Calendar – Past Event

On June 11th, 2009 Rooftop Films and The Fledgling Fund will host a special community-engagement screening of "No Impact Man," a documentary directed by Laura Gabbert & Justin Schein. A local family drama with global implications, the film follows the inspirational (and controversial) No Impact Man and family as they challenge themselves to make no environmental impact for one whole year. Rooftop Films and The Fledgling Fund invite you to join the challenge with an exciting carnival-like screening event.

The lawn of Automotive High School will host a celebration of environmentally-friendly activities, as Rooftop Films and The Fledgling Fund utilize the screening of "No Impact Man" to engage audience members in making environmentally-friendly lifestyle commitments. There will be information about local foods, opportunities to volunteer in local environmental projects, composting demonstrations, ideas about reusing old products, and a demonstration of biodiesel cars from the students of our hosts at Automotive High School. Audience members who make personal video pledges to change aspects of their lifestyles will be entered into a raffle to win various prizes. The Hungry March Band, New York's legendary political street brass march band will help create a festive atmosphere as they perform in the anarchic style that has become their trademark.

Rooftop's events are more than just film screenings. All Rooftop shows include live music, a unique outdoor venue, and a Q&A with the filmmaker or a panel discussion of the film. On top of that, Rooftop works closely with local groups to co-present events-past partners include The Center for Urban Pedagogy and Solar One-ensuring that there is interactivity, and relevant information available to the community. The goal of Rooftop Films screenings is to create an integrated event with connections between the film, the music, and the venue. By creating multi-faceted events, we forge a community between filmmakers, musicians, activists, the audience, and the neighborhoods where we screen.

"No Impact Man"
(Laura Gabbert & Justin Schein | New York, NY | www.noimpactman.com | 90 min.)

Colin Beavan, a writer living in Manhattan with his wife and daughter, decided to find out what it means to live a "no impact" life.

For one year, Beavan becomes "No Impact Man," attempting to live his normal life in New York City, without leaving an impact on the environment. No new products. No chemicals. No non-local food. No electricity. He sacrificed his personal comfort, risked his self-esteem, and even jeopardized his relationship with his family, all for this strange test.

The challenge is, of course, rather quixotic. Couldn't Beavan simply reduce, reuse, recycle, like so many of us (try to) do? But his obsessiveness generates immediate, widespread attention for the project, generating acclaim and disdain, including detractors that range from dismissive major media outlets to mean-spirited personal attacks. Beavan is forced to re-examine No Impact Man, to question this idea that's the driving force in his life. But will he renounce it?

The public scrutiny provides the intellectual spark for the film, but the tension between Colin and his wife Michelle Conlin is the emotional core of the film. Conlin lives like so many of us: proudly eating takeout, compulsively buying the latest products, taking for granted the excessive habits of consumerism. Sneaking an espresso here and there seems a minor offense, but the guilt from Colin is burdensome. I'm sure many of us think we could handle a year without chemical laundry detergent or new handbags, but what about a fly-infested compost bin in the kitchen, or a pot-within-a-pot refrigeration experiment? And what of her job at Business Week, examining (and in many ways promoting) the essence of the culture No Impact Man is critiquing?

No Impact Man will hit theaters in New York and beyond in September. Check www.rooftopfilms.com for updates.

Date: Thursday, June 11, 2009
Venue: On the lawn of Automotive High School
Address: 50 Bedford Ave. @ North 13th St. (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)
Directions: L to Bedford Ave. or G to Nassau Ave.
Rain: In the event of rain the show will be held indoors at the same location
7:00PM: Doors open
8:00PM: Sound Fix Records presents live music by The Hungry March Band
9:00PM: Film
11:30PM-1:00AM: After-party: Open Bar at Matchless (557 Manhattan Ave. @ Driggs) Courtesy of Radeberger Pilsner
Tickets: $9 at the door or online at www.rooftopfilms.com
Presented in partnership with: The Fledgling Fund, Cinereach, New York magazine, IndiePix, Shooting People, Council Member David Yassky & Automotive High School