Laura Gabbert and Justin Schein’s documentary No Impact Man follows writer Colin Beavan and his family as they embark on a yearlong experiment to make “no impact” on the environment — ie., eating locally grown food, using self-mechanized transportation, buying no new products, going without electricity, and installing solar panels to power their computers. A newly-converted environmentalist, Beavan receives a great deal of criticism for his experiment and is called to defend a project that many consider no more than a gimmick for his upcoming book. Read More »
Rupert Murray’s The End of the Line explores the devastating impact of overfishing on our oceans. Based on a book by journalist Charles Clover, the chilling documentary proposes that without the appropriate action, we may see the end of seafood by the year 2048. Flavorpill spoke with Murray about the impact of Clover’s work, public responsibility, and what he hopes audiences will learn from his film. New Yorkers Note: The End of the Line will be screening at Rooftop Films on Governor’s Island on September 4th at 8 p.m. Read More »
Isaiah Zagar is known in Philadelphia for his intricate, larger than life mosaics and his contribution to the revitalization of South Street. For the past 40 years, he has covered the walls of derelict buildings with his deeply personal art, chronicling the lives of his family, friends, and neighborhood. Jeremiah Zagar grew up surrounded by his father’s art, and was immersed in the dream world his parents had created out of paint, glass, and found objects. At his mother’s request, Jeremiah decided to film their lives, and get to know his father.
The result is a remarkably personal, and poignant documentary about a family, love, and art, called In A Dream. It premieres on HBO2 tonight at 8 p.m. and will rerun August 24th and 28th. (New Yorkers note: There’s a free screening at the Brooklyn Museum this Sunday at 2 p.m.) Flavorpill caught up with the younger Zagar to discuss what it was like filming his family and what he’s working on next. Read More »
Alejandro Adams is a film critic and director. Canary, his second feature film following 2008′s Around the Bay, is a futuristic satire that portrays a world in which organ harvesting has become a mainstream, commercial industry. It pushes boundaries in form and content, leaving the audience contemplating not just the future of the industrialized world, but the present. Note: Rooftop Films is screening Canary tonight at the Old American Can Factory.
Flavorpill: Tell us about your film:
Alejandro Adams: Canary is a sci-fi thriller about organ trafficking. It’s everything you’d expect a sci-fi thriller to be, except that I couldn’t afford Nicolas Cage. Read More »
Michael Paul Stephenson had his acting debut at the tender age of ten, when he was cast as the child star of the 1990 cinematic train wreck known as Troll 2. Years later, Troll 2 has become an underground, cult phenomenon acknowledged by most as “the worst movie ever made.” Stephenson, who is now a director, writer, and producer, decided to explore the unexpected popularity of Troll 2 in his first feature-length documentary, Best Worst Movie.
Note: Rooftop Films is screening Troll 2 tonight and Best Worst Movie tomorrow evening. You can buy a combo ticket that will get you admission to both films. Read More »
Still from Stay the Same Never Change
Laurel Nakadate is an American filmmaker, video artist, and photographer based in New York City; she was born in 1975 in Austin, Texas, and spent her childhood in Ames, Iowa. In 2005, Nakadate’s Love Hotel and Other Stories received critical acclaim and Jerry Saltz dubbed her a standout at a P.S.1 group show that same year. She has since been exhibited at the Mary Boone Gallery and the Asia Society in New York, the Howard Yezerski Gallery in Boston, the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, and the Reina Sofia in Madrid. Stay the Same Never Change — a nonlinear yarn about young women set in the heartland — is her first feature film. It plays Rooftop Films Summer Series this Saturday night at 8 p.m. Read More »
Acclaimed for his short films, Austin-based emerging filmmaker Ben Steinbauer is currently touring the festival circuit with his first feature Winnebago Man, a documentary that seeks to get to the heart of Jack Rebney, the most famous man you’ve never heard of thanks to YouTube and a series of hilarious Winnebago sales video outtakes. A “sneak preview” of the film — which morphs into a character study of a man who feels himself pitted against his own ironic celebrity — screens as part of The Rooftop Films Summer Series tomorrow night. To help spark your interest Rooftop’s Music and Outreach Manager Danielle Kourtesis sat down with Steinbauer to find out what we can expect other than swear words. Read More »
In her final post from SXSW 2009 (no we promise — no more until next year) Danielle Kourtesis, the Music and Outreach Manager for Rooftop Films reveals a few of the bands that have dominated her iPod since she got back from Austin. She’s also offering one lucky Flavorwire reader a pair of passes for Rooftop Film’s upcoming Summer Series. Read More »
Danielle Kourtesis is the Music and Outreach Manager for Rooftop Films; look for a few final SXSW posts from her over the coming days, and then we promise not to talk about it anymore — until next year.
After breakfast in a small downtown diner, where I overheard some record executives speaking enthusiastically, if somewhat confusedly, about Twitter, I walked over to the Red Eyed Fly to catch the end of Imaad Wasif’s set. Just voice and guitar, Imaad played to an intimate crowd of about sixty attentive audience members. The Los Angeles-based artist has a brooding, effeminate voice that juxtaposes nicely against his more rough, and distorted guitar sound. Though I only caught the tail end of his set, he was certainly one of the highlights of the day.
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Danielle Kourtesis is the Music and Outreach Manager for Rooftop Films; look for more SXSW coverage from her and the rest of the Rooftop crew throughout the week.
I spent Wednesday morning at the Convention Center getting my press badge and sorting out my schedule for the day. After getting my bearings, I headed straight to the free Terrorbird/Force Field party at Red 7. I was surprised to find that there was no line for a free party with major buzz bands like the Pains of Being Pure at Heart and Wavves, not to mention the established acts like Beach House, The Thermals, and Vivian Girls. Eventually the venue started to fill up but by no means was it impossible to get in — good for my sister, who is tagging along with me totally badge-less. Beach House played a excellent set in the indoor space, making me fall deeper and deeper in love with the group’s atmospheric sound and lead singer Victoria Legrand’s haunting vocals.
That night I headed to the Alamo Lamar and saw Lena Dunham’s first feature Creative Nonfiction, which is part of SXSW’s Emerging Vision’s Program. I was truly impressed by Lena’s intelligent, if sometimes rough, coming-of-age story. At age 22, Lena’s directorial debut is witty, honest, and showcases a unique talent. After the jump, I chat with Lena about her experience as a filmmaker at SXSW, the creative process behind <em>Creative Nonfiction</em>, and future film projects — which include her mother.
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