Four Days in New York

I rarely step out from behind my film reviewer’s desk to address you directly, but I did want to mention that I’ll be in New York City from this Friday until the following Monday. My wife is attending the OrigamiUSA convention (yes, that just might qualify her as even geekier than me) and I’m tagging along. We spent a long weekend in the city back in January, and watched the entirely bizarre and yet strangely forgettable Le Cerf-Volant at the MOMA. This time, I have grander film ambitions.

On Saturday night, we’re going to Brooklyn for Rooftop Films‘ screening of Neo-Lounge, a documentary about a group of expatriates in Beijing who gathered at a nightclub during the recent SARS crisis. I know nothing about the film, but the setting should be magnificent. The film will be projected on a screen on the roof of The Old American Can Factory.

And on Monday afternoon, I have acquired a pair of tickets to Daisuke Tengan’s The Most Beautiful Night in the World, screening at the IFC Center as part of the New York Asian Film Festival.

Socially, I hope to meet up with a few people with whom I’ve heretofore only exchanged emails, including Benten Films co-honcho Andrew Grant and Quiet City/Dance Party, USA director Aaron Katz, whom I met last weekend at Generation DIY.

If you are in NYC and want to meet up for a beverage, or if you know something cool about things to do in the city, feel free to let me know in the comments.