I don’t regularly get the Sundance Channel but right now my digital cable provider has been hooking me up with a super dulex promo package so I’ve been getting a peak at some of the shows that I am or that I will be missing out on.  One series that clearly stands out is Brick City, a five-part documentary series that captures the daily drama of a community striving to become better, safe, stronger place to live.

Against great odds, Newark citizens and it’s Mayor, Cory A. Booker, fight to raise the city out of nearly a half century of violence, poverty and corruption. Created and directed by award-winning filmmakers Mark Benamin and Marc Levin. 

Oh Sundance Channel, I love you for your quality in programming, now if only I can get myself to your big giant festival in January…

I’m taking a break from all my TV rating to share a very exciting project from the folks over at the Life Line. Who will be traveling the world documenting different parts of the world and their methods of sustainability.  

On 9th September 2009 the Lifeline Global Initiative launches from London, New York and Sydney. There mission is to send 3 teams of 3 film-makers on an epic 18,000 mile 12 month journey to arrive Autumn 2010 in Cape Town, Buenos Aires and Tokyo.

Each team of two documentary film-makers and one ‘ordinary’ person will walk, sail, ride and use public transport – no planes allowed! Along the way they will document the individuals, businesses and communities implementing sustainability initiatives and solutions key to providing the Lifeline for our future.

The film-makers will cover nine main areas
Energy, Shelter, Agriculture, Community, Conservation. Transport. Economy, Education, Health

To find out more information about this project or to help support it’s objective go to http://www.thelifeline.tv/.

A few years ago I set out with two other filmmakers to make a documentary about NYC/Housing Issues/Rent Hikes and it’s affects on certain demographics. We were interviewing all sorts of NYers, documenting their living situations and trying to find a unique story to tell.  We interviewed, artists, squatters, professionals, young and old. Unfortunately this project now sits on a shelf…

A group of students from Hostos Community College’s Now Program also set out on a project that focused on some illegal housing, the result of their work I HAVE A BASEMENT APARTMENT. NOW WHAT? can be seen tonight (August 7th) AT THE CENTER FOR URBAN PEDAGOGY. You even get a comic book as a parting gift! READ ON!

From 1990 to 2005, more than a third of the new housing created in NYC outside of Manhattan were phantom apartments – illegal conversions of basements and cellars. These invaluable sources of affordable housing, often occupied by New York’s newest immigrants, also happen to violate many of NYC’s building and zoning codes and pose serious safety threats. What should happen to all these homes? Who decides?

This summer, CUP Teaching Artist Hatuey Ramos-Fermín and students from the College Now Program at Hostos Community College investigated these hidden homes. The group talked to tenants, landlords, the Department of Buildings, housing lawyers, and advocates to uncover the politics of living underground.

Join us on Friday, August 7 as we present the results of their investigation: “I Have a Basement Apartment. Now What?” – a comic book produced in partnership with Chhaya CDC and Make the Road New York. A dramatic reading and comic-making workshop will be followed by presentations from students and community organizations on mediation strategies and avenues for new legislation. All attendees get a comic.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CLICK HERE. 

Ah, August in NYC . You know what that means. It’s hot, it’s smelly and the Summer is almost over. The Back to School commercials are playing and the last of the Summer trips are being planned. Oh and Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds comes out in a few weeks! 

As this Summer starts to wrap up, I’m starting to gear up. This week I start on the Art Under The Bridge Festival which will take place September 25, 26 and 27 in DUMBO, Brooklyn. 

For those of you who are not familair with this festival as there are SO MANY art, film and music festivals happening at any given time here in NY. Let me fill you in:

ART UNDER THE BRIDGE is a multi-site happening unique to Dumbo since 1997, the historic post-industrial neighborhood spanning the East River waterfront between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges. The event’s enduring magic is the transformation of an entire neighborhood into a vibrant platform for self-expression over 3 days once a year. New artworks by young visual artists are created on-the-spot everywhere and anywhere: they may be specific to a particular site or they may wander. They may be projected or afloat. They may be performed or make sound, they may glow in the dark or ride an elevator, they may occupy a corporate lobby or beg your interaction, or they may just sit there and demand your attention.

Thanks to the good people at Gothamist I found out about the Bushwick Book Club. I have never been part of a book club before, but I was once present during a book club discussion at my apartment.  Although that book club turned into a Gossip Club after a 5 minute discussion of the book!

If I were to join a book club, I would join one that takes the book and turns it into a singer-song writer series! This is my type of book club! Tonight’s book club features Miranda July’s No One Belongs Here More Than You read on for more details: 

BOOK CLUB: Meet me, you, and everyone we know at the Bushwick Book Club event for Miranda July’s No One Belongs Here More Than You. The monthly Brooklyn meet-up joins together the talents of local singer-songwriters to create music inspired by that month’s book selection, and July’s July short-story pick is sure to be rich musical material. Franz Nicolay, Corn Mo, Emilyn Brodsky are just a few of the performers debuting all-new songs tonight and July-themed refreshments will be on hand, so grab a cup of Dark Shape Punch and settle down for literary reflection you can dance to.

8 p.m. // Goodbye Blue Monday [1087 Broadway, Brooklyn] // Free

While we are on the subject of Miranda July (who am I big fan of) check out her new “Eleven Heavenly Things” at the Venice Biennale.  Which consists of eleven outdoor sculptures that she made for you to pose with — pedestals to stand on, tablets with holes for body parts, and free-standing headdresses.

How come I can’t find 4 people to get together for  one weekend to make a film (or even go to see one) and these guys can do it every weekend for 12 weeks? Well my hats off to these 4 Filmmakers that will be doing just that.   This filmmaking challenge is a great way to motivate a group to work together to make films. Although, I’ll let you be the judge as to whether or not they are any good.

If you’ve visited Slighty Overexposed before, you know I’m a big fan of the folks over a Kickstarter.com, who put together a great website that helps promote and potentially fund your projects based on “pledges”.  I myself have been trying to decide which one of my projects that I am going to upload to their website. . .

 It looks like I may not need to decide between the two projects after all, as I have found another community based organizations that helps fund work based out of Brooklyn, NY called FEAST. Which stands for Funding Emerging Art with Sustainable Tactics.

FEAST is a recurring public dinner designed to use community-driven financial support to democratically fund new and emerging artmakers. At each FEAST, participants will pay a sliding-scale entrance fee for which they will receive supper and a ballot. Diners will vote on a variety of proposed artist projects. At the end of dinner, the artist whose proposal receives the most votes will be awarded funds collected through the entrance fee to produce the project.

FEAST is now accepting proposals for their August 8^th dinner, until July 25^th. For more information on FEAST, projects funded and how to participate click here.

If you’re not from New York, may I suggest starting a FEAST in your own community.