The Bicycle Film Festival (BFF) is an independent
film festival
A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending upon ...
that screens films related to urban cycling culture, in cities around the world. It was founded in 2001 and is based in
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
.
History
In 2001 Brendt Barbur was hit by a bus while riding his bicycle in New York City. Insisting on turning this negative experience into a positive one, Barbur created the Bicycle Film Festival as a platform to celebrate bicycles through music, art and film. The first event was in New York, and cycling aficionados in other cities soon wanted to replicate it for their own communities. As at 2012, the festival had taken place in more than 50 cities in North America, Europe and Asia.
[London Bicycle Festival celebrates cycle culture]
BBC News, 6 Oct 2012
The festival, which is non-juried, now attracts submissions by independent directors from around the world. In New York, it is held annually in the prestigious
Anthology Film Archives
Anthology Film Archives is an international center for the preservation, study, and exhibition of film and video, with a particular focus on independent, experimental, and avant-garde cinema.[cycle chic
Cycle chic or bicycle chic refers to cycling in fashionable everyday clothes. The fashion concept developed in popular culture to include bicycles and bicycle accessories as well as clothing. The phrase Cycle Chic was coined in 2007 by Mikael Col ...]
movement.
[
]
Events
The Bicycle Film Festival typically spans 3–4 days in each city, showing up to 30 films. Screenings encompass diverse aspects of urban cycling and a variety of genres and are tailored to each city.
An art exhibition, the Joyride Art Show, often accompanies events, displaying artworks related to cycling. To date, it has featured sculpture by Tom Sachs
Tom Sachs (born July 26, 1966) is an American contemporary artist who lives and works in New York City.
Life and early career
Sachs was born in New York City on July 26, 1966. He grew up in Westport, Connecticut, attending high school at Green ...
and photography by Albert Maysles
Albert Maysles (November 26, 1926 – March 5, 2015) and his brother David Maysles (January 10, 1931 – January 3, 1987; ) were an American documentary filmmaking team known for their work in the Direct Cinema style. Their best-known films i ...
.NY 2011 Joyride Art Show
, 22 Jun 2011
Bikes Rock!, a concert to launch the festival, has previously featured acts including
Blonde Redhead
Blonde Redhead is an American alternative rock band composed of Kazu Makino (vocals, keys/rhythm guitar) and twin brothers Simone and Amedeo Pace (drums/keys and lead guitar/bass/keys/vocals, respectively) that formed in New York City in 1993. ...
,
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion was an American three-piece rock band from New York City, formed in 1991. The group consisted of Judah Bauer on guitar, backing vocals, harmonica and occasional lead vocals, Russell Simins on drums and Jon Spenc ...
,
Dan Deacon
Daniel Deacon (born August 28, 1981) is an American composer and electronic musician based in Baltimore, Maryland.
Deacon is renowned for his live shows, where large-scale audience participation and interaction is often a major element of the pe ...
,
No Age
No Age is an American noise rock duo consisting of guitarist Randy Randall and drummer/vocalist Dean Allen Spunt. The band is based in Los Angeles, California, and was signed to Sub Pop records from 2008 to 2013. No Age's fourth studio album, ''S ...
,
Peaches
The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and others (the glossy-skinned, non-fuz ...
,
Matt and Kim
Matt and Kim (sometimes stylized MATT and KIM) are an American indie electronic duo from Brooklyn, New York City. The group formed in 2004 and consist of Matt Johnson (vocals/keyboards) and Kim Schifino (drums). The duo is known for its upbeat d ...
, and
Deerhunter
Deerhunter is an American indie rock band from Atlanta, Georgia, formed in 2001. The band currently consists of Bradford Cox (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Moses Archuleta (drums, electronics, sound treatments), Lotus Plaza, Lockett Pundt (guitar, ...
.
Contributors
Filmmakers whose work has been featured in, or who have otherwise contributed to, the Bicycle Film Festival include:
Mike Mills
Michael Edward Mills (born December 17, 1958) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, and composer who was a founding member of the alternative rock band R.E.M. Though known primarily as the bass guitarist and backing vocalist of R.E.M., hi ...
,
Spike Jonze
Adam H. Spiegel (born October 22, 1969), known professionally as Spike Jonze, is an American filmmaker, actor, musician, and photographer. His work includes commercials, film, music videos, skateboard videos and television.
Jonze began his ca ...
,
Jorgen Leth Jorgen may refer to:
* Jørgen, a Scandinavian masculine given name
* Jörgen, an Austrian village
* Jörgen (name), a Scandinavian masculine given name
{{disambig ...
,
Lucas Brunelle
Lucas Brunelle is an American videographer of bicycle stunts and races. He was born in Martha's Vineyard.
Early life and bicycling
Lucas Brunelle was raised on Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts where he attended Martha's Vineyard Regional Hig ...
, the Neistat Brothers, Alex Craig and
Peter Sutherland
Peter Denis Sutherland (25 April 1946 – 7 January 2018) was an Irish businessman, barrister and Fine Gael politician who served as UN Special Representative for International Migration from 2006 to 2017. He was known for serving in a variety ...
.
See also
*
International Cycling Film Festival
The International Cycling Film Festival ( pl, Międzynarodowy Festiwal Filmów Rowerowych, german: Internationales Festival des Fahrrad-Films) is an independent, not-for-profit film festival held annually in Germany, in Poland, in Kosovo and in t ...
*
List of films about bicycles and cycling
This is a list of films about bicycles and cycling, featuring wp:notable, notable films where bicycles and cycling play a central role in the development of the plot.
List
See also
*List of highest-grossing sports films
*List of sports films
R ...
External links
Bicycle Film Festival Official Website
References
*
Film festivals in Los Angeles
Film festivals in New York City
{{US-film-festival-stub