Since this blog also covers birding topics in North Brooklyn ( its in my mission statement), and not much going on birding wise of late , I am posting this message I received thru the Brooklyn Bird Club website. The venue and film on birding takes place in Williamsburgh.
--Kingsboider
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My name is Dana and I work with Rooftop Films, a summer film festival dedicated to showcasing new, independent films and emerging bands in unique outdoor locations.
I wanted to let you know about an upcoming event that I thought you'd be interested in covering: The Rural Life and Spirit (details below). The show will feature short films about life in the country, covering everything from competitive bird watching (Big Birding Day) to an Iban family in the lush jungles of Borneo (Spirit). Please let me know if you would like to be added to the press list (If you’re in NYC at the time). It would be great if you could mention the show on your site.
Thanks!
Dana
Thursday, June 24th
THE RURAL LIFE AND SPIRIT
For you city dwellers, sweltering away amidst the concrete and steel, Rooftop Films offers a summer respite--a lush lawn to lie on and a cinematic journey into the jungle. The films in this program offer a glimpse of the scenery where the grass is indeed greener. Places where you can see hundreds (and hundreds!) of birds in a single day...if you race around the clock to do it. Places where gooey tree pulp can offer sustenance...if you don't mind the giant slug fights. Places where cowboys sing like crooners, grandpa dances up the dickens, and wild animals become unwelcome pets. These cute cartoons, fascinating fictions, and delightful documentaries prove that compared to urban existence the rural life might be a touch more casual, maybe a tad more calm, but it's no less complex.
http://www.rooftopfilms.com/2010/schedule/18-the-rural-life-and-spirit
Where:
On the lawn of Automotive High School
50 Bedford Ave. at N. 13th St. (Williamsburg)
Brooklyn, NY
When:
8:00 Doors open
8:30 Live Music by The Luyas
9:00 Films begin
12:00 AM (midnight) After-party: Open Bar at Matchless (557 Manhattan Ave)
The Films:
GREAT AMBITION (Malcolm Sutherland Canada 2:40 min.)
An amiable animation about a lovelorn singing cowboy and his posse of yodeling birds. Music by the Dezurik Sisters. animalcolm.com
BIG BIRDING DAY (David Wilson Columbia, MO 12 min.)
A glimpse into the world of competitive birdwatching, as three friends attempt to see as many species as possible in 24 hours.
FLEDGLING (Tony Gault & Elizabeth Henry Glenwood Springs, CO 7 min.)
Rooftop alums Gault and Henry explore the relationship between a man named Kevin and a baby crow he finds on the street one stormy night. Kevin's backyard provides the rich setting for a story about his conflicted relationship to nature.
LET YOUR FEET DO THE TALKING (Stewart Copeland Tallahoma, TN 30 min.)
Let Your Feet Do The Talkin' tells the story of buck dancing legend Thomas Maupin, who, at the age of 70, remains one of the greatest old time dancers in America. The film presents a portrait of a man in the twilight of his life reflecting back on his legacy as a father, teacher, and artist. stewstew.com
SPIRIT (SEMANGAT) (Adam Gutch & Chu-Li Shewring Borneo & UK 44 min.)
In the lush jungles of Borneo, an Iban father on the cusp of old age begins a river journey to seek medical help for his sick child. Along the way, the boy is troubled by recurring visions of a strange figure who appears on the river bank. Their journey contrasts the vibrant otherworldly flora and fauna in the rain forest with the grey, foreboding mechanics of modern urban life, and father and son are drawn inexorably to a final encounter with the mythical 'transformed' shaman who dwells deep inside the jungle.
Semangat was made by working closely with one Iban longhouse community from Sarawak, Malaysia with whom the story was devised and filmed. The basis of the film explores the conflict that exists between ancient animist beliefs and modern approaches to illness. The main protagonists of the film are a real father and son, and a retired shaman from this community. flyingant.org.uk
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Dana Arbel
Rooftop Films
232 3rd Street, #D101
Brooklyn, NY 11215
718-417-7362
Underground Movies Outdoors
www.rooftopfilms.com
