So what if it was long-sleeve weather last night? Summer officially begins this weekend, as the Rooftop Films Summer Series returns for its 18th year of showing underground films in amazing al fresco locales (a can factory, a Navy Yard building, a school rooftop, even the beach at Coney). And the best part: instead of a litany of shitty trailers before the film, you get to see live bands like Slavic Soul Party!, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, and the Sound Liberation Front. Over 130 films are being screened this time around; here are a dozen we’re locking down tickets for (though some are free!), with an eye on local filmmakers.
70 Hester Street
FREE! July 25, 8 p.m., Brookfield Place, along the water between West Street and the Hudson River, Manhattan
Casimir Nozkowski delves into the history of 70 Hester Street, which served as everything from a synagogue to a raincoat factory before his parents — artists Thomas Nozkowski and Joyce Robins — lived, worked and raised him there. The 11-minute documentary was part of the Tribeca Film Festival’s shorts program. Read more about the building, which was sold in 2012, here.
A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night
Aug. 2, 8 p.m., The Knockdown Center, 52-19 Flushing Ave, Maspeth, Queens
Between Onur Tukel’s Summer of Blood and Jim Jarmusch’s Only Lovers Left Alive, artsy vampire films are officially a thing. Ana Lily Amirpour’s debut black-and-white feature, about a lonely, skateboarding vampire in hijab who haunts a fictional Iranian town, caused a stir when it played at Sundance.
Appropriate Behavior
July 31, 8 p.m., Greenpoint High School for Engineering and Automotive Tech, 50 Bedford Ave., Williamsburg
Like A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, this debut feature was directed by an Iranian-American (Desiree Akhavan is the creator of web series The Slope) and made a splash at Sundance. But that’s where the similarities end: this film is about a lesbian who’s forced to move from Park Slope to an artists loft in Bushwick (it was filmed at the McKibben Lofts) after a devastating breakup. As we noted in our Sundance write-up, Akhavan (who also stars) has the satirical eye and deadpan delivery of Lena Dunham.
Brooklyn Farmer
May 29, 8 p.m., Brooklyn Grange rooftop, 63 Flushing Avenue, Building #3, Navy Yard
Attention, locavores! This film, which premiered at DOC NYC, follows the urban agrarians at Long Island City’s Brooklyn Grange as they install their second urban farm — the city’s largest — atop a Navy Yard rooftop.
Cold in July
FREE WITH RSVP! May 21 at 8 p.m., Solar One, on the pier along the water, 24-20 FDR Drive, Service Road East at 23rd Street and the East River, Kips Bay
Michael C. Hall stars in this one featuring Don Johnson and the East Village’s own Sam Sephard, last seen in Adam Rapp’s new one. We could tell you about the plot (a man’s life unravels after he shoots a home intruder), but come on: Michael C. Hall, Don Johnson, and Sam Sephard.
Five Star
FREE! Jun 27 at 8 p.m., Metrotech Commons, 5 MetroTech Center, Brooklyn
If you missed this one when everyone (including us) was buzzing about its Tribeca premiere, here’s your chance to see it for free. Keith Miller’s new one is loosely based on the life of a five-star general in the New York Bloods, who also stars in the movie.
Happy Christmas
Jul 10 at 8 p.m., Solar One, on the pier along the water, 24-20 FDR Drive, Service Road East at 23rd Street and the East River, Kips Bay
Mumblecore auteur Joe Swanberg, who achieved a measure of mainstream success with last year’s Drinking Buddies, is back with this comedy about a newly single woman crashing with her brother. Lena Dunham makes an appearance.
Obvious Child
May 17 at 8 p.m., Industry City (Secret Party Cove), 39th Street and First Avenue, Sunset Park
New York filmmaker Gillian Robespierre casts the awesome Jenny Slate as a Williamsburg comedian dealing with an unexpected pregnancy. Gabe Liedman and Gaby Hoffmann play the friends who help her cope with the “elephant in the womb.”
One Year Lease
FREE! Jul 25 at 8 p.m., Brookfield Place, along the water between West Street and the Hudson River, 220 Vesey Street, Financial District
In this winner of Best Documentary Short at Tribeca, a gay couple chronicles a year spent dealing with their cat-loving landlady. Like Shut Up Little Man, it’s done almost entirely through audio recordings — specifically, voicemails from the landlady, who’s also their upstairs neighbor.
Ping Pong Summer
May 30 at 8 p.m., The Old American Can Factory (roof and courtyard), 232 Third St. at 3rd Ave., Gowanus
Michael Tully, who directed the excellent and eery Septien (starring Bushwick filmmaker Onur Tukel) serves up a much more accessible one here, about a dorky teen coming into his own at the local arcade in the mid-’80s. Susan Sarandon, Judah Friedlander and Amy Sedaris have roles.
Thanksgiving
Jul 3 at 8 p.m., Industry City, 220 36th Street, Sunset Park
Brooklyn filmmaker Adam Newport-Berra, who has shot music videos for the likes of the Dirty Projectors as well as the feature First Winter, climbs into the director’s chair with a mumblecore-esque Kickstarter-backed film about a brother (or is he?) who throws a wrench into her sister’s relationship during a Thanksgiving dinner. Williamsburg’s own Reggie Watts has a role.
Unlocking the Truth
FREE! Jul 25 at 8 p.m., Brookfield Place, along the water between West Street and the Hudson River, 220 Vesey Street, Financial District
Sadly, this documentary about the world’s most famous sixth-grade metal band (straight outta Flatbush) is only three minutes long, but if Unlocking the Truth’s set at Cameo was any indication, these will be a monstrously heavy three minutes.