1. NYC is just one of 39 cities hosting the 9th Annual Bicycle Film Festival – you can also attend screenings and hobnob with spoke-heads in Lisbon, Melbourne, Paris, Montreal and Denver, to name a few.
2. The festivities officially start with a party – and free concert by Jon Spencer & the Blues Explosion and the Teenagers, who we assume are all pro-bike -- at South Street Seaport at 6PM tonight, Wednesday.
3. More than 40 feature and short films will screen at Anthology Film Archives through Sunday. We’re looking forward to a doc about a legendary Italian guy who builds bike frames by hand (‘Soul of Steel’), one about four months cycling from Cairo to Cape Town (‘Where Are You Go’), and the world premiere of ‘The Third Wheel,’ about the NYC pedicab trade.
4. On Thursday, nearly 80 artists exhibit works throughout the L.E.S. as part of Joyride, the BFF’s multimedia art show.
5. Highlight of the fest is the Bike Parade, starting at 2nd Street and 2nd Avenue at 2PM on Saturday. (Is it just us, or is there a ‘two’ leitmotif here?) Bring “tall bikes, ugly bikes, crazy bikes and bikes in every shape” – dress ’em up and you could place in the Bike Beauty Pageant.
For a full schedule of Bicycle Film Festival happenings and screenings from June 17 through 21, as well as passes to ticketed events, go to bicyclefilmfestival.com.
