The fourth annual BAMcinemaFest kicks-off tomorrow and runs June 20 – July 1. This exciting festival showcases emerging voices in American independent cinema with NY and North American premieres of films from Cannes, Sundance, Toronto, SXSW, Berlin, and beyond. The fest from BAMCinematek in Brooklyn starts things off with its opening night screening of "Sleepwalk With Me" by director Mike Birbiglia. Starring Birbiglia himself and Lauren Ambrose, the film was co-written by "This American Life" host Ira Glass and centers on a burgeoning stand-up comedian who struggles with the stress of a stalled career, a stale relationship, and the wild spurts of severe sleepwalking he is desperate to ignore (read our SXSW review here).
Later in the week, they've got the highly celebrated "Beasts of the Southern Wild" indie by wunderkind Benh Zeitlin, director Ry Russo-Young's "Nobody Walks," “For Ellen” starring Paul Dano, “Liberal Arts” featuring Elizabeth Olsen, and a repertory screening of Noah Baumbach’s indie classic “Kicking & Screaming,” which features a Q&A moderated by Chuck Klosterman and includes the participation of Baumbach, Chris Eigeman, Carlos Jacott and co-writer Oliver Berkman. And that's just a small taste of the festival (check out the entire line-up here).
Below, as a fun little teaser, we've got BAMcinemaFest directors Ry Russo-Young, Tim Sutton (“Pavilion”) and Keith Miller (“Welcome to Pine Hill”) discussing being a New York filmmaker while hanging out at Jane's Carousel in Brooklyn Bridge Park in DUMBO. Upcoming clips to tease BAMCinemaFest will including Mike Birbiglia and Jonathan Lisecki ("Gayby") at Frank’s Lounge in Fort Greene, and Glenn McQuaid ("V/H/S") and Craig Zobel ("Compliance") at Green-Wood Cemetery at night — not the easiest place to get permission to shoot.