Rooftop Films: Bronx Blowin’ Through

When:Thursday, December 2, 2010
Time:7pm
Where:Bruckner Bar and Grill
1 Bruckner Blvd.
Bronx, NY 10454
Cost:Free

For the second year in a row, Rooftop Films is pleased to collaborate with Council member Maria Del Carmen Arroyo to bring some of the best new, independent films to the Bronx. Starting December 2nd, Rooftop will present free monthly screenings on the first Thursday of each month, indoors at the Bruckner Bar and Grill. They will be showcasing fascinating new films from all over the world, with a focus on films that speak to the interests and issues of the diverse community in the South Bronx.

Rooftop’s inaugural screening will feature the Bronx premiere of WHITE LINES AND THE FEVER: THE DEATH OF DJ JUNEBUG, winner of the Best Documentary Short award at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival. Filmmaker Travis Senger will be present for a Q and A following the show. They will also be presenting CLOSENESS, directed by Danilo Perra, a powerful short documentary about Bronx jazz musician Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre and his struggles to complete his final album.

All screenings at the Bruckner Bar and Grill will be free and open to all.

7:00      Doors Open
7:45     Films begin
8:45     Q & A with the filmmaker

The Films:

WHITE LINES AND THE FEVER: THE DEATH OF DJ JUNEBUG (Travis Senger | Bronx, NY | 26 min.)
Recalling the Bronx in the early 1980’s, this documentary explores the old-school days of hip-hop and the dangerous underworld at the legendary Disco Fever. Never-before-seen footage and interviews with Kurtis Blow, DJ Hollywood and Sal Abbatiello tell the tragic story of one of the greatest DJ’s ever.

CLOSENESS (Danilo Parra | Bronx, NY | 22 min.)
They say faith is the belief in things unseen. In this beautiful and moving documentary about Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre, a nearly forgotten 74-year-old jazz musician, we see years of struggle – of an artist unable to do anything but make music, of his own push and pull with drugs, against getting older. The film centers on the recording of his album Closeness, which abstractly tells the story of his love for his wife, nearly 30 years his junior.