Overview Rooftop Films is the Brooklyn nonprofit behind the Summer Series, the largest and longest-running outdoor showcase of independent film in the country. From May through late summer it turns rooftops, parks, waterfronts and a historic cemetery across all five boroughs into open-air cinemas, with live music before the film and a party after the big nights. Rooftop also produces white-label screenings and screening series for brands. On site The series moves through more than 20 venues a season. Opening and Closing Nights fill Green-Wood Cemetery. Other regular sites include SummerStage in Central Park, Fort Greene Park, Prospect Park, Brooklyn Army Terminal's waterfront plaza, the Industry City courtyards, Pier 57 and Gansevoort Plaza. A band plays before nearly every screening, and filmmakers take questions after. Partners build game zones, concession booths, photo booths, DJ setups, projection mapping or floral installations, and hand out blankets and merch. Audience The series draws more than 45,000 people a season, and 62% of them are between 21 and 49. They are New Yorkers who follow independent film, music and the arts, along with critics, programmers, industry people and the neighbors in each park. Rooftop reaches 230,000 people through its own email list, 60,000 newsletter subscribers, and about 120,000 followers across Instagram, Facebook and X. Talent and Influencers Ethan Hawke, Bill Murray, Spike Lee, Greta Gerwig, Noah Baumbach, Taika Waititi, Sofia Coppola, Lady Gaga, Ben Stiller, Steve Buscemi, Brie Larson, Lena Dunham, Elisabeth Moss and John Waters have all appeared at Rooftop events. The pre-show stage has hosted TV on the Radio, Big Thief, Mitski, Sharon Van Etten, Kurt Vile, Toro y Moi, Flying Lotus, Danny Brown and Jaden Smith. Track record People named Rooftop one of its 100 Reasons to Love America, and The New Yorker calls it a New York mainstay. Its Filmmakers Fund backed Lee Isaac Chung, Shaka King and Benh Zeitlin early on. Rooftop has produced brand events such as FX's What We Do in the Shadows premiere, HBO's NYC Epicenters premiere, ESPN Films' Once Upon a Time in Queens at Citi Field, a National Geographic premiere and LOFT's outdoor movie series. Brand presence Recent partners include HBO Max, HBO Documentary Films, ESPN Films, WIRED, The Economist, Letterboxd, WNYC and Gothamist, with Decoy Wines, Mezcal Rosaluna, SingleCut Beersmiths and Fort Hamilton Distillery pouring at the parties. Over the years A24, NEON, Amazon, Netflix, AMC Networks, Mozilla, Vans, Lay's, Volvo, Jaguar, lululemon, Capital One and Brooklyn Brewery have worked with Rooftop. Partners can sponsor the Summer Series, take over a single night or afterparty, or commission a screening series of their own.