Doc Shots: The Best Short Non-Fiction Films of 2007

*** Buy Tickets ***
Saturday, September 15th, 2007
8:30 - Live Music by Bradford Reed
9:00 - Movies Begin

On the roof of The Old American Can Factory
CLICK for DIRECTIONS
232 Third Street @ Third Avenue
Gowanus, Brooklyn (Between Carroll gardens and Park Slope)
In the event of rain the show is indoors at the same location.
Tickets -$8 at the door or online
Presented in partnership with - IFC.com, New York magazine &
XØ Projects, Inc

Doc Shots: The Best Short Non-Fiction Films of 2007

You won't believe your eyes. Did that indigenous Bolivian woman just do a flying elbow drop from the top rope? Did those guys really spend two years living a recreation of the voyage of Lewis and Clarke? Did that guy really walk away from that WWII plane crash, and live to see it on film for the first time 60 years later?

Yes. You'll see it all in this show, and you'll have to believe your eyes. Because these aren't just documentaries; these are the most amazing short documentaries in the world, all from Rooftop Films' 2007 Summer Series.

At Rooftop Films, we seek out films that show us where you live and how you live. We want to see real people, in inspiring and bizarre situations. We want to know real stories of heroism and cowardice. We want to laugh at the strangeness of existence, weep with the hope that life will reward us in small and wondrous ways, and cheer our bloody hearts out not for superstars and celebrities, but for the passionate individuals in the crowd. What we want is in these films. Come see it to believe it.

THE FILMS:
Bodegas
(Casimir Nozkowski , Dallas Penn & Rafi Kam | Bronx | 4:00)
A humorous look at food culture in the South Bronx -- “the poorest urban county in the country” -- and the sociological effects of pork rinds and flavored “Quarter Water. ”

The Guarantee (Jesse Epstein & Robert Castillo | Brooklyn | 11:00)
In this droll animated documentary, a young dancer, trying to make it in New York’s competitive dance world, is pressured into having a nose job in order to secure a place in the company.

Spitfire 944 (William Lorton | Los Angeles, CA | 14:00)
The filmmaker discovers dozens of rolls of film his grandfather shot during WWII, and attempts to locate some of the soldiers who appear on camera. When he shows, for the first time, an 83-year old World War II pilot the 16mm footage of his spectacular plane crash, the images bring the memories flooding back.

They Proceeded On (James Price | The Northwest Passage | 26:17)
A US Army unit moves upriver, over land they will soon conquer. 200 years later, a group of enthusiastic patriots, retired military personnel and proud descendants of the original party spend two years reenacting America’s first imperial adventure, the voyage of Lewis and Clark. But what memories will they awake as they reach a 21st century Indian Reservation?

Wir Sind Dir Treu
(We Are The Faithful) (Michael Koch | Koln, Switzerland | 9:00)
The Swiss football team FC Basel’s crowd animator gives his all for the team: he decides what music to play at matches and choreographs the fans to peak performance. It’s all about the energy and emotion he transmits to the fans and how he directs them. Or is it rather the game itself that the fans follow?

Fighting Cholitas (Mariam Jobrani | Los Angeles, CA | 20:00)
The Fighting Cholitas are a group of bold and fierce female Bolivian wrestlers. These indigenous Indian women jump into the ring every Sunday in their traditional, vibrant multilayered skirts and perform the acrobatic maneuvers of Lucha Libre (a blend of Mexican and American professional wrestling). Fighting Cholitas is an exciting, charming, socially-relevant film that documents this weekly fight and goes behind the scenes to find out who these women are and what draws them to this unusual sport. See a trailer at http://www.motofilms.com/mototrailer1.html

The Truth About Tooth (Hazel Baillie | Scotland | 10:00)
A true insight into the meticulous world of the Tooth Fairy, exploring the importance of myth and lies in escaping the tedium of everyday life.

Scaredycat (Andy Blubaugh | Portland, OR | 13:00)
After being mugged and beaten, the filmmaker conducts a stunning interview with one of his attackers, and uses a mix of documentary and animation to examine contemporary criminal justice and his own potentially racist fears.

THE MUSIC: Bradford Reed

Bradford Reed never fails to entertain and inspire. This Brooklyn, NY based composer, performer and producer fights and tames the idiosyncrasies of the pencilina, an original instrument of his own design and construction. The pencilina is an electric ten stringed collision of the hammer dulcimer, slide guitar, koto and fretless bass with six pickups of varied types. It is struck with sticks, plucked and bowed, giving Reed an incredibly wide sonic palette.