“Floaters Dot Com,” an independent, lo-fi film shot in Bushwick, will be screened at Gary’s Loft, August 21 at 8 p.m. 

The story for the film was written and produced by Steve Girard, John Albano and Andrew Raab, who also took on various other roles in the film’s production.

The trio hopes to make each screening a “future memory,” in part by featuring eclectic surprise guests: there are even unofficial plans for a performance by Frank Sinatra Jr. in the works, according to Albano, who also made music for the film.

A visual nod to the industrial style of Bushwick, the film takes a look at humanity and the perpetuation of cruelty. The film was shot entirely in the district, featuring scenes on the corner of Willoughby and Myrtle Avenue, as well as Pulaski Street. It conjures up a visual diary of well-known Bushwick streets but gives it a novel, digital twist by placing them in an alternative Brooklyn.

“The movie seems to be about the perils of the internet,” said Albano. “Clickbait, hacking, data collection, etc. It is about people being very mean to each other. And there’s probably something in there about how we all wish we could be somebody else.” 

Girard, also one of the film’s animators said, “The movie’s themes are cruelty and dirtbaggery; everyone is so cruel to one another in this movie.”

On the topic of why they shot the film in Bushwick, Raab, an actor and scriptwriter for the film as well, said, “Mostly, it was convenient. But also an environment we were familiar with that has the right industrial look we wanted.”

But the film is nowhere close to “familiar.” “Floaters Dot Com” experiments with animation, a trance-electronic soundtrack, and humans controlling each other with remote controls and computer hacking. 

To view the film this weekend at Gary’s Loft, RSVP at Eventbrite. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination is required and BYOB is recommended. 

The film will be screened in various cities in the next year, including New York and Los Angeles.

All images courtesy of Sebastian Sommer.

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