Rooftop Films

05/18/2026

Thank you x 30,000.

05/18/2026

60 seconds from on why you should support Rooftop in the final hours of our 30th Anniversary campaign, officially closing at 5 PM EST tonight. 🩷 (link in bio)

05/10/2026

FINAL 24 HOURS! Help us reach our 30th Anniversary Kickstarter goal by tomorrow (Monday, May 11th) at 5 PM EST—or every dollar disappears. After three decades of building a home for independent film in New York City, we cannot let that happen.

With incredible donor rewards starting at just $30, head to tinyurl.com/Rooftop30Kickstarter now to power the next 30 years of Rooftop Films.

Help us reach our 30th Anniversary Kickstarter goal by Monday, May 11th—or we lose it all!

Head to tinyurl.com/Rooftop30Kickstarter now to discover all the extraordinary donor rewards still available, starting at just $30.

05/08/2026

Help us reach our 30th Anniversary Kickstarter goal by Monday, May 11th—or we lose it all!

Head to tinyurl.com/Rooftop30Kickstarter now to discover all the extraordinary donor rewards still available, starting at just $30.

05/08/2026

A note from current Interim Executive Director and longtime friend of Rooftop, Genevieve DeLaurier:

After 14 years with Rooftop Films, I stepped away for a bit, but have since come back to help with its 30th anniversary season. Returning has reminded me why I’ve always believed this organization is so special—and honestly, why I think it’s more important than ever in 2026.

Rooftop is more than a film festival: it’s an artist-supporting, cultural, civic, and community-building organization that uses cinema as a tool for connection, public dialogue, and cultural access across the greatest city in the world. Some of my favorite Rooftop memories aren’t even about the films themselves (though, to confirm, I do genuinely love them all!). They’re about what happened around them.

I remember one of my first Rooftop screenings—a documentary presented in the same East Harlem neighborhood where it’d been filmed. The audience included local residents alongside people who had traveled from all over the city. During the Q&A, people spoke emotionally and passionately about seeing their own experiences reflected on screen. Afterward, everyone stayed; we ate food from a local restaurant, listened to music from a neighborhood DJ, had drinks, and a dance party! That night always stayed with me because it captured what Rooftop does at its best: film connected to place, place connected to people, and people connected to each other.

In a time when so many feel disconnected from their neighbors, from public life in general, organizations like Rooftop matter deeply. Coming back for the anniversary season has reminded me how rare that is—and how worth protecting it is.

Whether Rooftop has been part of your life for years or you’re just discovering us, I hope you’ll join me in supporting the next chapter.

Help us build the next 30 years of Rooftop Films.

———

Head to tinyurl.com/Rooftop30Kickstarter to help us reach our Kickstarter goal by this Monday, May 11th, at 5 PM EST—or we risk losing it all.

05/06/2026

Just added to our Kickstarter: celebrate Rooftop alum David Lowery and three of his most evocative worlds with a special fan pack from our friends at A24!

Featuring a (sold out!) MOTHER MARY tour tee in size L; a copy of THE GREEN KNIGHT: Collector’s Edition 4K UHD Blu-ray; and the MAKE SURE YOU’RE AROUND AFTER YOU’VE GONE: GHOST STORIES book, with an introduction and original short story by Lowery! Additionally includes a Rooftop Community-level membership ($65 value), yours to keep or gift.

There’s only one of these sets available, so head to tinyurl.com/RooftopXLowery and sn**ch it up now, before somebody else does!

05/04/2026

Pre-order your limited-edition Rooftop Films x Mise en Scènt 6 oz tin candle now, while it lasts—exclusively on Kickstarter!

Hand poured in Brooklyn, this is the scent of the summer with Rooftop, 30 years on. The slow golden-hour drift into darkness, the rustle of blankets, the quiet thrill as the first frame lights up all the beautiful faces gazing at the big screen; a haze of coconut, sweet grass, and honeyed to***co that lingers long after the credits roll...

Head to tinyurl.com/RooftopXMise to get yours before it’s too late!

PRODUCT DETAILS
• Logo design by Zhen Li
• Roughly 20 hour burn time
• Reusable black tins
• Phthalate free fragrance oils
• 100% natural soy wax
• 100% cotton wick

05/04/2026

Make your friends stay jealous, babe, and own an iconic ‘Night Butterfly’ print of Best Picture winner ANORA—a 13 x 19” Silver stock poster with holographic tinsel—signed by its Academy Award-winning writer-director-editor/Rooftop alum Sean Baker *and* its Academy Award-winning lead actress Mikey Madison! Additionally includes a Rooftop Films community membership to either keep for yourself or gift to someone else (a $65 value!).

There’s only one available, so head to tinyurl.com/RooftopXAnora and get it now, before somebody else does!

05/01/2026

Now presenting a true collector’s piece for our 30th anniversary: we’ve teamed up with extraordinary animation artist (and Rooftop alum) Zhen Li on a limited-edition tee, up for pre-order now exclusively on Kickstarter!

Printed on a black Comfort Colors 100% ring-spun cotton shirt, it’s soft, timeless, and built for summer nights basking in the glow of the big screen under the stars.

Available in sizes S-4XL, this is more than just a shirt—it’s a wearable piece of Rooftop Films history. Head to tinyurl.com/RooftopXZhen to get yours now, before time runs out!

04/29/2026

30 years. One unforgettable Opening Night.

THIS IS WHAT WE MEAN BY SHORT FILMS: OPENING NIGHT 2026 returns to historic Green-Wood Cemetery on Friday, May 15th, and tickets are officially on sale now! Celebrate the start of Rooftop’s landmark 30th season with a dazzling evening of new short films under the stars, three decades in the making.

And when the screen fades? The evening’s just beginning—stay for a post-show Q&A with some of the featured filmmakers and then dance your way into our DJ’d afterparty with complimentary beverages for all. Head to tinyurl.com/43v7xkd2 to secure your seats, before they’re all gone! Trust us: your future self will thank you.