The Downtown Festival: The Moth + The Flavor of Cassava Leaf Over Rice + Flowers for Lev

THE MOTH (WORLD PREMIERE) + THE FLAVOR OF CASSAVA LEAF OVER RICE (EAST COAST PREMIERE) + FLOWERS FOR LEV (WORLD PREMIERE)
Q&A with filmmaker Juan Pablo Rivera Garza, musician Will August Park, and filmmakers Gabriel Jace Long + Razzi Schlosser, moderated by film critic Matilda Hague

THE MOTH (Juan Pablo Rivera Garza)
A disheveled, humanoid Moth, drawn into a 24/7 optometrist office by the allure of its neon-light sign, regales the attending physician about his troubling life story and insatiable cravings that led to the demise of his family.

THE FLAVOR OF CASSAVA LEAF OVER RICE (Tracey Todd)
A middle-aged novelist, stuck in a rut in both his writing career and marriage, stumbles into an old flame in an L.A. bookstore. The two spend the weekend reminiscing on old times and how their lives have changed over the years. Over the course of their time together, they realize their nostalgia for the limitless sparkle that their future once held.

FLOWERS FOR LEV (Gabriel Jace Long & Razzi Schlosser)
Lev lives above the teaming New York City streets he’s grown tired of. Stuart drives a flower delivery truck that makes its noisy rounds each morning below. Their feud is eternal.
When an ankle injury forces Lev to spew his vitriol from a long unopened window, he lays eyes on Lana: A two-dimensional, lifelike rendering of a beautiful woman pasted atop the roof of Stuart’s delivery truck.
Lev is sedated by her beauty, and upon discovering she actually exists, he pursues a correspondence with her – hosted by Stuart.

ABOUT THE DOWNTOWN FESTIVAL:
The Downtown Festival is a celebration of emerging and established independent artists across film, music, art, and culture in New York City. The festival’s film program runs October 10–18, with premieres & anniversary screenings at Roxy Cinema, and additional events, including live music, artist talks, and special programs, taking place at venues across Lower Manhattan. Founded by filmmaker Rebekah Sherman-Myntti, The Downtown Festival is an artists-for-artists platform, dedicated to independence, discovery, and genuine cultural exchange.