Rooftop Films: New York Non-Fiction (Event Over)

F RIDAY, June 12
NEW YORK NON-FICTION
Short films that explore New York’s diverse landscape and culture from the perspective of our workers, hustlers, lovers and royalty. It’s your city. Take a look.
FREE OPEN BAR after the films
 
Venue: on the roof of the Open Road Rooftop
Address: 350 Grand Street @ Essex (Lower East Side, Manhattan)
8:00PM: Doors open
8:30PM: Sound Fix presents live music
9:00PM: Films
11:30PM - 1:00AM: Open Bar at Fontana’s (105 Eldridge St), courtesy of Radeberger beer
Tickets: $9-$25

No refunds. In the event of rain, the show will be indoors at the same locations. Seating is first come, first served. Physical seats are limited. This means you may not get a chair. You are welcome to bring a blanket and sit picnic-style, but NO ALCOHOL IS PERMITTED.

MAP | SOUND FIX

New Yorkers are tough. They’re discerning, difficult, stubborn. Tell a New Yorker there’s a scrap of unused real estate that’s off limits, and that’s right where they’ll head ("North Brother"). Tell them they can’t do something, and they’ll just do it faster and more efficiently ("Labor Day"). And picking a mate? New Yorkers would sooner toss aside generations of tradition than get stuck with the wrong lover ("Unattached").

New York is a city—like all of America, like all the world—of the privileged and the poor. Like nowhere else, the wealthy live alongside the destitute. The difference between New York and the rest of the world, though, is that here everyone works equally hard. Some people are oppressed while others have unfair advantages, but the New York ethos is based on hustle, constant struggle, and the idea that success only comes to those who fight for it.

This program shows that in New York even royalty can't just cruise through life on charm ("Bronx Princess"), and that even a Holocaust-surviving immigrant ("Lessons from a Tailor") who claws his way to the top will lend a helping hand to others following his path. It's a rough city, but there is opportunity, community, and love. If you're gonna make it in New York, you better be tough, but you better have a generous heart, too.

FILMS:
FILMS:
North Brother (Dan Gingold | Brooklyn | 7:50)
We begin our annual NY Non-Fiction show with an urban exploration, as four friends sneak a boat out to a tiny abandoned island nestled in Hell’s Gate, between the Bronx, Queens and Rikers. dangingold.com

Labor Day (Lauren Kritzer | Brooklyn | 2:00)
A simple portrait of a hard working urban laborer. Brought to Rooftop by the Brooklyn Filmmakers Collective: brooklynfilmmakerscollective.com

Invisible Men: Gregory’s Story (Angela Tucker | Manhattan | 5:20)
The face of homelessness in America today is this: a black man, around 40 years old, living in a large urban city. In this loving, low-fi portrait, we meet Gregory, who lost his mobility from frostbite on the streets, as he ponders the strife that preceded his current home. masculinityproject.org

Lessons From a Tailor (Galen Summer | Brooklyn | 8:40)
A beautifully-crafted portrait of a Holocaust survivor who learned the art of tailoring while imprisoned in a concentration camp. Emigrating to America, Martin Greenfield rose from floor boy, to manager, to owner of a garment factory in Brooklyn. His sense of style made him a success—he has crafted suits for celebrities and power brokers, including Bill Clinton and Dwight Eisenhower—and his sense of justice and community help him maintain an admirable record of supporting his workers, most of them immigrants, while producing top quality clothing in one of the few remaining hand-made suit factories in the world. summertimeproductions.com

Unattached (J.J. Adler | Manhattan | 24:00)
An enjoyable romp through the dating scene in New York’s Modern Orthodox Jewish Community, currently experiencing a self described ‘Singles’ Crisis.’ Temple services on the Upper West Side have taken on the confused sexual energy of a high school prom, and while specific Jewish singles mixers and websites like JDate provide more freedom and opportunity for true love than ever before, the increasing numbers of singles causes major anxiety in the community as whole: the longer young people remain unwed, the more likely they are to leave the fold.

Bronx Princess (Yoni Brook & Musa Syeed | Bronx | 38:00)
Bronx Princess follows headstrong 17-year-old Rocky's journey as she leaves behind her mother in New York City to reunite with her father, a chief in Ghana. Filmed during the tumultuous summer between high school and college, this funny and touching documentary tells Rocky's coming-of-age story. By confronting her immigrant parents' ideas of adulthood, Rocky reconciles her African heritage with her dream of independence. bronxprincess.com

Rooftop Films is a non-profit organization whose mission is to engage and inspire the diverse communities of New York City by showcasing the work of emerging filmmakers and musicians. In addition to our Summer Series – which takes place in unique outdoor venues every weekend throughout the summer – Rooftop provides grants to filmmakers, teaches media literacy and filmmaking to young people, rents low-cost equipment to artists and non-profits, and produces new independent films. At Rooftop Films, we bring the underground outdoors. For more information and updates please visit our website at www.rooftopfilms.com.