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Discovering the Hudson by Ward Morehouse III
The Hudson Theatre, which opened in 1903, is much more than a beautiful facade, much more than a landmark Broadway playhouse with Tiffany glass mosaics and Roman friezes -- complete with verde-antique in Greco-Roman marble -- all of which recently and painstakingly restored by Millennium Hotels. With as much drama going on off-stage as beneath its historic proscenium arch, The Hudson has been the theater home for such titanic 20th century actors as George M. Cohan, Ethyl Barrymore, Laurence Olivier, Alfred Lunt, and Jason Robards Jr. As if that weren't enough of a resume, the storied Broadway palace has also played the big time as the studio where Jack Paar and Steve Allen did their nationally broadcasted TV shows. Elvis, Bob Hope, Sammy Davis Jr. and many others not instantly associated with Broadway have been celebrated Hudson guests too. Ward Morehouse III, whose family has been identified with theater for generations, uses the Hudson as a launching pad to write about the golden age of Broadway, live TV and beyond into the new, international age of corporate-theatre synergy.

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Broadway After Dark by Ward Morehouse III, Ward Morehouse
"Broadway After Dark is a compilation of columns, stories and never-before-published profiles by my father, Ward Morehouse, and myself. The profiles were originally intended for a book called Stars I Have Known. The columns of his are representative of those he did for the New York Sun from 1926-1950 and after for other newspapers. I started writing sporadically about show business for The Christian Science Monitor in the 1970's and continued as a reporter and theater columnist for the New York Post, Reuters, New York Sun, amNew York, and the Epoch Times. It's my hope that these columns and stories, taken together, will be a portrait, however sketchy, of some of theater for the last and current century through some of their biggest stars, including Katharine Hepburn."

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Life at the Top: Inside New York's Grand Hotels by Ward Morehouse III
Veteran Broadway columnist WARD MOREHOUSE III (formerly with the New York Post and New York Sun, whose "Broadway After Dark" appears in AM New York) has written a fascinating and entertaining new book "Life At The Top: Inside New York's Grand Hotels" (Bear Manor Media), a book that has no heroes, great history or noble purpose. It's simply a masterpiece of storytelling.

MOREHOUSE chronicles the of some of the 20th Century's literary and artistic giants, many of whom made their permanent domicile at some of New York's grandest hotel, including The Waldorf-Astoria, Chelsea, St. Regis, Algonquin, Pierre, Astor and Carlyle. He paints a unique portrait of their colorful, romantic, and sometimes tragic lives during the golden era of New York hotels and theatre, bringing the two worlds together in a work that reads like great fiction. The fast-paced volume reconfirms MOREHOUSE's status as a superb chronicler of celebrity high life during the last century as well as one of our most engaging storytellers.

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Inside The Plaza: An Intimate Portrait of the Ultimate Hotel by Ward Morehouse III
From Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald cavorting in the Pulitzer Fountain to Ivana Trump patrolling the halls to inspect the rooms, this is the Plaza Hotel as no one has ever seen it, or been permitted to see it. The Plaza is the place where the Beatles headquartered when they invaded America. It's where George M. Cohan held court during the golden era of Broadway. It's where Marilyn busted a strap on cue, where Cary Grant started out from when he traveled North By Northwest, and where Macauley Culkin stayed after staying Home Alone. From the railroad tracks in the basement to the vast luxury suites overlooking Central Park, this is the full story behind the gilded doors, the inside scoop direct from the people who have cavorted there and worked there.

Mention in "The Plaza Lives", New York Magazine (May 2, 2005)

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The Waldorf-Astoria by Ward Morehouse III
"The grand cities of the world have their grand hotels, the bed-and-breakfasts for the mighty and moneyed. Ward Morehouse III explores one of New York City's grandest in 'The Waldorf-Astoria: America's Gilded Dream' ... Morehouse writes of pleasures and scandals, of the hard facts of running a hotel and of its romance. The hotel comes off well in the hands of its appreciative Boswell and one will find 'The Waldorf-Astoria' to be a pleasant buffet"
- The New York Times

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The Caedmon School: An Anecdotal History and Appreciation by Ward Morehouse III, Gregory A. Minahan
Book Description
Set against the colorful tapestry of Manhattan's ever-changing East Side, this entertaining and insightful history traces the journey of dedicated parents and teachers as they create a school for young children. "The Caedmon School," offers an intimate glimpse into the rebirth of American Montessori education during the second half of the 20th century. The story's memorable characters are the parents, administrators, teachers and students whose heartwarming stories of hard work and achievement have helped to make a unique contribution to the educational landscape of New York City.
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If It Was Easy: A New Comedy by Stewart F. Lane, Ward Morehouse III

Movies after Dark

Rooftop Films presents the first ever Brooklyn Non-Fiction Shorts Program

PRESS RELEASE

Rooftop Films Presents Brooklyn Non-Fiction

PRESS Contact: Genevieve DeLaurier | 718-417-7362 |press@rooftopfilms.com | www.rooftopfilms.com
Press passes and preview DVDs available upon request.

(New York, NY) August 26, 2009: Rooftop Films will present the it's first ever Brooklyn Non-Fiction program of short films on Saturday, September 12, on the roof of The Old American Can Factory in Gowanus near Park Slope. The official closing night of the 2009 Rooftop Films Summer Series, the program will feature 9 new short non-fiction films by Brooklyn filmmakers, about Brooklyn.

There will be a filmmaker Q and A following the screening, followed by an after party in the courtyard, featuring DJs, complimentary drinks, and more.

Venue: On the roof of the Old American Can Factory
Address: 232 3rd St. @ 3rd Ave. (Gowanus/ Park Slope, Brooklyn)
Directions: F/G to Carroll St. or M/R to Union Ave.
Rain: In the event of rain the show will be held indoors at the same location
8:00PM: Doors open
8:30PM: Sound Fix presents live music
9:00PM: Films
11:00PM–12:30AM: Reception in courtyard including free sangria courtesy of Carlo Rossi sangria
Tickets: $9-$25 at the door or online at www.rooftopfilms.com

Program Notes :
BROOKLYN NON-FICTION
Without the other four boroughs, Brooklyn would be America’s fourth largest city. So many artists and filmmakers have gravitated toward the borough of Kings—including Rooftop itself—it could be argued that Brooklyn is New York’s cultural capital. And so for Rooftop Films 2009 Closing Weekend, we flash our local colors and parade our local pride.

The short films in this program show Brooklyn some love, and defend Brooklyn against unwanted developments. These films flex the power of Brooklyn’s diversity, and boast of Brooklyn’s bizarre and bold attitude. We disclose the turmoil and the harmony in competing and coalescing races and cultures, and we expose the passion and principles of opposing flocks of birds and opinionated inanimate objects. Because in this part of town, everyone’s got a point of view. And from up here on the roof, the whole city’s gonna see it.

The Films :

Brooklyn Love (Chris King | Brooklyn, NY | 2:09) *
A bike ride across the bridge to Manhattan and back takes the form of a love letter to Brooklyn.

Life on Location (Christopher Tignor | Brooklyn, NY | 3:00)

A whimsical look at how the economy isn't changing in the fantasy world of big budget New York filmmaking, but how it does change the lives of local residents. Winner of the Brian Lehrer Show's " Uncommon Economic Indicator Video Contest."


The Lost Tribes of New York City (Carolyn & Andy London | New York, NY | 3:00)
Urban anthropologists Andy and Carolyn London interview some of New York City's more overlooked citizens in this charming and hilarious animated “documentary.”

Missed Connections on the L (Bambi Bogert | NY, NY | 3:25) *
Recreated from those real Craigslist letters to lost romantic opportunities in one of the world’s most fertile corridors for flirtation.
A work in progress screening.

Brooklyn Boondoggle (Meerkat Media Collective | Brooklyn, NY | 11:19) *
Exploring the highly controversial Atlantic Yards project, Brooklyn Boondoggle questions the trend of top-down urban development and asks, what if we were allowed to decide the future of our own neighborhoods?

Pants Problem (Casimir Nozkowski | Brooklyn, NY | 3:05)
“I recently made a video about a real-life problem I faced. This is all true. I am missing pants.”

Crime Scene Greenpoint (Christopher Arcella | Long Island City, NY | 3:30)
This seemingly otherworldly footage is in fact the New York Fire Department taming a ten-alarm fire that destroyed most of the Greenpoint Terminal Market located along the East River in Brooklyn.

Above Brooklyn (Heather Spilkin | Brooklyn, NY | 31:10)
Meet some of New York's few remaining pigeon breeders and explore a world that exists on Brooklyn's rooftops, where men obsessed with their birds have found a connection with nature and the sky above them, one that contrasts greatly with the bustling streets only a few flights below.

Intifada NYC (David Teague | Brooklyn, NY | 47:00)
The United States’ first Arabic language public school, Khalil Gibran International Academy, opened in Brooklyn to a firestorm of controversy. As critics and the mainstream media stoked flames in the climate of post-9/11 America, the fallout brought consequences for the school’s founding principal, Debbie Almontaser. Taking a dramatic and stylistic approach, Intifada NYC follows the school’s rocky first days, Almontaser’s resignation and First Amendment legal battle to get her job back, and the expansion of Stop the Madrassa’s campaign against alleged Islamist infiltration of the United States.

* Courtesy of The Brooklyn Filmmakers Collective.

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Rooftop Films is a non-profit organization whose mission is to engage and inspire the diverse communities of New York City by showcasing the work of emerging filmmakers and musicians. In addition to our Summer Series – which takes place in unique outdoor venues every weekend throughout the summer – Rooftop provides grants to filmmakers, teaches media literacy and filmmaking to young people, rents low-cost equipment to artists and non-profits, and produces new independent films. At Rooftop Films, we bring the underground outdoors. For more information and updates please visit our website at www.rooftopfilms.com.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRESS Contact: Genevieve DeLaurier | 718-417-7362 | press@rooftopfilms.com | www.rooftopfilms.com


Rooftop Films to screen Troll 2 and Best Worst Movie
Troll 2: Thursday, July 30
Best Worst Movie: Friday, July 31
Both screenings on lawn of Automotive High in Williamsburg



(New York, NY) July 24, 2009:
TROLL 2Rooftop film will present screenings of Troll 2 and Best Worst Movie on consecutive days next week. Troll 2 will screen Thursday, July 30, and Best Worst Movie will have it's New York Premiere on Friday, July 31st. Both screenings will be on lawn of Automotive High in Williamsburg. Michael paul Stephenson, the director of Best Worst Movie and one of the stars of Troll 2 will be present for both screenings, as will George Hardy, star of Troll 2 and the primary subject of Best Worst Movie. One $11 ticket gains admission for both screenings. There will be Q and A's with the stars following both screenings, and all in attendance will gain admission to the after party with complimentary beer, courtesy of Radeberger Pilsner.

Best Worst Movie is the acclaimed feature length documentary that takes us on an off-beat journey into the undisputed worst movie in cinematic history: Troll 2. In 1989, when an Italian filmmaker and unwitting Utah actors shot the ultra-low budget horror film, Troll 2, they had no idea that twenty years later they would be celebrated worldwide for their legendary ineptitude. Two decades later, the film’s now-grown-up child star (Michael Paul Stephenson) unravels the improbable, heartfelt story of the Alabama dentist-turned-cult movie icon and the Italian filmmaker who come to terms with this genuine, internationally revered cinematic failure. Is Troll 2 really the worst movie ever made as claimed by IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes? Or is Troll 2, as some would claim, a misunderstood masterpiece that never fails to entertain… a work of genius? Twenty years after Troll 2 was made, the feature length documentary Best Worst Movie explores the Troll 2 phenomenon through the personal story of the cast of characters that took part in its creation and why it is celebrated by fans worldwide.

In the summer of 1989, Italian director Claudio Fragrasso cast small-town dentist Dr. George Hardy and a group of unwitting Utah actors in an ultra-low budget horror film, which eventually became the undisputed Worst Movie in History. Soon after Troll 2’s initial release, Dr. Hardy decided he was better suited battling tooth decay than goblins. He retired from acting and returned to dentistry in his hometown of Alabama unaware of the legions of fans that would one day recognize him as a cult movie luminary. Nearly 20 years later, Troll 2 has suddenly become “awfully” popular. A corn-on-the-cob sex scene, pudgy-potato-sack clad midgets, and a peculiar plot about evil vegetarian goblins attempting to transform a young boy’s family into edible plants is unintentionally hilarious, yet strangely captivating and highly entertaining.

Dr. Hardy finds his days of drilling cavities are met by nights of signing hundreds of autographs at record-setting revival screenings throughout the world. Unlikely byproducts celebrating the BEST WORST MOVIE include fan sites, music videos, dress-up dinner parties and even homage in one of the most successful video games, Sony PlayStation’s Guitar Hero 2. But what does the director of Troll 2, Claudio Fragasso, think about his film becoming “awfully” popular? Meet cast & crew and learn how it feels to fail miserably and years later be applauded for it. Best Worst Movie is story of one of cinema’s greatest tragedies… or triumph’s –Troll 2. The result is a hilarious and tender off-beat journey and a genuine homage to lovers of bad movies and the people that create them.

Thu., July 30
TROLL 2

The legendary worst movie ever made, according to IMDB ratings. Come see how great a bad movie can be.
Venue: On the lawn of Automotive High School
8:00PM: Doors open
8:30PM: Sound Fix Records presents live music
9:00PM: Film
11:30PM-1:00AM: After-party: Open Bar at Matchless (557 Manhattan Ave. @ Driggs) Courtesy of Radeberger Pilsner
Tickets: $11 at the door or online
Ticket includes admission to Best Worst Movie on July 31st.

Fri., July 31
Best Worst Movie

(Michael Paul Stephenson | Los Angeles, CA | www.bestworstmovie.com | 92 min.)
An acclaimed feature length documentary that takes us on an off-beat journey into the undisputed worst movie in cinematic history: Troll 2. Directed by the now grown child star of the awful horror classic, this documentary is both hilarious and touching, providing insights into artistic vision and dashed dreams.
Venue: On the lawn of Automotive High School
8:00PM: Doors open
8:30PM: Sound Fix Records presents live music
9:00PM: Film
10:30PM: Filmmaker Q & A
11:30PM-1:00AM: After-party: Open Bar at Matchless (557 Manhattan Ave. @ Driggs) Courtesy of Radeberger Pilsner
Tickets: $9 at the door or online



• PREVIEW TAPES / DVDs & HIGH RESOLUTION STILLS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST
• FULL PROGRAM NOTES, FILM DESCRIPTIONS, VENUE INFO, SCHEDULE OF OTHER EVENTS AND MORE AVAILABLE AT WWW.ROOFTOPFILMS.COM

DOWNLOAD THE ROOFTOP FILMS ONLINE PRESS KIT HERE:
www.rooftopfilms.com/Rooftop_Films_Press_Kit_2009.pdf


Rooftop Films is a non-profit organization whose mission is to engage and inspire the diverse communities of New York City by showcasing the work of emerging filmmakers and musicians. In addition to our Summer Series – which takes place in unique outdoor venues every weekend throughout the summer – Rooftop provides grants to filmmakers, teaches media literacy and filmmaking to young people, rents low-cost equipment to artists and non-profits, and produces new independent films. At Rooftop Films, we bring the underground outdoors. For more information and updates please visit our website at www.rooftopfilms.com.


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For Immediate Release

PRESS Contact:
Genevieve DeLaurier | 718-417-7362 | press@rooftopfilms.com | www.rooftopfilms.com

Rooftop Films & The Fledgling Fund present "No Impact Man"

(New York, NY) May 27, 2009: On June 11th, 2009 Rooftop Films and The Fledgling Fund will host a special community-engagement screening of "No Impact Man," a documentary directed by Laura Gabbert & Justin Schein. A local family drama with global implications, the film follows the inspirational (and controversial) No Impact Man and family as they challenge themselves to make no environmental impact for one whole year. Rooftop Films and The Fledgling Fund invite you to join the challenge with an exciting carnival-like screening event.

The lawn of Automotive High School will host a celebration of environmentally-friendly activities, as Rooftop Films and The Fledgling Fund utilize the screening of "No Impact Man" to engage audience members in making environmentally-friendly lifestyle commitments. There will be information about local foods, opportunities to volunteer in local environmental projects, composting demonstrations, ideas about reusing old products, and a demonstration of biodiesel cars from the students of our hosts at Automotive High School. Audience members who make personal video pledges to change aspects of their lifestyles will be entered into a raffle to win various prizes. The Hungry March Band, New York’s legendary political street brass march band will help create a festive atmosphere as they perform in the anarchic style that has become their trademark.

Rooftop Films and the Fledgling Fund share a common goal: to generate social change through the medium of film. However, the power of film is only evident when it has an audience, and even excellent films often have trouble building an active network of viewers and supporters. Rooftop Films creates unique and memorable screening events, events rooted in the value of community-building, events which shape people's awareness and stimulate action. Rooftop provide, for filmmakers and audiences alike, an immediate and engaged community, in a way that no other festival or screening can provide.

Rooftop’s events are more than just film screenings. All Rooftop shows include live music, a unique outdoor venue, and a Q&A with the filmmaker or a panel discussion of the film. On top of that, Rooftop works closely with local groups to co-present events—past partners include The Center for Urban Pedagogy and Solar One—ensuring that there is interactivity, and relevant information available to the community. The goal of Rooftop Films screenings is to create an integrated event with connections between the film, the music, and the venue. By creating multi-faceted events, we forge a community between filmmakers, musicians, activists, the audience, and the neighborhoods where we screen.

"No Impact Man" is an endearing and riveting film that invites us to question our impact on the world around us. It challenges us by posing the question, "what can we do as individuals to combat the systematic collapse of our environment?" The film uses this query to guide an experiment in lifestyle redesign. Collin Beavan expounds on the subject in his book, No Impact Man (scheduled for publication in September 2009 by Farrar, Straus & Giroux), as well as on his provocative environmental blog, www.noimpactman.com. Colin gathers lessons from his experiment and its aftermath to promote a more sustainable lifestyle, encouraging people around the country to make small and large changes and to participate as engaged citizens in their community.

Most everyone agrees that changes need to be made to save our environment. But most people think someone else should be making those changes. How many among us are willing to make changes in our lives? How much will these changes affect our lifestyles? Are these adaptations helpful? Is it possible that they could not only improve the environment, but our level of happiness as well?

"Proof that 'eco' and 'entertainment' aren't mutually exclusive, 'No Impact Man' may be a socially progressive, environmentally conscious film, but it goes down far easier than, say, an all-natural, fiber-enriched peanut butter sandwich without a glass of soy milk." - Variety

Program Notes/Event Details:

"No Impact Man"
(Laura Gabbert & Justin Schein | New York, NY | www.noimpactman.com | 90 min.)

Colin Beavan, a writer living in Manhattan with his wife and daughter, decided to find out what it means to live a “no impact” life.

For one year, Beavan becomes “No Impact Man,” attempting to live his normal life in New York City, without leaving an impact on the environment. No new products. No chemicals. No non-local food. No electricity. He sacrificed his personal comfort, risked his self-esteem, and even jeopardized his relationship with his family, all for this strange test.

The challenge is, of course, rather quixotic. Couldn’t Beavan simply reduce, reuse, recycle, like so many of us (try to) do? But his obsessiveness generates immediate, widespread attention for the project, generating acclaim and disdain, including detractors that range from dismissive major media outlets to mean-spirited personal attacks. Beavan is forced to re-examine No Impact Man, to question this idea that’s the driving force in his life. But will he renounce it?

The public scrutiny provides the intellectual spark for the film, but the tension between Colin and his wife Michelle Conlin is the emotional core of the film. Conlin lives like so many of us: proudly eating takeout, compulsively buying the latest products, taking for granted the excessive habits of consumerism. Sneaking an espresso here and there seems a minor offense, but the guilt from Colin is burdensome. I’m sure many of us think we could handle a year without chemical laundry detergent or new handbags, but what about a fly-infested compost bin in the kitchen, or a pot-within-a-pot refrigeration experiment? And what of her job at Business Week, examining (and in many ways promoting) the essence of the culture No Impact Man is critiquing?

No Impact Man will hit theaters in New York and beyond in September. Check www.rooftopfilms.com for updates.

Date: Thursday, June 11, 2009
Venue: On the lawn of Automotive High School
Address: 50 Bedford Ave. @ North 13th St. (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)
Directions: L to Bedford Ave. or G to Nassau Ave.
Rain: In the event of rain the show will be held indoors at the same location
7:00PM: Doors open
8:00PM: Sound Fix Records presents live music by The Hungry March Band
9:00PM: Film
11:30PM-1:00AM: After-party: Open Bar at Matchless (557 Manhattan Ave. @ Driggs) Courtesy of Radeberger Pilsner
Tickets: $9 at the door or online at www.rooftopfilms.com
Presented in partnership with: The Fledgling Fund, Cinereach, New York magazine, IndiePix, Shooting People, Council Member David Yassky & Automotive High School

Download the Rooftop Films online press kit here:
www.rooftopfilms.com/Rooftop_Films_Press_Kit_2009.pdf

PRESS FESTIVAL PASSES, PREVIEW TAPES / DVDs, & HIGH RESOLUTION STILLS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST

***********************************************************************************
Rooftop Films is a non-profit organization whose mission is to engage and inspire the diverse communities of New York City by showcasing the work of emerging filmmakers and musicians. In addition to our Summer Series – which takes place in unique outdoor venues every weekend throughout the summer – Rooftop provides grants to filmmakers, teaches media literacy and filmmaking to young people, rents low-cost equipment to artists and non-profits, and produces new independent films. At Rooftop Films, we bring the underground outdoors. For more information and updates please visit our website at www.rooftopfilms.com.
***********************************************************************************
The Fledgling Fund seeks to improve the lives of vulnerable individuals, families, and communities by supporting innovative media projects that target entrenched social problems. The Fledgling Fund is interested in making strategic grants and investments that help fledgling projects take flight. The fund looks for opportunities where funding can play a key role in the life of a creative media project that has the potential to ignite social change. Typically, these are grants at a critical stage of a media project where timely funding could amplify its social impact.

The Fledgling Fund leverages resources by funding projects around a cluster of critical issues, including: girls' empowerment and women's leadership, environmental sustainability, health, immigration, U.S. justice system, and systemic poverty, among others. In this way, they select media projects that not only highlight the complexity of these social problems but also offer solutions. www.thefledglingfund.org

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FILM COMPETITION

Christopher D. Smithers Foundation Special Award -- Ambassador of Good Hope

People between the ages of 14 and 25 are being invited to submit short videos dealing with the issues of alcohol abuse prevention among young people. It is for the Christopher D. Smithers Foundation Special Award -- Ambassador of Good Hope -- to be presented at the 2009 Venice Film Festival, according to Foundation president Adele C. Smithers. The videos can be submitted to info@smithersfoundation.org or cict@occam.org, indicating title, length and synopsis. For the first time, the 2008 Venice Film Festival presented the Christopher D. Smithers Foundation Special Award to the movie, "Stella," for best sending the message of hope and that alcoholism is a respectable, treatable disease. It made its U.S. debut at Lincoln Center's Walter Reade Theater March 12. This Award was not limited to an age group. The Foundation, for over 50 years, is the only one of its kind dealing solely with alcoholism.

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Rooftop Films 2009 Summer Series opens May 15

More than 40 film and music events in spectacular outdoor locations throughout the summer

PRESS RELEASE


Rooftop Films 2009 Summer Series opens May 15
More than 40 film and music events in spectacular outdoor locations throughout the summer




(New York, NY) April 2, 2009: Rooftop Films is back and we’re starting the summer early! The Rooftop Films 2009 Summer Series kicks off on Friday, May 15th. Head to the Lower East Side of Manhattan and ascend the stairs of New Design High School, follow the crowds to the Open Road Rooftop to see extraordinary live music performances and amazing films under the warming sky, framed on all sides by the greatest cityscape in the world.

The Rooftop Films 2009 Summer Series returns for our 13th season, screening every weekend from May 15 - September 20. This summer, Rooftop will host more than 40 unique outdoor events, featuring programs of new, independently produced films from around the world paired with New York’s best and brightest musical acts. We’ll be in more than a dozen spectacular outdoor locations around New York City and anticipate over 25,000 attendees throughout the summer.

On Friday, May 15 the Rooftop Films Summer Series opens with the shorts program, "This is What We Mean by Short Films" at the Open Road Rooftop above New Design High School (Lower East Side). These are the movies that define the short film as a genre—quickly clever but profoundly rich, packed with hard-hitting humor and long-lasting poignancy. Rooftop has received over 2,000 film submissions and will screen 20 feature-length films and over 120 short films throughout the summer. We screen films from around the world, in every imaginable genre—documentaries, narratives, animations, experimental films, music videos, home movies and more. The full schedule of films and ticket information will be available soon.

Rooftop Films shows are not merely film screenings, they are film events that have a relaxed yet festive atmosphere and provide a great opportunity for the audience to mingle with musicians, filmmakers and the festival organizers as they enjoy some of the best new music and independent film in the world. Tickets to Rooftop Films 2009 Summer Series are just $9—the best deal in town for new movies, great bands, spectacular views, awesome parties (with free drinks) and more. The fusion of live music, films, and unique outdoor locations make the Rooftop Films Summer Series like no other festival in the world.

As a non-profit organization, Rooftop Films is as much a community organization as it is a film festival: our mission is to educate the public and bring communities together. For each venue, we select films and music which will be relevant to the local community, but which will also expose them to new ideas, issues and art forms. The specific issues addressed at our events change from year to year, depending on the films which are submitted to us and the needs articulated by the communities in which we host them.

Rooftop Films Quick Facts:
~ 44 shows throughout New York City
~ Over 12 different outdoor locations
~ Every Friday and Saturday night from May 15 - September 2
~ 24 feature films
~ 20 programs of short films, including over 120 shorts
~ Live music at every show
~ After-parties with complimentary Radeberger Pilsner

The full 2009 schedule will be available soon on our website, www.rooftopfilms.com
Download the Rooftop Films online press kit here:
www.rooftopfilms.com/Rooftop_Films_Press_Kit_2009.pdf

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Rooftop Films is a non-profit organization whose mission is to engage and inspire diverse communities by showcasing emerging filmmakers and musicians in outdoor locations every weekend all summer long. In addition to our Summer Series, Rooftop produces new films, teaches filmmaking to young people, and rents low-cost equipment to artists and non-profits. At Rooftop Films, we bring the underground outdoors. For more information and updates please visit our website at www.rooftopfilms.com.

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PALM SPRINGS 1ST ANNUAL GAY AND LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL IS A RESOUNDING SUCCESS

By JOEL VIG

THE 1ST ANNUAL CINEMA DIVERSE --2008 GAY AND LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL OF PALM SPRINGS TOOK PLACE FROM JULY 22-27 AND WAS NOTHING LESS THAN A SPECTACULAR SUCCESS. CINEMA DIVERSE IS A PROGRAM OF THE PALM SPRINGS CULTURAL CENTER. BRINGING TOGETHER FILM ARTISTS, FILM LOVERS, AND INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS, THE MISSION OF THIS NEW FESTIVAL IS TO ADVANCE AND FURTHER STRENGTHEN THE DIVERSE PALM SPRINGS GAY COMMUNITY THROUGH THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A WORLD-CLASS FORUM THAT PRESENTS LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER CINEMA FROM AROUND THE WORLD.

CINEMA DIVERSE LIVED UP TO ITS NAME IN THE 6 JAM PACKED DAYS OF PRESENTATIONS RANGING FROM WILD SCREWBALL COMEDIES TO FAMILY DRAMAS, MUSICALS, AND DOCUMENTARIES. THE DIVERSITY WAS NOT JUST PRESENT ON THE SCREEN BUT IN THE AUDIENCE AS WELL. IN A COMMUNITY WHICH HAS A GAY YELLOW PAGES LISTING MULTIPLE PAGES OF COMMUNITY RESOURCE ORGANIZATIONS RANGING FROM GAY ASSOCIATED YOUTH TO DESERT DYNERS(A LESBIAN SOCIAL CLUB) TO GAY VETERANS AND PRIME TIMERS OF THE DESERT(A SOCIAL CLUB FOR MATURE GAY MEN AND THEIR ADMIRERS), ALL ECONOMIC, SOCIAL, AND AGE RANGES WERE ENTHUSIASTICALLY PRESENT. THE FESTIVAL CLEARLY ALSO APPEALED TO A WIDE RANGE OF HETEROSEXUAL PATRONS INTERESTED IN WHAT THE MAYOR OF PALM SPRINGS, STEVE POUGNET, CALLED " A MAJOR CULTURAL EVENT DURING THE SUMMER IN PALM SPRINGS". THE MAYOR WENT ON TO SAY "IT IS A BRAVE THING TO PUTOUT INTO THE WORLD SOMETHING THAT YOU HAVE CREATED FOR ALL TO SEE, AND TO INSPIRE THOUGHT AND DISCUSSION". THE DISCUSSION WHICH FOLLOWED VARIOUS FILMS WAS NOT JUST AT THE QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSIONS FOLLOWING THE SCREENINGS, BUT CONTINUED AS PEOPLE LEFT THE THEATRE, ATTENDED POST SCREENING PARTIES, AND EVEN WENT HOME NEWLY INFORMED AND INSPIRED.

THE FESTIVAL KICK-OFF WAS A SCREENING OF THE FIRST 3 EPISODES OF LOGO NETWORK'S NEW SORDID LIVES: THE SERIES. DEL SHORES WHO WROTE THE STAGE PLAY TURNED MOVIE TURNED TELEVISION SERIES WAS PRESENT FOR THE OPENING NIGHT AND GAVE WELL DESERVED CREDIT FOR HIS SUCCESS TO THE PALM SPRINGS AUDIENCE. THE FILM, WHICH RAN TO PACKED HOUSES AT THE CAMELOT THEATRE FOR AN ASTONISHING 96 WEEKS, BECAME A MUST-SEE PHENOMENON FOR LOCAL RESIDENTS AND TOURISTS ALIKE. ATTENDING WITH DEL SHORES WERE EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS STAN BROOKS AND DAMIEN GANCZEWSKI AND CO-PRODUCER/ACTOR EMERSON COLLINS. ACTORS FROM THE ORIGINAL FILM IN ATTENDANCE WERE BETH GRANT(SISSY), ANN WALKER(LAVONDA), SARAH HUNLEY(JUANITA)., MARY MARGARET LEWIS(ETHEL), AND SHARRON ALEXIS(SARA). ACTORS NEW TO THE SERIES AT THE EVENT WERE DAVID COWGILL(ODELL), TED DETWILER(JACOB), JASON DOTTLEY(TY), AND DAVID STEEN(GW). ALSO NEW TO THE SERIES BUT UNABLE TO ATEND THE SCREENING IN PALM SPRINGS WAS TELEVISION ICON RUE MCCLANAHAN. SPEAKI9NG WITH RUE ON MONDAY MORNING, JULY 28, SHE TOLD ME THAT "SORDID LIVES HAS BEEN A JOY--AN EXTRAORDINARY EXPERIENCE. DEL IS AN AMAZING WRITER AND JUST THE SWEETEST MAN WHO LOVES ACTORS AND HAS ASSEMBLED A DREAM CAST. I CAN'T WAIT TO SHOOT MORE EPISODES." FROM THE ENTHUSIASTIC RESPONSE TO THE OPENING NIGHT SCREENING, I CAN SAFELY SAY THAT THE PALM SPRINGS AUDIENCE ECHOES RUE'S SENTIMENTS.

FOR THE NEXT 5 DAYS, SCREENINGS TOOK PLACE AT 1 P.M., 4 P.M., AND 7 P.M. DAILY, OFTEN WITH A SHORT FILM TRAILER AT THE BEGINNING AND AN AUDIENCE QUESTION AND ANSWER AT THE END. DIE-HARD PARTICIPANTS WITH FULL ACCESS PASSES, OF WHICH THERE WERE MANY, SPENT THEIR FULL DAYS LATE INTO THE NIGHT WITH POST SCREENING PARTIES AT VARIOUS LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT THE CITY. IN ADDITION TO A DIVERSE COLLECTION OF SHORTS, FILMS INCLUDED 1 FEATURE LENGTH FILMS FROM THE U.S., THE U.K., SPAIN, ARGENTINA, AUSTRALIA, ITALY AND FRANCE. DOCUMENTARIES RANGED FROM THE WILD BEHIND THE SCENES WORLDS OF THE 34TH MISS GAY AMERICA PAGEANT (PAGEANT-DIRECTORS RON DAVIS AND STEWART HALPERN), TO THE EQUALLY WILD WORLD OF NEW YORK CITY FASHION WITH PROJECT RUNWAY DESIGNER JAY MCCARROLL'S 1ST NEW YORK SHOW AT BRYANT PARK'S FASHION WEEK(11 MINUTES- DIRECTORS MICHAEL SELDITCH AND ROB TATE), TO THE ICONIC LIVES FO POP ARTIST KEITH HARING(THE UNIVERSE OF KEITH HARING-DIRECTOR CHRISTINE CLAUSEN), TO FORMER PORN STAR JACK WRANGLER(WRANGLER: ANATOMY OF AN ICON). THE DIRECTOR OF THE JACK WRANGLER DOCUMENTARY, JEFFREY SCHWARZ, MENTIONED IN THE POST SHOW QUESTION AND ANSWER THAT THIS FESTIVAL HAD PROVIDED THE LARGEST AND MOST APPRECIATIVE AUDIENCE FOR THE FILM TO DATE. ONE CAN SURMISE THAT THIS MAY WELL BE THE CASE FOR MANY OFTHE WORKS IN THE FESTIVAL.

PERHAPS THE MOST TIMELY OF THE DOCUMENTARY FILMS SHOWN WAS SAVING MARRIAGE, MIKE ROTH AND JOHN HENNING'S AWARD WINNING FILM WHICH CHRONICLES THE 2003 MASSACHUSETTS SUPREME COURT RULING LEGALIZING SAME- SEX MARRIAGE. WITH UPCOMING CHALLENGES IN CALIFORNIA AND OTHER STATES, THIS COULD WELL BE THE MOST IMPORTANT CIVIL RIGHTS ISSUE OF THE NEW MILLENNIUM. DRAMAS RANGED FROM A GOTHIC LESBIAN MELODRAMA ENTITLED AFFINITY BY DIRECTOR TIM FYWELL, TO A POETIC STORY OF HUMAN CONNECTION OF TWO MEN--STRANGERS TO ONE ANOTHER-- WHOSE LIVES ARE DRAWN TOGETHER BY THEIR MUTUAL LOVE OF A DECEASED FRIEND IN DIRECTOR YEN TAN'S CIAO. COMEDIES RANGED FROM JAMIE BABBIT'S ITTY BITTY TITTY COMMITTEE- A LESBIAN SCREWBALL ROMP- TO DIRECTOR TODD STEPHEN'S ANOTHER GAY SEQUEL: GAYS GONE WILD-- AN OUTRAGEOUS AND RAUNCHY FOLLOW UP TO HIS EARLIER FILM - ANOTHER GAY MOVIE. ROUNDING OUT THE FEATURE FILMS CATEGORY WERE ARGENTINIAN DIRECTOR LUCIA PUENZO'S XXY- A POWERFUL AND THOUGHT PROVOKING FILM ABOUT THE NATURE OF GENDER, SPANISH DIRECTOR SERGIO CANDEL'S DOS MIRADOS--THE INTIMATE AND EMOTIONAL STUDY OF TWO WOMEN AND THEIR FRIENDSHIP THAT TRANSCENDS INTO SOMETHING DEEPER, AUSTRALIAN DIRECTOR DON CASTLE'S NEWCASTLE--A BEAUTIFULLY PHOTOGRAPHED AND SEXUALLY CHARGED FILM ABOUT THE YOUNG MEN INVOLVED IN A SURFING COMPETITION IN A SMALL SEASIDE TOWN, DIRECTOR ROBERT CARY'S SAVE ME--THE STORY OF A TROUBLED GAY MAN'S SEARCH FOR REDEMPTION AS HE IS PLACED INTO A 12 STEP CHRISTIAN "EX-GAY" MINISTRY, AND FINALLY THE DIRECTORIAL DEBUT OF TOM GUSTAFSON--WERE THE WORLD MINE-- AN AMBITIOUS DRAMATIC MUSICAL FEATURE WITH A POP/ROCK SCORE THAT WAS CHOSEN AS THE AUDIENCE FAVORITE OF THE FESTIVAL. THE AUDIENCE FAVORITE SHORT FILM OF THE FESTIVAL WAS WRESTLING- AN INTIMATE PORTRAIT OF TWO WRESTLERS WHO MUST KEEP THEIR RELATIONSHIP A SECRET BY ICELANDIC DIRECTOR GRIMUS HAKONARSON.

THE CAMELOT THEATRE, ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AND WELL RUN THEATRES IN THE COUNTRY, WAS THE SITE FOR ALL OF THE SCREENINGS AS WELL AS A PLATINUM SPONSOR OF THE FESTIVAL. PRESENTING SPONSORS INCLUDED TIME WARNER CABLE AND THE BOTTOMLINE.THE CO-PRODUCER, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, AND PROGRAMMER FOR THE FESTIVAL IS A JOVIAL MAN NAMED THOMAS ETHAN HARRIS. IN SPEAKING OF THE MISSION TO CREATE THIS EVENT, HE SPOKE OF THE INCREDIBLE 3 YEAR JOURNEY TO BRING IT TO FRUITION. HE THANKED THE REMARKABLE STAFF, THE VOLUNTEERS, THE GENEROUS SPONSORS AND THE BOARD OF THE PALM SPRINGS CULTURAL CENTER, AS WELL AS THE LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF ARTISTS WHO'S WORK WENT INTO THE SHORT AND FEATURE FILMS SHOWN. HIS FINAL THANK YOU WAS TO THE PALM SPRINGS AUDIENCE WHOSE OVERWHELMING SUPPORT HAS ENSURED THAT THIS WILL BE A FESTIVAL WHICH NOT ONLY CONTINUES BUT GROWS. IT WILL BE AS MR. HARRIS SO APTLY PUTS IT, "COMPLETELY SEXY, TOTALLY UNEXPECTED, ALWAYS UNPREDICTABLE, AND JUST A LITTLE BIZARRE" --PERFECTLY TAILORED TO PALM SPRINGS AS THE MOST IMPROTANT CULTURAL EVENT OF THE SUMMER.

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