Find a Rooftop

July 24, 2025

Usually, I’m the one urging everyone outdoors—to soak up nature’s beauty, to let the sky inspire us. But sometimes, it’s human creativity itself that reminds us what’s possible—especially when nature is the spark.

This Friday, a short film called In Totality will premiere at New York City’s Rooftop Film Festival. The film is about the human drama that unfolded in the lead-up to the 2024 eclipse in Rochester, NY, where I live: the tension, uncertainty, and collective effort of a community waiting for its moment in the shadow. Our preparation for last year's eclipse wasn’t just about science; it became a shared story of hope, logistics, and people working together to make the most of a moment. That’s what drew filmmaker Jesse Rudoy to create In Totality: He came here to capture what was happening not in the sky, but on the ground.

The eclipse pushed people all over the country to imagine, organize, hope, and connect. I wrote a book abut the inspirational stories and practical lessons that emerged from these efforts, The Eclipse Effect: How to Seize Extraordinary Moments to Build Strong Communities. (It's coming out in late fall from Post Hill Press... please pre-order here!) But I think what makes me even happier is how all of that human effort also became raw material for art.

In Totality's premiere at the Rooftop Film Festival feels especially fitting. Rooftop Films began in 1997 with a simple idea: If you don’t have a theater, find a rooftop. Founder Mark Elijah Rosenberg hung a sheet on his East Village roof to show the films he and his friends made. Today, Rooftop is a New York institution, transforming city spaces into communal movie theaters for indie films all summer long. It’s a celebration of creativity not in spite of limits, but because of them.

So this week, whether you’re under the stars or on a city rooftop, remember: Nature’s grandeur may lift our eyes, but it’s our human response that turns fleeting moments into stories, into art. You don’t even need a filmmaker to capture them—just tell your story your way, and pass it on.

—Debra Ross, publisher

*The header graphic depicts a scene from Midnight at Midday: The Musical Tales of An Eclipse, Calkins Road Middle School, Pittsford, NY. Photo credit Ezra Bassin-Hill.