Last night was the second night of the five day Austin stop of the Bicycle Film Festival. The main event on Thursday was an art show called Joyride at an East Austin studio called Co-Lab. I rode over with the ATX Social Cycling’s Thursday Night Urban Ride which is always a blast and is consistently hovering at 200 plus riders. The art show itself was small and not my style, but I was shocked to attend yet another BFF event is essentially NO BIKE PARKING. Are we celebrating the bike but not actually expecting the attendees to ride their bikes? Strange.

BikeTexas’ Executive Director Robin Stalling was there again circulating the Safe Passing Bill petition and indicated that Bicycle Sport Shop will be providing racks for the film showing this weekend. Let’s hope this gets worked out.

Friday Preview

With opening festivities down, now its time to get to the meat of the festival: the movies. Tonight there will be two sessions at 501 Studios and tickets are $10/session. If you plan to attend more than two sessions, get the festival pass which is $27. Festival passes are SOLD OUT but you can also pay at the door for individual sessions.

Program 1: Where are you go
7 PM, 501 Studio Corner, E Fifth St. and Brushy St (501 N IH 35)

MADE IN QUEENS
USA 2008 | Video 10min.
Dir. Joe Stevens & Nicolas Randall
Last summer in Queens, NY a group of imaginative tinkerers from Trinidad created something no one had ever seen before: enormous stereo systems jury rigged onto ordinary bmx bikes. Traveling together they treat the neighborhood to an outrageous impromptu music and dance party on wheels.

WHERE ARE YOU GO
Canada 2009 | 60min.
Dir. Benny Zenga & Brian Vernor
Four months on a bicycle between Cairo, Egypt and Cape Town, South Africa en route with the Tour d’ Afrique, the world’s longest bicycle race and expedition. BFF Alumni the Zenga Bros. and Brian Vernor share a universal love of the bicycle with Africa’s roadside mechanics, sporting racers and curious strangers. Traveling more than 70 miles per day, 50 racers and expedition riders experienced the boundless Nubian desert of Sudan, the great majesty of Victoria Falls, and finally the cold rush of the Atlantic Ocean. The 7,000 mile expedition is a constant adventure full of playfulness and mysterious beauty, and is testament to the endurance of human curiosity.

Program 2: Fun Bike Shorts
9 PM, 501 Studio Corner, E Fifth St. and Brushy St (501 N IH 35)

PARASOL
USA 2008 | Digital Still Photos 9min.
Dir. Webster Crowell
An animated story of speed, bikes and dancing drawn across the surface of a few thousand paper parasols.

CURIOSITY
USA 2008 | HD 6min.
Dir. Chiara Clemente
Every child’s dream is to take a shovel and dig a hole to the other side of the world. Two girls from Tokyo and New York become friends.

THOUGHTS ON MY BIKE
Canada 2009 | HDV 5min.
Dir. Andrea Dorfman
Watercolor paintings are animated to display some thoughts had whilst on a bike.

PARIS VISION
France 2009 | HD Video 5min.
Dir. Renaud Skyronka
Bike polo, tricks and fixed gears in the “city of lights”, Paris.

RED HOOK CRITERIUM
USA 2009 | HD 9min.
Dir. Kalim Armstrong
On a rainy night an unsanctioned bicycle race took place through the desolate streets of Red Hook, Brooklyn. This 16-lap track bike only race brought together Cat-2 racers, bike messengers, and urban cyclists. Police arrived in full force yet an agreement was met to allow the race to continue. Host John Hoppin takes you through this exciting underground sporting event where racers speed past buses, navigate slick cobblestones and hairpin turns to compete for a podium position.

WHERE DO YOU START WHERE DO YOU STOP
USA 2009 | HD 7min.
Dir. Patrick Trefz
A story of A to B to A to B by accomplished photographer Patrick Trefz.

A BICYCLE TRIP
Italy 2008 | Betacam 4min.
Dir. Lorenzo Veracini, Nandini Namblar, Marco Avoletta
Basel, 19 April 1943. Dr. Albert Hofmann, a chemist, is cycling home after a days work in the laboratory. This episode has passed into legend, associated with the discovery of the effect on the human psyche of LSD. The film tells the story of this famous “trip”, imagining an unconventional psychedelic of the ’40s.

FRIENDS WE LOVE FEATURING ELLIS GALLAGHER
USA 2009 | DV 5min.
Dir. Michael Vargas & Moni Pineda
Brooklyn street artist Ellis G. takes us on a personal ride through his creative process and the defining moment that led him to his signature style of shadow-based outlines.

WOLFPACK HUSTLE: All City Team Race 2
USA 2008 | DV 6min.
Dir. Lee Diskin/Donny Digital
25 teams of 5 raced from the east to the beach in LA via any route desired. Some crashed, some got popped by the cops, and some rode the freeway.

DOWN BY THE WEEP HOLE: THE STORY OF THE STUPOR BOWL
USA 2009 | 22min.
Dir. Nathaniel Freeman
Minneapolis’ long-standing alternate event to the Super Bowl! Don’t miss one of the biggest (and coldest) alley cats in the world.

LE DERNIER VOYAGE OF MARYSE DE LUCAS
FRANCE 2008 | 22min.
Dir. Artus De Lavilleon, David Ledoux
David and Artus ride to the town where Artus’ mother is from to scatter her ashes.

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