Surly Sponsors Bicycle Film Festival Mpls July 6-8

Yep, we are sponsoring the first ever Minneapolis presentation of Bicycle Film Festival, which starts tomorrow. We are pretty Jonzed about it, and you should be too.

Here is what is on the menu for the three-day event taken directly from their website:

THE BICYCLE FILM FESTIVAL IS IN MINNEAPOLIS JULY 6-8!!! ONLINE TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE, GET A FESTIVAL PASS!!! The Bicycle Film Festival (BFF), complete with complimentary valet bike parking, kicks off on July 6, 2006 with screenings at the Riverview Theater, Bell Museum Auditorium and The Soap Factory. Admission price per program is $7.00 and festival passes available online. Order your tickets online before they sell out!

THURSDAY, JULY 6 Riverview Theater 3800 42nd Ave. South
PROGRAM 1 7:30 pm Sunday in Hell Denmark 1973 35mm, 110 minutes Jorgen Leth - A rare screening of one of the finest cycling films ever made. It features the annual Paris-Roubaix road race, which taxes the energy of Europe's top riders. A Sunday in Hell is over 100 minutes of finely-calculated suspense that leaves viewers limp from pain and pure excitement Don't miss this rare and amazing film!
PROGRAM 2 9:30 pm BFF Classics, M.A.S.H, and WARRIORS: THE BIKE RACE M.A.S.H. (Preview) USA 2006 DV 22 minMike Martin and Gabe Morford Mike Martin, best known both for his fine art and commercial photography for clients including Nice Collective, Adidas, Nike, and Microsoft teams up with Gabe Morford a highly respected skateboarding photographer. They take a look at the style of fixed gear riding in San Francisco. This film, modeled after skate and surf videos, brings out the skills and beauty of these SF riders. This will surely be a landmark in an already emerging subculture of urban riders.

FRIDAY, JULY 7 Bell Museum of Natural History 10 Church Street SE
PROGRAM 3 5:30 pm Joe Kid on a Stingray - The History of BMX USA 2005 DV 90min 90min Directors: Mark Eaton and John Swarr. Jesse James from "West Coast Choppers" narrates this film. It features legends like Scot Breithaupt who started the first organized races in Long Beach in 1970, to Bob Haro, who pioneered BMX Freestyle riding, and created the first BMX freestyle bike, to Mat Hoffman, who's personal sacrifices helped propel BMX stunt riding into the spotlight. Filmmaker Spike Jonze is featured as well. He was influential on the documentation of BMX through his photography and involvement in BMX magazines. These are some of the people who helped make BMX such a unique subculture. The directors have assembled a 30 year timeline packed with rare archival footage and interesting interviews to create a film which explores the history, trends, stars, and current direction of BMX stunt riding and racing.

PROGRAM 4 7:30 pm Fun Bike Shorts and PEDAL USA 2001 DV 52 min. Peter SutherlandAcclaimed NYC filmmaker and photographer, Sutherland is known for his work as Director of Photography on the skateboarding film "Stoked: The Rise and Fall of Gator" which played to audiences nationwide, as well as the photography book AUTOGRAF. Pedal is a fast-paced documentary film about surviving in the streets of NYC as a bicycle messenger. It features messengers from all walks of life as they battle traffic in a race to make their next delivery on time. It premiered in 2001 at the South by Southwest film festival and in New York at the Bicycle Film Festival, and later was acquired by the Sundance channel, where it aired until 2004.The Bicycle Film Festival re-screens Pedal in 2006 to celebrate the Powerhouse Books release of Sutherland’s new photo book, also titled “Pedal.” The book features photos of messengers from around the world who came to New York in 2005 for the Messenger World Championships.

PROGRAM 5 9:30 pm A Couple of the best short films from the Minneapolis 24 hour Film Series and B.I.K.E. USA 2006 DV 89 min. Jacob Septimus and Anthony HowardJacob Septimus has directed videos for KRS-one and Mos Def, among many others. Anthony Howard is an award-winning director of fine art films recognized by audiences at festivals and media such as Art Forum. Howard began to make a film about New York's chapter of the Black Label Bicycle Club and found himself vying to become a member of the group. Black Label is known for living a lifestyle centered on building bikes together, riding together, eating together, and sometimes living together. Black Label is more than just a bike club or a lifestyle – it is life. This is a rare look at a way of life that may challenge your own. Producer Fredric King of Fountainhead Films presents B.I.K.E. as the first in a series of intimate portraits of New York City’s subcultures, past and present.

AFTER PARTYONE ON ONE Bicycle Studio 117 Washington Ave N

SATURDAY, JULY 8 SOAP FACTORY 518 2nd St SE
1PM All Day Bike Block Party - Bring a Blanket At Sundown free outdoor screening:Pee Wee's Big AdventureUSA 1989 16mm, 90 min.Director: Tim Burton. There's no doubt that the love of Pee Wee's life is his bicycle. When the beautiful cruiser is stolen, Pee Wee consults a fortune teller who tells him his bike’s in the Alamo. He crosses paths with an array of characters during this wild cross- country odyssey. To recover his love, he must overcome many obstacles in all shapes and forms.

Followed by CLOSING NIGHT BIKE BASH!!!!


Hope to see you there!