BAMcinemaFest 2012: More Premieres, More Fun, More Brooklyn!

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Opening night of BAMcinemaFest is the NY premiere of Mike Birbiglia's SLEEPWALK WITH ME, set in Park Slope and produced by Ira Glass

BAMcinemaFest 2012 opens next Wednesday with local comic sensation Mike Birbiglia’s Park Slope-set debut, the crowd-pleasing Sleepwalk With Me, which will be introduced by Birbiglia and Ira Glass, and followed by an after-party with an open bar and music by DJ Duane Harriott. The film’s hero, a down-and-out bartender suffering from a dangerous form of sleepwalking, adds to the list of indelible characters BAMcinemaFest has introduced New York audiences to in the past three years.
 
From the struggles of an aimless, unemployed college grad in Lena Dunham’s breakthrough Tiny Furniture to the Herculean Norse warrior held prisoner in Nicolas Winding Refn’s Valhalla Rising, the festival has been home to a wide range of stories and themes. Now in its fourth edition, “the city’s best independent film showcase” (The New Yorker) has also evolved into one of Brooklyn’s most varied and fun summer events, combining the latest from the most innovative and passionate emerging voices on the international film-festival circuit with the good vibes of a neighborhood block party.
 
Where else this year can you enjoy a beer, play a round of ping-pong, and shoot the breeze with fellow festivalgoers, before catching Melanie Shatzky and Brian M. Cassidy’s harrowing trip to nursing-home hell (The Patron Saints) or Paul Dano as a long-haired rock ‘n’ roll burnout desperately trying to win the affections of his estranged daughter (For Ellen)?
 
Balancing out the line-up is a wide-ranging look back at films past. Audiences will get a chance to discover a crisp 4K digital restoration of a great, unsung Rossellini comedy (The Machine That Kills Bad People) and Noah Baumbach’s quintessentially 90s slacker classic, Kicking and Screaming, whose director and select cast members will reunite for a Q&A.
 
The festival also presents three programs that are perfect for families (tickets for children are $10). In the main line-up, Cory McAbee’s ode to youthful imagination, Crazy & Thief, follows two children as they explore the streets of Brooklyn, consulting a star chart they have created from splashed paint on an envelope. Take Me to the Balloony Bin! is a collection of balloon-themed short films that range from the poetic (The Red Balloon) to the hilarious (Buster Keaton’s The Balloonatic). On Closing Night, the visually exquisite The Adventures of Prince Achmedthe oldest surviving animated feature, will screen with a new, live score by avant-garde cellist Erik Friedlander and members of ambient rock group 3epkano.
 
Many screenings will sell out, so get your tickets now, or get a badge. For the first time this year, BAMcinemaFest is offering an All Access Festival Pass for the low price of $150 (a $395 value). This incredible deal gets you into all events in the festival, including those that are already sold out! You can buy those by going here and selecting Festival Ticket.
 
We also have a few pairs to give away for any film (aside from opening night), so long as it isn’t sold out. Tell us what you want to see in the comments and we’ll select 6 random winners by Monday at 5pm! UPDATE: We selected the winners–Rory Levine, Deena Atkinson, @eekahil, Megan Irene Kretz, Ruth Mulligan and Joycelyn D’Ambrosio! Check the response to your comment below.

29 Responses

  1. Rory Levine -

    Would love a pair of tix to the KICKING & SCREAMING screening. Remind us of how great Baumbach used to be…!

    Reply
  2. Anonymous -

    Beasts of the Southern Wild. Because I cried during Prometheus but I feel like those tears were misspent. 

    Reply
  3. eekahil -

    I want to see The Machine that Kills Bad People  for a few reasons.
    1. A rare chance to see a nigh-mythological film.
    2. I’m a sucker for horror films about film (Peeping Tom, Secret Cinema, Fade to Black).
    3.What a great title!

    Reply
  4. Alexander Jordan -

    I would be so happy if I won two tickets to Sleepwalk With Me, that I think I would finally be able to enjoy a peaceful night’s rest without being harassed by those flying hyenas in my nightmares. Thanks, Brooklyn Based! You rock.

    Reply
  5. Hope Shores -

    I would love to see Sleepwalk With Me and For Ellen! Both films look interesting, and I love Mike Birbiglia’s tales of somnambulism.

    Reply

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