A screening followed by Q&A with Bridey Elliott, Clare McNulty, Sarah-Violet Bliss, and Charles Rogers.
Moderated by Kate Erbland, IndieWire.
SYNOPSIS
Fort Tilden: New York City’s secluded seaside nirvana where Brooklyn’s hip millennial set flocks on hot summer afternoons for unbridled indulgence (and maybe an illegal substance or two).
In the midst of their respective quarter-life crises, Harper (Bridey Elliott) procrastinates preparing for her forthcoming ill-advised stint in the Peace Corps, while Allie (Clare McNulty) awaits checks from her father to fund her vague artistic dreams. But the two friends quickly shun their already-meager responsibilities for the day when they insinuate themselves into the planned Fort Tilden afternoon of a pair of cute guys they met at a party. As the two young women board their bicycles and embark on a wildly complicated trek to the beach, they quickly realize that, akin to their confusing, transitioning lives, they neither know where they’re going nor how they plan to get there.
The feature film debut of writers/directors Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers, Fort Tilden takes viewers on a comedic journey through the outer boroughs as Allie and Harper cope with creepy neighbors, unpredictable traffic patterns, indignant cabbies, and each other.
“You will have an OPINION about it."
- Christopher Rosen, The Huffington Post
“At a point when the latest tale of twenty-something woe might understandably induce the same defeated sighs as the early crackle of yet another found-footage flick, co-writer/directors Bliss and Rogers thread the navel-gazing needle with remarkable wit, as if channeling Sofia Coppola’s [version of] After Hours.”
- William Goss, The Playlist
“While it’s hard to love these two gals, the skilled comedic actresses who play them – Bridey Elliott and Clare McNulty – are too good to ignore, and play a huge role in why the film caught on the way it did at SXSW.”
- Eric Kohn, Indiewire
This program may include explicit, sexual, disturbing or offensive content and is intended for mature audiences only.
PANELIST BIOS
Bridey Elliott - Actor
The daughter of SNL alum and comedian Chris Elliott, Bridey Elliott is an actress and comedian living in New York City. She has appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, and Eaglehart, and can be seen regularly at the Upright Citizens Brigade.
Clare McNulty - Actor
Clare McNulty has worked in San Francisco and New York with Cutting Ball Theatre Company, African American Shakespeare Company, Ars Nova, Columbia's Graduate School of Theater Arts, Truffle Theatre Company, International WOW Company, Ensemble Studio Theater, and the NYU Graduate Film Program. She is an artistic associate with Sinking Ship Productions. She graduated from Oberlin College.
Sarah-Violet Bliss - Co-Director/Co-Writer
Sarah-Violet Bliss is a filmmaker based in Brooklyn, NY. She has written and directed five award-winning short films and the segment Still Life from the collaborative feature Tar produced by Rabbit Bandini and starring James Franco which premiered at the Rome Film Festival. Her short film Three, two premiered at the 40th Telluride Film Festival in August 2013. And her short Priceless Things will be featured in the second season of the PBS program, Film School Shorts. Sarah-Violet is an MFA candidate at NYU Grad Film and currently works on the popular web series High Maintenance, and directed the episode Stevie.
Charles Rogers - Co-Director/Co-Writer
Charles Rogers is a Brooklyn based filmmaker and MFA Candidate at NYU Graduate Film. His award-winning short films, Oysters Rockefeller and Autumn Whispers, have screened at festivals around the country. Charles is one of the writer/directors of Black Dog, Red Dog, a feature film produced by James Franco, which is in post-production. He is also the director and co-creator of Tech Up, a comedic web series for Subway, which was featured on IFC. Charles is also a comedic performer who can be seen regularly at the major comedy venues and theaters in New York City.
Moderator Bio
Kate Erbland
Kate Erbland is the New York-based Managing Editor at Indiewire, where she writes and edits daily for the site. Kate is a former Associate Editor for Film School Rejects, and her previous work can be found at Vanity Fair, Cosmopolitan, Rolling Stone, The Dissolve, Vulture, Screen Crush, New York Daily News, Mental Floss, Bustle, Dame Magazine, Movies.com, Fandango, The Playlist, amNY, MTV.com, Details.com, MSN Movies, Boxoffice Magazine, and Film.com. Follow her @katerbland.
