Bicycle Film Festival

The Bicycle Film Festival rolls into New Orleans this weekend with a party (location TBA) Friday night and three slates of films Saturday. The 2006 documentary B.I.K.E. (9 p.m.) is a gritty foray into New York City clubs of bohemian bike enthusiasts who assemble tall bikes and ride them in jousting competitions (pictured). One of the filmmakers, Anthony Howard, was so taken with the Black Label Bicycle Club, he sought to join, joust and become its leader. His personality and efforts are as self-destructive as they are narcissistic, but they deliver an amazing look at the passions driving the clubs. A more bizarre odyssey is featured in Where Are We Go (5 p.m.), which follows a group of riders on the 2008 Tour d'Afrique, a grueling 7,000 mile, four-month trek from Cairo, Egypt, to Capetown, South Africa. With minimal narrative or explanation, the film trails the travelers as they ride up to 70 miles per day, sometimes through arduous stretches of sand and dirt road. The camera is often focused on the small communities they ride through, the people they meet and odd customs they observe. Peddling mile by tough mile results in a unique look at the continent's little-seen expanses and riders offer candid reflections about themselves and the experience. It's an amazing collage of a travelogue. Short films cover a wide range of bike-related subjects. Saturday's afterparty is at the Saint (961 St. Mary St.). Visit www.bicyclefilmfest.com for film descriptions. Tickets $8 per showcase. — Will Coviello

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