The films and festivals we’re excited to check out this week.
Secrets of the Shadow World
Experimental sci-fi weirdness by prolific underground filmmaker George Kuchar. Light Industry, which describes this 1999 film as “the culmination of the filmmaker’s life-long fascination with paranormal phenomenon,” is hosting the screening to celebrate the release of The George Kuchar Reader. Tuesday, August 19th at Light Industry, 155 Freeman Street in Greenpoint; ; tickets, $7 available at the door only
Women of the Seven Seas Film Festival
This weekend check out a festival happening at Rockaway Beach Surf Club. All films are dedicated to showcasing women who surf, including shorts from around the world as well as two longer documentary features, Beyond the Surface (which spotlights Ishita Malaviya, India’s first female surfer) and Say No More (a film about Southern California’s most respected female surfers).
Be prepared for a party– admission is free, a live DJ will be there to help you gyrate, and there’s going to be a sick raffle featuring tons of surf-related prizes and gift certificates to local restaurants and shops. Saturday, August 16th doors at 7 pm, screenings start shortly after sunset at Rockaway Beach Surf Club, 302 87th Street, Far Rockaway; tickets, free
The Grindhouse Gospel of Rick Ormond
There’s still time to check out this series at Spectacle Theater featuring grindhouse classics by Rick Ormond. Two hellish films will be screening this week and the next. The Burning Hell tells the story of a motorcyclist sent straight to hell, and the only man that can save his soul is his fellow easy rider. In The Grim Reaper, a father finds himself seduced by the occult in trying to reach his deceased son beyond the grave, whom he fears is trapped in hell. Friday August 15th through Tuesday August 26th at Spectacle Theater, 124 South 3rd Street in Williamsburg; tickets at the door, $5
Carax
Film Forum is hosting a Leos Carax retrospective to celebrate standouts from the prolific French filmmaker’s body of work– Les Amants du Pont Neuf (1991), Pola X (1999, Mauvais Sang (1986), and his critically acclaimed as well as most recent film, Holy Motors (2012). Friday August 15th through Thursday August 21st at Film Forum, 209 W. Houston Street; tickets, $7.50 members, $13 regular
Midnight Cowboy
Sweet Jesus I wish coconuts and sunshine were all you needed in life. Every time I watch this movie I weep uncontrollably, so don’t expect to see me there, ok? Dustin Hoffman is an adorable little loser in this one and John Voigt forever the charmer. But everyone knows that. However this is your chance to see the film outdoors! And it’s the last one of the summer at Tompkins y’all. Thursday, August 14th, gates at 6pm, film starts at sundown at Tompkins Square Park, East Village; free
5 Broken Cameras
A Palestinian man, Emad Burnat, becomes amateur documentary filmmaker as he obsessively films his life in the West Bank over the lifespan of five cameras. In the process, he captures the Israeli encroachment on his community’s land and the familial tension that develops as he refuses to quit filming what’s happening, despite the risk of arrest and persecution by the Israeli military. “When something happens in the village, my instinct is to film it,” Burnat explains. Saturday, August 15th, 7pm at Bluestockings, 172 Allen Street, Lower East Side; tickets, free