The Rooftop Films 2008 Summer Series

Enjoyably evil animation. 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 8:30PM: Sound Fix presents live music by RISD alumnus Marissa Nadler 9:00PM: Films 11:00PM: Open bar after party in the courtyard courtesy of Brooklyn Oenology Tickets: $9 at going.com Preview: See short films from this and other programs at www.IFC.com Presented in partnership with: XØ Projects , Rhode Island School of Design , IFC.com , and New York magazine . PROGRAM NOTES: Animation. Sweet, simple, innocent. Makes you think of cute little animals—that are either dead (Dog) or deadly (Princess). Fantasy romances—with torture dungeons (JoJo in the Stars) and vengeful, headless fuck-toys (Berni’s Doll). Peaceful, playful dreamworlds—where angels and devils battle (Recto Verso) and lonely ephemeral characters wander aimlessly, trapped by a confoundingly empty expanse of nothingness. It’s fun! But really, it is fun. Because in this program, hard-boiled, misogynist crimefighters will battle outer space out-of-towners in a hilarious b-movie spoof (Rocket Science!), abusive dust-ups with local thugs will be set to catchy melodies with loquacious lyrics (I Have Seen the Future), and a lovable loser will save the day (Hot Dog). That’s the magic of animation: it can warp your mind and get under your skin, but great cartoons are complex, and the films in this program flip from comic to calamitous, from heartbreaking to hilarious, all with a unique agility available only in animation. THE FILMS Selections of RISD Animation: The 2008 RISD biennial is being hosted at our home base out here in the Old American Can Factory and so prior to the main program of films we are proud to present a selection of new animation by RISD filmmakers, including work by Fran Kraus e, Wyeth Hansen , and Meghan Petras I Have Seen the Future (Cam Christiansen | Calgary | 6:00) A boy is competing in a tennis match with his father when three young men approach and start to accost them rudely. Rocket Science! (Sam Morrison | England | 14:00) When mystery comes calling at Grime City captain Jack Hersey is forced to confront his darkest fear—people from out of town. Hot Dog (Bill Plympton | New York, NY | 6:00) Multiple Academy Award nominee Plympton returns to Rooftop with the third in the “Dog” series, and in this episode our plucky hero joins the fire company to save the world from house fires and gain his affection he so richly deserves. Typically, the results never turn out the way he planned. Dog (Hermann Karlsson | Iceland | 1:00) Remembering the death of a dog and the guilt of a boy that soon followed. Princess (Ethan Clarke | San Francisco, CA | 7:00) A likely story of an unbreakable friendship between a woman and her cat. We need them. Do they really need us? Kleit (The Dress) (Jelena Girlin & Mari-Liis Bassovskaja | Estonia | 6:30) A woman tried to remember the highlights of her life, or maybe dreams about them. Her phantom dress predicts beginnings and endings, through guillotine and kitchen knife. INTERMISSION Weiss (White) (Florian Grolig | Germany | 5:00) A serene monochromatic world turns into a trap. Recto Verso (Gabriel Jacquel | France | 8:00) A classic comic animation pitting dark against light, good against evil, refigerator lights vs. magic broomsticks. Two characters battle each other and the physical laws of their universe in ways that are hilariously inventive and supremely significant. JoJo in the Stars (Marc Caste | England | 12:00) JoJo in the Stars has all the elements needed for a classic romantic tearjerker; freak shows, underground dungeons, pointy bras. This is a haunting tale set in a stark landscape where faceless crowds come to witness the freaks and wonders of Madame Pica’s Carnival. When a beautiful trapeze artist charms a carnival devotee, both must face the consequences of Madame Pica’s wrath. Berni’s Doll (Yann Jouette | France | 11:30) Berni buys a doll, part by part. The relation between Berni and his doll evolves while parts are added to the body. But is love for sale? A Letter to Colleen (Carolyn & Andy London | New York, NY | 8:30) Andy London has been haunted by the events of his 18th birthday for years. In this short animated film set in the early 90?s, he writes a letter to Colleen in an attempt to put his demons to rest. Never Like the First Time (Jonas Odell | Sweden | 15:00) An gorgeously animated film based on documentary interviews in which four people each tell the story of their first time, in stories that range from comedy to tragedy, stories from last year or from the 1920's, stories that are remembered with nostalgia, embarrassment or even horror.

It’s an alternate take on nature vs. urbanity when a plastic lawn doe finds itself lost on the gritty streets of Brooklyn, NY. Survival story, and a folktale of newfound love - the bewildered deer gets “caught in the headlights” and hit by an oncoming car while trying to scamper across the street, but is found by a magical street faerie who nurses it, making bandages, food and water appear with a magic wand. The doe regains its health, and wanders back onto sunnier streets, and can’t believe its eyes when it happens upon something truly special under the Queensborough Bridge.

Meet Charles Curtis Blackwell -- poet, artist and activist who, at the age of 20, lost his eyesight. Despite being unable to see fully, he continues to work through visual medium, creating pieces of beauty and remarkable spirit. www.adifferentcolorblue.com

Talmage Cooley's award-winning documentary short film presents a poignant and memorable snapshot of life within a gang of sight-impaired teenage boys who create their own world among the abandoned factories of Buffalo's rust belt.

A glorious animated musical celebration of the dockworker, another disappearing occupation.

An absurd fable crafted from images found in thrift store bookshelves about our country's unflinching frontierism and the desire to push too far, too fast. www.kellysears.com

While on location in Cadaqués to shoot scenes for L'Age d'or (1930), Buñuel made this home movie featuring Dalí's estranged father and stepmother in an intimate moment: dining alfresco on sea urchins, a local delicacy. The iconographic sea urchin also appears in Un Chien andalou (1929), as well as in Dalí's paintings of the late 1920s. Print courtesy Filmoteca de Catalunya-ICIC.