One of New York City’s foremost organizations for artistic nourishment, Two Boots, presents their first annual music and film festival, “Stop, Look & Listen!” at The Two Boots Pioneer Theater as well as at their other locations throughout the city.
Beginning Friday, September 14 and running through Thursday, September 27, the festival will feature a wide array of features, shorts, videos, and events celebrating music and music-related programming of diversity and urgency. Building on the strengths of their “Blank Generation & Beyond” film festival in 2000, Two Boots’ programming of “Stop, Look & Listen!” will be wide-ranging in scope, including premieres, retrospectives and special programs featuring live music. All major screenings will be held at The Pioneer Theater (155 East 3rd Street at Avenue A) and additional events will be held at The Den of Cin (44 Avenue A) as well as participating Two Boots eateries. The opening night event will be the U.S. premiere of “Plastic People of the Universe,” the acclaimed documentary on the legendary Czech rock band Plastic People of the Universe, directed by Jana Chytilová. Also featuring Lou Reed, Vaclav Havel, and Gary Lucas, “Plastic People of the Universe” is a testament to the power of music to incite revolution.
The closing night presentation will be the New York premiere of “Won’t Anybody Listen,” the acclaimed documentary on the real-life struggles of the southern California rock band NC-17 to hit the big time. Seven years in the works and directed by 27-year old Dov Kelemer, the film is a sobering look at the harsh realities of the music industry.
Among the special theme evenings and events planned for “Stop, Look & Listen!” are a Joey Ramone tribute featuring special guests and a screening of “Rock ‘n’ Roll High School”; a special Bayou Night including jambalaya at the concession stand, live zydeco music in the lobby and a rare screening of “New Orleans,” Billie Holiday’s only feature film performance, in the theater; an evening of films curated by Cavestomp!, the garage-rock revivalist organization; a program of Outsider Music Videos curated by WFMU DJ / outsider music authority Irwin Chusid and the U.S. premiere of Shanti Guy’s rockabilly-fueled “Texas Night Train.”
Prominently featured in the festival are a number of cutting edge films presented by HiQi Media. Among these are the infamous pair of Minnesota metal documentaries, “Driver 23” and “Atlas Moth,” a revival of the classic late-1970s reggae film “Rockers,” as well as movies about the northwest U.S. indie rock scene (“Try This at Home”), rave culture (“Synergy”), and the hip-hop world (“Word”).
Overlapping with the CMJ Music Marathon 2001 for the first three days of the festival (the Den at Two Boots is an official live music venue), Two Boots will be showing midnight movies on Friday, September 14 and Saturday, September 15 in cahoots with CMJ. And the Opening Night Party celebrates the release of the “Bootleg” CD, featuring live music from the many bands whose members are officially or unofficially members of the Two Boots Family.
The Pioneer Theater is located at 155 East 3rd Street (at Avenue A), phone: (212) 254 – 3300. The Den @ Two Boots is located at 44 Avenue A (at East 3rd Street), New York, NY 10009, phone: (212) 254 – 0800.
By Subway: Take the F train to the Second Avenue exit, walk east to Avenue A. “The Den” is located in between Two Boots Video and Two Boots Pizza at the NE corner of Avenue A & East 3rd St.
For more info on the fest, go to the Two Boots web site.
Check out FILMTHREAT.com’s FILM FESTIVAL ARCHIVES for more fest news!
