Rooftop Films Reveals Lineup For 18th Summer Series; ‘Obvious Child’ to Open
Rooftop Films has announced the feature film lineup for their 18th annual summer series. This year’s lineup of outdoor screenings will feature over 45 films. The event kicks off May 16 with a series of shorts followed the next night by a special sneak preview of Gillian Robespierrre’s hit Sundance comedy “Obvious Child.”
Other highlights include other festival hits like Craig Johnson’s “The Skeleton Twins,” starring Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader, Michael Winterbottom’s sequel to “The Trip,” “The Trip to Italy,” Michael Tully’s coming-of-age comedy “Ping Pong Summer,” and the oddball “Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter,” from the Zellner brothers.
“This is a tremendous year in independent cinema,” said Dan Nuxoll, Program Director for Rooftop Films, “and I am particularly impressed by how many of the year’s breakthrough works are also tremendously entertaining films. Many of the films in this year’s Rooftop slate technically exist within the boundaries of traditional mainstream genres, but the brilliant ways in which the filmmakers explore and upend those categories make these films thrillingly engaging. It will be a fun summer on the roof.”
All shows listed below include live-music before the screenings, and most will feature filmmaker Q&As. The series will also include over 13
programs of short films, and there will be additional feature films and
special events announced shortly. The full schedule including locations
and dates will be announced in the coming weeks.
Rooftop Films 2014 Summer Series Feature Films Line-up
10,000KM (Long Distance) (Carlos Marques-Marcet | 99 min.) Special Sneak Preview
Part of Rooftop Films SXSW Weekend
Separated by 10,000 kilometers,
Alexandra and Sergi must rely on virtual communication to keep the flame
of their relationship alive. But with their realities no longer shared
and the touch of one another gone, the technology that has supposedly
brought the world closer together may just tear them apart.
Appropriate Behavior (Desiree Akhavan | 82 min.) Special Sneak Preview
Shirin is struggling to become an ideal
Persian daughter, politically correct bisexual and hip young Brooklynite
but fails miserably in her attempt at all identities. Being without a
cliché to hold onto can be a lonely experience.
The Case of the Three Sided Dream (Adam Kahan | 87 min.) Special Sneak Preview
Presented by Rooftop Films and Arts Brookfield
Free Screening. Multi-instrumentalist,
civil rights activist and worshipper at the church of dreams, Rahsaan
Roland Kirk overcame blindness, paralysis and social injustice to
fundamentally alter the landscape of jazz.
Cold In July (Jim Mickle | 109 min.) NY Premiere
Jim Mickle’s Sundance hit is an
ostensible thriller-cum-revenge flick, harking back to 80’s b-movies and
delicately crafted around a simple premise that turns out to be
anything but. Courtesy of IFC Films.
The Deadly Ponies Gang (Zoe McIntosh | 65 min.) International Premiere
Clint and Dwayne are two of a kind. The
kind that start a pimped-out pony gang (ponies replete with glitter,
oversized sunglasses, and bling) on the edges of rural New Zealand.
Riding through town the duo deals some drugs, tries to snuggle up to
some ladies, and attempts a fundraiser for new teeth while learning the
lengths people will go for their mates.
The Disobedient (Mina Djukic | 112 min.) NY Premiere
Running through life with wild abandon,
lifelong friends Leni and Lazar set out on an improvised countryside
bike trip. Like tiny tornadoes they whirl around rural Serbia resulting
in the type of destruction that can only come from true, disastrous
love.
Five Star (Keith Miller | 82 min.)
Free Show. In a blend of fiction and reality, Five Star
explores the relationship between two men – Primo, a five star general
in the Bloods, and John, a young man trying to decide whether gang life
is the path for him. As Primo mentors John in the workings of the gang
world, a secret threatens both men’s futures. Winner of a Rooftop Filmmakers Fund grant.
Forest of the Dancing Spirits (Linda Västrik | 104 min.) NY Premiere
Deep within one of the world’s last
untouched rainforests lives the Yaka/ Mbendjele tribe, a group of
hunter-gatherers from the Congo Basin, who are about to discover the
Western world’s intense lust for “progress.” Beyond just an ethnographic
study, award-winning filmmaker Linda Västrik imbues each lush frame
with humor, heartbreak and vibrant storytelling.
A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night (Ana Lily Amirpour | 107 min.) Special Sneak Preview
A mysterious female vampire haunts an
Iranian ghost town and falls for one of its alienated locals in this
fantastical black-and-white romance. Produced by Elijah Wood, the
Sundance-acclaimed title is a daring, original take on the genre.
Giuseppe Makes A Movie (Adam Rifkin | 83 min.) NY Premiere
Using his trailer park neighbors and homeless friends, former child-actor Giuseppe Andrews (Independence Day, Detroit Rock City)
has made 30 underground feature films for almost no money. This is the
stranger-than-fiction story of him making his newest film, “Garbonzo
Gas.” Winner of a Rooftop Filmmakers Fund grant.
Happy Christmas (Joe Swanberg | 78 min.) Special Sneak Preview
Anna Kendrick stars as a newly single
woman who crashes with her brother and wreaks havoc on his household in
Joe Swanberg’s delicate comedy, which also features energetic turns by
Melanie Lynskey and Lena Dunham. Courtesy of Magnolia Films.
The Infinite Man (Hugh Sullivan | 84 min.) New York Premiere
A man’s attempts to construct the
ultimate romantic weekend backfire when his quest for perfection traps
his lover in an infinite loop.
Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter (David Zellner | 105 min.) Special Sneak Preview
Austin-based filmmakers the Zellner brothers return to Rooftop with a touching absurdist odyssey starring Rinko Kikuchi as a Japanese woman who believes Fargo is a true story and ventures to Minnesota in search of the stolen money hidden during the classic Coen brothers film.
The Last Season (Sara Dosa | 90 min.) NY Premiere
Sara Dosa’s insightful directorial debut
introduces viewers to the world of mushroom hunters in Chemult, Oregon,
charting the relationships that are cultivated between men and nature,
and attesting to the power of families we create.
The Living Stars (Mariano Cohn, Gastón Duprat | 60 min.) NY Premiere
Free screening. No script, no plot, just music and gyrating bodies. Living Stars is a sixty-minute dance party and everyone’s invited!
Mateo (Aaron I. Naar | 85 min.) NY Premiere
Part of Rooftop Films SXSW weekend
Matthew Stoneman, a ‘white guy’ from New
Hampshire, learned to play authentic and fluent Spanish songs while
serving time in an LA prison for robbery. At once his worst enemy and
greatest fan, this is the unlikely story of Matthew (Mateo) busking the
streets, traveling to Cuba and attempting to record his newest bolero
record (romantic Latin tunes).
The One I Love (Charlie McDowell | 91 min.) Special Sneak Preview
A married couple on the brink of
separation escapes to a beautiful vacation house for a weekend getaway
in an attempt to salvage what’s left of their relationship. That’s about
where normalcy ends in this highly original, dizzyingly bizarre
directorial debut from acclaimed author Charlie McDowell. Courtesy of
Radius-TWC.
Obvious Child (Gillian Robespierre | 90 min.) Opening Weekend Film
Brooklyn comedian Donna Stern gets
dumped, fired, and pregnant just in time for the best/worst Valentine’s
Day of her life in this film festival favorite. Courtesy of A24 Films.
Winner of the Rooftop Films Eastern Effects Equipment Grant.
Ping Pong Summer (Michael Tully | 92 min.) NY Premiere
The year is 1985. Rad Miracle is a shy
13-year-old white kid who’s obsessed with two things: ping pong and hip
hop. During his family’s annual summer vacation to Ocean City, Maryland,
Rad makes a new best friend, experiences his first real crush, becomes
the target of rich local bullies, and finds an unexpected mentor in his
outcast next-door neighbor. Ping Pong Summer is about that time in your
life when you’re treated like an alien by everyone around you, even
though you know deep down you’re as funky fresh as it gets. Courtesy of
Gravitas Ventures.
Pulp (Florian Habicht | 93 min.) Special Sneak Preview
One of the greatest bands to come out of
the ‘90s is captured in this intimate and imaginative documentary,
structured around Pulp’s final concert in their hometown of Sheffield. Pulp
is a music-film like no other – at once a concert film, a nostalgic
look back at an iconic band, and a thoughtful and sweetly charming
tribute to the hometown fans that fell in love with them. Courtesy of
Oscilloscope Laboratories.
R100 (Hitoshi Matsumoto | 94 min.) NY Premiere
When a mild-mannered Japanese mattress
salesman joins a hidden, mysterious S&M club that specializes in
surprising its clients in public and applying sadistic, sexual torture
in any place at any time he soon realizes the price for pleasure may be
too high. Courtesy of Drafthouse Films.
The Search For Emak Bakia (Oskar Alegria | 84 min.) NY Premiere
In 1926, the Surrealist artist Man Ray
created an experimental film titled Emak Bakia, shot along a forgotten
stretch of the Basque coast. Today, a filmmaker retraces Man Ray’s steps
by foot, using chance and the wind to guide him in this poetic,
indefinable documentary.
She’s Lost Control (Anja Marquardt | 95 min.) Special Sneak Preview
Part of Rooftop Films SXSW Weekend
Focusing on the life of a sex surrogate
working in Manhattan, Anja Marquardt’s impressively assured directorial
debut casts a penetrating gaze on the complexities of professional
intimacy.
Skanks (David McMahon | 84 min.) NY Premiere
A small community theatre in Birmingham,
Alabama mounts an original drag musical, “Skanks in a One Horse Town.”
The cast of amateur performers bond to form a family of sorts while
creating an unconventional show in the religion and football-obsessed
south.
The Skeleton Twins (Craig Johnson | 90 min.) Special Sneak Preview
Living separate lives on opposite sides
of the country, estranged siblings Maggie (Kristen Wiig) and Milo (Bill
Hader) are at the ends of their ropes. But after a moment of crisis
reunites them, Milo goes to spend time with Maggie in the small New York
town where they grew up. Courtesy of Roadside Attractions.
Thanksgiving (Adam Newport-Berra | 85 min.) World Premiere
Alex & Amy are the perfect Brooklyn
couple. They have a cat, a Thanksgiving table of bohemian friends, and a
glowing future together. Yet the sudden holiday appearance of Amy’s
mysterious brother Will quickly disrupts their idyllic lifestyle and
calls into question what we’re truly “thankful” for.
The Trip To Italy (Michael Winterbottom | 115 min.) Special Sneak Preview
Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon reprise their roles as themselves in this follow-up to the acclaimed The Trip in
yet another off-the-cuff food adventure. Six meals in six different
places on a road trip around Italy. Liguria, Tuscany, Rome, Amalfi and
ending in Capri. Courtesy of IFC Films.
We Are The Best (Lukas Moodysson | 90 min.) Special Sneak Preview
Swedish auteur Lukas Moodysson’s (Show Me Love, Together) raucous and ebullient film about three pre-teen outcasts who form an all-girl punk band. Courtesy of Magnolia Films.
