Stefanie Joshua and J L Aronson discussing their documentaries during the Brooklyn Film & Arts Festival 2008 screening at the Brooklyn Historical Society.
Photo: Ted Fisher
"A Hole in a Fence" by D.W. Young
“Observing Brooklyn; Encountering Change”
The Brooklyn Film & Arts Festival in partnership with the Brooklyn Historical Society will present a Brooklyn-focused documentary series on December 4th & 5th, 2008, that illustrates the social and cultural changes in Brooklyn, both past and present.
The "Observing Brooklyn; Encountering Change" documentaries series will illuminate a broad range of Brooklyn life including exploring a recently rediscovered century old tunnel beneath Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn stickball players sporting reunion, 1969 family outing in Coney Island, period Brooklyn footage, Brooklyn senior citizens doing some combative reminiscing and several other short Brooklyn films.
The screenings will be held at the Brooklyn Historical Society, 128 Pierrepont Street, in Brooklyn Heights.
Programs begin at 6:00 pm and admission is $5.00. Please call 718-222-4111 for information.
This program is the second Brooklyn Film & Arts Festival screening of Brooklyn documentaries in partnership with the Brooklyn Historical Society.
Program List of Documentaries for December 4th & December 5th, 2008 Screenings
December 4th, 2008 Program-----------------------------------------------------
A Hole in a Fence by D.W. Young (46 mins)
This documentary takes the viewer into a microcosm of a community of Brooklyn urban homesteaders who have carved out an alternative existence in a pocket of Red Hook. Through the exploration of this chance discovery of these relatively hidden lives the filmmaker takes us on a tour of the shifting social landscape of Red Hook’s waterfront neighborhood and its people on the brink of large-scale change.
Once Upon a Time in Brooklyn by Neil Ira Needleman (7 mins)
Neil Ira Needleman starts a conversation with his feisty aunts in Brooklyn who hold forth on family history with differing and at times combative perspectives. The filmmaker celebrates the spirit of dissent by presenting debate as a life affirming exercise.
Brooklyn is Everything – by Derek Garcia (5:00 mins)
A young Brooklyn filmmaker takes the audience on a lyrical tour of his cherished Brooklyn world. Through the pensively wrought sights we are witness to the soulful richness of Brooklyn’s landscape.
Atlantic Avenue 1972 – by Aldo Tambellini (3:35 mins)
Avant-garde artist Aldo Tambellini, a pioneer of video art from the very early days of portable video-camera technology was witness to the grim street realities of Atlantic Avenue at the junction of Flatbush Avenue in 1972. Aldo’s documentary footage of the gritty atmosphere and street denizens of Atlantic Avenue of the 1970’s recalls downtown Brooklyn long before the advent of gentrification, boutiques and urban renewal.
The Tunnel Man – by Katya Soldak (3:21 mins)
Katya Soldak introduces us to Bob Diamond, a pioneering Brooklynite who rediscovered the Atlantic Avenue tunnel that was built in 1844 and abandoned for more than 150 years. Soldak’s camera takes us on a whimsical subterranean tour of the cavernous tunnel which is worlds apart from the frenetic streets of Brooklyn just above.
Stricken – by Don Cameron (6:00 mins)
A young actor from Guyana finds himself trying to fathom the complexities of different cultures and trying to adapt to life in East Flatbush. This autobiographical documentary by a teenage filmmaker introduces the viewer to the perspectives, struggles and determined aspirations of a Brooklynite striving for a better life.
‘I Remember Barbara’ - by Kevin Burns – 1981 (22 mins)
Brooklynites of all stripes weigh-in on the legendary Barbra Streisand they once knew. Opinionated hairdressers, former schoolmates, music aficionados, beachgoers, cops, look-alikes, and others analyze and speculate about Barbra, and the influence of her Brooklyn roots on her persona.
December 5th, 2008 Program-----------------------------------------------------
Family Outing to Coney Island - by Don Brunjes (3:30 mins)
A virtual visual time-capsule captures the Brunjes family strolling through lively Coney Island in 1969. The film record of period details brings home the timeless attraction for Brooklyn pleasure seekers of all ages.
J.L. Aronson’s insightful documentary, ‘Last Summer at Coney Island’(shown in excerpted form) gives voice to longtime Coney Island residents and Astroland workers concerns and perspectives about the closing of Astroland and the implications of this development on Coney Island for the future.
Up On the Roof by J L Aronson (40 mins)
Raising pigeons in handmade rooftop coops along the East River in Williamsburg, a group of die-hard Brooklyn pigeon lovers face down the inevitable demise of their passionate vocation. J L Aronson takes us into the lives of these wizened Brooklyn locals who hark back to the era of working class Brooklyn waterfront culture personified by Marlon Brando in “On The Waterfront.”
12th & 3rd in Brooklyn – by Ted Fisher, Iris Lee and Maya Mumma (5.53 mins)
A gathering of stickball players young and old in Park Slope on a summer day brings back the once familiar resonating sounds of a traditional Brooklyn street game. The players both seasoned veteran players and the ingénue convey the hearty pleasure of a low-tech pastime that brings a Brooklyn block to life through sport.
Dispatch – by Robert Sarnoff (5:30 mins)
On the hardscrabble seaside stretch of sand of Rockaway a chain-smoking car service dispatcher and his nighttime drivers reflect philosophically about their passengers, precarious existence and occupational circumstances.
Bushwick Homecomings by Stefanie Joshua (37 mins)
Bushwick native filmmaker returns to her old neighborhood to examine the changes underway in Bushwick and to convey the experiences of those residents who survived the crime waves and community erosion of the 1980s’ and 90’s. This documentary examines the roots of the drastic changes in Bushwick and the lessons learned by community members who survived the most turbulent era of Bushwick.
Trinidad in Brooklyn - by Sol Rubin (10.00 mins)
Experimental film shot in a hypnotic style documents the fervor of the 1985 Caribbean Day Parade in Crown Heights interspersing joyous celebrants, enthralled observers, local Hasidim and intermingled communities taking in the festivities.
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