Bike Film Festival Debuts Tonight

A joint venture between the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition and HopeDance FiLMS offers residents a chance to catch some DIY-style films about the two-wheeled wonders that many are turning to as an alternative to automobiles. The festival screens tonight at 7 p.m. at the Faulkner Gallery.

The full-length feature, Contested Streets, details how congestion solutions in Paris, London and Copenhagen could be applied to ease New York’s streets. Also in the line-up are Bike Happening – about a critical mass ride through San Luis Obispo – and Tuxedo Junction – about UCSB student Jess Riegel and his choice to ride a unicycle to class. Finally, Dorothy Littlejohn’s Style Thing showcases the fantastic tricked-out lowrider bicycles made by the Santa Barbara Don Riders, a group of Santa Barbara High School students with a love for out-of-the-ordinary wheels. Those who arrive early can also check out these very bikes and meet the Don Riders themselves.

The festival coincides with Bike Week, which began May 12 and ends May 20.