William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe

Screening by Rooftop Films/BAMcinemaFEST on Thursday, June 25: William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe, directed by Emily Kunstler and Sarah Kunstler

Synopsis from the film's website:

In William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe, filmmakers Emily and Sarah Kunstler explore the life of their father, the late radical civil rights lawyer.

In the 1960s and 70s, Kunstler fought for civil rights with Martin Luther King Jr., and represented activists protesting the Vietnam war. When the inmates took over Attica prison, or Native Americans stood up to the federal government at Wounded Knee, they asked Kunstler to be their lawyer.

To his daughters, it seemed that he was at the center of everything important that had ever happened. But when they were growing up, Kunstler represented some of the most unpopular members of society: people accused of rape, terrorism, organized crime and cop killing.

Who was William Kunstler? Why did he choose the life he did? And where do his daughters fit into that choice?

Trailer is here—interview with Emily Kunstler and associate producer Tracy Bunting is below.

You Won't Miss Me

Showing at BAMcinemaFest: You Won't Miss Me, directed by Ry Russo-Young

Synopsis from the BAM website:

This absorbing character study features a startlingly raw performance from Stella Schnabel as an aspiring actress who drifts through a series of meaningless sexual encounters, failed auditions, and public breakdowns, repeatedly lashing out at the world she struggles to comprehend. Like an updated version of Cassavetes’ A Woman Under the Influence, You Won’t Miss Me astutely taps into the psychology of a frustrated generation—privileged and talented but, for all its potential, unfulfilled.

Showtimes:
Fri, Jun 19 at 9:30pm, followed by Q&A with director Ry Russo-Young
Tue, June 23 at 6:30pm, followed by Q&A with director Ry Russo-Young and actress Stella Schnabel

Trailer is here, but somehow not on YouTube (correction—the trailer is on YouTube and embedded below), which has, however, an interview with Ry Russo-Young.

Sorry, Thanks

Showing at BAMcinemaFest: Sorry, Thanks, directed by Dia Sokol

Synopsis from the film's website:

Reeling from a brutal break-up, Kira (Kenya Miles) sleeps with Max (Wiley Wiggins), a charming but disheveled wreck already committed to long-term girlfriend Sara. Max (no emotional sophisticate) becomes obsessed, mostly with Kira, but vaguely with his curious lack of conscience as well. Kira, fighting to win a job she hates and running aimless romantic loops, faces the precarious double challenge of choosing a next step and charting a course back to sanity. Good luck leading with your heart, when your heart is an utter emotional idiot.

Showtime:

Wed, Jun 24 at 9:30pm, followed by Q&A with director Dia Sokol