Short Film Program

Rooftop Shots: Closing Night 2025

Stay awhile and celebrate the culmination of our 29th season with a bittersweet collection of new short films.

Fri Aug 22 7:45 PM

Close out our 29th season with a tender, funny, and fearless collection of stories set in worlds both surreal and achingly human. A finale of longing and laughter, defiance and discovery, these films revel in the absurdity, fragility, and resilience of being alive.

The Films

Bloqué

Miguel Ortiz | US | 7

Beating his drums into frustration, Malick struggles to find the right rhythms for his compositions. Only through an internal journey and a dip into his past will he find the right sounds to heal.

Caries

Aline Höchli | Switzerland | 10

In a cave within an incisor, a shaman works ambitiously on a massive mural. When she runs out of paint, she travels to the wisdom tooth at the back of the mouth to gather new supplies. Her journey is arduous, as toothpaste storms sweep through the oral cavity: the television presenter to whom the mouth belongs prepares to deliver the weather report with a brilliant white smile.

Fishbowl

Isabel Perry & Adam Yates | US | 15

Two late-twentysomethings — and former high school theatre department legends — house-sit in the Hamptons, where they try their best to avoid their exes and keep a goldfish alive for the weekend.

Georgie

Jennie Butler | US | 14

Back in the '70s and '80s, George Martorano was living large as part of a powerful Philly crime family, raking in millions from an illegal drug empire. That all came crashing down when he was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Now 75 and finally free, George is trying to figure out life on the outside. But the isolation of growing up in a criminal empire — and spending half of his life behind bars — has taken a toll on his relationships.

He Ma (Hippopotami)

Jianjie (JJ) Lin | China, Hong Kong | 13

In the suburbs of a northern Chinese city undergoing urbanization, a quirky girl who wants to see animals in the zoo is taken for a ride which will forever change her perspective on life.

Melody of Love

Guy Kozak | US | 10

A cowboy earns the favor of a rancher’s daughter, but can’t keep his eyes off his horse.

One Day I'll Open My Fist

Dylan Rizzo | US | 19

Lulu, a young Chinese American woman, resorts to petty theft as a quiet act of resistance against the wave of newcomers transforming her neighborhood. As she comes of age amidst the shifting fabric of her home, she is confronted with questions of identity and what it truly means to belong.

Performer

Mandy Valentine

Never taking themselves too seriously, Philadelphia-based 6+ piece Mandy Valentine brings a new approach to some classic country and rock & roll themes. With galloping rhythms, close harmonies, and lyrics that ring simple yet true, Mandy Valentine evokes mid-century country and rockabilly icons such as Hank Williams, Elvis Presley, and the Everly Brothers while treble-drenched guitars, female-forward vocals, and catchy hooks recall 60s pop like The Shangri-Las and The Supremes. Put together, Mandy Valentine is a little bit country, a little bit rock n roll, and a whole lotta fun.

Event Details

7:45 PM

Doors Open

8:15 PM

Live Music from Mandy Valentine

9:00 PM

Films Begin

10:30 PM

Q&A with Filmmakers

10:45 PM

Afterparty

Venue

Green-Wood Cemetery

500 25th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11232