The Rooftop Films 2008 Summer Series

Dynamic short films about communities in flames and on the cusp.

Venue: On the roof of The Old American Can Factory
Address: 232 3rd Street at the corner of 3rd Avenue (Gowanus, Brooklyn)
Directions: F, G to Carroll Street or M, R to Union Street and read here for directions from the train| Map
Rain: In the event of rain the show will be held indoors at the same location
5:00PM: Panel Discussion outside in the courtyard - Cinema and Social Justice
6:30PM: Panel Discussion outside in the courtyard - The Art of the Short Film
7:30PM - 8:30PM: Reception in the courtyard including wine courtesy of Brooklyn Oenology
8:30PM: Sound Fix presents live music by Silver Haunches
9:00PM: Films
Tickets: $9 at going.com
Preview: See short films from this and other programs at www.IFC.com
Presented in partnership with: IFC.com, New York magazine, and XO Projects

PROGRAM NOTES:
Very soon after the birth of Rooftop Films, co-founder Josh Breitbart came up with a very simple catch-phrase that was meant to sum up what Rooftop Films was all about: “Movies that show us where you live and how you live.” Over time, this simple set of words became something like a guiding mantra for us as we programmed our festival. The availability of digital cameras had made possible an explosion of video documentation of local cultures and communities and the cumulative effect of these works was to awaken in society at large a greater sense of the myriad ways in which how we live is inextricably tied to place.

Enthralled by this realization, we came to understand that--as a festival whose screenings actually take place outdoors in communities--we were particularly obligated to show those works that addressed the transformation of neighborhoods, towns and cities, and the implications this process has for the people who live there.

This sense of responsibility came to mind recently when we were interviewed by the Times for an article about the old Bushwick warehouses that we converted to spacious lofts back in 1997, and which served as the home base for Rooftop Films for 5 formative years. The spaces are now known locally as “The McKibbin Dorms,” and the wide-open artists’ spaces that we once hoped would be the locus of beneficent community participation have been chopped up into cramped, lousy quarters for young and disgruntled transplants.

After reading the article, we lamented the sorry state of our former home, and an old friend wrote me, “Foucault put it best (and I paraphrase): People know what they do and they frequently know why they do what they do, but rarely--if ever--do they know what they are doing does.”

Foucault was wise, but his aphorism is not law. This program of shorts features six stunning films that show that if we look closely and with an unwavering eye, it is possible to determine and predict the real consequences of our actions. Perhaps, with work, we can even turn the tide.

Part of Rooftop Films and XO Projects’ INDUSTRIANCE™ Series: films, discussions, installations and more about the changing landscape in industry, architecture, agriculture, labor, and related fields.

Click on the films below to read descriptions, rate them, add them to your calendar, and more.