Bike Movie Mashup

In the past couple weeks, I've attended a couple fabulous bike film festivals. As you know, my film, The Spinster, world premiered at one of them, Filmed By Bike in Portland, helmed by the talented Ayleen Crotty (give it up for women festival directors!!!). When I told people about the festival, I often got the odd reaction, "I didn't even realize that bike films were even a genre."

YES. They are. [DUH!]



Film directors throughout history and across cultures have used the bicycle as a storytelling convention. Why? Because the bicycle inspires! The bicycle inspires emotion, memories, love, independence, exhilaration and so much more.



That's why a number of inspired people like Ms. Crotty have organized bike-themed film festivals that bring together a bike-friendly community around the type of films that inspire us!

The Spinster was the first runner-up for the Audience Award at Filmed By Bike. The winner was Dust in the Chain - a bike circus film by Norbi Whitney.



But my personal favorite was the unicycle animated film from Greece - Eight Minute Deadline!

Eight-minute Deadline from ovalimage on Vimeo.

I also really loved this short film out of LA, Bicycle and a Way of Life. Not such a great title, but I enjoyed the storyline, the message and also the acting by Fernanda Rohd, who played the lead.

And then, on the heels of one bike film festival, I come back to SF and Brendt Barbur's popular Bicycle Film Festival is in full swing. I got to attend the Cinematic Shorts Program, and by far, my favorite was a very sweet and touching film without dialogue called Boy.

Click here to watch online.

And if you need a good laugh, then take seven and a half minutes out of your day to watch the crowd-pleaser, El Diablo (a short from the feature film The Last Kilometer):

EL DIABLO / short film from feature length documentary "L'ULTIMO CHILOMETRO" from Stuffilm on Vimeo.

Finally, we were all treated to this heart-warming story of a young man seeking a solo adventure, just him and is bicycle trekking across... Kyrgyzstan, the "Switzerland of Central Asia" (or is Switzerland the Kyrgyzstan of Europe?).

The Road From Karakol from Outdoor Research on Vimeo.

You can't not fall a little bit in love with the young and ambitious Kyle Dempster, his sense of humor, unshakable positive attitude and his pure enjoyment of life.

The same can be said of Brendt Barbur himself, who also has quite a story, of turning adversity into positive social movement.

Thanks again to Ayleen and Brendt for supporting bicycle film and sharing all these inspiring cinematic gems with us! Ride on!