As my time as an intern at Rooftop Films draws to a close, it’s time to highlight some of my favorite parts of the summer.
Favorite Film: On the first day of my internship at Rooftop, my assignment was to watch a screener of a film called The Dirties to make sure it didn’t skip or jump in audio or do anything that it wasn’t supposed to do. I was watching it on a projector in a very bright room, so it was a little hard to see, and there was construction going on outside, so it was a little hard to hear. But. Oh my goodness. I can honestly say that I didn’t even notice. I could not look away. It was one of the most artful films I’ve ever seen. It treated a generally (and especially now) touchy subject delicately and provocatively but boldly and intentionally. It crafted characters that were more realistic than a lot of real-life people are. It made me want to go write my own screenplay. I was completely in awe of it.
Favorite Screening: We showed Crystal Fairy at the end of June, and my job was, for the first time, to take photographs throughout the screening. I think the Q&A featuring Sebastian Silva, Agustin Silva, and Michael Cera was a pretty auspicious introduction to the Rooftop camera.
Favorite General Experience: This has been an unbelievably rainy summer, which is not ideal when your domain is the outdoors. However, my favorite experience at Rooftop this summer was, in fact, a wet one. When we screened Our Nixon at Socrates Sculpture Park, the sky fought with us during the setup, first with a humidity level to make mosquitoes salivate and then with buckets and buckets of hard rain. And then back to sun. And then rain again. And repeat. I have to admit, I was expecting at least a few disgruntled moviegoers. But there were none. Not one person was anything less than completely good-natured about the storm that was trying to thwart our screening. That was what really drove home the point for me that Rooftop’s patrons are some of the best out there. People attend our shows because they love movies and being part of an awesome community. The rain only gave us something to talk about and huddle together under a tent from. And then a double rainbow. Nice try, weather! You couldn’t stop us.
So there we have it. It is so difficult to pick favorites, though, even when I’m making up the categories myself, because of how consistently great a time I’ve had here throughout my internship. I’m leaving Rooftop with so much more than what I started with–Twitter proficiency, possibly a tiny hint of muscle in my biceps from stacking chairs, and a much greater appreciation for what often gets overlooked in the entertainment industry. Rooftop gives equal attention to the tiniest independent filmmakers and the well-known ones, and I’ve gotten to see so many fantastic films that I would’ve never otherwise known about, on roofs and lawns I would’ve overlooked. And in good company, too.
Thanks, Rooftop! I’ll miss you!