Rooftop Films to Go Non-Fiction with KHALIK ALLAH and THE CHINESE MAYOR, 7/17-18

This week, Rooftop Films will present two form-challenging documentaries, proving that non-fiction cinema can be as, if not more, intellectually stimulating and politically engaging as its fictional counterparts.

On Friday, July 17th, Rooftop will return to Metrotech Commons for A Night With Khalik Allah, one of New York's preeminent urban photographers and filmmakers. The event will include live music from R&B singer Kye Russoul, Allah's short film Khamaica, and his full­-length Field Niggas, a non-linear portrait of the homeless and the loiterers around 125th Street and Lexington Avenue in Harlem. The event will be free and open to the public. Allah will be in attendance for a post-screening Q&A.

Then on Saturday, July 18th Rooftop will screen The Chinese Mayor, a cinema verité triumph that documents the fast-tracked and controversial development of Datong, China. The film took home a Special Jury Award at Sundance Film Festival for its unparalleled access into the bureaucracy of local Chinese government. The event will include live music, a Q&A with producer Zhao Qi, and an after-party sponsored by New Amsterdam Vodka.

ABOUT THE FILMS:

Friday, July 17th

Metrotech Commons

A NIGHT WITH KHALIK ALLAH

8:30PM Live Music by Kye Russoul

9:00PM Films Begin

10:30PM Q&A with Filmmaker Khalik Allah

KHAMAICA (Khalik Allah | Jamaica | 15 min.)

An intimate look at the people of Jamaica with a poignant, personal edge via the devotions of the director's grandfather.

FIELD NIGGAS (Khalik Allah | Harlem, NY | 60 min.)

A wise-cracking, probing urban flaneur, Khalik Allah paints an impressionistic portrait of the loiterers and denizens in and around 125th Street and Lexington Avenue in Field Niggas. Beneath the bright lights of a corner convenience store, Allah wields his crystalline gaze on a series of faces and personalities as they ruminate on race, societal inequalities, family, drugs, homelessness, romance, police brutality, and, ultimately, their histories, in a collective chorus. Though un-synced, the visuals and narration perfectly complement one another, forging a viewing experience that functions as a near interactive tapestry as the stories' strands envelope your conscience. Animated street photography at its apotheosis, Field Niggas carries a heady, haunting undercurrent, with aesthetic panache to burn.

MORE INFO: http://rooftopfilms.com/2015/schedule/a-night-with-khalik-allah/

Saturday, July 18th

The Old American Can Factory

THE CHINESE MAYOR (Hao Zhou | China)

8:00PM Doors Open

8:30PM Live Music

9:00PM Films Begin

10:30PM Q&A with Producer Zhao Qi

Fast-working mayor Geng Yanbo is on a mission. His goal: to successfully develop the underperforming city of Datong into a cultural hub overnight. Facing pressure from all sides, but primarily from his own pride and conviction, Yanbo rushes the project, leading to a rushed development that forgoes any safety standards.

The resulting errors bear huge impact on the residents of Datong, many of whom are forcibly relocated, their homes razed without alternate living preparations in place. At moments surreal in its portrayal of political ambition at all cost, this entertaining and oft tragic film offers a rare glimpse of insider politics in China.

MORE INFO: http://rooftopfilms.com/2015/schedule/the-chinese-mayor/

Rooftop Films is a non-profit organization whose mission is to engage and inspire the diverse communities of New York City by showcasing the work of emerging filmmakers and musicians. In addition to their annual Summer Series - which takes place in unique outdoor venues every weekend throughout the summer - Rooftop provides grants to filmmakers, teaches media literacy and filmmaking to young people, rents equipment at low-cost to artists and non-profits, and produces new independent films. At Rooftop Films, we bring underground movies outdoors. For more information and updates, visit their website at www.rooftopfilms.com.