David Gilboa and three friends from business school started Warby Parker and changed the way we shop for glasses, proving that even the most traditional retail experiences can be digitally improved. Rachel Shechtman invented Story, a space that has the point of view of a magazine, changes like a gallery and sells things like a store. Both have expanded the boundaries of what the retail experience and the retail business model can become. Learn what to expect as the lines between the internet and the storefront blur.
Although a little over 3 and a half years old, Tough Mudder has grown to be the pre-eminent company in its industry, creating unconventional life-changing experiences through its unique obstacle course events held in the United States, Canada, Australia, Germany and the UK. The company has sold over one million registrations, employs over 140 people, and will hit $130 million in revenues this year. And oh yeah: Tough Mudder is entirely self-financed by its founders. Guy Livingstone will discuss what it took to build his company from nothing.
In this confessional, listen to two innovative CTO's of New York’s fastest growing startups discuss how they deal with the rapid change that comes with running technology.
Hear Mike Nolet and his team at Appnexus discuss different technical hurdles they have overcome and the secrets to being a great startup CTO.
Steve Jobs once said, “Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.” An optimal balance of technology and design is at the core of great technology. Hear how these successful companies balance design and technology to create viral products.
Data science is the practice of making raw data and computational power into useful informations and stories. Hillary Mason of Bitly will talk about this process and share some of the suprising stories learned from studying how people behave on social networks.
These days we’re learning at an unprecedented rate, and not just in schools. Contemporary students and educators are starting their own curriculum and building their own classrooms, both physical and digital. Mentorships, webinars, career-shift workshops and date-night classes are all the rage. But are they here to stay?
Over the last eight years, Christian Rudder has watched millions upload profiles and photos to his dating site, OkCupid. Analyses of this data has led to some very interesting metrics on perceived beauty and the sexual habits of 21st century Americans.
Instagram and Tumblr were both acquired at over $1 billion without any evaluation of their social impact. Why isn’t there similar interest in products, services and companies dedicated to social good? Can social good even be quantified to deliver such large-scale value? This panel will debate how value is measured and what will motivate entrepreneurs and investors to get involved.
Small teams make for fast and efficient dynamics. But how can you maintain that small-team feel as your company grows? Find out here.
They say that startups aren't sold—they're bought. But acquisition doesn't happen magically, and luck favors the prepared. Curious how other companies did it? Listen to how these founders maneuvered the waters of acquisition and how to successfully negotiate a favorable deal of your own.
The most successful startups track the right metrics. Are you? This diverse panel of CTOs will discuss the metrics they currently track (and the ones they wish they had.)
Machines and data are changing our everyday lives in ways we can't see. This panel will examine the small impacts the machines we use have on the world around us.
We reached peak Bitcoin in April when the digital cryptocurrency skyrocketed to $260 a coin before the mini "bubble" burst and it shot down to $60, finally rebounding to its current rate of about $120-140. Now that the initial media hype has died down, is Bitcoin here to stay,or is it just a passing fad? Will increasing scrutiny from the government outweigh the uptick in the amount of venture capital flowing into Bitcoin startups? Watch as the innovators driving the Bitcoin boom discuss what to expect from this transformative new currency.
Vanessa O’Connell, WSJ entrepreneurship editor, hosts a panel of industry veterans as they explore the critical issues affecting modern startups, highlighting the unseen opportunities and delusive myths that often make or break young companies.
$10 advance/ $12 day of, 21 and over
Walter TV 8pm
White Fence TBA
Mac Demarco TBA
$32/$35 day of, all ages
Swans 9:20pm
Chelsea Wolf 8pm
$13, all ages (under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian)
Bleached 10pm
Butter the Children 9:15pm
Pop Zeus 8:30pm
$12, 21 and over
The Casualties TBA
$15, 21 and over
Rush Midnight 8pm
Selebrities 9pm
Ice Choir 10pm
Kisses 11pm
Chad Valley 12am
$10, 21+
Julia Haltigan 8pm
Wyatt 8:45pm
Cole Williams 9:35pm
Aabaraki 10:20pm
Kendra Morris 11:15pm
$12, all ages (16 and under must be accompanied by a parent or guardian)
Gondola 8:30pm
Neulore 9:15pm
Ivan & Alyosha 10pm
$10 advance/ $12 day of, all ages
Lushlife 8:30pm
Julian Lynch 9:15pm
The Luyas 10:15pm
Ava Luna 11:15pm
Twin Sister 12:15am
$5; 21+
Breeding Program 8:30pm
The Flag 9:15pm
Courtship Ritual 10pm
Alan Watts 10:45pm
YVETTE 11:30pm
$15, 18+
Bambara TBA
Bennio Qwerty TBA
Lower TBA
A Place to Bury Strangers TBA
Iceage TBA
$5 advance, $8 day of, 21 and over
Bowl Train (DJ Set) 11pm
Listen to NYC's experts explain how SMBs have been forced to evolve in this new cloud world, and how they have created big business for startups.
Open software, public APIs and social networks spanning billions of users... the wealth of technology and operating systems can be stepping stones for entrepreneurs looking to streamline services or integrate their offerings. GrowHack, Poptip, and IND MUSIC have all tapped into existing networks to build their unique businesses on the shoulders of those giants.
Every startup eventually reaches the point where it's time to pivot, but knowing exactly when and how can be tricky. We'll sit down with industry maven Ben Lerer as he describes his experience building Thrillist Media and the major pivot that changed the course of the company completely -- highlighting the lessons learned and key takeaways for any startup looking to make a pivot.
Scott Belsky shares past challenges and subsequent realizations from his time building Behance.
Not only is native advertising the big buzzword of 2013, it may be redefining the way consumers interact with ads on the web. Listen to industry leaders explain what native advertising is all about, plus the ways they use content to direct their strategies.
GroupMe grew from an award winning hack into a social phenomenon, and finally to a spectacular exit in less than two years, led by Jared Hecht and Steve Martocci. The problems that GroupMe solved at its launch have continued to evolve. Listen as these innovators discuss the ongoing challenges of innovating for a mobile community.
Hear Chris Hulls, co-founder and CEO of Life360, share lessons learned that got this startup to 30 million users.
Series A crunch? Series B crunch? Investors agree on one thought: if you’re building a promising business, the money will come. Hear the trials and tribulations of raising money and how our panelists raised their series B round.
Hear Brian Schechter, CEO and co-founder of HowAboutWe discuss how he built HowAboutWe to the success it is today and the key secrets to keep you consumers engaged.
This fireside chat between Harrison and Chris will be a deep dive into the ups and downs of building, growing and engaging creative communities online.
Moderated by Calvin Reed, Publishers Weekly's Senior News Editor and longtime contributor on the business of comics and graphic novels, this discussion will shed light on the business of comic books and illuminate how David Steinberger, founder and CEO of Comixology, was able to lead the company to become the dominant digital comic book player today. They will also discuss the unique qualities of the comic book medium and how technology has played into the company's success.
Nowadays you can e-hail a taxi in New York City, but the path to legalization wasn’t easy. Travis Kalanik, CEO of Uber, and David Yassky, the NYC Taxi Commissioner, sit down to discuss the challenge of integrating quality-of-life improving technology into highly regulted U.S. cities.
This panel will explore different ways emerging technologies can be harnessed to make public transportation more efficient. With a focus on the user, we will illustrate the advantages the advancements in technologies have on customers who commute on a daily basis.
On his deathbed, Steve Jobs started thinking about redesigning healthcare, but it was too late. What would the healthcare industry have looked likeifithadbeenhisfocus instead of handheld technology? We will all be patients one day, and healthcare requires new talent to disrupt the industry and create innovations that will revolutionize the delivery of care. In this panel, you will hear stories from people who worked outside the industry and transitioned into healthcare for very personal reasons.
$20, 21 and over
Xenia Rubios TBA
Leverage Models TBA
Sinkane TBA
$12, 21 and over
NVUS TBA
Supercute! TBA
Spires TBA
Purple TBA
The Boxing Lesson TBA
Har Mar Superstar TBA
$12, all ages (under 18 must be accompanied by an adult)
Dear Georgiana 7:30pm
The Sundelles 8:15pm
Sonny & the Sunsets 9pm
Advance tickets SOLD OUT, badges here, all ages
*please note, tickets and badges only (no wristbands)
The Netherlands TBA
Good For You TBA
The Men TBA
Black Flag (feat. Greg Ginn & Jealous Again-era vocalist Ron Reyes) TBA
$5, 21+
East of the Wall 11pm
Pushmen 10pm
So Hideous 9pm
Black Table 8pm
$18, 18 and over
Lazer/Wulf 8:30pm
White Hills TBA
Blood Ceremony TBA
Kylesa TBA
$5, 21+
Mount Sharp 7:30pm
Crazy Pills 8pm
pow wow! 9pm
The Beets 10pm
Quiet Loudly 11pm
The Planes 12am
$20, all ages (16 and under accompanied by adult or legal guardian)
Dan Friel 9pm
Rhys Chatham & Oneida (special collaborative performance) 10pm
$10, all ages (under 18 must be accompanied by parent or guardian)
HONEY 11:30pm
Las Rosas 12:15am
White Fence 1am
$10-$15 (sliding scale), 21+
Peanut Butter Wolf TBA
Cale Parks (DJ set) TBA
LebLaze (DJ set) TBA
$10, 21 and over
Chateau Marmont TBA
Avan Lava (DJ) TBA
Computer Magic 12 am
Chrome Canyon TBA
$10 advance, $15 day of, 21 and over
T'Angelo TBA
Judge Wide TBA
Evan Micheal TBA
Osborne TBA
$ TBD, 21+
Jim Testa & Friends TBA
Science TBA
Holy City Zoo TBA
Those Mockingbirds TBA
FREE, RSVP required (Northside Festival music or premium badge-holders guaranteed entry), all ages, rain or shine
Abdabad 4pm
Friend Roulette 4:45pm
Phosphorescent 5:30pm
The Walkmen 6:45pm
Presented by Northside Townhall
Directed by: Landon Van Soest
Composer: T. Griffin
Sculpture and HD Video/2013/USA
Five Windows is a multi-channel video installation presented at street level by the Northside Townhall. The project explores the fluid nature of urban space through a series of static, voyeuristic shots looking through windows into public and private spaces. As a series of protagonists go through banal routines in each window, their surroundings slowly morph to transcend time and alter perception. Periodically the windows present a unified image to suggest the fluid, evolving nature of urban residents. The videos are projected on a series of salvaged windowpanes, suspended on varied planes throughout the space and accompanied by a live score.
This event is sponsored, in part, by the Greater New York Arts Development Fund of New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, administered by Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC).
$12, 21 and over
The Gories TBA
Daddy Long Legs 8pm
$15, 21+
Belle Mare 7pm
Widowspeak (stripped-down set) 8pm
BRAIDS 9pm
Yellow Ostrich 10pm
$10, all ages (under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian)
Cities Aviv 7:30pm
YVETTE 8:15pm
Weekend 9pm
$32, all ages
Cinema Cinema TBA
Good for You TBA
Black Flag (feat. Greg Ginn & "Jealous Again"-era vocalist Ron Reyes) TBA
$13, all ages
Destruction Unit 9pm
Milk Music 10pm
Merchandise 11pm
$20, 18 and over
Colonel Ford (members of Son Volt) 9pm
Son Volt TBA
$15, 21 +
Los Skarroñeros
The Void Union
The Toasters
$12 adv, $15 day-of; 21+
Flying Horse (DJ set) TBA
French Horn Rebellion (live) TBA
Ladyhawke (DJ set) TBA
$7, 21 +
Dance Contest 1am
$TBA, 21+
Foreplay 12:00am
Puce Mary 12:30 am
Body of Light 1:00 am
Marshstepper 1:30 am
Lust For Youth 2:15 am
Pharmakon 3:00 am
FREE, 21+
JPK 1pm
Lisa/Liza 2pm
Owel 3pm
Coalsack in Crux 4pm
Leda 5pm
Ball of Flame Shoot Fire 6pm
Cultfever 7pm
Weird Children 8pm
Sunset Hearts 9pm
MiniBoone 10pm
Shark? 11pm
Clouder 12am
FREE, RSVP required (Northside Festival music or premium badge-holders guaranteed entry), all ages, rain or shine
My Midnight Heart 4pm
Cable 4:45pm
Petite Noir 5:30pm
Solange 6:45pm
$12 advance, $15 day of; 21 and over
Turf War 8pm
The Spinto Band
Born Ruffians
$25, all ages (under 16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian)
TBA 6:30 pm
Lambchop 7:15pm
$15, 16 and over
*please note, MHoW's usual 18+ age minimum has been lowered to 16+ for this show
The Krays 8pm
Drunken Rampage TBA
Adolescents TBA
Subhumans TBA
$15, all ages
Grooms 8:30pm
Pop. 1280 9:30pm
The Soft Moon 10:30pm
$18, all ages (under 16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian)
Sarah Jaffe 10pm
WHY? 10:45pm
Presented by New York African Film Festival
Farewell Exile (Salem Ghourba)
Directed by Lamia Alami
15min/2011/Morocco/In Arabic with English subtitles
Fatima, 30. is waiting to join her husband who migrated to France over a year ago to escape the misery which surrounds her in an underprivileged neighborhood. She has to deal with the absence of her husband, the lack of job and finances and the harmful environment that her naïve son, Mohammed, is immersed in.
Microphone
Directed by Ahmad Abdalla
120min/2012/Egypt/In Arabic
Microphone is a sparkling mash-up of shooting styles that tells the story of Khaled, who returns to his native Alexandria after a long stay in the United States and becomes enmeshed in a thriving underground arts scene after he chances upon a cooperative of young musicians.
A Taste of Tropfest – The World’s Largest Short Film Festival
Born 21 years ago in a cafe in Sydney, Australia, Tropfest has become the world’s largest short film festival. It is supported by some of the biggest names in the international film community and receives thousands of submissions for its film festivals in Australia, the USA, New Zealand, South East Asia and the Middle East each year. Tropfest is recognised for its enormous contribution to the film industry by providing unique platforms for emerging filmmakers and creating new and expanded audiences for their work. Tropfest debuted in New York in 2012 and is returning this year on June 22nd at Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. The event is FREE to attend will be hosted by actor, writer, director and producer, Liev Schreiber. A huge audience is expected to turn out for a day and night of music, food and of course the world premiere of some incredible short films.
For more information, please visit www.tropfest.com
1. 2013 AUS WINNER – We’ve All Been There, directed by Nicholas Clifford
2. 2012 NY WINNER – Emptys, directed by Josh Leake
3. 2012 NZ WINNER - Cappuccino Tango, directed by Dave Smith
4. 2011 ARABIA 3RD PLACE – They Say, directed by Ahmed Ghazal
5. 2012 NY 2ND PLACE – The Break-Up Tour, directed by Alexander Poe
6. 2012 AUS FINALIST – The Mistake, directed by Bryan Moses
7. 2012 NY FINALIST – Thanks Dad, directed by Victor Bruno
8. 2012 AUS WINNER – Lemonade Stand, directed by Alethea Jones
9. 2013 AUS FINALIST – Cargo, directed by Ben Howling & Yolanda Ramke
Presented by Oscilloscope, curated by Filmwax.
Written and directed by Hannah Fidell
Starring Lindsay Burdge
76min/2013/USA/English
Part psychological thriller and part provocative character study, A TEACHER explores the unraveling of a young high school teacher, Diana (Lindsay Burdge), after she begins an affair with one of her teenage students, Eric (Will Brittain). What starts as a seemingly innocent fling becomes increasingly complex and dangerous as the beautiful and confident Diana gets fully consumed by her emotions, crossing boundaries and acting out in progressively startling ways. Lindsay Burdge delivers a deeply compelling and seamlessly naturalistic performance that brings us into the mind of an adult driven to taboo against her better judgment.
Directed by:James Benson & Bernardo Britto
Starring:James Benson, Kevin Perkins, Robert Asch, Luca Stein, Alex Karpovsky, Vanessa Ray, Sarah Willis, Samuel Franklin, Andrew WK
104min/2013/USA/English
Danny gets kicked out of his college dormitory a month before graduating and moving to LA with his roommate Cameron, where they have secured jobs as writers on a reality TV show. He spends his last few weeks in New York couch surfing as he and Cameron prepare to leave behind girls and their two best friends, Doug and Doug.
Presented by UnionDocs and DCTV
Directed by Jennie Livingston
71 minutes/1990/USA/English
Jennie Livingston's award-winning, critically-acclaimed documentary pays tribute to the vibrant subculture of New York's drag balls of the late 80's, an underground scene that famously became the inspiration for Madonna's 'Vogue'. This is where it all began; in the community halls of Harlem where flamboyant characters belonging to rival 'houses' gathered to compete on makeshift catwalks.
Paris is Burning is an intimate portrait of a time, a place and a community of outsiders finding expression, strength and pride in a world of their own creating. A special discussion will follow the screening organized by Carolyn Lazard.
Special thanks to Park Circus.
Presented by N1FR, the n+1 film review
Directed by Chris Smith
Starring: Randy Russell, Matt Collier, Tom Wheeler, Charles Smith, Eric Lezotte, Gary Gankas, Dave O'Mera, Dan Layne, Ed English
90min/1996/US/English
A deadpan narrative about a young man and his series of menial occupations, American Job follows the strangely comic, slightly absurd journey of a worker just barely getting by.
Presented by Reverse Shot (in honor of their 10th Anniversary) and Janus Films
Directed by: William Greaves
Starring: Patricia Ree Gilbert, Don Fellows, Jonathan Gordon, Bob Rosen, William Greaves
75 mins/1968/USA/English
Directed by: Andre Valentim Almeida
70 mins/2012/USA and Portugal/English
Wandering through moving images taken with a tourist camera juxtaposed with classic movies, From New York with Love is an essay on a foreigner's evolving relation with his host country.
Presented by Hammer to Nail
#PostModem
Directed by: Jillian Mayer, Lucas Leyva
Starring: Jillian Mayer, Kayla Delacerda, Amy Seimetz
14:41min/2012/USA/English
A comedic, satirical, sci-fi pop musical based on the theories of Ray Kurzweil and other futurists, #PostModem is the story of two Miami girls and how they deal with technological singularity, as told through a series of cinematic tweets.
Joy de V.
Director: Nadia Szold
Starring: Evan Louison, Claudia Cardinale, Iva Gocheva, Joséphine de La Baume
84min/2013/USA/English, Italian
Roman is a con-artist from Long Island, his wife Joy is 7 months pregnant. One morning she vanishes into thin air. The same morning she disappears, Roman discovers that his most consistent scam, government disability checks from a faked madness, will run out if he doesn’t do something soon to prove he is insane. We begin here, and from here dive into the mysterious behavior of those stricken by love and who are perhaps more certifiably crazy than they believe themselves to be.
Presented by IFP and NoBudge Films
Black Metal
Directed by: Kate Candler
Starring: Jonny Mars, Heather Kafka
9min/2013/USA/English
After a career spent mining his music from the shadows, the actions of one fan create a chain reaction for the lead singer of a black metal band.
Go Down Death
Directed by Aaron Schimberg
Starring: Doug Barron, Rayvin Disla, Lucy Kaminsky, Sammy Mena, Bryant Pappas, Simone Xi
88 minutes/2013/USA/English
As one of the leading video sharing platforms, Dailymotion attracts over 120 million unique visitors and 2 billion video views worldwide on a monthly basis. the platform offers the best content from users, independent content creators and premium partners on 32 different home pages in 16 languages.
‘Motionmaker’ is Dailymotion’s creative label. It is an initiative designed to promote independent filmmakers, actors, producers and editors, allow them to generate revenue, produce their projects and stream their online videos in the best possible environment.
cloaque.mov – Cloaque – 4:00
Game, by Matt Porter – 2:10
Flamingo Pride, by Tomer Eshed – 6:02
C (299,792 kilometers per second), by Otto Stockmeier and Derek Van Gorder – 14:45
Film Kiss, by David Sidorov – 3:00
Lennon’s Poster, by Joe Fellows, Nick Esdaile – 3:26
CHRISTEENE “Big Shot,” by PJ Raval – 3:47
LUSHLIFE “MAGNOLIA,” by LAMAR+NIK – 2:41
Love Letter to Plywood, by Tom Sachs – 10:17
The Sunshine State, by Peter Habbit – 4:02
Interview with a Zombie, by Chris Oneill, Jorge Enrique Ponce- 3:56
Mike Luck “Cityscape,” by Max Italiaander – 2:52
The Elaborate End of Robert Ebb, by Clement Bolla, Fx Goby, and Matthieu Landour – 12:42
Animals “Horses,” by Phil Matarese – 4:17
Game Theory, by Ithaca Audio – 3:14
MAELSTRØM, by Tom Geraedts – 7:44
Directed by: Amy Finkel
Narrated by: Illeana Douglas
80min/2013/USA/English
FUREVER is feature length documentary that explores the dimensions of grief people experience over the loss of a pet. It examines the sociological evolution of pets in the U.S. today, particularly their position in a family unit, and how this evolution is affecting those in the veterinary profession and death care industry. With interviews from grieving pet owners, veterinarians, psychologists, sociologists, religious scholars, neuroscientists, and the many professionals who preserve a pet's body for their devastated clientele, or repurpose a pet's cremains in unique ways (taxidermy, cloning, mummificatio, freeze-drying, AND MANY MORE), FUREVER confronts contemporary trends, perspectives, and relevant cultural assumptions regarding attachment, religion, ritual, grief, and death, and studies the bonds that form between humans and animals, both psychological and physiological.
Presented by Cinema Tropical
Directed by Olallo Rubio
101 minutes/2012/Mexico/In Spanish and English subtitles
The third feature film by acclaimed radio DJ Olallo Rubio is a irreverent rockumentary about the four-time Latin Grammy Award-winning Mexican alternative band Molotov. Formed in 1995, Molotov rapidly became a favorite among Mexican fans for its risqué, playful, and politically-inspired lyrics. Taking the band's provocative and controversial trademark lyrics as a point of departure, Gimme the Power narrates the history of the popular band while exploring the convoluted political and social contexts of contemporary Mexico.
Ape (NY Premiere)
Directed by Joel Potrykus
Starring Jushua Burge, Gary Bosek, Daniel Falicki
86 minutes/Blu-Ray/2013/USA/English
There are a myriad of young directors who have decided to focus their attention on the failures of their peers, daring to show the western white male as immature and antisocial, exposing his contradictions, neuroses and anxieties. Welcome to economically depressed Grand Rapids, Michigan, the city of director Joel Potrykus. Here we find the listless Trevor Newandyke (a brilliant Joshua Burge), a sociopath, comic failure and arsonist. His efforts to wrestle a smile from his audience with his stand-up monologues lead to one flop after another. His jokes give off a desperate, sarcastic vision, expressing a true punk sense of humour that forestalls any kind of public support. When he’s not trying to invent pathetic jokes in front of his bathroom mirror, Trevor likes to set fire to rubbish bins and gets off on the sound of throwing Molotov cocktails at his neighbours’ homes. Trevor’s life is a concentration of trouble, absurd meetings and discussions, public humiliation, solitary wanderings and long moments of exhaustion spent between the walls of his small room. One day a man dressed as the Devil offers him a deal.
A nightmarish, nihilistic tale, the ultra-low budget Ape has all the qualities to become a standard for a generation that has no future, and is also a political manifesto for the best of new American cinema. Burge’s character is an authentic rebel and Potrykus is an innovator, and should be an example for all proletarian artists who really want to make a “guerrilla film.”—Olivier Père, Locarno Film Festival
Presented by indieWIRE
Directed by Neil Jordan
Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Gemma Arterton
120 min/2012/UK/English
An insatiable thirst for blood thrusts a beautiful young woman into an exhilarating and deadly new world of dark mysticism and hauntingly intoxicating vampire legends.
Presented by BAMcinemaFest
Directed by Joe Swanberg
Starring: Jane Adams, Sophia Takal, Kent Osborne
79 min/2012/USA/English
Jane Adams plays a woman living in a house perched precariously on stilts above the beach in Malibu who clings to her life's ambitions in much the same way. With her age exempting her from more and more acting opportunities, her future is uncertain. That's when her young niece — a superb Sophia Takal — comes for a weekend stay. The film captures their night conversations, fears and stories that emerge in the witching hours. Swanberg has become a master at eliciting inspired performances from his actors. Here, he's working at the height of his powers and, with Adams, he's clearly tapped into an actor with creative reserves. Negotiating the language and relationships of 21st century Americans, Swanberg's alchemy is at its best. [Synopsis courtesy of Lane Kneedler and AFI Fest]
Brooklyn Arts Council Presents a survey of new short documentaries on current political and social struggles, all by local filmmakers and videojournalists. Includes new work produced by the Brooklyn Filmmakers Collective and Storyhunter. Curated by Nick Shimkin
Total run time: 66min
In No Place (World Premiere)
Directed by Gabriel Long,
14min/2012/US/English
In 1966 Stephen Oleskey was working on a civil rights campaign in Mississippi, when four state policemen pulled him over and forced him to stand trial in a barn in the middle of the woods. The experience was both terrifying and formative, powerfully illustrating the importance and reach of the constitution and directing him toward a career that would include advocacy work. In 2008, as an attorney, Stephen represented six men being held at the Guantanamo Bay prison. The case ended up before the Supreme Court, where Stephen and his team successfully argued that the men had the right to a trial. By exploring these interconnected stories, the film offers a personal and unique look at elements of the constitution and the law that are often obscured or forgotten despite their fundamental importance to our society.
The Last Homecoming
Directed by Nathan Fitch
4min/2012/USA/English
When Maryann and Brightly found out that their son, Sapuro Nena had been killed in Afghanistan, they knew immediately that they wanted to have his body returned to his native island of Kosrae in the Federated States of Micronesia. Citizens from the Federated States of Micronesia serve in the US Military at a rate that is approximately twice that per capita of US citizens from any US state. The Last Homecoming explores the impact that this service is having upon a small community in the Pacific, and is the subject of a feature length documentary ISLAND SOLDIER by Nathan Fitch (currently under production).
Coney Island: The Darker Side of Dreamland
Directed by Nathan Fitch
5 min/2012/USA/English
Along with many neighborhoods in New York, New Jersey and the eastern seaboard, Coney Island was gravely affected by flooding during Hurricane Sandy on October 30th, 2012. In the aftermath of Sandy, lower income communities such as Coney Island struggled to rebuild and resume normal life again. Among the stories in this short film is that of Adeline, an 81-year old Coney Island native who lived for 40 days and nights without heat or electricity, and of an immigrant family who’s landlord never showed up to renovate their apartment after the storm. Primarily known for providing New Yorkers and visiting tourists with amusement and thrills, this is the Darker Side of Dreamland in the days after Hurricane Sandy.
A Voice for Vacancy (Picture the Homeless)
Directed by Alex Mallis
In collaboration with Ahmed Tigani, Rached Mullen and Ryan Daniels
9min/2012/USA/English
A documentary about the efforts of Picture the Homeless, a homeless rights group, in their struggle to properly identify vacant properties in NYC – vacancies they argue could and should be reclaimed by communities and put to use.
For more information click here.
A Short Film About Guns
Directed by Minos Papas
8min/2013/USA and UK/English
Four experts share firsthand experiences that illuminate the global unregulated arms trade
and how the illegal flow of weapons facilitates loss of life and local devastation. With fewer regulations than bananas, small arms are in constant worldwide circulation, crossing borders thanks to tacit nods and winks among government officials. The UN just passed the first Arms Trade Treaty. “A Short Film About Guns” examines the global effects of the unholstered arms trade that called for this momentous agreement.
The Hunted and the Hated: An Inside Look at the NYPD’s Stop-and-Frisk Policy
Directed by Ross Tuttle
13 min/2012/USA/English
Featuring the only known audio of an actual stop, the short documentary “The Hunted and The Hated” offers a troubling look at the NYPD practice that’s occurred more than five million times on New York City streets in the past decade; and for the first time, viewers can get a real sense for why the practice, as it’s carried out by New York’s Finest, is engendering so much anger in communities across the City. The video includes the unprecedented audio and a critique of the practice from unlikely sources: cops currently on the beat, who offer insights into the pressures driving officers to be hunters and not helpers.
Police on Playback: Copwatch in New York City
Directed by Nate Lavey, Rachel Tomlinson, Martyna Starosta,
7min/2012/USA/English
Stories of police brutality are often told in a way that casts victims as helpless bystanders of cops run amok. We met with Sean Pagan, a recent victim of police violence, and found that his story changes how we think about policing in New York. Sean’s story shows that communities are finding new and innovative tactics for dealing with discriminatory policing, beyond waiting for legislative reform. One such tactic is copwatch, where individuals or teams film officers making arrests. But what’s the history of the tactic? What are the risks, limitations and impact of filming the police? And how do these videos change the way we understand narratives of police violence?
Produced for Waging Nonviolence by the New York Video League. The New York Video League was founded this summer by Nate Lavey, Rachel Tomlinson and Martyna Starosta.
Mexican Families Affected by Hurricane Sandy
Directed by Livia Perini
6min
Three Mexican families recount the night Hurricane Sandy hit Staten Island, New York, flooding their homes and changing their lives for the foreseeable future.
Founded in 1966, Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC) is the leading nonprofit organization serving Brooklyn artists and cultural groups in the visual, performing, media and literary arts, and ensuring Brooklyn residents have access to affordable arts experiences. We give grants, present free and affordable arts events, train artists and arts professionals, teach students, incubate new projects and promote artists and cultural groups in all disciplines across our borough. We are the go-to service group for Brooklyn artists, and for finding out about the wide array of cultural groups and projects in our area. We’re also one of the main organizations working to preserve the arts in Brooklyn schools, after school programs and community centers. Our leadership has helped Brooklyn become home to more artists than any other borough, and for the arts to flourish in Brooklyn’s amazing diversity of neighborhoods.
Presented by IFC Films
Directed by Franck Khalfoun
Starring: Elijah Wood
89 min/2012/USA/English
Frank is the withdrawn owner of a mannequin store, but his life changes when young artist Anna appears asking for his help with her new exhibition. As their friendship develops and Frank’s obsession escalates, it becomes clear that she has unleashed a long-repressed compulsion to stalk and kill. A 21st century Jack the Ripper set in presentday L.A., MANIAC is a re-boot of the cult film considered by many to be the most suspenseful slasher movie ever made – an intimate, visually daring, psychologically complex and profoundly horrific trip into the downward spiralling nightmare of a killer and his victims.
Flyer Boy
Directed by: Simon Liu
Starring: Tokio Sasaki & Sarah Scheld
10:40min/2012/USA/English
In Flyer Boy a young Chinese man spends his days handing out flyers for a local New York Chinatown restaurant. His work life is full of fleeting exchanges, passing gestures and people he tries to communicate with, but finds himself ignored. Meanwhile in private he is in a state of anxiety due to his own physical and emotional ailments. Haunted by his now expired family life, he tries to reach out to somebody with whom he can share his story.
Downtown
Directed by: Jaclyn Gramigna
Starring: Aurora Heimbach, Benjamin Frankenberg
3 min/2013/USA/English
What if a girl has a very private moment in a very public place?
Skin and Bones
Directed by: Alex Keipper
Starring: Jeff Ronan, David Armanino, Shelly Margib, Colin Key
17min/2012/USA/English
Dylan (24) works every day to help his mom put food on the table, and raise his 15-year-old brother Terrance. At night, he breaks into slaughterhouses and rescue chickens. As his idealism becomes an escape, his two worlds begin to aggressively collide. In order to help raise his brother in a hungry household, Dylan has to confront his family, his ethics, and his motives head on.
I Hear You
Directed by: Robert Kalison and Dennis Mason
Starring: Brad Makarowski, Brett Mcclelland, Dennis Mason, Jennifer Kalison, John Thompson Jr., Lauren Lindsey, Lija Fisher, Mary Ann Bonczek, Patricia O'Neil, Robert Kalison, Ted Leo, and Zoe Anastassiou
10:00min/2013/USA/English
An office worker's ability to hear what people really mean when they speak reveals a co-worker's intention to shoot everyone in an afternoon meeting.
Spoils: Extraordinary Harvest
Directed by: Alex Mallis
21 min/2012/USA/English
An intimate portrait of 3 New Yorkers on a journey through the culture of dumpster diving, illuminating a practice as old as agriculture.
Presented by MIX NYC
Frenzy
Directed by: Jill Reiter
11 min/1993/USA/English
A visual proclamation of promiscuity, a "queer grrrl" thrash band plays with wild abandon while audience members first tear off their own clothes and then start grabbing the grrrls in the band, kissing them, and trying to pull them away from their instruments.
She Said Boom: The Story of the Fifth Column
Directed by Kevin Hegge
Starring GB Jones, Kathleen Hanna, Bruce La Bruce, Vaginal Davis, Caroline Azar, Beverly Breckenridge
64 min/2012/Canada/English
Forerunners of Queercore and Riot Grrrl, Toronto's preeminent feminist art-punk combo Fifth Column gets the tribute it has long deserved. Kevin Hegge's doc also doubles as a fascinating time capsule of the city's vibrant alternative culture of the 1980s and early 1990s. Hegge uses an abundance of film, video, and print material to powerfully evoke their Toronto, before the queercore ethos that Fifth Column and pal Bruce LaBruce cooked up wended its way into the lives and minds of misfits far from Queen Street And though Hegge doesn't quite untangle the band's very messy history, he captures the equally unruly energies that made Fifth Column matter.
birdsong Presents: A Night of Adaptations
An exploration of film and animation adapted from literature, and literature whose chief inspiration is the screen. Where does adaptation meet inspiration? Curated by Tommy Pico of birdsong.
Things We Both Know (Not Our Real Names)
Directed by Finn Paul and Roy Pérez
Starring Christopher Carlos Hamann, Roy Pérez, Daniel Granias, Josh Tillinghast, Eugene Dickens, Joy Lai, Ryan Kost, Talitha Luisa, Rudy (a cat), Sadie Williams, Lynn Makau, David Proterra, Sean Martinez.
6:49/2012/USA/English
Using a poem of the same name as a launching point, imagined interior dialogs are bookended with intimate moments in underpants.
Ticking
Directed by Chris New
Starring Scott Chambers, Dani Cey, and Rory Jennings
13 minutes/2012/UK/English
Selected Single Sentence Animations by Electric Literature
Rontel by Sam Pink, animated by Brandon Ray
The Devil’s Treasure by Mary Gaitskill, animated by Luca Dipierro
Hello Everybody by A.M. Homes, animated by Gretta Johnson
Three by Marc Basch, animated by Jason Mitcham
Alternate: Tributaries by Ramona Ausubel, animated by Myles David Jewell
With a reading by poet Kathleen Ossip
About birdsong:
The Birdsong Collective and Micropress were founded in April 2008 with four goals in mind: to foster sustained collaboration among artists, musicians and writers in the form of an ongoing workshop; to continually encourage each other to produce creative work; to host free, public events where members can showcase works in progress; and to circulate members’ creative endeavors in a low-cost, easy to reproduce, and high-frequency format. Birdsong members share commitments to social movements of feminism, anti-racism, queer positivity, class-consciousness, and DIY cultural production. These commitments inform our creative work in many ways, ranging from the concrete to the theoretical to the experimental.
Presented by Women Make Movies
Directed by Barbara Miller
96 minutes/HDCAM/2012/ Switzerland/Spanish, Chinese, French and Farsi with English Subtitles
Their voices are suppressed, prohibited and censored. But world-famous bloggers Yoani Sánchez, Zeng Jinyan and Farnaz Seifi are unafraid of their dictatorial regimes. These fearless women represent a new, networked generation of modern rebels. In Cuba, China and Iran their blogs shake the foundations of the state information monopoly, putting them at great risk.
Directed by: Todd Looby
Starring: Amy Seimetz, Thomas J. Madden, Tessa Day Looby, Todd Looby, Paul Gordon, Billy Phelan, Joe Swanberg, Quentin Hirsley
70min/2013/USA/English
When Mary (Amy Seimetz) returns to work after her maternity leave, Paul (Thomas J. Madden) is in charge of their "spirited" baby, Pearl, as he struggles to write a screenplay. Mary misses Pearl terribly, but her benefits are the only security to family has. As Paul's disinterest in his work grows, money becomes tighter and his attachment to Pearl intensifies - Mary is left out in the cold. It all comes to a head one day when Paul's good nature gets the best of him and he quickly becomes the jerk he thought he'd never be.
Presented by The L Magazine
Directed by Ernst Josef Lauscher
Starring Christoph Waltz
102 min/1981/Austria/In German with English subtitles
Markus Dorn (Christoph Waltz) does not get along with his mother. When an argument between then escalates and she calls the police, Markus refuses to cooperate. He is sent to a mental institution, where they administer unnecessary electroshock treatment.
Presented by BOMB Magazine and Kino Lorber
Directed by Jim McBride
Starring: L.M. Kit Carson, Eileen Dietz
73 minutes/Black & White/1967/USA/English
As news from the Vietnam War and social unrest blares over the radio, David Holzman (L.M. Kit Carson) unloads comic-neurotic monologues to his 16mm camera. When his relationship with Penny (Eileen Dietz) goes south, he retreats further into moving images, secretly recording his pretty neighbor and even turning his lens to the TV shows he watches. No longer able to deal with life outside celluloid, all of his ties to the real world begin to erode.
The "totally delightful satire" (NY Times) of a narcissistic artist is also a well-crafted fiction about the deceptions of cinematic illusionism. Early on, Holzman quotes Jean-Luc Godard's famous dictum that "the cinema is truth 24 frames-per-second." As director Jim McBride teaches and Holzman soon learns, it lies just as often.
Directed by: Jonathan Goodman Levitt
72 min/2012/USA/English
FOLLOW THE LEADER is a real-life coming-of-age story of three traditional American boys with Presidential dreams.
At sixteen-years-old, high school Class Presidents Ben, D.J. & Nick are all conservatives who plan to continue leading their peers as President someday. Over three life-changing years, they split into Republican, Democratic and Independent camps as each discovers what he truly believes – and what path he wants to follow into the future.
Growing up at a critical moment for America as well, their lives “force us all to rethink assumptions about tomorrow’s leaders, the impact of 9/11 on them, and the political views of the millennial generation” (Christian Science Monitor). As shocking as "Jesus Camp," as revealing as "American Teen," and as funny as "Spellbound" – FOLLOW THE LEADER is the true story of what “change” means for three young leaders who feel destined to lead the world.
Presented by DCTV
Other Voices
Directed by: Sarah Enid Hagey
23 min/2012/USA/English
Other Voices is a short film about the enigmatic life of plants and the people who love them. World Premiered at MoMA’s Documentary Fortnight 2013.
Your Day Is My Night
Directed by: Lynne Sachs
Starring: Yi Chun Cao, Linda Y.H. Chan, Chung Qing Che, Ellen Ho, Yun Xiu Huang, Sheut Hing Lee, Kam Yin Tsui, Veraalba Santa
64 min/2012/USA/Chinese, English & Spanish with English Subtitles
Immigrant residents of a “shift-bed” apartment in the heart of New York City’s Chinatown share their stories of personal and political upheaval. As the bed transforms into a stage, the film reveals the collective history of the Chinese in the United States through conversations, autobiographical monologues, and theatrical movement pieces. Shot in the kitchens, bedrooms, wedding halls, cafés, and mahjong parlors of Chinatown, this provocative hybrid documentary addresses issues of privacy, intimacy, and urban life. World Premiered at MoMA’s Documentary Fortnight 2013.
Presented by Filmmaker Magazine
Play House
Directed by: Brandon LaGanke
Starring: Larry Petersen, Angela Pierce, John Reese, Gianna LePera and Megan Mann
10 Min/2012/USA/English
The only thing keeping Harold's family bound is his unconditional love for them.
The Invader
Directed by: Nicolas Provost.
Starring: Issaka Sawadogo, Stefania Rocca,
95 min/2011/Belgium/in French and English
Amadou, a strong and charismatic African man, is washed up on a beach in southern Europe. Fate leads him to Brussels where, full of optimism, he tries to make a better life for himself.
Exploited by traffickers, his daily life is slowly drained of hope, until he meets Agnès, a beautiful and brilliant businesswoman. She is seduced by his charm and force of character, while he projects all his hope and dreams onto her. The illusion quickly shatters, and Agnès breaks all contact with Amadou, who little by little sinks into destructive violence, struggling with his inner demons.
Presented by IFP and NoBudge Films
Black Metal
Directed by: Kate Candler
Starring: Jonny Mars, Heather Kafka
9min/2013/USA/English
After a career spent mining his music from the shadows, the actions of one fan create a chain reaction for the lead singer of a black metal band.
Go Down Death
Directed by Aaron Schimberg
Starring: Doug Barron, Rayvin Disla, Lucy Kaminsky, Sammy Mena, Bryant Pappas, Simone Xi
88 minutes/2013/USA/English
Go Down Death is a wry, sinister realization of a strange new universe, a cross-episodic melange of macabre folktales supposedly penned by the fictitious writer Jonathan Mallory Sinus. An abandoned warehouse in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, stands in for a decrepit village haunted by ghosts, superstition, and disease, while threatening to buckle under rumblings of the apocalypse. Soldiers are lost and found in endless woods; a child gravedigger is menaced by a shape-shifting physician, a syphilitic john bares all to a young prostitute, and a disfigured outcast yearns for the affections of a tone-deaf cabaret singer. Highlighted by offbeat narrative construction, stunning black-and-white 16mm cinematography and immaculately detailed production design, Go Down Death is a distinctively original film informed by American Gothic, folk culture and outsider art.
Presented by Oscilloscope
Directed by: Kerthy Fix
Starring: Kathleen Hanna, JD Sampson, Johanna Fateman
67 minutes/2010/USA/English
Campers
Directed by: Emma Rozanski
Starring: Ella Findlay and Jacqueline Gray
15 mins/2012/United Kingdom/English
Eccentricities illuminate shadows of grief. When her husband dies, a young girl's mother withdraws, leaving her daughter to fend for herself in unique ways.
Temblor
Directed by: Marina Fernandez Ferri
Starring: Rosa Torres, Miguel Belmonte, Emily Gallagher
10min/2012/USA/English, Spanish
Dreams that New York inspires are not always sweet, even less so for the young Spaniard who yearns for connections in the city of frozen streets and lost glances. Temblor is a quiet short film from the intimate perspective of an immigrant struggling to adapt in the barren New York winters. Her imagination and fears come to life through a hybrid of live action and animated sketches. Based on the deeply personal experiences of first-time director Marina Fernandez Ferri, Temblor explores the isolation of every outsider in a foreign land.
Epilogue
Directed by: Dylan Allen
Starring: Chris Henry Coffey, Lucy Walters
17 min/2013/USA/English
At the end of his greatest adventure, Skillman has vanquished his nemesis, recovered the priceless artifact and saved his latest love from certain doom. As he struggles to figure out what comes next, his leading lady realizes her confident, capable man doesn’t have a clue what to do once the guns are down.
The Hunting Trip
Directed by: Caitlin Machak
Starring: Elliot Bourdages, Joe Bourdages, Brian Bourdages, Matt McDonough
7min/2013/USA/English
A story of Taylor, a young boy on his first hunting trip; a trip that will turn him into a little man.
Directed by Ruben Amar & Lola Bessis
Starring: Dustin Guy Defa, Brooke Bloom, Lola Bessis, Olivia Costello, Anne Consigny
96minutes/2013/USA and France/English and French
Maggie? Rainbow? Leeward and Mary cannot even agree on their three year old daughter's name anymore.
Mary is a hardworking nurse who dreams of only one thing: changing her life around. She resents her husband for being an irresponsible, overgrown adolescent, unable to handle his responsibilities. Leeward is an atypical, idealistic musician who fancies himself a misunderstood artist and a New Age visionary.
Enter Lilas, a 19-year-old French artist and the daughter of a world famous painter, who is trying to make it in New York and get away from an overbearing mother.
When the bubbly young woman moves into the couple's tiny Chinatown apartment, their already fragile balance is upset even further.
Full of art, music and everyday magic, Swim Little Fish Swim is a dreamlike journey from childhood to adulthood.
Presented by IFC Films
Directed by: Michael Winterbottom
Starring: Steve Coogan
Runtime: 101min/2013/UK/English
The true story of British adult magazine publisher and entrepreneur Paul Raymond. A modern day King Midas story, Raymond became one of the richest men in Britain at the cost of losing those closest to him.
Screening with
Gawking Red presented by Brooklyn Filmmakers Collective
Directed by Iva Radivojevic
5:00/2011/USA/English
This films documents an experience at the red light district in Amsterdam.
It emphasizes the divide between the polished Western European culture, aesthetic and nature and the underworld that is the red light district, occupied mostly by tourists and foreign sex workers from Eastern Europe, Africa and the Caribbean. The film draws up the relationship between the spectators and the women of red.
