Upcoming film series commemorates the 1st anniversary of superstorm Sandy

October 17, 2013 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

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Scene: Brooklyn returns October 25-29, showcasing locally made films and media art—from documentaries to dramas to more abstract creative statements—inspired by or relating to Superstorm Sandy and its aftermath. A program of Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC), the 5th annual independent film and media arts series includes short and feature films across multiple genres, including experimental and ethnographic films about waterways, seascapes and New Yorkers’ relationship with the waterfront; a slate of riveting documentaries capturing the storm’s impact, aftermath, and communities’ response to its devastation, as well as films about climate change and waterfront development in Brooklyn. Full schedule, locations and tickets are at www.BrooklynArtsCouncil.org/SceneBrooklyn

The four-day series of film and new media launches Friday, Oct. 25 at the brand new Made in New York Media Center by IFP with Eye of the Storm, a collection of narrative and documentary shorts, both irreverent and commemoratory, about and inspired by Superstorm Sandy. BAC will be one of the first organizations to host a public screening at this exciting new venture.

Scene: Brooklyn continues at the nonprofit documentary art space UnionDocs in Williamsburg on Oct. 26 with At Land and Sea, an evening of new experimental and ethnographic films about waterways and New Yorkers’ relationships with it.

For our final two nights, Oct. 28 and 29, we present at DUMBO’s Galapagos Art Space. On the 28th, we present Shorts Slam, our sole evening focusing on non-Sandy-related material featuring a crop of exceptional creative and energetic short films exclusively by Brooklyn-based artists. Our 2013 Scene: Brooklyn series will culminate on Oct. 29, the 1st anniversary of Superstorm Sandy, with From the Floodlines, a riveting evening of documentaries that address recovery and redevelopment following Sandy’s destructive path.

A few highlights from filmmakers who will be joining us for these special screenings and discussions: “Anchor Me Here,” a joyful music video-cum-ethnographic study of communities in Coney Island, Brooklyn and Far Rockaway, Queens following the storm; “The Darker Side of Dreamland,” a powerful short documentary about elderly residents stranded in Coney Island post-Sandy; and “At the Corner of 3rd and 3rd,” which presents a short history of a conspicuous building at the eponymous corner in Gowanus, and how the flooding of the Gowanus Canal following Sandy has hampered efforts to redevelop the site. BAC is also pleased to be screening Sandy-related material from Casey Neistat, whose irreverent, thoughtful shorts frequently appear on The New York Times’ website, and Josh Fox, director of the “fracking” documentaries “Gasland” and the recent “Gasland II.” Most participating filmmakers will be joining us to discuss their work after the screenings.

And as part of our closing night “From the Floodlines” program, we’re proud to present David Darg and Bryn Mooser’s extraordinary snapshot of Freedom Tower iron worker and Breezy Point resident, Timmy Brennan, “The Rider and the Storm.” When Sandy made landfall, Brennan lost everything, including his home and his beloved surfboard. The short film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival to much acclaim, and as with many of our selections, it presents an indelible portrait of an individual and a community rising to the occasion in the face of disaster.