‘JETTY’ Film to Make U.S. Premiere Run

By Katie McFadden

Curious about the project to construct and rebuild the jetties over the years? So was Sam Fleischner. The co-founder of the Rockaway Film Festival made it the subject of a full-length film, “JETTY,” which will have a premiere run from Wednesday, May 14 through Tuesday, May 20 at Anthology Film Archives in Manhattan.

When the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and its contractors got to work on the groin project, known locally as rock jetties, in fall 2021, like many locals, it piqued Fleischner’s interest. “I’ve enjoyed watching the various infrastructure projects since Sandy or even before with sand replenishment and it was pretty spectacular when they started to build the new jetties,” Fleischner said. “I think I was curious about the old ones and couldn’t find info about those existing ones. So when they started, I had so many questions about where the rocks come from and I couldn’t fathom how it all worked. As the work began, I started to see how many people would be watching from the boardwalk. It was an entertaining show and I realized other people think this is fascinating.” Upon noticing that, Fleischner realized he had found the subject of his next film.

Fleischner says “JETTY” was filmed mostly down the street from where he lives on Beach 92nd Street while contractors were working on the jetty there. “It’s a very Rockaway movie. It’s funny, for a lot of people who live in Rockaway and have observed this work happening over the many years, it’s almost like a movie they’ve seen already,” Fleischner said. However, there are also parts that few have seen. He also took the film beyond the peninsula and straight to the source of the rocks being brought to Rockaway. “I traveled to a quarry in Sparta, New Jersey where the rocks come from and filmed the blast so folks can see how the rocks were removed from the earth and trucked to the beach,” Fleischner said.

Filming began in November 2021 and wrapped up in 2023, as the jetty project started to wind down. Collaborating with Oliver Lanznberg, the footage was captured on Super 16mm film, and took about a year of editing, including adding an original score by Animal Collective. “Interspersing footage of the people and machines at work with observations from local residents about living where the city meets the water, the film is shot on Super 16mm, accentuating the tactility of all the elements at play: rocks, sand, metal, water, and celluloid,” a synopsis reads.

At last year’s Rockaway Film Festival in August, Fleischner debuted the 53-minute film to a local audience.  Now that audience will grow with the U.S. premiere run of “JETTY.” The film will play nightly at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. at Anthology Film Archives (32 Second Ave.) in Manhattan from May 14-20. There will be additional screenings on May 17 and 18 at 5:15 p.m. Fleischner will be available for the 7 p.m. showings on May 15,16,18 and 20 to discuss the film. Tickets are $14, with discounts available for seniors and students. For tickets, see: https://www.anthologyfilmarchives.org/

Fleischner has been creating films for about two decades, starting with “Wah Do Dem,” shot on location on a cruise ship and across Jamaica. That film won the jury prize for best feature film at the 2009 Los Angeles Film Festival. Just like the rock jetties, Fleischner has long had an interest in how things are made, which he showcased in his 2007 film, “Ten Trees,” which formally documented the making of plywood and then played in an open air cinema constructed from that same wood. Those skills came in handy in 2021, when Fleischner built out and opened the outdoor Arverne Cinema to host his Rockaway Film Festival, which he had launched in 2018. The Arverne Cinema (72-02 Gouverneur Ave.) will open for the season on Saturday, May 31, showing films almost every weekend into August when the eighth annual Rockaway Film Festival will take place. For updates, see: www.rockawayfilmfestival.org/