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Open Roof Festival finds a home at ground level
Tuesday June 03rd 2014The Open Roof Festival has never screened a film on a roof.
It takes its name and personality from a New York film fest held on top of buildings, but the nearly 50 film screenings here in Toronto have been held in parking lots and on patios.
There just isn’t a big enough — or safe enough — rooftop that can hold the crowds certain films can draw. Now in its fifth year, organizers of Open Roof expect an average of 350 people per show.
“Open Sky Festival didn’t have the same ring to it,” said co-founder Sandra Singer. She met Michael MacMillan, CEO of Blue Ant Media and former chairman of Alliance Atlantis, by chance at a conference five years ago.
He mentioned attending a screening at Toronto’s Hot Docs film festival hosted by the American organization, and said “someone should totally start an outdoor film festival,” Singer recalled.
“And I said, ‘Why not us?’ I really didn’t know who I was dealing with at the time.”
Within 10 weeks the two, along with mutual acquaintance Burzin Contractor — later joined by entertainment lawyer Jordan Nahmias — put together eight screenings paired with eight indie bands across the city.
This year for the first time, the festival has found a more permanent home at 99 Sudbury, near Queen St. W. and Dovercourt Rd., though it remains volunteer-run.
“The only thing we get out of the festival is a sense of pride,” Singer said, adding any profits are donated to arts charities.
Another surprising fact: the film-food-music festival has only been rained out once, despite temperamental summer weather and high humidity.
“Through Open Roof, I’ve gotten an undergraduate degree in weather radar,” said Singer, an accountant. “I’ll be on the phone at 4:30 p.m. saying, ‘If the winds from the southeast move that cloud, the rain should just pass us.’”
Just three times dark clouds have threatened enough to force the setup inside, Singer bragged. Two of those times, the rain held off anyway.
Food has always been part of the fun. This year, a resident chef will create ever-changing menus with a “food truck feeling.”
The films are chosen carefully to draw the right demographic. Wes Anderson movies, like The Grand Budapest Hotel, screening June 25, should attract a youngish, hip, urban audience. Foreign-language films don’t play well outside, because subtitles are too hard to follow with the city’s street lights, police sirens and car horns blaring. The movies can’t be too long and should mix well with beer. More than 800 people showed up in 2012 for the acclaimed fantasy drama Beasts of the Southern Wild (paired with gourmet grilled cheese and a performance by Bruce Peninsula).
Programming staff also try to bring in independent movies that may not get a wide release elsewhere, Singer said, such as Tiny Furniture, released in 2010 by then-unknown director Lena Dunham of Girls fame. One of this year’s outings is the animated movie Frank, which may not end up getting a Canadian wide release.
But first up this season is Quebec director Denis Villeneuve’s psychological thrillerEnemy, starring Jake Gyllenhaal. There’s also the thriller Lockestarring Tom Hardy, Oscar-winning doc 20 Feet from Stardom and more. Alongside the eclectic films, musical performances from mostly GTA bands round out the evening, for a ticket price of $15 plus food and drinks.
Despite the festival settling into its new home, organizers are still aware of its namesake.
“We’re always on the lookout for rooftops,” Singer said. “If anyone knows one that can seat 500 people with an (alcohol license) that is safe, call us.”
The complete list of movies and music planned for this season’s Open Roof Festival at 99 Sudbury is available at openrooffestival.com.
Headline, Industry News
Open Roof Festival finds a home at ground level
Tuesday June 03rd 2014The Open Roof Festival has never screened a film on a roof.
It takes its name and personality from a New York film fest held on top of buildings, but the nearly 50 film screenings here in Toronto have been held in parking lots and on patios.
There just isn’t a big enough — or safe enough — rooftop that can hold the crowds certain films can draw. Now in its fifth year, organizers of Open Roof expect an average of 350 people per show.
“Open Sky Festival didn’t have the same ring to it,” said co-founder Sandra Singer. She met Michael MacMillan, CEO of Blue Ant Media and former chairman of Alliance Atlantis, by chance at a conference five years ago.
He mentioned attending a screening at Toronto’s Hot Docs film festival hosted by the American organization, and said “someone should totally start an outdoor film festival,” Singer recalled.
“And I said, ‘Why not us?’ I really didn’t know who I was dealing with at the time.”
Within 10 weeks the two, along with mutual acquaintance Burzin Contractor — later joined by entertainment lawyer Jordan Nahmias — put together eight screenings paired with eight indie bands across the city.
This year for the first time, the festival has found a more permanent home at 99 Sudbury, near Queen St. W. and Dovercourt Rd., though it remains volunteer-run.
“The only thing we get out of the festival is a sense of pride,” Singer said, adding any profits are donated to arts charities.
Another surprising fact: the film-food-music festival has only been rained out once, despite temperamental summer weather and high humidity.
“Through Open Roof, I’ve gotten an undergraduate degree in weather radar,” said Singer, an accountant. “I’ll be on the phone at 4:30 p.m. saying, ‘If the winds from the southeast move that cloud, the rain should just pass us.’”
Just three times dark clouds have threatened enough to force the setup inside, Singer bragged. Two of those times, the rain held off anyway.
Food has always been part of the fun. This year, a resident chef will create ever-changing menus with a “food truck feeling.”
The films are chosen carefully to draw the right demographic. Wes Anderson movies, like The Grand Budapest Hotel, screening June 25, should attract a youngish, hip, urban audience. Foreign-language films don’t play well outside, because subtitles are too hard to follow with the city’s street lights, police sirens and car horns blaring. The movies can’t be too long and should mix well with beer. More than 800 people showed up in 2012 for the acclaimed fantasy drama Beasts of the Southern Wild (paired with gourmet grilled cheese and a performance by Bruce Peninsula).
Programming staff also try to bring in independent movies that may not get a wide release elsewhere, Singer said, such as Tiny Furniture, released in 2010 by then-unknown director Lena Dunham of Girls fame. One of this year’s outings is the animated movie Frank, which may not end up getting a Canadian wide release.
But first up this season is Quebec director Denis Villeneuve’s psychological thrillerEnemy, starring Jake Gyllenhaal. There’s also the thriller Lockestarring Tom Hardy, Oscar-winning doc 20 Feet from Stardom and more. Alongside the eclectic films, musical performances from mostly GTA bands round out the evening, for a ticket price of $15 plus food and drinks.
Despite the festival settling into its new home, organizers are still aware of its namesake.
“We’re always on the lookout for rooftops,” Singer said. “If anyone knows one that can seat 500 people with an (alcohol license) that is safe, call us.”
The complete list of movies and music planned for this season’s Open Roof Festival at 99 Sudbury is available at openrooffestival.com.
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Headline, Industry News
Open Roof Festival finds a home at ground level
Tuesday June 03rd 2014The Open Roof Festival has never screened a film on a roof.
It takes its name and personality from a New York film fest held on top of buildings, but the nearly 50 film screenings here in Toronto have been held in parking lots and on patios.
There just isn’t a big enough — or safe enough — rooftop that can hold the crowds certain films can draw. Now in its fifth year, organizers of Open Roof expect an average of 350 people per show.
“Open Sky Festival didn’t have the same ring to it,” said co-founder Sandra Singer. She met Michael MacMillan, CEO of Blue Ant Media and former chairman of Alliance Atlantis, by chance at a conference five years ago.
He mentioned attending a screening at Toronto’s Hot Docs film festival hosted by the American organization, and said “someone should totally start an outdoor film festival,” Singer recalled.
“And I said, ‘Why not us?’ I really didn’t know who I was dealing with at the time.”
Within 10 weeks the two, along with mutual acquaintance Burzin Contractor — later joined by entertainment lawyer Jordan Nahmias — put together eight screenings paired with eight indie bands across the city.
This year for the first time, the festival has found a more permanent home at 99 Sudbury, near Queen St. W. and Dovercourt Rd., though it remains volunteer-run.
“The only thing we get out of the festival is a sense of pride,” Singer said, adding any profits are donated to arts charities.
Another surprising fact: the film-food-music festival has only been rained out once, despite temperamental summer weather and high humidity.
“Through Open Roof, I’ve gotten an undergraduate degree in weather radar,” said Singer, an accountant. “I’ll be on the phone at 4:30 p.m. saying, ‘If the winds from the southeast move that cloud, the rain should just pass us.’”
Just three times dark clouds have threatened enough to force the setup inside, Singer bragged. Two of those times, the rain held off anyway.
Food has always been part of the fun. This year, a resident chef will create ever-changing menus with a “food truck feeling.”
The films are chosen carefully to draw the right demographic. Wes Anderson movies, like The Grand Budapest Hotel, screening June 25, should attract a youngish, hip, urban audience. Foreign-language films don’t play well outside, because subtitles are too hard to follow with the city’s street lights, police sirens and car horns blaring. The movies can’t be too long and should mix well with beer. More than 800 people showed up in 2012 for the acclaimed fantasy drama Beasts of the Southern Wild (paired with gourmet grilled cheese and a performance by Bruce Peninsula).
Programming staff also try to bring in independent movies that may not get a wide release elsewhere, Singer said, such as Tiny Furniture, released in 2010 by then-unknown director Lena Dunham of Girls fame. One of this year’s outings is the animated movie Frank, which may not end up getting a Canadian wide release.
But first up this season is Quebec director Denis Villeneuve’s psychological thrillerEnemy, starring Jake Gyllenhaal. There’s also the thriller Lockestarring Tom Hardy, Oscar-winning doc 20 Feet from Stardom and more. Alongside the eclectic films, musical performances from mostly GTA bands round out the evening, for a ticket price of $15 plus food and drinks.
Despite the festival settling into its new home, organizers are still aware of its namesake.
“We’re always on the lookout for rooftops,” Singer said. “If anyone knows one that can seat 500 people with an (alcohol license) that is safe, call us.”
The complete list of movies and music planned for this season’s Open Roof Festival at 99 Sudbury is available at openrooffestival.com.
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