PSR_61

34 | PARK SLOPE READER
PARK SLOPE LIFE
Picture This
Our Conversation with Rooftop Films
Creative Director Dan Nuxoll
Rooftop Films at the Old American Can Factory in Gowanus
You’re sitting on a rooftop in downtown Manhattan with around 200 other people. It’s an early evening in June and a warm
summer breeze is blowing as the sun starts to set. The sky around you transforms from blue to every color of pink you can
imagine framing your 360 degree view of the city in unspeakable beauty. The excitement is palpable as the audience waits
for the evening’s entertainment to commence– in this case, a very fine (and very funny) documentary about the musician
José Gonzáles. By Lindsay Owen
As the sun makes its final farewell and day turns into night,
Jose himself makes an appearance and treats you and your
movie going companions to a live acoustic performance of
his ethereal, hypnotic songs. You feel like you’re one of the lucky
ones. That you’re in the know. That while it’s business as usual on
the streets far below you, while people pass the building you sit
atop, oblivious to this secretive spectacle above them , you’re one
of the privileged few.
That was my first experience of a Rooftop Films screening,
which I attended back in 2012. This gem of a film festival, now
in its 20th year, has grown bigger and better with every summer
season.
At the center of Rooftop Film’s vision is its artistic director, Dan
Nuxoll. A film director, producer, composer, and Brooklyn local,
Dan is responsible for curating each year’s cinematic program
from the over 3,000 submissions the festival now receives annually.
Currently co-directing a new documentary feature film, Dan
was recently included in Brooklyn Magazine’s list of The 100 Most
Influential People in Brooklyn Culture.
So, for everything you never knew you wanted to know about
Rooftop Films, here’s Dan Nuxoll himself, who took some time out
to answer my questions about Rooftop Film’s origins, where it’s
headed next, and what you can expect from this year’s festival.
Hey Dan. Now, for those unfamiliar with RTF, can you encapsulate
the festival and its vibe in a few sentences?
Sure! Rooftop is a not-for-profit film organization founded in 1997.
We do a lot of different things in the independent film world, including
giving out grants and renting and donating equipment
to other organizations to help them put on their own screenings,
but the thing we are best known for is the Rooftop Films Summer
Series. The Summer Series is in many ways a summer-long film
festival: We screen more than 35 new, independent, and foreign
feature films from all over the world, as well as more than 100 new
short films. All of our summer events take place in scenic outdoor
locations (often, though not always, on rooftops), and we always
include special enhancements to our events, including live music