Cool Hunting

Mid-Bike Month NYC, we almost think the city should consider re-naming it Bicycle Film Festival month in honor of the event that was founded in New York seven years ago. The Bicycle Film Festival now tours 15 cities in the U.S. and around the world (props for adding Portland this year!) and it all starts today, 16 May 2007, in NYC. In addition to “Bikes Rock” the massive kick-off event tonight featuring Gang Gang Dance, "Joy Ride," an art show featuring bike-themed work by some of CH's favorite artists, such as. Swoon, Phil Frost, Amy Franceschini, ESPO, Michel Gondry, Steve MacDonald, DAZE, Peter Sutherland, David Mashburn and Ginny Hwang and Goods among others, opens tomorrow, 17 May 2007. All that excitement even before the films start rolling!

Of the many first-rate films that bring the energy and ethos of bike culture to the screen, we picked out a few that stand out. “Monkey Warfare,” won the 2006 Special Jury Award at the Toronto Film Festival, tells the story of two Toronto residents whose lives change when they meet a young revolutionary. “Klunkerz” documents the history of the modern mountain bike and the cultural movement it spurred in the Bay Area. Starting in Boston, “Ayame” tells how the Boston chapter of Bikes Not Bombs sends a shipment of used bikes to Ghana, West Africa. The film follows two Ghanaian locals from before they have the bikes to a year later, showing how transportation has changed their lives. All movies show at the Anthology Film Archives and are $8.50. Be sure to order your tickets online and check for changes at www.bicyclefilmfestival.com.

If you can’t get to a film, be sure to ride your bike to work on 18 May 2007, National Bike to Work Day.

Joyride
Opening party: 17 May 2007, 6pm-12am
17-21 May 2007
Art Space
33 West 17th Street
New York, NY 10011 map