The Most Promising Young Filmmakers in Brooklyn
Lawrence Levine (director) and Sophia Takal (producer), Wild Canaries
(screening Friday, June 20)
Which neighborhood do you live in?
ST: Cobble Hill. Lawrence and I moved here two years ago from Greenpoint. It’s very pretty and quiet and there are lots of babies and dogs.
LL: I’m a native New Yorker so I’ve lived all over Manhattan and Brooklyn. The trend seems to be that I’m moving to quieter and quieter neighborhoods as I age. I love Cobble Hill. I think it’s the best neighborhood in the city, except for the food; that’s better in Williamsburg.
Do you think living in Brooklyn affects your work?
LL: Living in Brooklyn has had a big impact on my work. In a sense, Wild Canaries is a love letter to Brownstone Brooklyn. Also, the fact that as New Yorkers we live in such close proximity to our neighbors and yet we often have no idea what’s going on with them—they could be murderers for all we know—figures prominently in my film.
ST: Yes, I can’t afford to make as many movies as I want because Brooklyn is too expensive 🙁
Is there a “Brooklyn film scene”?
ST: I think so! A community of filmmakers who help and support each other, at least.
LL: Sure. Brooklyn is home to a huge percentage of the world’s best emerging film talent. I could rattle off long list of great filmmakers, actors and technicians that call Brooklyn home. Many of them have films playing as part of BAMcinemaFest this year.
What film that’s not your own are you most excited about at the festival?
LL: Boyhood, because the concept of the film is amazing and Linklater is responsible for three of my all-time favorite films: Dazed and Confused, Before Sunset, and Before Midnight. But, just as much, I’m looking forward to seeing The Heart Machine, because Kate Sheil is one of the best actresses working today; Appropriate Behavior, because I’ve met Desiree [Akhavan] a few times on the festival circuit and loved her, and when I love the director I usually love the movie; Kumiko, because I liked the Zellners’s last one so much; same goes for Madeline Olnek and the The Foxy Merkins. I’ve also heard great things about Thou Wast Mild and Lovely. So I’m psyched.
ST: Too many. I’ve seen The Mend, Appropriate Behavior and 10000KM and thought they were all fantastic. Movies I haven’t seen that I’m dying to see are: Kumiko, because everyone says its the best and people keep talking about Bunzo and I want to know what that is; Thou Wast Mild and Lovely, Boyhood, and The Heart Machine, because it stars the always incredible Kate Lyn Sheil.
What’s your favorite movie theater in Brooklyn?
LL: I like the Cobble Hill Cinema. It’s convenient, homey, and whenever we watch a Woody Allen movie there, we’re the youngest people in the audience by at least 40 years.
ST: Tie between Cobble Hill Cinemas and BAM. They’re both rooted in the neighborhood/community and play the dopest flicks.