Of the nearly 90 entries to the 42nd annual Brooklyn Arts Council International Film Festival, 23 are the work of Brooklyn artists, and two of those have won, reported The Brooklyn Paper. Brooklyn Heights resident DOAN HOANG won “Best Feature Documentary” for her personal film “Oh, Saigon,” which follows her family members as they are separated as they flee by helicopter from Vietnam during the fall of Saigon and records her efforts to reunite her family years later. The film, which took seven years to make, was met with great acclaim as it cycled through the international film festival circuit during the past year. It will make its world television premiere in May on PBS for National Asian American Month.
Bushwick residents DANIEL GARCIA and RANIA ATTIEH won “Best Short Narrative” for their film “Almost Brooklyn,” which follows the story of a man who gets into a taxicab to visit Brooklyn for the first time. “Almost Brooklyn” and “Oh, Saigon” will be screened May 9 during the Brooklyn filmmakers’ evening at the Brooklyn Museum, which will feature a total of 10 short and documentary films made by local talent. All screenings are free. For information and a complete schedule visit www.brooklynartscouncil.org.
ART:
Celebrate 150 years of manufacturing around the Gowanus with an exhibit from curators and members of FROGG (Friends and Residents of the Greater Gowanus) CHRISTINE MACKELLAR and MARGARET MAUGENEST. “Gowanus Transformations,” will open with a May 8 reception at the Brooklyn Historical Society. The exhibit focuses on the creative businesses that keep Gowanus thriving and contribute goods and services to the community, including Claireware pottery, Ernest Porcelli stained glass and J & M special effects studios, among many others. The exhibit is co-curated by Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Development Corp. and South Brooklyn Local Development Corp. and is a continuation of the Public Perspectives series. A free walking tour from the curators on June 21 will begin at 543 Union St. at the corner of Nevins, rain or shine.
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Brooklyn native and choreographer ABIGAIL LEVINE invites you to “And Possibility,” an atypical performance piece that combines live music, dance, and best of all, takes place in public outdoor spaces instead of a traditional stage. Levine’s eight dancers will weave their way through city spaces, building on concepts of tourism and leisure and “turning city life into the performance itself.” On each of three Sundays at 4 p.m., the show will take place in a different setting. On May 18, it will be at Columbus Circle, near the Central Park entrance. On June 1 it will be at Parkside Circle (at Parkside and Ocean avenues) and June 8 will find them at the Coney Island Boardwalk. Levine has choreographed pieces for subway stations, office buildings, swimming pools and an array of international airports. Set designer Rachel Rostrow and Levine both attended Wesleyan University.
