The setting was to be a fixed gear rider's playground, tucked away in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Pedal Pushers Online was to meet up with Bicycle Film Festival Director, Brendt Barbur at the TrackStar bike shop. Our ears tingle with the words "Bike Culture" while a mental image forms from the ether that builds all mental images. The imagery is not of Lance, nor is it of Tinker, but rather the torn edged, duct taped, oversized kryptonite chain brandishing, fixed gear riding messenger. Not to be confused with the neo-single-speed riding hipsters, this bike culture that we speak of is "real". No passing fad, not the cool thing of the moment - these are the people who live, breathe, eat, sleep and sometimes die by the bike. They are brothers and sisters born not of the same blood but of the same mind. That mind is of pedals and gears, not of petroleum.
We hear a great deal about the so called "bike culture" these days, but what exactly does that mean, "bike culture"? An inside look presented itself in the form of brush against it while at TrackStar. Brendt was on hand to describe his vision of the culture of two wheels and tell us a little about the upcoming Film Festival. With track bikes (both knarled and new) piled behind and fixed-gear wheels slung overhead, TrackStar seemed the perfect environment for Brendt to speak of his festival's interpretation of what the "Bike Culture" is.
As is the case in any currator's job, Brendt felt responsible to build a showing of media that would depict a cross-section of the heart of what the culture of cycling is like. Of particular interest to Brendt was urban cycling and the lifestyle therein. He wanted to capture the philosophy of the true bicycling devotee.
To find out more about what Brendt and other luminaries of the Bicycle Film Festival had to say you can stop back to Pedal Pushers Online soon. You can look forward to our one on one conversations with Brendt Barbur, the Director of the festival, Peter Sutherland and Jacob Septimus, both film directors, here near the end of the month. But on to the Bike Film Festival.
About the festival:
Celebrating the bicycle through art, film, music and performance, the festival will tour nine cities through December of this year, but it premiers here in New York City. May 10-14th smack in the middle of Bike Month, the festival will feature three important feature films.
The First, "B.I.K.E." Directed by Jacob Septimus and Anthony Howard
Produced by Fountainhead - Frederic King will have its New York City premier May 11th.
Jacob Septimus has directed music videos for artists including Mos Def, KRSone and Rage Against the Machine. Anthony Howard is an award-winning director of fine art films recognized by audiences at festivals and media such as Art Forum. Howard began to make a film about New York's chapter of the Black Label Bicycle Club and found himself vying to become a member of the group. Black Label is known for living a lifestyle centered on building bikes together, riding together, eating together and sometimes living together. Black Label is more than just a bike club or a lifestyle - it is life. The Film culminates at the Black Label's BIKE KILL celebration where Howard and friends challenged the group that he, ultimately, could not join, to tall bike jousting.
May 12th will be the world premier of "M.A.S.H." Directed by Mike Martin and Gabe Morford
Mike Martin is known for his fine art photography and his commercial photography for clients including Nice Collective, Adidas, Nike, and Microsoft. Morford is very well known in the Skateboarding world for his photography. "M.A.S.H." takes a look at the style of fixed gear riding in San Francisco. This film, modeled after the style of the skate and surf videos and with the talent of its directors, brings out the skills and beauty of these SF riders. This film will be a landmark in an already emerging subculture of urban riders.
May 13th will feature a reprise performance of "Pedal" (Presented by Tokion Magazine) Directed by Peter Sutherland
Acclaimed NYC filmmaker and photographer, Sutherland is known for his work as Director of Photography on the skateboarding film "Stoked: The Rise and Fall of Gator" which played to audiences nationwide, as well as the photography book Autograf. Pedal is a fast-paced documentary film about surviving in the streets of New York City as a bicycle messenger. It features messengers from all walks of life as they battle traffic in a race to make their next delivery on time. It premiered in 2001 at the South by Southwest film festival and in New York at the Bicycle Film Festival, and later was acquired by the Sundance channel, where it aired until 2004.
The Bicycle Film Festival re-screens Pedal in 2006 to celebrate the Powerhouse Books release of Sutherland's new photo book, also titled "Pedal". The book features photos of messengers from around the world who came to New York in 2005 for the Messenger World Championships.
Each night's featured film is accompanied by fun and innovative short subjects. The evenings' film events are preceded each day by day-long events including street fairs and art exhibits. Valet bike parking is provided free of charge.
The festival is being held at the East Village's Anthology Film Archives 32 Second Avenue (at Second Street). After its New York Debut, the Festival will travel to eight other cities: Los Angeles (June), Minneapolis (July), Chicago (July), London (September), San Francisco (October), Sydney (October), Tokyo (November) and Milan (December).
The setting was to be a fixed gear rider's playground, tucked away in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Pedal Pushers Online was to meet up with Bicycle Film Festival Director, Brendt Barbur at the TrackStar bike shop. Our ears tingle with the words "Bike Culture" while a mental image forms from the ether that builds all mental images. The imagery is not of Lance, nor is it of Tinker, but rather the torn edged, duct taped, oversized kryptonite chain brandishing, fixed gear riding messenger. Not to be confused with the neo-single-speed riding hipsters, this bike culture that we speak of is "real". No passing fad, not the cool thing of the moment - these are the people who live, breathe, eat, sleep and sometimes die by the bike. They are brothers and sisters born not of the same blood but of the same mind. That mind is of pedals and gears, not of petroleum.
We hear a great deal about the so called "bike culture" these days, but what exactly does that mean, "bike culture"? An inside look presented itself in the form of brush against it while at TrackStar. Brendt was on hand to describe his vision of the culture of two wheels and tell us a little about the upcoming Film Festival. With track bikes (both knarled and new) piled behind and fixed-gear wheels slung overhead, TrackStar seemed the perfect environment for Brendt to speak of his festival's interpretation of what the "Bike Culture" is.
As is the case in any currator's job, Brendt felt responsible to build a showing of media that would depict a cross-section of the heart of what the culture of cycling is like. Of particular interest to Brendt was urban cycling and the lifestyle therein. He wanted to capture the philosophy of the true bicycling devotee.
To find out more about what Brendt and other luminaries of the Bicycle Film Festival had to say you can stop back to Pedal Pushers Online soon. You can look forward to our one on one conversations with Brendt Barbur, the Director of the festival, Peter Sutherland and Jacob Septimus, both film directors, here near the end of the month. But on to the Bike Film Festival.
About the festival:
Celebrating the bicycle through art, film, music and performance, the festival will tour nine cities through December of this year, but it premiers here in New York City. May 10-14th smack in the middle of Bike Month, the festival will feature three important feature films.
The First, "B.I.K.E." Directed by Jacob Septimus and Anthony Howard
Produced by Fountainhead - Frederic King will have its New York City premier May 11th.
Jacob Septimus has directed music videos for artists including Mos Def, KRSone and Rage Against the Machine. Anthony Howard is an award-winning director of fine art films recognized by audiences at festivals and media such as Art Forum. Howard began to make a film about New York's chapter of the Black Label Bicycle Club and found himself vying to become a member of the group. Black Label is known for living a lifestyle centered on building bikes together, riding together, eating together and sometimes living together. Black Label is more than just a bike club or a lifestyle - it is life. The Film culminates at the Black Label's BIKE KILL celebration where Howard and friends challenged the group that he, ultimately, could not join, to tall bike jousting.
May 12th will be the world premier of "M.A.S.H." Directed by Mike Martin and Gabe Morford
Mike Martin is known for his fine art photography and his commercial photography for clients including Nice Collective, Adidas, Nike, and Microsoft. Morford is very well known in the Skateboarding world for his photography. "M.A.S.H." takes a look at the style of fixed gear riding in San Francisco. This film, modeled after the style of the skate and surf videos and with the talent of its directors, brings out the skills and beauty of these SF riders. This film will be a landmark in an already emerging subculture of urban riders.
May 13th will feature a reprise performance of "Pedal" (Presented by Tokion Magazine) Directed by Peter Sutherland
Acclaimed NYC filmmaker and photographer, Sutherland is known for his work as Director of Photography on the skateboarding film "Stoked: The Rise and Fall of Gator" which played to audiences nationwide, as well as the photography book Autograf. Pedal is a fast-paced documentary film about surviving in the streets of New York City as a bicycle messenger. It features messengers from all walks of life as they battle traffic in a race to make their next delivery on time. It premiered in 2001 at the South by Southwest film festival and in New York at the Bicycle Film Festival, and later was acquired by the Sundance channel, where it aired until 2004.
The Bicycle Film Festival re-screens Pedal in 2006 to celebrate the Powerhouse Books release of Sutherland's new photo book, also titled "Pedal". The book features photos of messengers from around the world who came to New York in 2005 for the Messenger World Championships.
Each night's featured film is accompanied by fun and innovative short subjects. The evenings' film events are preceded each day by day-long events including street fairs and art exhibits. Valet bike parking is provided free of charge.
The festival is being held at the East Village's Anthology Film Archives 32 Second Avenue (at Second Street). After its New York Debut, the Festival will travel to eight other cities: Los Angeles (June), Minneapolis (July), Chicago (July), London (September), San Francisco (October), Sydney (October), Tokyo (November) and Milan (December).
