Interview: Brendt Barbur of the Bicycle Film Festival

Before you founded the BFF, what did you do and what was the impetus to create the festival?

I was involved in the arts in multiple ways and the BFF was something my friends and I did just for fun. We also wanted to do something positive and creative for the bicycle community. There was very little going on ten years ago—for example: generally speaking, the only people you saw riding fixed gear bikes on the streets were messengers and you probably knew them.

Now you see high school kids really getting into bikes because of the fixed gear culture. And now during commuting hours you see a lot more bikes, too. It is really exciting to see the community grow.

Texas has recently been embroiled in a heated debate regarding Senate Bill 488, which would have instituted a mandatory safe distance to be observed when passing vulnerable road users (which included cyclists). How much of BFF's mission is advocacy for cyclists and cyclists' causes?

First and foremost we are an art and cultural event that celebrates the bicycle. We are not anti-car or anti-suburbanite, we are pro-bike. However, certainly we advocate for daily use of bikes. By having a good time we hope to inspire new folks to ride and empower the community at the same time.

What can we expect from the program this year?

We have some great films. Where Are You Go directed by Benny Zenga (BFF Toronto Producer) and Brian Vernor (Santa Cruz Filmmaker) rode their bikes from Cairo to South Africa. They follow the Tour D'Afrique and find bike culture in Africa along the way. I think that anyone into bikes or not could enjoy this positive movie. [Trailer]

Also, I Love My Bicycle: The Story of FM Bikes directed by Joe Stakun. Anyone who has struggled starting a new business or those who love bmx and/or bikes can really be inspired by the guys behind FBM bikes and this film. [Trailer]

Anima D'Acciao (Soul of Steel) is a short gem directed by Daniel Leeb and produced by myself. It features master frame builder Giovanni Pelizzoli known as CIOCC. For decades he has built frames for champions. Inspired the current urban bike movement, he is building new styles of frames through a project called Gorilla. The movie also features Wonka from New York, who is currently one of the best riders in the world. Simone and Amedeo Pace from Blonde Redhead topped it off with a wonderful soundtrack. [Trailer]

(editor's note: there are many, many more films/activities to check out and you can see the full schedule here)

You are taking BFF to 39 cities this year. What is unique about the Austin festival?

In Austin, we are having a street party on Saturday, August 8th (with a Fixed Gear Jam and BMX Competitions). Austin is one of the biggest BMX cities in the world. I expect some amazing riding out there. I am sure the fixed gear riders will be there as well.

What are you most looking forward to on the Austin leg of the tour?

I am looking forward to the opening BIKES ROCK party with some great Austin bands: Black Angels and Tia Carrera.

What kind of bicycle do you ride and why?

I ride a lot of different bikes all over the world. I grew up on BMX. I have been riding Italian bikes for a while. I really enjoy riding around cities on a single speed and love taking off for a few hours on a road bike.

How would you define the culture that surrounds cycling?

Cyclists are the strongest people in the world. I am very fortunate to be a part of what I consider one of the most positive, powerful, and important movements today. I travel most of the year to many parts of the world getting to know the people behind this great movement. These are strong, passionate people, who work very hard to build the community.

Recently, Urban Outfitters began selling a line of fixed gear bicycles by Republic, which have a pretty smart design aesthetic. It seems that a contingent of the cyclist community have reacted negatively to this development. What do you think about the cross-pollinization of fashion and cycling, and why do you think there is resistance to the general public participating in what is considered to be more pure/hard-core subcultures of cycling?

Who would have ever thought the fashion world would embrace bicycle culture! We have been covered by more fashion magazines than bicycle magazines. Karl Lagerfeld came to the BFF Paris on his Chanel bike. Generally speaking, most cyclists embrace more people on bikes; it is different from other subcultures that I have noticed. When companies or people come in with a disconnect to the community just to capitalize on it without giving back, then there is resistance.

I’m sure that now, because of the negative press, Urban Outfitters is looking to contribute to bicycle communities in places where they have stores, throughout the country.

What is your vision for bike culture in the future?

More bikes, all over the world. Bicycles are not necessarily “the” answer, though it is a big answer to many of the world’s current problems.

Bikes Rock.

Thanks for talking with Austinist!