Centrifugal Force & Corridor Dreams: The 2010 Brooklyn International Film Festival - Feature

The intentions of building an ideology within a film festival is knowing its structure and who the consumer base reflects. While the Brooklyn International Film Festival creates awareness effectively in its targeted marketing ideas, the infrastructure shows an inherent possibility despite a imbalance of geography mirroring its best intentions.

The idea within the festival is to showcase the varying aspects of Brooklyn in its many forms. While this is inherently accomplished between Brooklyn Heights and Williamsburg, the inescapable divergence is the fact that if one screening is full, undeniably the other will have been started concurrently effectively creating conflict.

While both arenas are infinitively accessible within walking distance by subway or cab, the lack of centrality at times creates a lack of identity on the part of the festival. However the dexterity of surrounding locations and the highlight of new ones allows for the optimization of evolution.

Optimizing a former club structure at an optimum site on the East River, Indie Screen has the potential of being the next Angelika. The Williamsburg section of Brooklyn is quickly growing and becoming a veritable Bohemian path in accordance with street culture that has almost become non-existent on the streets of Downtown Manhattan since the fall of the Towers.

"The Minutemen", which documents the inherent struggles of vigilantes along the Texas/Mexico border and their attempts to enforce the structures of immigration when the hands of their respective US officials are tied, shows an impending showdown that is raging along the border. While the ideology of the American initiative is being paradoxically waved here, the film shows that the inability of the actual people inside this movement to get along ultimately is what combats the actual functionality of their actions. Everyone seems to be searching in tandem for a quick fix which is fundamentally flawed.

"Win/Win", a dystopian view on the nature of success hailing from The Netherlands, shows how the Wall Street viewpoint of greed corrupting absolutely allows for a reverse psychology aspect which is not in all points restricted to our own country. The idealism of being the best and the brightest until the younger guy comes along is at the cornerstone of this diatribe. The realism that some minds are not made for the pressure despite the inherent math ability shows a tendency in the modern world that maybe our logic centers are not able to balance in terms of the emotional run-off that ensues.

"On Thin Ice", a short feature made cooperatively between Finland and the NYU Graduate Film School, highlights the business model that exists outside the US and, respectively, helps those inherently wanting to work within their native country. Before being allowed to make a full feature, according to director Alli Haapasalo, would-be filmmakers must cut their teeth on a straight-to-TV adaptation to establish talent. The film itself is buoyed by a teetering emotional ride provided by Finnish actor Pertti Sveholm who creates a vision of a man rattle by nothing, insulated to the core and ready to crack. The dramatic progression lies in the film's humor in showing that the littlest trails of domestic tranquility from the quietness of a dinner to game of pool creates the focus of life's little treasures that can dissipate like the wind.The Brooklyn Film Festival also benefits from a strong shorts program though its allowance tends to swing more heavily in the animation category.In terms of live action shorts, the presence of love seems to overcome everything within its structure simply because of its universal means highlighted by two specific outlays.

"Barehanded", from France, comes through with the most eccentric function following a woman who cannot control the visceral nature of her hands. When she brings a man home inadvertantly who tries to understand her plight, the emotional turns rage against him across the grid."The Shelter" rectifies its intent with a more stylized version of life on the downswing. Using smooth and lyrical camera movements, the lack of words allows for a perception on the viewer's part to the actual extent of what is actually happening. The forced use of alot of foley belays the lack of budget but the inherent peril of the leads forgives much of the lacking plot.In terms of animated shorts, the presence of undeterred irony forms the basis for the most astute structures played.

"Clean Carousel", created out of Denmark, is simple but effective in its intentions. A man wants to keep his merry-go-round clean. While the birds will not show him mercy in his necessity to maintain cleanliness, when his actual customers begin to cause much the same disaster he cannot help but respond vehemently creating a quick but vicious dissertation on the nature and perspective of life.

"Skylight" and "Hicine Airlines" use the infinite structure of an environment purged of its posturing that either sees the destruction of the earth as a mental shoveling or a call to capitalism. "Skylight" works on the idiom that the self-destructive nature of humans is just a way to a higher evolution or simple nihilism while "Hicine Airlines" wholeheartedly embraces the emphasis on gluttony but chooses to highlight the personification in that of chickens which more than lightly translates to a let down on the human side.Beyond the functionality of any festival, the possibility rests in the variance of networking. While the festival did integrate many local establishments, the accordance at times was too few and far between.

The Brooklyn Heights location, directly in tandem with the Brooklyn Bridge, offers more instanteous offerings with the Henry Street Ale House offering the most direct possibility and drafts to pillage the night despite an early closing time at midnight because of its kitchen status.If Chinese Food NY style fills your idea, Great Wall is directly next door to Heights Theater with the great wonders for the price that Brooklyn is know for...quick and ready in time for the next screening.However for the late nights after the 12 hour, the Dumbo area underneath the Brooklyn Bridge off Front and Water less than 3 blocks away offers many different possibilities despite many being closed. However ReBar, normally tapas heavily, has the coolness down with a loft space that oozes chill in dark shadow and burnt tapestries.

The Brooklyn International Film Festival understands its structure but in competing and increasing its brand against the firm elements of Manhattan, a more intensive structure of centrality needs to be integrated. While partners like Roger Smith Hotel NY in Midtown shows a willingness in growing, the main possibilities lie in the connections of the filmmakers, many of which showed up to commemorate their screenings but, in some instances, lacked a bigger forum in which to evolve. Time with tell but Brooklyn has got dexterity on its side which makes its potential tried and true.