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Founding a Festival
BAMcinématek celebrates its tenth anniversary with a new tradition
BAMcinemaFEST will feature 18 new films, including Bronson based on a true story about Britain’s most infamous solitary confinement
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William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe Trailer (2009)
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Prom Night in Mississippi (2009) Clip
BAM has come into its own as Brooklyn expands, aching and creaking, around the cultural institution. Ten years ago, the opening of BAMcinématek made it the only performing arts center in the country to have two stages and a multi-plex cinema. Graduating from three consecutive summer collaborations with the Sundance Institute, BAMcinématek now presents, in tandem celebration of its tenth anniversary, the inaugural season of BAMcinemaFEST.
There is so much going on, we can only give you a brief introduction. We strongly urge clearing your calendar for these sixteen days, calling up a friend or two, and seeing as many films as you can manage: those that simply entertain and those that change the way you think.
New York Premieres: June 17–26
With a total of 18 features and documentaries, most followed by a Q&A with the director, this is New York’s first chance to see a group of films that exhibit an incredible awareness of the modern moment, from Prom Night in Mississippi, a documentary that follows the events of a small southern town’s first integrated prom in 2008 to a feature from the UK called Bronson, based on a true story about Britain’s most infamous solitary confinement case, a man who developed a fame-hungry alter-ego he calls Charles Bronson.
Outdoor Screenings: June 25 and 27
William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe is the first outdoor offering, screening in a square on the edge of Fort Greene. Made by the daughters of Kunstler, it explores the life of the former ACLU director and self-described radical lawyer. The other film will air in Fort Greene Park, a lovely, sloping green space in which to show a movie about food’s path from farm to city. The documentary, What’s On Your Plate?, follows two 11-year-old New York City natives as they trace the origins of their meals.
BAMcinématek All Night: June 27
From 11pm to 5am, settle into one of BAM’s four screening rooms to watch a series of movies based on a theme: Diana Ross Coming Out, Before They Were Scientologists (including Tom Cruise in aviators), Stoner Comedies, or BAMcinématek Favorites.
BAMcinématek Repertory Classics: June 21–July 2
While their first-run catalog is impressive, BAMcinématek really shines with its repertory program. Celebrating 10 years as Brooklyn’s most respectable cinema, the movie house presents some of their gems. Do the Right Thing, now 20 years old, starts things off. Dead Man, Jim Jarmusch’s existential Western, always fills the theater. Or experience the thrill of a classic on the big screen, such as Luchino Visconti’s The Leopard.
An Evening With Arnaud Desplechin: July 1
Presenting a great classic, Mississippi Mermaid by Françios Truffaut, and a great contemporary, The Royal Tenenbaums by Wes Anderson, phenomenal French director Arnaud Desplechin will explain why these films are two of his favorite things.