Check out this light show

By Meredith Deliso

Let there be light.

Fans of the French artist Thierry Dreyfus are in for a treat this month, as the acclaimed light designer launches his first solo show in America on Dec. 25 at Invisible Dog.

“(Naked) Absence — (Blinding) Presence … (dis)appearances” is almost modest in comparison to Dreyfus’s most recent works, which include illuminating such iconic pieces of architecture as Grand Palais, a historical monument located at the base of the Champs Elysées; the Château de Versailles; and the Notre Dame de Paris.

Still, the work at the Invisible Dog will be as grand as the space allows. On the ground floor of the Cobble Hill gallery, he’ll install eight large mirrors, reflecting ourselves, of course, as well as a sculpture with a timed light installation. In the basement will be a photography exhibition, though the draw will surely be the artist’s work with optics.

“Light doesn’t have words. It does not speak intellectually. 

It’s pure emotion,” said Dreyfus of his inspiration. “[It’s] emotional by nature; so is the intrinsic meaning of the installation I have created at the Invisible Dog.”

“(Naked) Absence — (Blinding) Presence … (dis)appearances” at Invisible Dog (51 Bergen St. between Smith Street and Boerum Place in Cobble Hill, no phone), Dec. 25-Feb. 20 (opening dinner on Dec. 24 at 6:30 pm, tickets $50). For info, visit www.theinvisibledog.org.

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No money, no problems

"Once More, This Time With Feeling," directed by Simon Connolly

By Joe Anuta

Hollywood, take note.

Only self-financed filmmakers will be screened during the Zero Film Festival, from Nov. 13-20 in Bushwick and Cobble Hill. And just because they’re low budget doesn’t mean low quality. In fact, large budgets can make films worse when money issues overshadow creativity, said festival founder Richard Hooban.

“With big-budget films, directors have lots of people telling them what to do,” he said. “But these filmmakers go out and make what they want, and they are pretty amazing at it.”

The week-long bash splits its time between Bushwick’s Nut Roaster Studios and Cobble Hill’s Invisible Dog, and you can catch a short comedy by Bay Ridge’s own Michael Rizzo (Nov. 20) or a tribal documentary by Iranian filmmaker Cima Sedish (Nov. 14) — just two of the many short films, animations, and features that make up the program.

You can also down free booze and listen to great bands every night, including dream pop act Asobi Seku on Nov. 13 and ethereal-rockers School of Seven Bells on Nov. 20, both at Nut Roaster Studios.

“It’s not a traditional festival where you sit down, watch a movie, then go home,” Hooban said. “This one helps build community.”

“Zero Film Festival” from Nov. 13-20 at Invisible Dog Gallery [51 Bergen St. between Boerum Place and Smith Street in Cobble Hill, (347) 981-4186]; and Nut Roaster Studios [119 Ingraham St. near Porter Avenue in Bushwick, (718) 456-7570]. Tickets $15. For times and events, visit www.zerofilmfest.com.

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He's the man for you

By Thomas Tracy

Bay Ridge is about to undergo a full Rizzification.

The quiet southern Brooklyn hamlet will be both serenaded and scorched in the “Bay Rizz: The Man For You,” an oddball “Borat”-style rap-parody premiering at the Zero Film Festival on June 19 replete with an overblown red carpet celebration headlined by real Brooklyn-based bands Beloved Rogue, Shadowbox and Pablo.

In “Bay Rizz,” everything about the neighborhood is fair game — including its local leaders. Councilman Vince Gentile (D–Bay Ridge) and several business owners are featured in the three-minute short about Bay Rizz — the neighborhood’s unofficial mayor, filmmaker Mike Rizzo — and his crusade to bring back laser tag (see that video below), disco and paint ball for the sake of our children.

“It’s all about recreation for the kids,” Bay Rizz tells us. “Once the neighborhood bowling alley closes, they’re hanging out in the street playing dice.”

“Bay Rizz: The Man For You” at Invisible Dog [51 Bergen St. between Court and Smith streets in Boerum Hill, (646) 270-2550], June 19 at 7 pm. For info, visit www.bayrizz.com.

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Three minutes in The Invisible Dog

Emmanuel Bernardoux sent us his new experimental short, shot inside Cobble Hill gallery Invisible Dog.

The shaky time-lapse video features, in a clever move, an invisible dog, in a how'd-he-do-that kind of fashion.

Enjoy.

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Zero Film Fest lands in Brooklyn

By Meredith Deliso

No budget, no problems.

This month, the Zero Film Festival, a celebration of self-financed, zero budget films, comes to Brooklyn.Originating in Los Angeles last year, festival founder Richard Hooban decided to jump coasts and bring the festival to New York as well, rounding up as much local and international talent as he could.

The result is five days of film, with 115 films culled from over 800 entries, ranging in content from Polar Bears eating Nikon cameras to films shot on-location in Afghanistan.

“I have always believed when a person truly stands up for what they believe in, it is possible to change the world,” said Hooban. “Zero Film Festival stands as a testament to this fact, and we have seen change even in the most powerful industry festival in the world: Sundance,” which this year announced for the first time a “no-budget” category in their festival.

New York’s own no-budget festival kicks off with an opening night party Wednesday, December 9 at Cobble Hill’s Invisible Dog Gallery (51 Bergen St.).

Thursday, December 10, it’s animation and experimental shorts at Galapagos Art Space (16 Main St.) in DUMBO, and a spotlight on Afghanistan at Issue Project Room (232 3rd St.) in Gowanus. Making its festival premiere that night is “Rethink Afghanistan, a ground-breaking full-length documentary focusing on the key issues surrounding this war. Directed by Robert Greenwald, the film portrays Afghanistan as a nation—or more accurately a collection of tribal affiliations—that has never been pacified by force in its long history and the present American endeavor as doomed to failure.

Also that night is a 7-minute teaser for “Skateistan,” a feature-length documentary due April 2010 that chronicles the efforts of a grass-roots organization to build the first skate hall in Kabul, follows the first international crew of pro skaters on their visit to Afghanistan and tells a tale of the irrepressible hope found within a nation’s children.

Galapagos hosts the New York premiere of the feature-length film “Modern Love is Automatic” on Friday, December 11. An official selection of SXSW 2009, “Modern Love” follows an apathetic nurse who moonlights as a dominatrix, her aspiring model roommate and the sad, strange world they live in. Also that night, the festival crosses the river with a night of “Cinema of Substance” at Anthology Film Archives (32 Second Ave.).

It’s a marathon of shorts at Invisible Dog on Saturday, December 12, as the festival closes, with screenings including the US premiere of “Colin,” a British zombie pick made for less than $100 and an official selection of the Cannes Film Festival.

Zero Film Fest comes to an official close December 13 at Galapagos with an afternoon of documentaries and an evening awards ceremony.

Get a taste of what's to come in this video:

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