If you want to see the LCD Soundsystem documentary SHUT UP AND PLAY THE HITS, you only have one night to do it. Only July 18th, the film is being screened at select theaters around the country, if you don’t see your city on the list, you can “demand” a screening through Eventful. See you there.

Winter Rider gives viewers as a peek into the culture of East Coast winter surfing, specifically here in NYC/BK. Shot on a LomoKino camera, this short film follows one super brave lady from her BK apt, on a 15 mile bike ride (with surfboard) out to Rockaway Beach on an 18 degree winter’s day to catch some waves. 

The Bicycle Film Festival is back! Entries are due April 21.

One film garnering a lot of positive press at SXSW this year was The Big Easy Express, a heavy nod to Festival Express, a film documenting the Grateful Dead, The Band, Janis Joplin and other performers as they toured Canada by train in the summer of 1970. This modern day equivalent features Mumford & Sons, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, and my personal favorites, Old Crow Medicine Show, as they travel by vintage train from San Francisco to New Orleans, stopping to perform at 6 sold out shows along the way. Says the director Emmett Malloy, ”It’s a hippie freakout fest that’s really triumphant.” Sounds good to me. 

The Central Park Effect is an awesomely nerdy looking film that will be screened at SXSW this week that explores the wide range of birds that flock to Central Park, the reasons for their migration, and the dedicated birders who love them. But perhaps more importantly, the film features author Jonathan Franzen saying “dweeb”. 

This is the official trailer for “A Love Letter for You”, a documentary exploring one of my absolute favorite public art projects done by Steve Powers/ESPO. He traveled to urban areas around the country (including BK!), that were often decaying, and replaced blank space on crumbling walls with bright messages of love and inspiration. This film document’s Steve’s return to his hometown of Philadelphia to begin the project, and mixes in the fictional storyline of a fresh out of prison graffiti king trying to win back his girlfriend. The film is due for release this Spring. 

Here’s a sneak peek at the bonus footage from Family Jams, a 2004 documentary focusing on the freak-folk world of Devendra Banhart, Joanna Newsom, Vetiver, Antony and the Johnsons, and more, as these artists were just getting started. In this clip, Devendra and Vetiver perform “Los Pajaros Del Rio” in a record shop in Detroit. It’s amazing to see these now-famous artists in the beginning of their careers, playing in tiny venues and touring in an old beat-up van. Family Jams is scheduled for DVD release this year. For local screenings, click here.