Brooklyn Non-Fiction Prize

Brooklyn Bridge, 1946 by Arthur Leipzig. Gelatin silver print, Brooklyn Museum.



The Brooklyn Film & Arts Festival is pleased to announce the establishment of the “Brooklyn Non-Fiction Prize.” The Brooklyn Non-Fiction Prize, a cash award of $400, will be awarded to the best Brooklyn-focused non-fiction essay or short story which is set in Brooklyn and is about Brooklyn and/or Brooklyn people/characters.

We are seeking compelling Brooklyn stories from writers with a broad range of backgrounds and ages who can render Brooklyn's rich soul and intangible qualities through the writer's actual experiences in Brooklyn.

From the collection of selected Brooklyn Non-Fiction Prize submissions, five authors will be selected to read from their work and discuss their Brooklyn stories with the audience at our December 16th , 2011, Brooklyn Film & Arts Festival program in partnership with St. Francis College in the Maroni Theatre.

These stories and several other submitted stories will be published on the Brooklyn Film and Arts Festival website and made available to the public.

Submission Deadline – November 30th, 2011.

Entry Fee – Free

The award is $400.

Submissions should be between 4 to 10 pages. (Up to 2500 words).

Send your Brooklyn Non-Fiction story as a Word document by email to: Brooklynfa@yahoo.com

Please include the story title, your name, email and phone number.

The submitted writings will be judged by a panel of Brooklyn writers.

Runners-up will be invited to read from their writing and their entries will be included in the Brooklyn Film & Arts Festival’s Brooklyn Non-Fiction Collection of stories in an online anthology.

Aldo Tambellini - Brooklyn Avant Garde Artist Exhibition - "Black Zero" - October 4 – November 1, 2011

Aldo Tambellini - Brooklyn Avant Garde Artist Exhibition - Black Zero

Opening Reception: Thursday, October 6, 5pm – 8pm - 556 West 22nd Street (corner 11th Avenue.

Performance of Black Zero: Thursday, October 20, 6pm
Featuring: Aldo Tambellini, Christoph Draeger, Henry Grimes, Ben Morea, and Kewighbaye Kotee

Exhibition Dates: October 4 – November 1, 2011


The Chelsea Art Museum
556 W 22nd St, New York, NY
(212) 255-0719 chelseaartmuseum.org

The Boris Lurie Art Foundation is pleased to announce a major retrospective exhibition of paintings, sculpture, lumagrams, videograms, film, video, and television work (1960-1990) by the American avant-garde artist, Aldo Tambellini, entitled Black Zero.



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.

Although Tambellini’s reputation as a new media pioneer has grown impressively in recent years throughout the performance and avant-garde film communities in America and abroad, with widespread acknowledgement of his early and important contributions to modes of art that had no name when he was creating paths among them, much of even his new media work is infused with a profound sense of the painterly that developed during a lifetime of collateral work in two-dimensions.



The present exhibition includes a broad sampling of his painting and related work over a period of more than three decades, covering the essential course of his long-standing and obsessive engagement with Black, which for him is, simply, the source and destination of everything; it is a spiritual and cosmic – and cosmogonic – principle akin to fire for Heraclitus. Over the decades of his work in black, Tambellini has evolved from the distressed, even pessimistic, observer of the destruction of the human and natural worlds to a philosopher looking to distant, and inner, space with equanimity, and even hope.

Two Brooklyn-focused events - Dec. 3rd, documentaries screening "Brooklyn Roots; Past and Present" and Dec 10th, "Brooklyn in Literature"

“Brooklyn in Literature, 1855 - 2010” program at St. Francis College, December 10th, 2010.

December 10th, 2010 - “Brooklyn in Literature, 1855 – 2010” Brooklyn literature program
Authors Tim McLoughlin, Ian Maloney, Tao Lin, Ian Maloney, Nelson George and publisher Johnny Temple will address the theme of “The experience of Brooklyn life and representation of Brooklyn in writing.”

Time: 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm. This program is FREE & Open to the Public.

St. Francis College, Maroni Theater, 180 Remsen Street, Brooklyn Heights, NY 11201

Event information please call (718) 522-2300


Walt Whitman

“Brooklyn in Literature, 1855 - 2010” program at St. Francis College, December 10th, 2010 at 6:30 pm. Located at 180 Remsen Street, Brooklyn Heights, NY 11201. FREE & Open to the Public


The “Brooklyn in Literature, 1855 - 2010” program will address the theme of “The experience of Brooklyn life in writing.” Five authors will explore how a Brooklyn-centric perspective has been reflected in their work as well as the early Brooklyn literatur of Walt Whitman, H.P. Lovecraft and others.. The author’s will explore the notion of a distinctly Brooklyn-centric outlook in period and contemporary literature, as well as literary characters that have a uniquely Brooklyn-inspired context.

Tim McLoughlin, author of “Heart of the Old Country” and editor of the “Brooklyn Noir” series will discuss and read excerpts from - H.P Lovecraft's 'Horror at Red Hook ' , Thomas Wolfe's 'Only the Dead know Brooklyn' and Irwin Shaw's 'Borough of Cemeteries.' This important early literature is of critical historical importance for Brooklynites and some of those early literary strands will connect well with discussions of contemporary Brooklyn literature.

Dr. Ian Maloney is Associate Professor at St. Francis College and his first book, “Melville’s Monumental Imagination” came out in 2006. New York writing is his passion and particularly the writings of Herman Melville and Walt Whitman. Dr. Maloney has been selected for the Speakers in the Humanities Program (2003-2005) by the New York Council for the Humanities and is currently the Managing Editor of the Arthur Miller Journal, which is published at St. Francis College.

Tao Lin author of Shoplifting from American Apparel, published September 15, 2009; a novel, Eeeee Eee Eeee, and a short story collection, Bed, published simultaneously May 2007; two poetry collections, you are a little bit happier than i am, which won Action Books' December Prize in 2005 and was published November 2006, and cognitive-behavioral therapy, published May 2008. Tao Lin, a Brooklyn resident embodies a pioneering iconoclastic literary voice that embodies a cutting edge contemporary outlook that bridges the gap between blog-lit and performance art.

Nelson George is an author, producer, filmmaker and critic. Raised in Brooklyn, he has often drawn inspiration from Brooklyn-living for his writing including his memoir, 'City Kid.’ This autobiographical work looks at the connections between childhood in Brooklyn and his adult career in Manhattan, Los Angeles and Detroit.

Johnny Temple is the publisher and editor-in-chief of Akashic Books, an award-winning Brooklyn-based independent company dedicated to publishing urban literary fiction and political nonfiction. Temple won the American Association of Publishers’ 2005 Miriam Bass Award for Creativity in Independent Publishing. He is one of the founding members of the Brooklyn Book Festival and chairman of the Brooklyn Literary Council.

The Brooklyn Film & Arts Festival presents Brooklyn-focused public programs which are dedicated to illuminating the rich cultural history and character of the people and communities of Brooklyn.

This program has been made possible with support from the New York Council for the Humanities and St. Francis College.

Special thanks to the Joyva Corporation.





December 3rd, 2010 Brooklyn Film & Arts Festival screening at the Brooklyn Historical Society. Photo: Brooklyn Historical Society


The Brooklyn Film & Arts Festival is presenting two Brooklyn-focused programs in December, 2010. On December 3rd, 2010 in partnership with the Brooklyn Historical Society we will present three Brooklyn focused documentaries spanning 1964 to 2010 in a program titled, "Brooklyn Roots, Past and Present."

The Brooklyn Film & Arts Festival’s “Brooklyn Roots; Past & Present” documentaries screening will take place at the Brooklyn Historical Society on Friday, December 3rd, 2010 at 6:30pm at the Brooklyn Historical Society located at 128 Pierrepont Street (at Clinton Street) Brooklyn, NY 11201.

For information please call 718-222-4111. Admission is Free. Open to the general public.

On December 10th, 2010 in partnership with St. Francis College, there will be a literary event titled "Brooklyn in Literature, 1855 - 2010” program at St. Francis College with authors Tim McLoughlin, Ian Maloney, Tao Lin, Nelson George and publisher Johnny Temple.


Brooklyn-focused documentaries screening of “Brooklyn Roots; Past & Present.”December 3rd, 2010.


Filmmaker Reaghan Tarbell

The Brooklyn Film & Arts Festival’s “Brooklyn Roots; Past & Present” documentaries screening will take place at the Brooklyn Historical Society on Friday, December 3rd, 2010 at 6:30pm at the Brooklyn Historical Society located at 128 Pierrepont Street (at Clinton Street) Brooklyn, NY 11201. For information please call 718-222-4111.

The documentaries screening at the December 3rd, 2010 Brooklyn Film & Arts Festival in partnership with the Brooklyn Historical Society will address the theme of “Brooklyn Roots; Past & Present.” The featured films of the Festival’s fourth year take us on deeply personal journeys of communities and people, whose souls are strongly rooted in the Brooklyn of yesterday and today.


Mohawk Steelworker, New York City.

“To Brooklyn and Back: A Mohawk Journey” (2009) is the personal story of Mohawk filmmaker Reaghan Tarbell as she explores her Brooklyn roots. The film tells the story of the legendary Mohawk steelworkers and their families who travelled to North Gowanus in Brooklyn from the Kahnawake reserve in Canada to build the skyscrapers of New York City. Reaghan Tarbell interweaves family interviews, and archival footage to convey the long-standing roots of the Mohawk people in Brooklyn.



Pegi Gorelick


“Incident on Wilson Street” (1964) A special education teacher, Pegi Gorelick, at P.S. 16 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and her fifth-grade students face a crisis when one of the students, a girl, assaults another teacher. The film examines the complex social fabric and pressures that these Brooklyn children have to navigate as part of everyday life. The story involves parents, teachers, and students as they gain an understanding of the causes of the crisis, and work to improve the situation. Written and directed by William Jersey. (Shown in excerpted form).



The Renovation (Jim in his childhood home in Brooklyn)
Photo: Lea Mathiesen

“The Renovation” (2010) Lea Mathiesen’s film introduces us to Jim, a longtime Brooklyn resident and Vietnam War veteran who undertakes the renovation of the Williamsburg house which is also his birthplace. Jim’s internal struggle with the spirits and memories of the departed inhabiting the house and his mind are illuminated in this compelling film.

Other Brooklyn short documentaries will also be presented. Filmmakers will be present for post-screening discussion.

The Brooklyn Film & Arts Festival presents Brooklyn-focused public programs which are dedicated to illuminating the rich cultural history and character of the people and communities of Brooklyn.

Website: www.FilmBrooklyn.org

Brooklyn Film and Arts Festival Intro Trailer

Brooklyn Film and Arts Festival Intro Trailer

Brooklyn Film and Arts Festival Screening Friday, December 4th, 2009

Brooklyn Film & Arts Festival December 4th, 2009 Screening of Brooklyn-focused Films at the Brooklyn Historical Society. Audience discussion after screening.




"The Boys of Second "Street Park"


The Brooklyn Film & Arts Festival Screening at the Brooklyn Historical Society will be presented on Friday, December 4th, 2009.

Screening time: 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm.

The documentaries screening at the Brooklyn Film & Arts Festival will address the theme “Brooklyn; Back in The Day.” The main films selected for the festival’s third year will reflect on the transformations, challenges and turmoil faced by Brooklyn in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s.

This screening has been curated by Aziz Rahman, director of the Brooklyn Film & Arts Festival and is presented in partnership with the Brooklyn Historical Society.

“The Boys of 2nd Street Park” directed by Dan Klores, and Ron Berger, (2003). This moving documentary tells the story of five young men from Brighton Beach growing up in Brooklyn during the hippie-era 1960’s reflecting on the many exhilarating and challenging turns in their lives.

“The Cities; Dilemma in Black and White” produced for CBS News by John Sharnik, Bernard Birnbaum, and Paul Greenberg (1968). Journalistic exploration of the social crisis in Bedford-Stuyvesant and the intervention efforts of local community groups, activists and politicians including Robert Kennedy, Jr.

"The Romeows” – Directed by Robert Sarnoff (2009). Explores the relationships among a group of Brooklyn College friends who have been together for 50 years.
Other Brooklyn short documentaries will also be presented.


The Romeows – Directed by Robert Sarnoff (2009).

Brooklyn Public Library Brooklyn Docs Screening Wednesday, June 24th, 2009 -

The Brooklyn Film & Arts Festival in partnership with the Brooklyn Public Library’s Brooklyn Collection Department will present a series of Brooklyn documentaries for a program titled “Brooklyn Docs at the Brooklyn Public Library.

These remarkably compelling films are drawn from the BPL’s own Brooklyn Collection. The Brooklyn documentaries being screened vividly convey Brooklyn’s uniquely complex and vibrant cultural heritage through several decades, ranging from the 1960’s to 1980’s.

Screening Date & Time: Wednesday, June 24th, 2009, at 7:00pm – 8:45 pm.

The program lineup includes the following Brooklyn films:



Trinidad in Brooklyn - (1985)

Experimental film shot by Sol Rubin in a hypnotic style documents the fervor of the Caribbean Day Parade in Crown Heights interspersing joyous celebrants, enthralled observers, local Hasidim and intermingled communities taking in the festivities.


Who Grows in Brooklyn - (1969) Follows a bookmobile and the dedicated librarians who bring books to the inner city. Shows people of all ages using the bookmobile and becoming knowledgeable about the Brooklyn Public Library system.


Incident on Wilson Street - (1964) A special education teacher, Pegi Gorelick at P.S. 16 in Brooklyn and her fifth-grade students face a crisis when one of the students, a girl, assaults another teacher. The girl, who has a cleft palate, is often hurt by cruel remarks by other children. The story involves parents, teachers, and students as they gain an understanding of the causes of the crisis, and work to improve the situation.






I Remember Barbara - (1981)

Director Kevin Burns connects with Brooklynites of all stripes as they 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.


Time: 7:00 pm to 8:45 pm.

Place: Dweck Center for Contemporary Culture at the main branch of the Brooklyn Public Library at Grand Army Plaza. (Flatbush Avenue & Eastern Parkway).

For information please call the Brooklyn Collections at (718) 230-2778.

Email : Brooklynfa@yahoo.com Website: www.FilmBrooklyn.org

“The Streets of Brooklyn in Film” Conference May 30th, 2009

“The Streets of Brooklyn in Film” Conference May 30th, 2009 at Long Island University - Brooklyn Campus.



“The Streets of Brooklyn in Film” - Press coverage



"Little Odessa"



"Last Exit to Brooklyn"



"The Lords of Flatbush"


"On the Waterfront"

The Brooklyn Film & Arts Festival in partnership with Long Island University’s Media Arts Department will present a conference titled, “The Streets of Brooklyn in Film” on Saturday, May 30th, 2009.

Time: 12:00pm -5:00 pm.

Location: Long Island University’s Spike Lee Screening Room. Humanities Building, Room 106. (Located at Flatbush & Dekalb Avenues. Enter on DeKalb Avenue.)

“The Streets of Brooklyn in Film” conference will illuminate the depiction of Brooklyn street-culture, Brooklyn movie archetypes, and the representation of Brooklyn “street reality” in Hollywood films.

Speakers will include Prof. Larry Banks, Prof. Joe Dorinson, Prof. Dennis Broe, Prof. Michael Hittman, & Prof. Ed Guerrero.

Special guest speaker – Mr. Sol Yurick, author of the novel, “The Warriors.”

Program includes screening of excerpts from more than twenty Brooklyn “street” films.

Admission is Free. Open to the general public.

By subway IRT 4 or 5 train, or 2 or 3 train to Nevins Street Station.
BMT: B, M, Q, or R train to Dekalb Avenue Station.

For Information call – L.I.U Media Arts Dept (718) 488-1052.

Email: Brooklynfa@yahoo.com

This program was made possible by a grant from the New York Council for the Humanities.