Spinning yarns on wheels; the Bicycle Film Festival

Or “American Flyers”: kid grows up and beats brother in bicycle race — after the big brother suffers a brain aneurysm.

Or “Pee-Wee's Big Adventure:” I actually have no idea what that was about, but I think the cover showed a bicycle. 

At the fifth annual Bicycle Film Festival in New York beginning Thursday, the idea of a bicycle movie is more like protesters at the Republican National Convention (“Still We Ride”), a day in the life of a New York City bike messenger (“Messenger”), or the documentary of a 1970s Paris-Roubaix road race (“A Sunday in Hell”).

The Thursday through Sunday festival features 17 programs, each with a featured film and several animated and filmed shorts. In addition, there's a bike parade from Madison Square Park on Saturday followed by demonstrations of BMX riding as well as a lively game of bike polo.

Other featured movies include “Victorian Cycles-Wheels of Change,” the impact of the bicycle of society; “Joe Kid on a Stingray – The History of BMX,” all about BMX racing, tricks and lifestyle; “Warriors: The Bike Race,” an all-night bike race in 2002 New York; “Adventure High,” five friends travel from Mongolia to Nepal; and “Cycle of Days,” animation, film and video is used to depict the life of a Montreal bike messenger.

So I'm all bummed out because this film festival is on the East Coast and I'm out here on the other coast. None of these movies will ever show up at the corner Blockbuster.

 But wait. This is a travelling festival. Here are the other cities and dates:
Los Angeles, June 24-26
London, August 25-27
San Francisco, October 6-8
Tokyo, November 4-6.

By the way, are there any bicycle movies — documentary, animated, or otherwise — available at the local video store? In addition to the three mentioned above, which may or may not still be there, I've rented “The Triplets of Belleville” at the 'buster.

See other selections at the Bicycle Movie Page.