Short Documentary Block
St. Francis College
180 Remsen St
NY
40.69336967445145
-73.99193570738143
Description
Pre-Show Reception starts an hour before screening time. Q&A Talk-back with filmmakers starts immediately following screening.Green Card/ Kara Walker: “A Subtlety, or the Marvelous Sugar Baby/ Artspeak / Jazzsoon: Portrait of a Brooklyn Hustler/ Code Oakland/ Life SentencesGreen Card Documentary, 8 min. USA/Spain Brooklyn PremiereDirected by Pilar Rico and David Whitmer“Green Card” is a short documentary film about a song and its author, Mohammad Rahman, a convenience store owner from Bangladesh who lives and works in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Prompted by homesickness, Mohammed began writing songs while driving a taxi in New York City and has since recorded three CDs of his music. The film follows him as he works the overnight shift in his store, and features a performance of his song "Green Card" by his neighbor, a young musician of Bangladeshi descent. The song addresses the difficulties and sorrows of immigrant workers who have come to the United States in hopes of a better life. Brooklyn Connection: The film was shot in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It follows Mohammad Rahman, who has a convenience store and lives in Williamsburg.Green Card - Short Documentary Trailer from Pilar Rico on Vimeo.Kara Walker: A Subtlety, or the Marvelous Sugar BabyDocumentary, 10 min. USADirected by Ian ForsterThis short film by ART21 provides an in-depth look at the creation of Kara Walker’s monumental public project, "A Subtlety, or the Marvelous Sugar Baby" (2014), at the Domino Sugar Factory in Brooklyn, NY. Seated in her Manhattan studio, Walker explains how the molasses-covered space, along with her extensive research into the history of sugar, inspired her to create a colossal sugar-coated sphinx, as well as a series of life-sized, sugar and resin boy figurines. A team of artists and fabricators are shown constructing and coating the sphinx, which, as Walker says, gains its power by "upsetting expectations, one after the other." Commissioned by Creative Time, "A Subtlety, or the Marvelous Sugar Baby" is the first large-scale public project by Walker who is best known for her cut paper silhouette installations, drawings, and watercolors.ART21 was the only outside film crew that was given access to document the construction of Kara Walker's monumental sculpture.Brooklyn Connection:Constructed inside the abandoned Domino Sugar Factory on the Williamsburg waterfront, Kara Walker's "A Subtlety, or the Marvelous Sugar Baby" highlighted the borough's industrial past and its role in the global sugar trade. It was the only public art project to be shown in the space, which has since been demolished to make way for new apartment buildings. The ART21 film captures the entire construction process as well as opening day of the exhibition, which attracted over 140,000 visitors during its two month run.Artspeak Documentary, 16 min. USA Directed by Bill Claps Brooklyn PremiereThe use of “Artspeak”, the often incomprehensible language used by many curators, writers, critics, and other art insiders, has alienated much of of the art-viewing public. The film follows New York artist Bill Claps discovering everyday people’s thoughts and feelings about contemporary art as he develops a video installation and a series of artworks that comment on the phenomena of Artspeak. The film follows Claps at work in his studio, in the streets, galleries and art fairs of New York, and through several countries in Europe.Brooklyn Connection: Director Bill Claps has maintained studios in Williamsburg and Dumbo for many years. The DP and Editor Francesca Pagani lives and works in Williamsburg.Trailer for "Artspeak" Documentary from Bill Claps on Vimeo.Jazzsoon: Portrait of a Brooklyn Hustler Documentary, 5 min. USA Directed by Ivan Cash World PremiereThe story of Jazzsoon: Collector. Hustler. Brooklyn Native. Living for the weekends.Brooklyn Connection:Jazzsoon is Brooklyn-born & raised, residing in his former grandparent's apartment in Park Slope.Jazzsoon: Portrait of a Brooklyn Hustler from Ivan Cash on Vimeo.Code OaklandDocumentary, 22 min. USABrooklyn PremiereDirected by Kelly AmisThis film examines the evolution of Oakland through the eyes of social entrepreneurs who are determined that youth of color not be left on the sidelines as Silicon Valley spreads across the Bay and into the home of the second largest black community in California. Kalimah Priforce, whose first success as a social justice rebel was a hunger strike at the age of eight to get books for his group home, and Kimberly Bryant, a successful electrical engineer turned founder of Black Girls Code, are organizing large-scale hackathons to prepare youth to redesign the future through the power of digital coding. Joined on the national stage by #YesWeCode founder Van Jones, their work represents the cusp of a movement to change both the face and use of technology in America. Is Silicon Valley ready to be hacked? Brooklyn Connection:The star of and inspiration for "Code Oakland," Kalimah Priforce, grew up in Brooklyn, and we return there with him in this film to tell about his remarkable personal journey and challenges he has overcome in life.Life Sentences Documentary, 20 min. USADirected by Jesse RosenbergNYC PremiereLife Sentences is a short documentary about families affected by the incarceration of their loved ones. The film includes commentary from experts and activists, such as Angela Davis about the current state of the prison system.Brooklyn Connection:Director Jesse Rosenberg lives in Brooklyn and many crew members do as well.Life Sentences (Official Trailer) from Jesse Rosenberg on Vimeo.
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Start:
2015-05-15T17:00:00-04:00
End:
2015-05-15T19:00:00-04:00
Category
Film
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