Brooklyn gets a new film festival in two weeks, and its first night belongs to Spike Lee. Playback: The Brooklyn Watch Party runs Friday, Nov. 6, and Saturday, Nov. 7, at BAM in Fort Greene, opening with Spike Lee's Crooklyn and closing its second day with a free, all-day street party on Lafayette Avenue.

Who is behind it

Playback was created by Clara Wu Tsai, the owner of the New York Liberty and the Brooklyn Nets, and Nicholas Ma, the filmmaker and producer behind Won't You Be My Neighbor? and Unfinished Business. Spike Lee is the host. This year's guest curators are Questlove, Bryan Stevenson, the founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, and John Turturro. BAM presents the festival as part of its fall film season, billing it as a two-day celebration of the artists, storytellers and communities that have shaped Brooklyn.

Opening night: Crooklyn, then the cast

Friday's program in the Howard Gilman Opera House starts with a procession of the curators and hosts, followed by introductions from Ma and Lee. Then comes Crooklyn (1994), Lee's film starring Alfre Woodard and Delroy Lindo. After the screening, Lee sits down for a talkback with Woodard, Zelda Harris, Cinqué Lee and Joie Lee. The talkback is presented with Soapbox Presents.

Tickets start at $35. Online and phone orders add a $3 facility fee and an $8 handling fee per ticket; box office orders add the $3 facility fee only. BAM members at Tier 2 and above get $5 off up to two tickets. The film runs 115 minutes before the conversation.

Saturday: six films chosen for the festival

Saturday is a full day of repertory screenings at BAM:

  • The Battle of Algiers (1966), Gillo Pontecorvo's docudrama about Algeria's fight for independence.
  • Divorce Italian Style, Pietro Germi's Academy Award-winning black comedy.
  • City of God (2002), Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund's Oscar-nominated drama, picked for the festival by Bryan Stevenson.
  • Salaam Bombay!, Mira Nair's Caméra d'Or-winning film.
  • The King of Comedy, Martin Scorsese's satire starring Robert De Niro as a comedian who kidnaps a talk show host.
  • Soul to Soul (1971), Denis Sanders's documentary of the Ghana Independence Day concert in Accra, with Ike and Tina Turner and Santana.

Each screening is ticketed separately through BAM.

The free part

On Saturday, Nov. 7, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Playback and The Soapbox Presents take over Lafayette Avenue between Ashland Place and St. Felix Street, outside BAM Rose Cinemas, for a street party. The lineup includes Brooklyn DJs, a Bring Your Own Vinyl set, work by the artist Katie Merz, Double Dutch, and food and drink. Admission is free and first come, first served. BAM asks people to RSVP so they get updates, though an RSVP does not guarantee entry.

How to go

BAM's Peter Jay Sharp Building and BAM Rose Cinemas are on Lafayette Avenue in Fort Greene. The 2, 3, 4, 5, B, D, N, Q and R stop at Atlantic Av-Barclays Ctr, the 2 and 3 at Nevins Street, and the C at Lafayette Avenue.

Opening night tickets and Saturday's screenings are on sale now at bam.org, and the festival's own site, playbackbk.com, takes sign-ups for updates.

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