Here's something interesting for all you Brooklyn film scholars and aficionados out there. An academic conference on Brooklyn street films. Very interesting.
The Brooklyn Film & Arts Festival
in partnership with Long Island University's Brooklyn Campus Media Arts
Department is presenting a film conference titled "The Streets of
Brooklyn in Film" on May 30th, 2009. The conference will focus on the
depiction of Brooklyn "street-ethos" in Hollywood films.
At the conference there will be three panels with scholars discussing a broad
range of Brooklyn "street" films including " 'Neath Brooklyn Bridge"
1942, "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn", 1945, "City Across the River" 1949,
"The Little Fugitive" 1953, "On the Waterfront" 1958, "The French
Connection" 1971, "The Lords of Flatbush" 1974, "Saturday Night Fever,
1977, "The Warriors" 1979, "Last Exit to Brooklyn" 1989,"Straight Out
Of Brooklyn" 1991, "Strapped" 1993, "Little Odessa", 1994, and a Spike
Lee Brooklyn "street-films" retrospective with its own panel discussion
with excerpts from, "She's Gotta Have It" 1986, "Do the Right Thing"
1989, "Crooklyn" 1991, "Clockers" 1995, "Summer of Sam" 1999.
Streets of Brooklyn in Film conference discussions will explore the
representation of Brooklyn street archetypes, the role of imagined and
"real" Brooklyn street ethos in influencing the characterizations of
Brooklyn's communities, family-life, and class conflict in Hollywood's
Brooklyn "street" films.
Some unique films such as the
enchanting "Little Fugitive" and the very moving "A Tree Grows in
Brooklyn" will provide a child's-eye view of Brooklyn streets. While
"Strapped", "Little Odessa", "Clockers", and "Straight Out of
Brooklyn" illuminate the impact of the street mindset on hard-pressed
families caught in the crossfire.
Some
of the speakers, including Prof. Larry Banks, Prof. Joe Dorinson, Prof.
Michael Hittman and special guest speaker, Sol Yurick, author of "The
Warriors" will bring a personal Brooklyn perspective to the
discussions, since they are all longtime Brooklyn residents.
The
Streets of Brooklyn in Film has been conceived and curated by Aziz
Rahman, director of the Brooklyn Film & Arts Festival and this
program has been made possible by a grant from the New York Council for
the Humanities.
Date/Time: Saturday, May 30th, 2009. 12:00pm to 5:00pm.
Location:
Long Island University's Brooklyn Campus Spike Lee Screening Room.
Flatbush Avenue & Dekalb Avenue. (Entrance on Dekalb Avenue.)
Information: Please call (718) 488-1052.
The
Brooklyn Film & Arts Festival is dedicated to presenting cultural programs
about Brooklyn that illuminate the rich history and unique character of
Brooklyn’s vibrant past and illuminating Brooklyn of the here and now.
Website: www.FilmBrooklyn.org Email: Brooklynfa@yahoo.com