2009 Coney Island Film Festival: Official Lineup

What are two of the funnest things to do in the world? 1) Sit in a theater all day watching great films; and 2) visiting the legendary Coney Island resort in NYC. So, it’s always doubly awesome to attend the Coney Island Film Festival, whose 9th annual edition runs on Oct. 2-4.
The salty sea air, the rickety roller coaster, the greasy junk food, the freak show — and three days of horror movies, cult flicks, documentaries, films about Coney Island and the annual “interactive” screening of Walter Hill’s 1979 classic The Warriors. What could possibly be better?
Now, I have a bit of a dilemma here. There’s one outstanding film in the lineup that I absolutely recommend, but I know tickets for the screening are already sold out. So, sorry about that. But the film is Brian Lonano and Jeff Jenkins’ amazing sci-fi sequel Attackazoids, Deploy!!, which those lucky enough to get into the screening will have a total blast. Also screening in that same short film block is Horn Dog, Bill Plympton‘s 4th entry in his hit “dog” series.
But, there are a ton of other films to check out, so look over the lineup below and if something especially strikes your fancy, be sure to buy advance tickets at the CIFF website in case your wish list sells out, too. Or, just go and hang out at the most fun place on Earth and get in to see whatever you can. It’ll be a mind-blowing great time:
October 2
7:30 p.m.: The Prince Of Mermaid Avenue, dir. Charles Denson. A documentary on the much-missed Jimmy Prince, who owned and ran Major Meats on Mermaid Ave. for sixty years.
Screening with Step Right Up, dir. Luke Marshall
October 3
1:00 p.m.: Flying Pumpkins: The Legend of Punkin Chunkin, dir. Costa Mantis. The orange pulp goes a soarin’ and a splatterin’ when fun-loving folks send their prize pumpkins into the stratosphere. Why do they do it? Find out in this documentary.
2:00 p.m.: “Short Films”
Somewhere Between Here and There, dir. Liss Platt
The Double, dir. Joseph Christiana
What Is She to You?, dir. Alden Burgess
I Don’t Sleep I Dream, dir. J.P. Chan
Damaged, dir. Ramen Cromwell
The Beneficiary, dir. Theodore Melfi
There’s No Justice, It’s Just Us, dir. Glen Steinmacher
3:00 p.m.: “Short Films”
Brooklyn Force, dir. Adam Bertocci
Small Time, dir. Jason Godbey
Silent Treatment, dir. Jonathan Rothell
Around the Block, dir. Valerie Harrington
The Vaudevillian, dir. Bryan Nest
Draw, dir. Ryan Pearce
Got a Mind, dir. Jim Riffel
4:00 p.m.: “Short Films”
Koolkidz Music Video: Positive, dir. Jivana P. Condak
The Tin Soldier, dir. Jennifer Suhr
Who Shot Coney Island?, dir. Howie Alex
I Had a Dream I Went to Coney Island, dir. Sherwin Akbarzadeh
The Heart of Coney Island, dir. Melanie Schiele
Woman on a Train, dir. Joel Fendelman
The Mermaid Parade 2008, dir. James Ford Nussbaum
Presque Isle, dir. John D. Reilly
Jigsaw Soul – ‘Cockroach Hotel’, dir. Christopher Piazza
It’s All Here, It’s All Real, It’s All Alive!!!, dir. Bianca Ahmadi & Kevin Chicas
Frank Sidebottom Saves Coney Island, dir. Brian Little, Chris Sievey
Palmflower – Buried Under, dir. Stacey Goldschmidt, Ray Borchers
Coney Island 2057, dir. Andrea Farkas, Janusz Swiatczak
5:00 p.m.: Friends (with benefits), dir. Gorman Bechard. Lifelong platonic friends finally decide to do the deed when they can’t find romantic relationships to squeeze into their busy lives.
6:00 p.m.: “Short Films”
Horn Dog, dir. Bill Plympton
Art Film, dir. Amos Posner
Turf, dir. Joe Zito
Circus, dir. Lindsay Greer
Attackazoids, Deploy!!, dir. Brian Lonano and Jeff Jenkins (Watch online)
Silent Film Star vs The Undead, dir. Michael Pierce
Las Historias Mas Sexy Del Mundo! No.2 aka The Sexiest Stories on Earth!, dir. Eric Cheevers
Blood, dir. Randy Scott Slavin
Rising Up: The Story of the Zombie Rights Movement, dir. Laura Moss
Piece of Meat, dir. Matt Conant
7:00 p.m.: Sea Legs, dir. Craig Butta. A young man explores Coney Island to find that secret, elusive beauty.
Screening with The Release of Jan, dir. Jordan Roettele
8:00 p.m.: “Short Films”
X-Mess Detritus, dir. Voltaire
The Institute of Seance, dir. Kevin Corcoran
The Babysitter, dir. Kristen Gray
Wilted, dir. Rafael De Leon Jr.
The Fairy Princess, dir. Stephen Lyman
Dead Sucks, dir. Elias
Death in Charge, dir. Devi Snively
Dealbreaker, dir. Mike Madigan
Survivors, dir. Soham Mehta
Self-Inflicted, dir. Davey Sherwinter
Paper Dolls Live in Glass Houses, dir. Jonny Von Golden
Ice Cream Sunday, dir. Victor Bonacore
9:00 p.m.: Red Hook, dir. Elizabeth Lucas. An NYU freshman gets involved in a scavenger hunt through the dark, seedy side of the city where she realizes she and her friends are being hunted down.
Screening with Bad Day at Red Hook, dir. Greg Kotis
10:30 p.m.: The Warriors, dir. Walter Hill
October 4
1:00 p.m.: “Short Films”
Fight Day, dir. Chris Cassidy
Are You Happy?, dir. Jonathan Berman
Finding Meeky: A Fragmentary History, dir. Roy Kohn
Bay Rizz “Rescue”, dir. Mike Rizzo
Outside the Last Game at Yankee Stadium, dir. Chris DePierro
The Retired Chef, dir. David Elinson
No Strings Attached, dir. Lisa Whitmer
2:00 p.m.: “Coney Island Films”
‘Blue Sky’ KaiserCartel, dir. Grizlet
End of the Line, dir. Melody Idakaar
Against the Tide, dir. Doug Durant
Young at Heart, dir. Brian Paccione
The Poor Man’s Follies, dir. micropunta
3:00 p.m.: “Short Films”
Here’s Herbie, dir. Mary Wickliffe
8 Days Later, dir. Jun Naito
Real Gone, dir. Johnny Von Golden
Far From Home, dir. Christian Amundson
Mermaids of New York: Bambi the Mermaid, dir. Ilise S. Carter, Mica Scalin
The Dishwashers “Sweetcheeks”, dir. Simona Prives
Ed Hamell Rant & Roll, dir. Kate Valentine
4:00 p.m.: “Short Films”
The Terrible Thing of Alpha-9!, dir. Jake Armstrong
Slim and Lena, dir. Mollye Asher
True Beauty This Night, dir. Peter Besson
Shoebox Redhead, dir. Matthew Lawrence
Pirates of the Broadway: Part Deux, dir. Laura Newman
Good Old Days, dir. Seamus McNally
Cesar Salad, dir. L. Gabrielle Penabaz
Intervention, dir. Daniel Segal
Test Music Video, dir. Robert Powers
5:00 p.m.: Strongman, dir. Zachary Levy. A documentary on the only man alive who can bend a penny with his bare fingers.
6:00 p.m.: “Short Films”
Mother, dir. Kimberly Scott
Medicine Man, dir. Himkar Tak
Basket Bronx, dir. Martin Rosete
Misunderstood, dir. Clark Johnson
Father’s Day, dir. Brian Rolling
Maharishi, dir. Mark Lediard
Mugs, dir. Ronnie Cramer
F… That, dir. Oliver Conrad
Sensations of the Season, dir. Jan Stephens
For more info, please visit the Coney Island Film Festival website.