I’ve noticed a trend of indie bands making short films (see Part 1). Well, it looks like Sufjan Stevens has jumped on the bandwagon too with The BQE, a 40-minute symphonic and cinematic exploration of New York’s infamous Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. Stevens directed and scored the film himself, which consists of footage of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway alongside hula hoopers. Asthmatic Kitty will release The BQE CD/DVD on October 20 with a 40-page booklet with extensive liner notes & photographs and an accompanying stereoscopic 3-D Viewmaster reel.

And if that’s not hip enough for you, Asthmatic Kitty will release a limited edition double gatefold vinyl edition of The BQE on 180-gram vinyl with a large-scale 32-page booklet including liner notes, photographs and a black and white version of a 40-page BQE-themed Hooper Heroes comic book.

Ah but wait, there’s more. The film is going on tour, with modern string quartet OSSO performing a re-arrangement of Stevens’ album Enjoy Your Rabbit. I don’t know what you think, but this smacks of a little too much self-importance for me.