Author: Cordelia Kenney
1. Hot Wheels: What’s Between Everyone’s Legs Lately
2. The Power of the Pedal
Initially, one would think that only the true cinephiles would have any understanding of what the Bicycle Film Festival is. Any ordinary news-skimming individual would probably assume that the event is simply another environmentally-friendly, hipster fringe movement affair. Au contraire. The Bicycle Film Festival, which recently made its mark in downtown Los Angeles, is in fact a globally-recognized festival held everywhere from Barcelona to Tokyo.
According to thebicyclefilmfestival.com, the festival was inspired nine years ago after its founder, Brendt Barbur, was hit by a bus while riding his bicycle in New York City. Rather than let the experience discourage him, Barbur decided to create an event that could serve as a “platform to celebrate the bicycle through music, art and, of course, film.”
Subsequently, the festival has become a major force for the “urban bike movement,” helping generate discussion about the cultural and social relevance of the bike in urban settings, as well encouraging more people, quite effectively, to ride bikes.
Now in its ninth year and reaching nearly 40 cities worldwide, the Bicycle Film Festival has been steadily growing in magnitude and significance. It has been mentioned in over 70 articles within both foreign and domestic newspapers and magazines, including Time, Vogue Japan, Numéro, the Los Angeles Times and the Italian edition of Vanity Fair, according to the press section of the festival’s website.
In a 2006 issue of the magazine Death+Taxes, Stephen Blackwell described the festival in New York City as a “mishmash, all right-male and female, young and old, punk and not, a collective comprised of all the walks of life that decide to ride. The energy is unmistakable, a thick current felt by ticket holders and passers-by alike.”
Perhaps never before has a film festival been able to reach such a wide array of audiences: from the environmentalist who has inhaled one too many exhaust fumes, to the elderly lady down the street recalling those pleasant summer rides of her youth, the Bicycle Film Fest has something for everyone.
The festival graced downtown L.A. this past week from Sept. 1 through Sept. 5, and this year it was more packed than ever with showings, films and plenty of after parties. The week-long event included the “Joyride” art show at the Morono Kiang Gallery, a guest appearance by BMX superstar Mat Hoffman and a great amount of screenings at the Downtown Independent, including director David Rowe’s new documentary “To Live and Ride in L.A.”
The Downtown Independent also showed director Jeff Tremaine’s new “The Birth of Big Air,” a documentary of Mat Hoffman’s story of athleticism and perseverance. Among the variety of shorts shown was director Eric Matthies’ 10-minute film “Countrywide: Bicycling Across Los Angeles,” which presents a montage of eclectic views of L.A. offered by cycling – a must-see for any avid cyclists at Oxy.
Additionally, there is good news for anyone looking for an excuse to take a weekend trip off campus: The festival is making its way to Santa Barbara on Friday, Sept. 17 through Sunday, Sept. 19. The event will include director Stephen Auerbach’s “Bicycle Dreams” and director Milagro Farfan’s short “Constant Movement,” a film about bicycle-making in Cuba as a form of relief from poverty, along with many more films. So gather some friends and go check out how bicycles are transforming America and the world.
A full itinerary of events can be found at the festival’s website.
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