The Bodega Film Festivalal.com/ is a new DIY film festival that since 2020 has been screening contemporary video works intending to shape a cinema by the people for the people. The New York FIlm/Video Council along with our friends at the Brooklyn College Film Society are happy to present a selection of shorts which have appeared in the festival over the last three years. The screening will be preceded by a short reception and followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers and programmers from the Bodega Film Festival.

Reception starts at 6:30pm, Screening at 7:00.

FREE FOR ALL

$5 suggested donation for non-NYFVC members to help cover costs.

RSVP HERE

Need to renew your NYFVC membership? Do so here.

What: Shorts from the Bodega Film Festival
When: Wednesday, October 25th. Reception at 6:30, Films at 7:00pm.
Where: Macauly Honors College, 35 W. 67th Street

One of the most memorable events in recent NYFVC history was the magical night at the NYPL Performing Arts Library when we screened rare 16mm prints of banjo-related films and held a square dance amidst the stacks featuring live music from John Cohen, the legendary musician, documentary filmmaker, and photographer.

John passed away several months after that special event and, as the NYFVC returns to in-person programming, we are thrilled to help present the New York premiere of Different Johns, a moving film chronicling John’s multi-varied life and work at this year’s Brooklyn Folk Festival.

Doors open at 7:30. Film starts at 8.
Free for NYFVC members with RSVP here. (If you are not current on your membership, can renew membership here).
$10 for non-members can be purchased at the door or online here.
Director Robert Carr will be in person for a Q &A and the screening will be followed by live old-time string band music.

What: Different Johns Screening
When: Thursday, October 20th, 2022, 7:30pm doors, 8pm film.
Where: St. Ann’s Church, 157 Montague St., Brooklyn, NY

NYFVC presents a free outdoor screening of George Stoney’s Man In The Middle

Thursday, October 14, 2021, 6pm.  
Langston Hughes Community Library and Cultural Center
100-01 Northern Blvd
Corona, Queens

7 Train to Corona/103rd, then walk 5 blocks to Northern Blvd.

Free for All

Join us on Thursday, October 14, at 6 p.m. as the NYFVC partners with the Langston Hughes Community Library and Cultural Center to present George Stoney’s MAN IN THE MIDDLE.

Made in 1966 on location in South Jamaica, Queens, Man in the Middle was originally produced as a part of series of training films to encourage community-oriented policing.  Seen today, the film—with its scenes of often raw, verite interactions between police and residents—offers historical insight not only into the nature of many police-resident interactions but fresh perspective on contemporary questions of race and policing, letting us wonder what has and hasn’t changed.

About the George Stoney Memorial Screening Series:
For the past 8 years, the NYFVC has presented a screening in honor of George Stoney (1916-2012), the much beloved filmmaker, educator, and longtime NYFVC board member and former President.   For decades, George was a cherished and tireless supporter of the NYFVC who, among his own achievements as filmmaker, played a key role in democratizing the media with the creation of public access television.  George never failed to inspire with his sense of mission, hospitality, his determination to use cinema to give voice to those outside of power, his willingness to travel -- even up to age 96 ––to explore experimental, documentary and narrative cinema, and his strong commitment to his community.   The series seeks to continue to keep alive his spirit in cinema and works by his contemporaries.

About the Langston Hughes Library and Cultural Center:
Langston Hughes Library was founded in 1969 through community activism by the Library Action Committee (LAC) of East Elmhurst and Corona. The LAC was an ad-hoc committee of the local Community Corporation, one of New York City’s anti-poverty programs. The Langston Hughes Community Library and Cultural Center opened in 1969 as an experimental library, a place of reading, learning, and history. It was a source of black information and culture intended to educate and support the area’s predominantly African-American population.

We’re postponing this until we can do it safely. But it will happen— we are committed to maintaining a healthy spirit of community in all ways.

So at some point down the road…. “The legendary animator will present work from a lifetime of creative experimentation, as well as some work from others which inspires him.”

D.A. Pennebaker’s and Mark Woodcock’s Two American Audiences
Tuesday, December 17, 2019, Reception @ 6:30pm, Film @ 7pm
Macauley Honors College
35 W. 67th Street (bet CPW and Columbus)

Join us on Tuesday, December 17 as the New York Film and Video Council celebrates the life of D.A. Pennebaker and Godard’s December birthday (89!) with the rarely-seen Two American Audiences, a film Penny made in 1968 with NYFVC member Mark Woodcock.

In the spring of 1968, Godard traveled to the U.S. to promote La Chinoise (distributed by Leacock-Pennebaker) and make 1pm with Penny and Ricky.   As part of the promotion, Godard spoke to a group of NYU film students about his cinematic ideas, a conversation which the distributors filmed and Mark Woodcock turned into Two American Audiences.   The 40min film, paired with Godard’s longer A Movie Like Any Other, premiered in a now-infamous screening in late December 1968, where an audience of 1000, after voting on which half of the film to play first, booed and hissed and ultimately largely walked out, complaining they could not understand the translation.   Contemporary reports suggest the audience was much more appreciative of Two American Audiences.

What:  Two American Audiences
When: Tuesday, December 17, Reception @ 6:30pm, Films  @7pm
Where: Macauley Honors College, 35 W. 67th Street (the former Makor building)
RSVPs:  Free and Open to All.  Please RSVP to the Eventbrite to let us know you are coming.

Join us on Friday, November 1, for a screening with Judith Helfand of her new documentary Cooked: Survival by Zip Code.

For the past six years, the NYFVC has screened a work to honor George Stoney, the beloved filmmaker, educator, media activist, and long-time member and former president of the NYFVC.

This year, in collaboration with NYU’s Dept of Anthropology— we co-present Cooked, the latest film from Judith Helfand, one of George’s long-time collaborators and friends.

Free for all. RVSP HERE.

Members Shorts Screening!
Thursday, June 20th, 2019, Reception @ 6:30pm, Films @ 7:00pm
Macauley Honors College
35 W. 67th Street (bet CPW and Columbus)

Bring your friends and join us on Thursday, June 20th for a special screening celebrating short films by current NYFVC members in collaboration with CUNY's Macaulay Honors College!  You don't need to be a member to come!

For 73 years, from our first meeting in 1946 with John Grierson through last month's Barbara Hammer tribute with Lynne Sachs, the NYFVC has been a home for innovative filmmaking.   This month, we'll turn the lens towards our own members and screen shorts (and some excerpts of longer pieces) by current NYFVC'ers.  Works will include brand-new films, little known gems, and long-lost favorites!

Before the screening, join us for a reception celebrating the start of the summer!  Both the screening and the reception are free and open to the public–– bring your friends and enjoy a special summer evening capturing the breadth of the NYFVC.

The program includes films by Donna Cameron, Louise Greaves, Nick Macdonald, Ann Deborah Levy, Tony Sherin, Patricia Silva, Eric Forman, and Beryl Sokoloff!

If you are a current NYFVC member and have a (short) short you want to screen, we may be able to still squeeze you in email us here.  Want to join or renew you membership?  You can do so here.

What: NYFVC Members' Screening Night (Bring your friends, open to all!) 

When: Thursday, June 20, Reception in outdoor space starts at 6:30, Screening starts at 7:00.

Where:  Macaulay Honors College, 35 West 67th Street (between CPW and Columbus, the old Makor space).

RSVP:  Free and open to everyone!   If can let us know you're coming, that helps us manage the event! 

Barbara Hammer Tribute
w/ special guest Lynne Sachs
Friday, May 31st, 2019, Reception @ 6:30pm, Films @ 7pm
Macauley Honors College
35 W. 67th Street (bet CPW and Columbus)

Join us on Friday, March 31st as the New York Film and Video Council pays tribute to Barbara Hammer w special guest Lynne Sachs.

The indie film world lost one of its pioneering spirits this March with the passing of Barbara Hammer.  Join us on Friday, May 31st as we honor her life and legacy with a screening of Tender Fictions, her 1995 autobiographical feature, preceded by Lynne Sachs' short Carolee, Barbara, and Gunvor, a portrait of the three groundbreaking women artists.

What:  Barbara Hammer Tribute
When: Friday, May 31st, Reception @ 6:30pm, Films  @7pm
Where: Macauley Honors College, 35 W. 67th Street (the former Makor building)
RSVPs:  Free and Open to All.  Please RSVP to the Eventbrite to let us know you are coming.

About the Films

Tender Fictions
Barbara Hammer, 1995
Innovative, funny, and historic, TENDER FICTIONS is an autobiographical exploration of the search for and meaning of gay community. From a childhood spent being groomed as the next Shirley Temple to her current work as an activist and maker of over 70 films and videos, groundbreaking filmmaker Barbara Hammer casts a wry eye on her life and changing world. In a rich montage of home movies, experimental films, news footage, and personal photographs, Hammer charts her growth from 1950's child star "wannabe" to 1960's straight earth mother to 1990's lesbian artist and activist.

Carolee, Barbara, and Gunvor
Lynne Sachs, 2018
An 8 minute cinematic collage exploring the approaches of three groundbreaking women artists-- Carolee Schneemann, Barbara Hammer, and Gunvor Nelson.
“Enchanting”–– The Brooklyn Rail

A Night of Banjo Films!

Rare 16mm prints of To Hear Your Banjo Play (1947) and The High Lonesome Sound (1962) followed by live music and square dancing! RSVP HERE

The New York Film and Video Council and The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts present a special one-of-a-kind night of banjo films and live music!

In an unique after-regular-library hours program, we’ll screen rare 16mm prints of two cult classic banjo films, Irving Lerner & Willard Van Dyke’s To Hear Your Banjo Play (1947) and John Cohen’s The High Lonesome Sound (1962).

The films will be followed by a Q&A, and live music by some of the best banjo players in the city and in the film community—including an appearance from the legendary John Cohen himself (New Lost City Ramblers), Eli Smith (Down Hill Strugglers, Brooklyn Folk Fest), Stephanie Jenkins (Florentine Films), the inimitable Stephanie Coleman, and – just confirmed - The Chapin Sisters.

The evening will end in a square dance called by Alex Kramer inside the library.

FREE & OPEN TO ALL

Doors @ 6:30pm | Program starts @ 7pm ($10 suggested online donation goes to cover musicians and film prints.)

About the films:

To Hear Your Banjo Play (1947)

Produced and Directed by Irving Lerner and Willard Van Dyke

Written by Alan Lomax

Photographed by Richard Leacock

Featuring: Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Baldwin Hayes, Sonny Terry, Brownie McGee, Texas Gladden, Margot Mayo’s American Square Dance Group

The High Lonesome Sound (1962)

Produced and directed by John Cohen

Featuring Roscoe Holcomb, Bill Monroe, Shepard Family

RSVP HERE

Join fellow NYFVC members at MoMA's annual documentary series highlighting some of the most exciting new works in non-fiction!

This year, the Council will attend Mike Plante’s And With Him Came The West, written by Plante (along with Sam Green and Tim Kirk) about the influence of Wyatt Earp’s legacy on cinema and our perception of the wild, wild West.

Preceded by the short Last Man Standing about the last motion picture processor in Australia.

RSVP: Free to NYFVC Members, RVSP here

***NOTE NEW DATE***

What makes a great film trailer?

Join us on Monday, December 3rd for a special presentation on the art of film trailers in collaboration with CUNY’s Macaulay Honors College!!

Jeremy Workman—co-founder of leading indie-film trailer cutting house Wheelhouse Creative and the filmmaker of the hit documentary and NYT Critics' Pick The World Before Your Feet which is currently playing at The Quad— reveals the secrets of making a memorable movie trailer.

Using examples from his own work and other classic trailers, Jeremy breaks down how a successful trailer works— showing ways of thinking about story that will not only help make a better marketing tool but will also make you a better storyteller.

Reception from 6:30-7 before the presentation!  Bring a friend!

FREE FOR ALL
RSVP here to let us know you are coming!

Join us on Tuesday, October 2nd for a fascinating work-in-progress cinematic creature workshop with The Molok in collaboration with CUNY’s Macaulay Honors College!   Help feed The Molok memory-laden objects and see them transformed into a one-of-kind cinematic creature!

The Molok is an independent film and art project that collects and archives the stories of its audience.   The Molok itself is a 13-foot tall, human-powered creature whose body is engineered from people’s lost objects and mementos. The final sculpture will be featured as the villain in the project’s upcoming fantasy feature film.

During the evening, the Molok team will workshop their process—showing us the how-to of building a large-scale cinematic puppet.  Guests will have a chance to offer objects (2’ x 2’ max, please) with a story that will be built into the puppet’s body and try on parts of this unique creature.

What:  Work-In-Progress Creature Building Workshop w/ The Molok
When: Tuesday, October 2nd, 7-9
Where: Macaulay Honors College, Lecture Hall and Terrace
35 West 67th Street (between CPW and Columbus, the old Makor building)

Join us on the evening of Wednesday, June 27th for a special screening celebrating short films by current NYFVC members in collaboration with CUNY's Macaulay Honors College!

For 72 years, from our first meeting in 1946 with John Grierson through last month's magical screening with Brent Green, the NYFVC has been a home for innovative filmmaking.   This month, we'll screen 5-10 minute shorts (and some excerpts of longer pieces) by our current members.  Works will include brand-new films, little known gems, and long lost favorites!

Before the screening, join us for a reception celebrating the start of the summer!  Both the screening and the reception are free and open to the public.

If you are a current NYFVC member and have a short you want to screen, please email us here.  If your membership has lapsed and you want to screen, please renew and then email us here!

What:  Screening of NYFVC Members Shorts
When: Wednesday, June 27th, Reception starts at 6:30, Screening starts at 7:15
Where: Macaulay Honors College, 35 W. 67th Street (between CPW and Columbus)

Special Screening with Brent Green and Friends!
Wednesday, May 23, 2018, 7pm

On Wednesday, May 23rd, the NYFVC is thrilled to present a special screening with ground-breaking artist and animator Brent Green and his musical friends.

In this experimental live cinema experience, Brent will serve as narrator and musician, with Kate Ryan and Emmet Moeller adding music and foley to create an immersive, theatrical, and entirely unique evening. The program features works that all have played at the prestigious Sundance Festival, including A Brief Spark Bookended by Darkness, Carlin, Paulina Hollers, and Strange Fates. Focusing largely on stirring visuals, live music and foley, the emotionally charged films draw in audiences through literary narration, dark underlying themes, and surprising humor, with flickering stop-motion Southern Gothic flair.

The screening will be held at Crista Grauer's SoHo loft and studio, amidst Crista's own fabulous and rarely-seen kinetic box sculptures, the perfect genre-bending companion to Brent's innovative work.

What: Brent Green Special Screening!

When: Wednesday, May 23, 7pm.  Join us at 7pm to mingle on Crista's outdoor deck, and the program will start promptly at 7:30.

Where: Crista Grauer's loft and studio.  523 Broadway (between Spring and Broome), 2nd Floor

Cost: Free for all but must RSVP.   Space will be limited.  Priority given to NYFVC members, so please RSVP early.

Need to renew your membership?  Renew or join here!

Join fellow NYFVC members at MoMA's annual documentary tribute for a special program showcasing ground-breaking work from MIT's Open Doc Lab!  After the screening, Kathy Brew, the curator of this year's Doc Fortnight, joins NYFVC members for a conversation on programming this year's festival.

The Open Doc Lab-- building on MIT's long tradition of groundbreaking documentary work-- aims to bring new cutting-edge, cross-platform technology and collaborative techniques to the documentary form.  What is the "documentary" of the future?   Are there new ways for "artists" to collaborate with "subjects"?  What do these works look like?

After a Q&A by the MIT presenters, Doc Fortnight curator Kathy Brew will lead a talk with NYFVC members for a special behind-the-scenes look at programming this year's festival.

Cost: Free for NYFVC members.  Space will be limited so please RSVP here early.

Join us on November 16 as the NYFVC and the Archivists Roundtable come together for a tour and demonstration at IndieCollect!   See IndieCollect's brand-new 5K Kinetta Archival Scanner in action!  See before and after comparisons with films in IndieCollect's restoration pipeline!  Learn about the restoration workflow, and IndieCollect's ambitious plans to create a database of every independent film ever made!  After the demonstration, mingle at a wine and cheese reception with folks from the fabulous Archivists Roundtable and the IndieCollect team!

When: Thurs, November 16, 2017, 6-8pm
Where: Indie Collect, 675 Third Avenue (Entrance on 42nd Street, just East of Third Ave.), 32nd Floor Penthouse (nb, there is one flight of stairs to reach this floor.)

Space is limited so RSVP early!

Come celebrate the start of the New York Film and Video Council's 72nd year at our fall open brunch!

Meet and mingle with folks from a wide cross section of the New York film world — documentary, experimental, narrative filmmakers, animators, educators, programmers, curators, students and film enthusiasts.

Bring a friend!  The brunch is free and open to all, a perfect way to catch up with other members and meet new ones from the city's friendliest film organization!  Curious about what we do?  Stop in!

Where: 523 Broadway (bet. Spring & Broome), 2nd Fl.
RSVP's appreciated for planning: NYFVCrsvp@gmail.com

In Honor of George Stoney
Monday August 21, 2017, 6pm.  
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center
111 Amsterdam Ave (between 64th and 65th St.)
Third Floor Screening Room

On Monday, August 21, the New York Film/Video Council celebrates the life and career of the legendary George Stoney with a special screening.  Programmed by David Callahan of the New York Public Library and projected from rare 16mm prints, the program combines one of George’s hidden gems, How to Look at a City (1964) with the inspiring Hobie’s Heroes (1980) by Steven Montgomery, who was influenced by George’s eye-opening documentary class at NYU.

How to Look at a City
Produced and directed by George C. Stoney; narrator, Eugene Raskin
29 min., 1964
Part of the Series "Metropolis: Creator or Destroyer?"

Eugene Raskin—the writer, musician, and professor— paints a word portrait of New York, as seen by lovers, adventurers, and the star-struck, against a background of jazz. He contrasts old neighborhoods with the bustle of the business world and discusses three fundamental standards used by architects and planners to judge the quality of a neighborhood - human scale, density, and variety.

Hobie's Heroes
Produced and directed by Steven Montgomery
29 min., 1980

Portrays a group of young divers striving to overcome their fears and achieve success under American coach Hobie Billingsley, who produced six Olympic medalists, and is considered one of the most significant figures in the history of diving.

Hobie’s Heroes was part of George’s personal 16mm film collection and he screened it often for audiences of young people.

About George:
In addition to his career as a legendary filmmaker and beloved film professor, George Stoney (1916-2012) was a cherished NYFVC past President and board member who, among many other achievements, played a key role in democratizing the media with the creation of public access television.  George never failed to inspire with his sense of mission, hospitality, his determination to use cinema to give voice to those outside of power, his willingness to travel -- even up to age 96 ––to explore experimental, documentary and narrative cinema, and his strong commitment to his community. 

Pioneering animator and filmmaker Eli Noyes returns to the East Coast and shares some of his rare early work for a special evening with the NYFVC!

When: Tuesday, May 16, 2017, 7pm.
Where: 136 W. 21st St. (SVA Soc Doc Building, between 6th and 7th Ave, Ground Floor Screening Room)
**N.B.-- This is a different building than originally listed; it is directly across the street from the building previously listed.**

From the legendary Sand Alphabet on Sesame Street to his Oscar-nominated short film Clay, Eli's groundbreaking animations have inspired generations of filmmakers and audiences alike.   Eli was a NYFVC board member in the early 1970's and it's an honor to welcome him back to the city to screen and discuss his work.    Afterwards, join us for drinks and food at a nearby pub.

FREE TO ALL (RSVP here)
Food/Drink Tickets for NYFVC Members


 

Attn: Celluloid lovers.  Not an April Fool's–– film is back in the Big Apple!  When New York's last full service motion picture lab closed several years ago, many feared it might mark the death of traditional celluloid in the city.  But some exciting news for film lovers–– this spring, Kodak will open a new motion picture lab of their own in Long Island City.

On Saturday, April 1st, NYFVC members will get the first special behind-the-scenes tour of this brand-new facility as it is being built.

Whether you are cinematographer, a producer interested in shooting on film, a preservationist, an archivist, or simply a film fan interested in how the lab process works, this pre-opening tour is an exciting opportunity to meet the Kodak team and see how the celluloid magic happens.

Guiding the tour will be Anthony Landano, the Lab Manager, and his team at the new facility.

• When:  Saturday, April 1, 2017, 11am
• Where: 37-18 Northern Boulevard, LIC ( R, M train to 36th Street, 1 block away).  Meet in the building lobby.

After the tour, we will gather at Coffeed (same address) for food and to continue the conversation.

Members Free 
Non-members $5 (payable here or at tour, can be put towards a full membership,)
RSVP here

Come celebrate the New York Film and Video Council's 71st Year at our annual open brunch!

Meet and mingle with folks from a wide cross section of the New York film world — documentary, experimental, narrative filmmakers, animators, educators, programmers, curators, students and film enthusiasts.

Bring a friend!  The brunch is free and open to all, a perfect way to catch up with other members and meet new ones from the city's friendliest film organization!  Curious about what we do?  Stop in!

Where: 523 Broadway (bet. Spring & Broome), 2nd Fl.
RSVP's appreciated for planning: NYFVCrsvp@gmail.com