Feature Film Program

The Absent Director

A group rehearses Macbeth in Tehran. Time crunched, they must deal with their director working from Paris, and their ever-growing conflicts.

FREE w/ RSVP

Tue Aug 23 7:30 PM

This program is co-presented by ArteEast and Rooftop Films, and is part of the legacy program Unpacking the ArteArchive, which preserves and presents over 17 years of film and video programming by ArteEast. In addition to the in-person screening at Fort Greene Park (August 23), The Absent Director will be screened online on artearchive.org from August 24-28, along with the film The Negotiation by Azin Feizabadi & Kaya Behkalam. For more information, visit artearchive.org!

The Films

The Absent Director

Arvand Dashtaray | Iran | 86

In one continuous take, the film follows the various members of a young Iranian theater company during their secret rehearsals of Macbeth at their Director’s home in Tehran, while he works with them remotely from Paris via video call. Their dream is to submit the play to the Edinburgh Theater Festival on time, but things get complicated when their personal conflicts escalate, and their hidden agendas come into light. The heated tensions reach their climax when a mysterious tragedy threatens to put their work into a complete halt. The complex layers of their reality are slowly unraveled as the film seamlessly fuses the past with the present, the fiction with the non-fiction, even crossing the bridge to reality with the actors performing as themselves.

This Smell of Sex

Danielle Arbid | Lebanon | 21

My friends in Beirut openly tell me the details of their most secret, passionate and obsessional sexual experiences. The film unfolds against a black screen, occasionally punctuated by the images of an old Super 8 film showing a timid young woman undressing.

Event Details

7:30 PM

Doors Open

9:00 PM

Films Begin

10:45 PM

Q&A with filmmaker Arvand Dashtaray

RSVP DOES NOT GUARANTEE ENTRY. SEATING IS FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED.

IN THE EVENT OF RAIN, SHOW WILL BE RESCHEDULED AT THE SAME LOCATION. NO ALCOHOL IS PERMITTED.
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FAQs

How will it work?
RSVP is encouraged but not required for entry.

Where will the screening take place?
The entrance to the screening will be at the Myrtle Avenue and N Portland Ave entrance to Fort Greene Park. Seating will be on the lawn directly in front of this entrance, with check-in right at the gate to the lawn.

Can I bring food and drinks?
No alcoholic beverages are allowed. Feel free to bring snacks and non-alcoholic beverages!

Do I need to wear a mask?
Masks are encouraged while interacting with staff outdoors.

Are there ID requirements or an age limit to enter the event?
Rooftop Films screenings are open to all ages.

What are my transport/parking options getting to the event?
For a full list of Rooftop Films venues and directions, click here.

How accessible is this venue?
The lawn where the film will take place is up a steep incline coming from all directions. We are happy to assist anyone walking up the incline, but if this brings up any concerns, please email us at tickets@rooftopfilms.com or call at 718-417-7362 for more information.

Venue

Fort Greene Park

Myrtle Ave & N Portland Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11205