this. To find out why we like him so much, check out his amazing short film Egg, made for just a couple of grand in the basement of a condemned building by Benh and his Wesleyan buddies.

PRAISE FOR ROOFTOP FILMS SCREENINGS
This week we thought we would change it up a bit and share with you a few of the nice things that other people have been saying about us. After you have been thoroughly persuaded you can go to our website and find out all about how to make your donation online or by check and also get yourself complimentary Rooftop DVDs and tickets to Rooftop shows. We depend on your support to keep Rooftop alive, so we hope you appreciate what Rooftop does as much as the folks below and that you make a donation to Rooftop today. And here are the quotes:

THE PRESS
Rooftop Films received a great deal of press in 2006, appearing in such publications as New York magazine, Time Magazine, The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Village Voice and on NY1, among others. Here is some of what they had to say:

"Founder Mark Rosenberg and partners Dan Nuxoll and Sarah Palmer possess keen and somewhat fearless eyes for short films"
-- S.T. VanAirsdale, The Reeler

"By the movie's end, the crowd is in elated vociferous spirits. Bathed in the ambient glow of the city lights and humid Gowanus-laced air, people are reluctant to abandon the rooftop. … 'This reminds me of a time when going to the movies was an event,' says 33-year-old John Hall"
-- Silke Tudor, Village Voice

"When the projector of Rooftop Films starts up, the locale is one of the most romantic places in New York."
—“Cinema Under the Stars,” by Susannah Callahan, The New York Post

FILMMAKERS TALKING ABOUT OUR SCREENINGS
"I had a great time at the screening. The audience was literally the most boisterous (in a good way) audience I've ever had for my films. And it was amazing how many of 'em there were too. There was a bigger crowd, and more people approached me after the screening with interest in my movie. Also, I found it easier to establish a productive creative relationship with the festival than with other festivals. I also like Rooftop because they don't ask for much money with submissions, they are sensitive to artists without much funding, and they even try to help out."
--Roger Beebe, director of Compositions in Red and Yellow, Famous Irish Americans and Strip Mall Trilogy

"Rooftop Films combines great locations, an attentive and diverse audience, and strong and diverse programming."
-Mary Robertson, director of the Bear Hunter

"The screening of my film was one of the best screenings I have ever experienced! There might have been 400 people there, on chairs in a schoolyard, some of them picnicking, creating a relaxed atmosphere, but they were also very focused on the films. The audience was very enthusiastic about each film and that was very exciting!! Of course, Dentist is a funny film so yes they laughed and rustled in anticipation, but when Seventeen, an uneasy, complicated, serious film went on, the audience fell silent and so focused you can sense the electricity of their comprehension. It was amazing!! The Rooftop audience is the BEST!! The sound of the screening was superb and it was great to be outdoors and still be overwhelmed with films, I thought that can never happen but Rooftop did it!!! And it was technically impeccable. I am amazed at the great work they do. I also see that Rooftop is working on their fan base – I mean the audience has grown from year to year, and they are hardcore fans, I think community support is essential, but I also see that Rooftop has expanded from local community to bigger film fan community. Now almost everyone I know knows about Rooftop, even people who aren’t connected with film"
-Signe Baumane, director of Natasha and Dentist

"Rooftop was the first to play Forbidden to Wander in New York at a time I had difficulty finding supportive programming. Afterwards it screened successfully domestically and internationally. For that reason, I trusted the programmers at Rooftop for my second film Marjoun and the Flying Headscarf. The programmers understood and took risks with my work before many other festivals in the States did. I have been to a Rooftop screening and I have to say the sunset and view from the roof is incredible. Sitting in the night air watching a film outdoors is such a pleasure. It really is a lovely experience."
-Susan Youssef, director of Forbidden to Wander and Marjoun and the Flying Headscarf

"The experience was stupendous, especially since it was such a beautiful night. Rooftop has given us loads of exposure to the unique and loyal community of film fans and filmmakers that they’ve fostered over the years. The sunsets are great and the crowd is laid back. It was nice to bring my own six-pack when I came as a spectator later in the season. It’s fun to get there early to chill out and listen to the musical act, and there’s always an air of anticipation and excitement as the sky darkens and the films are about to begin. Definitely, the Rooftop staff is much more fun and personable than that of most festivals. If you meet with them in person, there’s a good chance they’ll offer you a delicious cookie from their kitchen. Rooftop does great justice to the short film. They play smart, funny, and moving works that you’re not likely to see anywhere else. If I could pick one other festival/film series to go see, besides the one I direct, it would be Rooftop."
-Alan Webber, Founder and Artistic Director of The Rural Route Film Festival

"I can't imagine a better place to screen my film, which was a Brooklyn fable called, "The Wraith of Cobble Hill', than on the rooftops in the open air of Brooklyn. That's such a unique and perfect forum to screen the film."
--Adam Parrish King, director of The Wraith of Cobble Hill

"The best thing for me about Rooftop Films was this overwhelming sense that they genuinely have an eye for great films. I won't lie - I work in the film industry and I can't be bothered to watch anything 'cos I think films are shit. That's why I make my own films - a frustrated desire to make the sort of stuff that I'd like to see, (and also for the chicks). When Rooftop did a screening of my films in September, they also ran a few other films. They were fucking amazing. I saw some stuff screened with my films and I was genuinely impressed. I mean, this wasn't just crap that you painfully watch and then think 'Oh God, I gotta clap at the end,' but they managed to find films made by people with real dignity, authenticity, craftsmanship and passion. Whereas most independent film-screenings are an embarrassing amalgam of amateurish student crap, Rooftop managed to find and curate a whole bunch of films by film-makers who have every right to bat alongside the big-boys. The over-riding impression of their special ninja move was that they are able to spot and promote genuine talent."
--Lee Kern, director of many films, including Tales of the Creepy Crooked

"I went to a lot of film festivals, but none were as special as the Rooftop screening. There were over 200 people on the rooftop of an old Brooklyn building on a perfect summer night, all there to watch a documentary! That doesn't happen very often, and I think it's a testament to how much people love Rooftop and their programs.
"It was just a totally different experience than a normal festival, and the questions were very informed, people seemed to have a real interest in the issues (well, except for a few random questions), more so than say the process of filmmaking, which I thought was cool.
"It’s unique in that with Rooftop, it’s one film at a time, so you get a lot of personal attention from the staff, as opposed to a whole film festival, where you’re just one among hundreds and you might barely meet the staff.
"The Rooftop staff is awesome, I was so impressed at how you have built up a loyal following of fans, I mean to get that many people out to a screening in New York on a Saturday in the summer is really and truly amazing. And they all are very nice to have beers with after."
--Heather Courtney, director of Letters from the Other Side

ROOFTOP FILMMAKER INTERVIEW:
BRENT GREEN

There is a very interesting, lively and thorough interview with animator Brent Green on England's Director's Notes web site. Three of Brent's films screened with us this summer on a roof in Bushwick with members of Califone (Tim Rutili), Fugazi (Jerry Busher and Brendan Canty) and many others performing a live soundtrack along with the 'toons. Anyone interested in lo-fi animation should listen to it when you get the chance.

FIVE REASONS TO DONATE TO ROOFTOP FILMS

1. You are a vital part of the Rooftop Films community
2. We are the only festival that shows new undistributed films outdoors
3. Rooftop shows are not just film screenings—they are unforgettable events
4. We show many of the best new short films in the world
5. We get more done with less money than any other film festival.

If you are a film lover, you are going to read a lot of "best of" lists in the next 5 weeks, but none of those lists actually improve film culture. The list below, however, will hopefully remind you that Rooftop Films is a unique and vibrant part of New York's cultural landscape that can only exist with your support. Even a donation of $25 could ensure that Rooftop can continue to screen new, genuinely independent films against the New York skyline for years to come. For donations of $50 or more we’ll send you 4 tickets to the Summer Series 2007, and for $100 or more and you'll receive 4 tickets and a limited-edition Rooftop DVD. Donate more and get even more thanks and treats! (details on our website). So here are 5 biggest reasons that you should make a donation to support Rooftop Films:
1. YOU are a vital part of the Rooftop Films community
You are part of one of the most dynamic film communities in the world. You came to a show, submitted your film, volunteered, took a class, or rented our equipment because Rooftop is not just another festival that puts together film screenings and parties. Rooftop events form the foundation of a community of filmmakers, artists, musicians, film fans, folks from around the city and around the world.If you care about this community, help keep it alive. Without donations from people like you who care about Rooftop, we wouldn’t be able to keep going year after year. If every last one of us contributed just $25 or $50, imagine what we could do.
2. We are the only festival that shows new, undistributed films outdoors
We’re big film fans and are thrilled to see so many outdoor film screenings popping up these days. But Rooftop is the only festival that uses the appeal of outdoor screenings to build audiences for films that might otherwise never be seen. Some other outdoor screenings also draw big crowds and might have an easier time getting corporate sponsorships, but only Rooftop supports a community of emerging filmmakers and artists. Outdoor classics are great, but until Cary Grant starts appearing in contemporary low-budget films, Rooftop will be the only festival that brings the underground outdoors.
3. Rooftop shows are not just film screenings—they are unforgettable events.
When we screened a film about an extraordinary work of music composed for the organ, we showed it in one of the most beautiful churches in New York, followed by a live organ performance; when we screened a program of short documentaries about Brooklyn, we screened them on a roof in the middle of the Brooklyn Navy Yard with a perfect view of the Brooklyn and Williamsburg Bridges, preceded by a great local jazz band. It is rare to experience moments like these, when our communities have the opportunity to come together in a unique, dramatic and quintessentially urban setting. But when they do happen, they remind us of why we live in New York City—and why no place else is quite like it.
4. Rooftop Films shows great feature films and the best new short films in the world
We don't like to brag, but it's true. Rooftop Films gets more short film submissions than almost any other film festival IN THE WORLD. Last year, Rooftop received over 2,000 short film submissions from 55 different countries--more shorts than Cannes, Toronto, Slamdance, Venice, SXSW and almost every other major festival. With that many films to choose from, we are able to select an amazing array of festival hits and never-before-seen work. Rooftop has some of the best shorts programs in North America partly because only Palm Springs, Sundance and Tribeca receive as many short film submissions as Rooftop does. We don't mind doing the work necessary to track down and watch all those films, but we need your support to do it, since those other festivals have budgets of many millions of dollars. Which brings us to our final point…
5. We get more done with less money than any other film festival.
Dollar for dollar, Rooftop Films is the most effective festival in the world, so if you make a donation to Rooftop you know that your money will be put to good use. Our tiny staff works personally with every one of our venues, we transport and set up our own equipment, chairs and tents, we teach our own classes, do all of our own publicity, and we will watch all of the 2,500 films that will be submitted this winter. It's a lot of work, but we love it, and need your donations to allow us to keep working to plan next year’s events.

But we can't keep doing it without your help, so please make a tax deductible donation to Rooftop Films today so that we can continue to keep doing what we do best, and so that you can know that there will be great new movies on rooftops in New York, every weekend, every summer.

FAKE TRAILERS!












I stumbled upon a few really great trailer remixes as I sifted through selections from Montreal's Fantasia Festival. My two favorites are a
West Side Story/28 Days Later mash up: West Side Story: The Edit
and the best of the bunch was this Toy Story 2/Requiem for a Dream combo. I suppose I will eventually get tired of fake trailers, but for now...enjoy

ROOFTOP SHORTS:
HANDGUN




















Check out this great short short (click the link and then click on "movies") created by Alex Minick and Sam Crees and also check out all of the rest of their bizarre art, some of which doesn't include aliens made out of hands.

EXCITING SCREENING & CONCERT
Thursday, November 9, 7pm
Apparition of the Eternal Church

WATCH A TRAILER

Let me tell you why I'm so excited for this event: I am a devout atheist anticipating a pseudo-religious experience on Thursday. We're presenting an austere film in a majestic setting, an astonishing piece of music and complex ideas about it, an other-worldly work in midtown Manhattan.

In this hypnotic film, 31 fascinating people -- playwrights, poets, Wigstock drag queens, Scissor Sisters, professional models, documentary filmmakers, pianists and performance artists -- put on headphones and discuss a piece of music director Paul Festa plays for them. Some describe childhood memories. A man who once played the piece compares its complexity to DNA. Harold Bloom (Yale literary critic) says listening to this music is like being inside Dante's Inferno. John Cameron Mitchell (director of "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" and "Shortbus") is so distraught he nearly takes a knife to his own ears. And poet and cultural critic Wayne Koestenbaum says experiencing Messiaen's piece is "like being f***ed by light."

The film is imbued with an intense sense of anticipation: What is the music, and when will we hear it?

The music is Olivier Messiaen's composition for pipe organ Apparition de l'eglise eternelle. You will only get a taste of it in the movie.

And then you will be bombarded by it on the largest musical instrument in New York City, the majestic organ at St. Bartholomew's Cathedral. You will be transported, elevated, shocked and inspired. At Rooftop Films, we are always looking for inventive and unique ways to present cinema, and this combination of film, music and architecture is sure to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for all those who attend.

Get the full details HERE.

Tickets are $10 / $25 / $35 / $100, available HERE and at the door on the day of the show.
+ The $35 and $100 tickets also include admission to a reception after the film where you can mingle with the participants and the filmmaker and enjoy free refreshments sponsored by Dewar's.
+ A one-year (46 issues) subscription to New York magazine (valued at $9.97) will be included with any $25 or higher ticket purchase.

ROOFTOP SHORTS:
BITEY OF BRACKENWOOD

Adam Philips is an extremely talented, imaginative and prolific animator from down under whose animation has won awards at major festivals all over the world. He has created a fantasy universe populated by Binbongs, YuYus, Prowlies and trolls and you can watch them battle it out and play pranks on one another at his awesome website. The Bitey of Brackenwood series is our favorite, but all of his work is really great and funny and you can also check out his other animation, including his new 30 shorts in 30 days project on his website.

ROOFTOP SHORTS:
CRAZY EYES DOLPHIN VS. THE MAD COWS














Ian Stewart made this film after spending a summer working as a camp counselor for a bunk full of boys who would regularly collaboratively improvise short stories. He recorded a bunch of their tales with his DAT, picked the best one and then animated their madness in his final year at RISD. You can watch the film over at Salon's Video Dog page.

ROOFTOP SHORTS ONLINE:
BEN COONLEY'S
VALENTINE FOR PERFECT STRANGERS

ROCK N ROLL
Red Leader Records showcase at CMJ
Friday, November 3, 8pm
@ NorthSix (66 North 6th St., Williamsburg)

This blog will mostly be film events, but we wanted to give a shout out to our good friends at Red Leader Records, who have provided great musical acts for our shows. Pop-punk, political hardcore, great music. Bands that night include: Achilles, End Of A Year, The New Dress, Scream! Hello, Dear Tonight, and Nakatomi Plaza. Check out details at www.myspace.com/redleaderrecords and www.redleaderrecords.com.

We used this Scream! Hello song in a preview for a Rooftop Films show last summer.

ROOFTOP SHORTS:
DOG YEARS







Directed by Richard Hearn and Sam Penfold, this beautiful short about the internal life of a lonely domestic dog was made on a budget of £4.90 (for ham and sausages), edited in-camera under the Joy of 8mm initiative, and makes most dog lovers cry every time they see it. Watch it at http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/filmnetwork/A3819080

ROOFTOP SHORTS ONLINE:
YOU'RE GOING TO DIE
That big bad authoritative logo which appears before so many classic films sounds off about mortality and religion in this hilarious, chilling and insightful film from Dennis Palazzolo, with text by philosopher-artist Vito Acconci.


A Rooftop classic now available on YouTube. Read about other films and check out our funky old website from when we first showed this film in 2003.

ROOFTOP SHORTS:
AUTOMOTIVE HIGH GREASE CAR

Check out this short about students at (Rooftop partner) Automotive High School in Brooklyn who have convertd a diesel car into one that runs on grease from their cafeteria.
http://www.trishdalton.com/greasecar/grease-car.htm

ROOFTOP SHORTS:
TIME MISTAKE
One of the main reasons we set up this blog is to link to all of our favorite shorts. We'll keep linking to them one at a time, so check back in regularly and if you are a filmmaker whose work has shown with Rooftop in the past you should let us know if any of your shorts are available online. Here is Rooftop veteran Casimir Nozkowski's Time Mistake and you can watch his other works at http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=CasimirN:

ROOFTOP SHORTS ONLINE:
THE NYUGGLE
One of the main reasons we set up this blog is to link to all of our favorite shorts. I'll keep linking to them one at a time, so check back in regularly and if you are a filmmaker whose work has shown with Rooftop in the past you should let me know if any of your shorts are available online. Here is Lee Kern's The Nyuggle. Click on the pony to watch it.

PRAISE FOR PAUL FESTA'S
APPARITION OF THE ETERNAL CHURCH
Playing November 9th, 2006 in St. Bartholomew's Church in Manhattan
Details and Tickets

Rooftop will be presenting the New York Premeire of Paul Festa's fantastic new documenary on November 9th. Here are some of the things people have been saying about it:

"I rarely see anything so thought-provoking. It was like hanging out with super-smart people for an evening and just listening to them talk and soaking it up....I found myself falling in love with a lot of them....It was as if the music allowed them to be honest and transparent in a way I don't generally see. As a Christian, coming from a very pro-church background, I loved hearing what people from a completely different world thought. I was blown away....Go see the movie. Its amazing."
--327market.blogspot.com

"One of the best movies about music I've ever seen."
--Karl Bartosfounder of Kraftwerk, professor at the Berlin University of the Arts

"People just could not stop talking about it."
--Wm. Brian Owens, directorIndianapolis International Film Festival

"A highlight of the festival."
--Jane Sullivan, director of the Santa Cruz Film Festival

"A life-changing experience."
--Santa Cruz Film Festival audience member

Apparition of the Eternal Church






A feature-length documentary by Paul Festa
Special New York Premiere!
BUY TICKETS PRESS RELEASE
TRAILER OFFICIAL WEBSITE
Thursday November 9, 2006
Film starts at 7:30
St. Bartholomew's Church
Park Avenue and 51st Street, Manhattan