Editor's blog

  We're serving up choice-cuts of premieres & sneak previews of some of the year's best indie fare, along with a stunning 70mm print in one of the best theatres in the city.  There are features by Latvian, Indian & Tibetan directors, shorts from legendary poetic-ethnographer, Robert Gardner, archival bluegrass found footage from Appalshop, and a closing night screening party on the city's largest rooftop farm!  

Core screenings will take place at Museum of the Moving Image, where on Opening Night, Aug. 3rd, we showcase a 70mm print of the cinematic masterpiece, "Baraka".  This infamous experimental doc., shot on 6 continents/24 countries features breathtaking footage from many of the wonders of the world, and is described by its director as "a guided meditation on humanity."  We will also screen a short preview of "Samsara", "Baraka"'s long-awaited sequel, at the start of the program.  

On Saturday, Aug. 4 we feature the NY Premiere of Rudd Simmons' (producer of "Royal Tennenbaums", "Boardwalk Empire", etc.) directorial debut, "The First Season", documenting a couple and their children through their first year moving to the country and fighting to make a quality life for their family as dairy farmers.  Rudd will be on hand for a Q&A following the screening.  And earlier in the day, we present the N. American 'Sneak Preview' of the endearing, family-friendly Indian narrative, "Upside Down (Khalti doka varti paay)", about a child's much-anticipated trip from rural Maharashtra to big Mumbai.  

 

A treat on Sunday, Aug. 5th is a special 'Sneak Preview' of "Now, Forager", a film about love & fungi, which opens at IFC Center this fall.  One of the year's best fictions is about a Jersey City couple that ventures further into the Garden State to hunt mushrooms and sell them to gourmet restaurants, but while one of them seeks more stability as a prep cook, the other wants to devote himself to full-time nomadic mushroom hunting, and their marriage is put to a test.  "Now, Forager" will screen with Tibetan director, Pema Tseden's ("Old Dog") first short film, "The Grasslands".  Tseden, living in NYC for the year, will be present for a Q&A panel following.  And, earlier on Sunday, we present the U.S. Premiere of "How are you, Rudolf Ming? (Ka tev klajas, Rudolf Ming?)”, Roberts Rubins' complex character study of a young, largely self-taught 'outsider' artist in rural Latvia.  Some of our best short films, including "Crosshairs", written by award-winning Australian filmmaker, Peter Templeman, will screen before "Rudolf Ming".  

Finally, on Sunday night, Aug. 5th, after "Now, Forager", we head over to the Brooklyn Grange rooftop farm for our closing night screening party with Rooftop Films.  There will be specially-curated paintings and installation video in the lobby, along with localvore concessions straight from the roof, and free beer courtesy of Radeberger.  Two sets of short films will screen on the rooftop, overlooking a stunning view of the Manhattan skyline at 8&10PM, tickets available via rooftopfilms.com.  

 

Prior to the core fest, we will be doing official 'warm-up' screenings at different Queens-community venues all throughout July, including a special 'green' screening of the fun, inspiring documentary, "A Man Named Pearl", about a renowned topiary artist who was originally motivated by neighbors who said, 'Black people don't keep up their yards,' at the Queens Library (Astoria branch) on July 26.  Other 'warm-up' venues include Socrates Sculpture Park & Flux Factory arts collective.

 

More details on the 2012 festival available at ruralroutefilms.com