Young director's film is a 'Green' monster

By Meredith Deliso

Meet the Orson Welles of indie cinema.

For her debut feature length debut, Greenpoint filmmaker Sophia Takal directed, wrote and starred in the psychodrama “Green,” a nuanced examination of love and jealousy that won a directing award at SXSW this spring.

“Green,” which screens tonight at the Brooklyn Academy of Music as part of its annual film festival, BAMcinemaFest, follows a young, intellectual Brooklyn couple, Sebastian and Genevieve, who move to the South so Sebastian can blog about sustainable farming. There, they immediately befriend their invasive, simple neighbor, Robin (played endearingly by Takal). As the couple’s relationship hits some bumps, Genevieve fears Robin and Sebastian are up to no good, and she quickly suffers a mental meltdown.

The plot was born out of the director’s own battles with the green goblin.

“I’m really jealous, and it happens in a flash,” said Takal. “I wanted to capture that abrupt shift in someone’s psychology.”

In the ultimate test, Takal had the Brooklyn couple played by her fiancé, Lawrence Michael Levine (who directed last year’s indie comedy, “Gabi on the Roof in July”), and their housemate, Kate Lyn Sheil. Thanks to some realistic conversations about sex, the two have more than a few intimate scenes together in the film.

“It was so much easier to shoot than I expected, though I’d still feel jealous occasionally,” said Takal. “After doing a sex scene, I would just tell Larry to only pay attention to me between takes.”

As they say, it’s not easy being green.

“Green” at the Brooklyn Academy of Music [651 Fulton St. near between Rockwell and Ashland places in Fort Greene, (718) 636-4100], June 22 at 9:15 pm. Tickets $13. Followed by a Q and A with the director. For info, visit www.bam.org. 

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Mars returns

Spike Lee’s “She’s Gotta Have It” is coming full circle.

Filmed in Fort Greene, the 1986 film is coming back to the neighborhood on July 5, screening as part of the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s “Contraband Cinema” series.

The filmmaker’s feature debut follows Nola Darling, a sexually liberated Brooklynite who juggles three less-than-perfect men, among them an immature bicycle messenger played by Lee. Shot in black and white, the subversive film was seen as a rival to the indie sex comedies of Woody Allen, appropriating the genre to address a topic that at that point was absent from the big screen — black sexuality.

The film also put a spotlight on Brooklyn, specifically Fort Greene as a vibrant cosmopolitan community.

More than 20 years later, Lee hasn’t stopped making the film world take notice, thanks to “joints” such as “Do the Right Thing,” “Malcolm X” and “25th Hour.”

But here’s the chance to see Spike Lee in all his raw, edgy ambition — before the Nike commercials, before the celebrity, before the vodka tie-ins.

“She’s Gotta Have It” at BAM Rose Cinemas [30 Lafayette Ave. between Ashland and St. Felix streets in Fort Greene, (718) 636-4129], July 5 at 2 pm. Tickets $12. For info, visit www.bam.org.

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It's a cinema fest!

It's hot out there, and there's no better place to sit comfortably in AC than at the movies.

Right in time, then, is BAM's cinemaFEST, a two-week film extravaganza that kicks off tomorrow night with the New York premiere of "Cyrus," starring Jonah Hill, Marisa Tomei, and John C. Reilly (pictured), as well as Catherine Keener.

From there, the festival features 20 new feature films, diverse shorts, a screening of GW Pabst's controversial silent film "Diary of a Lost Girl," accompanied by a live performance/original score by Irish rock collective 3epkano (June 20), and, yes, even an outdoor screening (June 13). The film, "Tiny Furniture, a SXSW Jury Award winner by Lena Dunham, would be worth drawing you out of the cool.

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Zombie king takes Brooklyn!

By Joe Maniscalco

This event is BYOB — bring your own brain.

On May 15 and 16, the Brooklyn Academy of Music celebrates the man behind the monsters — George Romero — during a weekend retrospective featuring five of the filmmaker’s best films.

Romero first shocked movie audiences back in 1968 with his original low-budget black and white thriller “Night of the Living Dead.”

Hailed as a subversive masterpiece for its graphic depiction of flesh-eating zombies, as well as its leading African-American star, “Night of the Living Dead” has now gone on to spawn five sequels, including Romero’s latest foray into the zombie world, 2009’s “Survival of the Dead,” which opens the retrospective.

Zombies have become so ubiquitous since "Night of the Living Dead,' Romero wouldn't be surprised if a zombie showed up on Sesame Street soon, teaching kids to count.

"When we shot 'Night of the Living Dead,' none of us had any idea what it would lead to," said the director, who's honored by the retrospective, especially since his daughter lives in Brooklyn. "But I guess we struck a nerve, and I've been fortunate enough to strike a few more nerves since."

Still, zombies are just the tip of the iceberg, said Jake Perlin, associate film programmer for the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

“I love the singular, unique vision that Romero brings to all his films,” said Perlin. “He doesn’t dumb down things for the audience or scrimp on the gore.”

The George Romero weekend retrospective also features non-zombie entries “Monkey Shines,” “The Dark Half,” and “Creepshow.”

For a chance to see the director in the flesh, Romero will be on hand following the 8 pm screening of “Survival of the Dead” on May 15 for a Q&A. So you can pick the horror maven’s brain just a little bit.

“Romero!” at the Brooklyn Academy of Music [30 Lafayette Avenue between Ashland and Hanson places in Fort Greene, (718) 636-4100], May 15 and 16. Tickets $12. For info, visit www.bam.org/cinematek.

Photo BAMcinématek/Photofest

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BAMcinemaFEST tonight

The first annual BAMcinemaFEST kicks off tonight with the New York premiere of "Don't Let Me Drown," a Brooklyn love story set post-9/11, that explores the relationship of two teens as they deal with the repercussions of the attacks, as well as prejudices within their Latino communities.

The breakout feature film debut by Cruz Angeles was one of the major discoveries of the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.

The film starts at 7:30 p.m., with tickets still available here. Afterwards, stick around for the opening night party, Brooklyn Blowout, with all ticket holders invited post-screening to celebrate "Brooklyn style," with music, dancing and drinks from Brooklyn Brewery.

BAMcinemaFEST runs now through July 2. Tickets for general films are $11; special screenings range from $15-$20, less for members. More information here.

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