Rooftop Films is a non-profit film organization based in
Gowanus, Brooklyn
Gowanus ( ) is a neighborhood in the northwestern portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, within the area once known as South Brooklyn. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community District 6. Gowanus is bounded by Wyckoff Street on ...
. It is best known for its Rooftop Films Summer Series, a film festival that runs from May through August every year, and consists of as many as 47 outdoor screenings of new independent short and feature-length films. Rooftop screenings all take place on rooftops or in other outdoor locations throughout New York City. Rooftop also offers film and video equipment rentals throughout the year, as well as grants which help finance new independent film projects.
History
Founded by Mark Elijah Rosenberg in 1997, the festival included one night of short film screenings in each of its first two years. Rooftop moved in 1998 to the roof of Peter's Car Corp. a artists' loft and occasional event space located at 265 McKibbin Street. An all-volunteer staff that included Rosenberg, Joshua Breitbart and Moira Griffin helped Rooftop expand from one screening a summer to more than 12 a summer by 2002. In 2003, Rosenberg became Rooftop's first full-time employee as Artistic Director, while former volunteers Dan Nuxoll and Sarah Palmer became part-time employees as the Program Director and Festival Director, respectively. That year, Rooftop moved its offices and event space a few blocks down the street to Office Ops.
Daisy Rosario
Daisy Marie Rosario is an American public radio personality and producer. She is currently senior supervising producer of audio for ''Slate''. Previously, she was an executive producer at Stitcher, where she oversaw podcasts on the Stitcher Origin ...
served as festival producer from 2007 until 2011.
Growth
In winter 2004 Rooftop moved their offices to The Old American Can Factory in Gowanus Brooklyn. In 2007, the staff expanded to include Managing Director Genevieve DeLaurier, and now also includes Will Chu (Technical Manager), Danielle Kourtesis (Music Coordinator), Kristin Molloy (Festival Manager Manager), and dozens of other seasonal employees. In 2020, Nadine Goellner was hired as executive director. The Board of Directors includes: Vinay Singh, Jason Ward, Brent Green, Evan List, Casimir Nozkowski (Secretary), Teresa Lee (Vice-Chair and Treasurer), Evan List, Ryan Smith, Anne Hubbell, Danielle DiGiacomo, (Treasurer), and Mark Elijah Rosenberg, and Jess Jacobs (Chair). The Board Advisors include: Joshua Breitbart and Philip Rosenberg. The Panorama Advisors include: J. Tad Barnes, Amy Dotson, Lucila Moctezuma, Josh Penn, Molly Thompson, and Nicole Tschampel.
Summer Series
Rooftop Films is best known for its Summer Series. With an audience of over 30,000 each summer, the Summer Series has become one of the best-attended film events in the United States. Screened films often include world premieres and festival award-winners. Admission to a screening is almost always $13 or less, and screenings are often followed by open bar after-parties.
Summer Series events take place at a wide variety of outdoor venues including the roof of the Old American Can Factory in
Gowanus, Open Road Rooftop in the
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets.
Traditionally ...
, the lawn at Automotive High School in
Williamsburg
Williamsburg may refer to:
Places
*Colonial Williamsburg, a living-history museum and private foundation in Virginia
*Williamsburg, Brooklyn, neighborhood in New York City
*Williamsburg, former name of Kernville (former town), California
*Williams ...
, the roof of
El Museo del Barrio
El Museo del Barrio, often known simply as El Museo (the museum), is a museum at 1230 Fifth Avenue in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is located near the northern end of Fifth Avenue's Museum Mile, immediately north of the Museum of the Cit ...
, the roof of
Brooklyn Technical High School
Brooklyn Technical High School, commonly called Brooklyn Tech and administratively designated High School 430, is an elite public high school in New York City that specializes in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. It is one of th ...
in Fort Greene, and more. Past venues have included Governors Island, the roof of
Westbeth Artists Community
Westbeth Artists Housing is a nonprofit housing and commercial complex dedicated to providing affordable living and working space for artists and arts organizations in New York City. The complex comprises the full city block bounded by West, Be ...
,
Fort Greene Park, 210 Cook Street in Bushwick, Solar One on East 23rd Street, a roof within the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Soutpoint Park on Roosevelt Island, and many other spots across the city.
Musical acts
Live music precedes almost every Rooftop screening, with many established and up and coming performers appearing each year. Past musical acts include
TV on the Radio
TV on the Radio (TVOTR) is an American rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2001. The band consists of Tunde Adebimpe (vocals, loops), David Andrew Sitek (guitars, keyboards, loops), Kyp Malone (vocals, guitars, bass, loops), and ...
,
The Bravery,
Sharon Van Etten
Sharon Katharine Van Etten (born February 26, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter. She has released six studio albums, the latest of which is '' We've Been Going About This All Wrong'' (2022).
Early life
Van Etten was born in Belleville, N ...
,
Jose Gonzales,
The Mountain Goats
The Mountain Goats are an American band formed in Claremont, California, by singer-songwriter John Darnielle. The band is currently based in Durham, North Carolina. For many years, the sole member of the Mountain Goats was Darnielle, despite the ...
,
Julianna Barwick
Julianna Barwick is an American musician who composes using electronic loops. Her first album, '' The Magic Place'', was released in 2011.
Music career
Barwick has said that her music is influenced by her participation in church choir while gro ...
,
Titus Andronicus
''Titus Andronicus'' is a tragedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written between 1588 and 1593, probably in collaboration with George Peele. It is thought to be Shakespeare's first tragedy and is often seen as his attempt to emul ...
,
Phosphorescent,
The Antlers,
Teengirl Fantasy,
Mutual Benefit
The Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company was a life insurance company that was chartered in 1845 and based in Newark in Essex County, New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United State ...
, members of
Fugazi
Fugazi (; ) is an American post-hardcore band that formed in Washington, D.C., in 1986. The band consists of guitarists and vocalists Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto, bassist Joe Lally, and drummer Brendan Canty. They are noted for their style-tr ...
and
Califone,
Vic Thrill
Vic Thrill (stage name for Billy Campion) is the former lead singer for the Bogmen
The Bogmen are an indie rock band from Huntington, Long Island, New York. The band was formed in 1993 by Billy Campion, Bill Ryan, Brendan Ryan, Mark Wike, ...
,
Dirty on Purpose
Dirty on Purpose were an American band from Brooklyn, New York, whose music was often described as indie pop or shoegaze.
History
Formed in 2002, they were originally composed of Doug Marvin (drums, vocals), Joseph Jurewicz (guitar, vocals), Geor ...
,
O'Death
O’Death (stylized as o'death) is an American gothic country band from Brooklyn, New York. They combine elements of folk, bluegrass, punk, metal, gothic and Americana music.
History
All the members of O'Death met between the years of ...
, and many others.
Filmmakers' Fund
Rooftop has enabled the success of many of its alumni through its Filmmakers’ Fund Grants, which provides production or post-production support to independent filmmakers. Rooftop earmarks a portion of all ticket sales and submission fees to its Filmmaker's Fund Grant program. Filmmakers' Fund Grants have supported award-winnings films such as
Beasts of the Southern Wild,
Martha Marcy May Marlene
''Martha Marcy May Marlene'' is a 2011 American psychological thriller- drama film written and directed by Sean Durkin, and starring Elizabeth Olsen (in her film debut), John Hawkes, Sarah Paulson, and Hugh Dancy. The plot focuses on a you ...
,
Ain’t Them Bodies Saints, and
The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom
''The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom'' (Japanese: 津波そして) is a 2011 American-Japanese documentary film directed by Lucy Walker. The film was nominated for the 2012 Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject).
Synopsis
The film f ...
. Many additional grantees have gone on to have tremendous success at festivals, reaching wide, appreciative audiences.
Equipment Rentals
Rooftop makes all its film/video exhibition equipment available for low-cost rentals. Projectors, sound systems, screens and more are available, including its 40-foot wide inflatable airscreen.
References
Further reading
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{{Portal bar, New York City, Film
Film organizations in the United States