It was the summer the gas stations closed. The summer they played music in the old mill. The summer they left. Flood Tide tells the story of four musicians who craft extraordinary boats out of whatever junk they can find and set out for open water. A remixed version of the film -- accompanied by a live musical score by chamber folk sextet Dark Dark Dark -- will open Rooftop Films' series at Socrates Sculpture Park on July 7.

Blurring the line between fact and fiction Flood Tide was shot on the Hudson River during the real-life art-raft project The Swimming Cities of the Switchback Sea, a concept dreamed-up by the artist Swoon and built by an eclectic group of artists and performers. In the summer of 2008 the crew built and floated seven large, boat-sculptures down the Hudson River. Director Todd Chandler, cinematographer Ava Berkofsky and collaborators from the bands Dark Dark Dark and Fall Harbor made a film along the surreal voyage.

In advance of the upcoming feature film's release in Fall 2010, Flood Tide: Remixed is a 50-minute composition of footage from Flood Tide -- set to a live soundtrack written and performed by Dark Dark Dark. Featuring material not used in the narrative film, Flood Tide: Remixed is a meditative journey down a strange and meandering river that flows both ways with the tides.The handmade boats and their crews drift past empty new condo developments, explore crumbling castles and swim in iridescent quarries. They get stopped by torrents of rain and groaning motors.

On July 7 Flood Tide: Remixed has its debut showing at Socrates Sculpture Garden on the East River, less than a mile away from where the Swimming Cities fleet made an imaginary port in the East River two years ago, making this live music-cinema event a perfect selection for Rooftop Films, the Museum of the Moving Image and Socrates to kick off this summer screening series.

For this screening to happen, the filmmakers need to raise enough money to complete the film and get the band to New York! Donate to their Kickstarter Project and help make independent cinema happen!