The 25th Coney Island Film Festival

Our short film, "Stoop Chat with Maani & Mr. Sweat" will premiere at the 25th Annual Coney Island Film Festival on Saturday, May 3rd, 1pm. The tickets are now sold out, but join us if you're already going to the fest! and stay tuned for more screenings, including Katra Film Series on May 13th, 8:45pm in Manhattan.

"Stoop Chat with Maani and Mr. Sweat" brings you to the Brooklyn stoops of Mr. Sweat, a dapper neighborhood elder and Vietnam veteran with old school swagger, and Maani, a young aspiring entrepreneur. Against the vibrant cultural backdrop of Bedford-Stuyvesant, this documentary captures the power of mentorship and the enduring spirit of Black identity. This short is the third in a series of short, intergenerational “Stoop Chat” docs designed to increase social connection between youth and elders, while preserving neighborhood narratives and celebrating cultural heritage.

Directed by Marj Kleinman and Christine Thomas Yoon, in collaboration with the Stoop Stories Collective of storytellers and artists, this Film is Made Possible by Public funds from the Greater New York Arts Development Fund of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the Statewide Community Regrants Program, as well as from a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the New York State Legislature, both administered by Brooklyn Arts Council.

Saturday, May 3, 2025

1:00 PM

Coney Island Museum

1208 Surf Avenue

Brooklyn, NY, 11224United States (map)

Here's the full line up for Program 1, Documentary Shorts:

Replay 

Teaser Reel: Before It Was Cool

Penny

RollerJam: The Last Roll 

Stoop Chat with Maani & Mr. Sweat

The Life and Times of Tough Tony Pellone