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.