Brooklyn Film Festival

The Brooklyn Film Festival (BFF), is an International, competitive festival. BFF mission is to provide a public forum in Brooklyn in order to advance public interest in films and the independent production of films. To draw worldwide attention to Brooklyn as a center for cinema. To encourage the rights of all Brooklyn residents to access and experience the power of independent filmmaking, and to promote artistic excellence and the creative freedom of artists without censure.

Brooklyn Film Festival started in 1998 and takes place in Brooklyn, New York, USA

Official Website

Brooklyn Film Festival Gets Ready for 2018 Edition: THRESHOLD

Brooklyn Film Festival has officially closed submissions for its 2018 edition: THRESHOLD. The 2018 festival will run from June 1 through June 10, 2018, at two main venues: Wythe Hotel in Williamsburg and Windmill Studios in Greenpoint. In addition to the two main venues, additional programming will be presented on June 5 at Syndicated in Bushwick and on June 8 at UnionDocs in Williamsburg. On June 6 and 9, BFF will present a total of five shows at Made in NY Media Center by IFP in Dumbo, where it will also present the 14th annual kidsfilmfest on June 2. On June 9, the 7th annual BFF Exchange program will be hosted by Kickstarter in Greenpoint and on June 4, BFF will be hosted by Alamo Drafthouse in Downtown Brooklyn. Additional programming and networking events will be announced at a later date. BFF Executive Director Marco Ursino said of the 2018 edition, “This will be a special year: we are finally 21! We start seeing things for what they really are, although it doesn’t take a genius to see that we are living in pretty challenging times! Division, bigotry, the wall, Trump…but luckily, some great things usually come from bad times. For example, the Spanish Civil War gave us the Guernica; the NYC defaults in the 70’s gave us the best graffiti in the world. Even the Great Depression gave us swing dancing. It doesn’t matter how bad it looks, art always wins. And this year’s festival is not going to be the exception. In the middle of this undeniably appalling time in American history, directors, actors, producers and the festival want their voices heard. Bad times make great art. And if so, this year’s Brooklyn Film Festival should be amazing.” BFF received a total of 2,584 films from 120 countries and will select roughly 130 film premieres to be announced in May. The films are divided in six categories: Feature Narrative, Feature Doc, Short Narrative, Short Doc, Experimental and Animation. In each of the six film categories, BFF’s judges will select Best Film, Spirit Award and Audience Award winners. From all the six categories combined, BFF will award one of each of the following: Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Composer, Best Editor, Best Cinematographer, Best Screenplay Writer, Best Producer, Best New Director and Best Brooklyn Project. BFF will assign to the winning filmmakers over $50,000 in prizes (products, services and cash).
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2017 Brooklyn Film Festival Winners: Rodrigo Reyes’ LUPE UNDER THE SUN Wins Grand Chameleon Award

[caption id="attachment_22706" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] LUPE UNDER THE SUN by RODRIGO REYES[/caption] Lupe Under The Sun, a film inspired by the life of the director’s own grandfather and shot with a cast of non-actors in real locations won the top prizes at the Brooklyn Film Festival. The film directed by Rodrigo Reyes, won the Grand Chameleon Award and the prize for Best Narrative Feature. A Cambodian Spring by Chris Kelly , and An Insignificant Man by Khushboo Ranka and Vinay Shukla shared the award for Best Documentary. Catherine Eaton’s The Sounding received the Audience award for Feature Narrative while the East Coast premiere of Kyle Eaton’s Shut Up Anthony grabbed the Spirit award for Feature Narrative. “I couldn’t have wished for a better 20th anniversary! Everything fell into place as if it was always meant to be great from the start. A perfect combination of solid practical experience and pure magic,” said Marco Ursino, BFF Executive Director. The Brooklyn Film Festival awarded the winners a total of $60,000 in prizes (products, services, and cash).
2017 WINNERS
GRAND CHAMELEON AWARD LUPE UNDER THE SUN by RODRIGO REYES Best Narrative Feature LUPE UNDER THE SUN by RODRIGO REYES Best Documentary – EX EQUO A CAMBODIAN SPRING by CHRIS KELLY AN INSIGNIFICANT MAN by KHUSHBOO RANKA & VINAY SHUKLA Best Short Documentary THE FOURTH KINGDOM by ALEX LORA & ADAN ALIAGA Best Narrative Short WATU WOTE: All of by KATJA BENRATH Best Animation TANGO by PEDRO GIONGO & FRANCISCO GUSSO Best Experimental COOKING WITH CONNIE by STAVIT ALLWEIS Best New Director EL REVENGE by FERNANDO FRAIHA Brooklyn Pride Award SWEET PARENTS by DAVID BLY
Spirit Awards
Feature Narrative SHUT UP ANTHONY by KYLE EATON Feature Documentary MANIC by KALINA BERTIN Short Documentary SCRAP by CHRISTIAN FILIPPONE Short Narrative RHONNA & DONNA by DAINA ONIUNAS-PUSIC Experimental EXQUISITE CORPS by MITCHELL ROSE Animation PANIC ATTACK by EILEEN O’MEARA
Audience Awards
Feature Narrative THE SOUNDING by CATHERINE EATON Feature Documentary DISCO’D by MATTHEW SIRETTA Short Documentary ASHLEY ASHLEY by TED SANANMAN Short Narrative PUNCHLINE by CHRISTOPHE SABER Experimental LIVE YOUR LIGHT by JENDRA JARNAGIN Animation COIN OPERATED by NICHOLAS ARIOLI
Certificates of Outstanding Achievement
Producer ESTELLE ARTUS & FRANCES BOXE for ACCORDING TO HER Screenplay SLOAN COPELAND for LIFE HACK Cinematography VEDAT ÖZDEMIR for RAUF Editing JOANNA NAUGLE for KATE CAN’T SWIM Style CATHERINE EATON for THE SOUNDING Original Score DAN VEKSLER for ACCORDING TO HER Actor Female GOLAB ADINEH for THE SIS Actor Male JOSH HELMAN for KATE CAN’T SWIM
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David Bly’s Romantic Drama SWEET PARENTS to World Premiere at Brooklyn Film Festival | Trailer

Sweet Parents directed by David Bly, follows a young couple trying to make it in New York; and will world premiere at the 2017 Brooklyn Film Festival on Friday, June 9th at 8:30pm. The film starring Leah Rudick, David Bly, Casey Biggs, Barbara Weetman, Chris Roberti, Sunita Mani, Willie C. Carpenter, Katie Hartman, and Daniel Marin, follows the pursuit of success, and subsequent struggle, in the New York culinary and art worlds. Gabby, a sculptor, and Will, a chef, start side relationships with a successful older man and woman in a last ditch hope of supporting their careers, ultimately pitting true love against ambition. Sweet Parents is not about the young couple moving to New York to pursue their dreams, full of fire and passion, but rather, it’s about the couple that has been there for 10 years, burnt out, contemplating giving it all up, asking themselves “What’s the point? Why are we still here?” and making one last ditch effort to avoid the feeling that the last 10 years have been a waste for Will & Gabby.
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Catya Plate Returns to 2017 Brooklyn Film Festival with World Premiere of MEETING MACGUFFIN | Trailer

[caption id="attachment_22516" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Meeting MacGuffin: An Animated Ecological Thriller[/caption] Award winning Brooklyn filmmaker and artist Catya Plate, whose film “Hanging By A Thread” won the Spirit Award for Animation at the Brooklyn Film Festival in 2014, is back with the World Premiere of the stop motion animated film Meeting MacGuffin: An Animated Ecological Thriller at this year’s 20th Brooklyn Film Festival which runs from June 2 to 11, 2017. “Meeting MacGuffin: An Animated Ecological Thriller” was successfully crowd funded via Hatchfund and features the remarkable voices of Hollywood celebrities Richard Horvitz and Misty Lee. “Meeting MacGuffin” continues the tale which began in a post-apocalyptic future where humankind had fallen apart. A new breed of scientists, the Clothespin Freaks, had been reassembling human fragments to create an alternate form of humanity. Guided by LF, an animated sign, they travel with the nearly-finished new humans called Homeys, through underground caverns to complete their reconstitution and meet Gormal MacGuffin, a wise, blue-eyed groundhog climatologist with expertise in water renewal who prepares the Homeys for their mission to restore balance to decimated Earth. Born in Barcelona, Spain, and raised in Germany, Catya completed her BFA at the Werkkunstschule, Köln, before coming to New York on a Fulbright Scholarship for post-graduate studies at School of Visual Arts. She has been exhibiting regularly and internationally since the mid-1980’s. Her work can be found in many public and private collections worldwide, including the Brooklyn Museum and the Museum of Modern Art Library in New York City. Articles and reviews of Plate’s films, exhibition and installation projects have appeared, among others, in Film Threat, The New York Times and The Independent. Meeting MacGuffin: An Animated Ecological Thriller Screenings at Brooklyn Film Festival: Monday, June 5th, 6:30pm, Syndicated Cinema, 40 Bogart St., Brooklyn, NY 11206 Saturday, June 10, 7pm, NY Media Center, 30 John St, Brooklyn, NY 11201
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Four Friends Confront Turning Thirty in KATE CAN’T SWIM to East Coast Premiere at Brooklyn Film Festival

[caption id="attachment_22519" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Kate Can’t Swim[/caption] Kate Can’t Swim, winner of the Jury’s Honorable Mention award at 2017 Slamdance Film Festival, and the Audience Award at the 2017 Sunscreen Film Festival will make its East Coast Premiere at the Brooklyn Film Festival. Kate Can’t Swim starring Celeste Arias, Grayson DeJesus, Jennifer Allcott, and Josh Helman; is directed by Josh Helman, and written by Jennifer Allcott and Josh Helman. The film features four compelling young actors as a group of friends struggling to come to terms with themselves as they move into their thirties. KATE (Celeste Arias) is almost thirty, almost engaged, almost settled in her career as a writer—but is deeply dissatisfied. When Kate’s best friend EM (Jennifer Allcott) returns from Paris with a surprising new lover in tow (Josh Helman), Kate and her boyfriend PETE (Grayson DeJesus) spend a weekend in upstate New York with the new couple. As Kate struggles with her suspicions about Em’s new lover, dormant feelings about her own life arise, forcing her to decide whether to stay on her current life path or to burn it down and forge a new one. Kate Can’t Swim Screenings at the 2017 Brooklyn Film Festival showtime: 6:00 pm | Sunday June 4 | Windmill Studios showtime: 9:30 pm | Thursday June 8 | Wythe Hotel
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Award-winning Documentary, A CAMBODIAN SPRING to US Premiere at Brooklyn Film Festival | Trailer

[caption id="attachment_22492" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] A Cambodian Spring[/caption] The award-winning documentary, A Cambodian Spring, from UK video journalist/filmmaker Chris Kelly, will have its US premiere at the Brooklyn Film Festival. The film won the Special Jury Prize earlier this year at 2017 Hot Docs in Toronto. A Cambodian Spring is an intimate and unique portrait of three people caught up in the chaotic and often violent development that is shaping modern-day Cambodia. Spending 9 years on the film (shooting for 6 of those years) the film charts the growing wave of land-rights protests that led to the ‘Cambodian Spring’ and the tragic events that followed. This film is about the complexities – both political and personal, of fighting for what you believe in. “A Cambodian Spring is for me a deeply personal film, which took 9 years to complete,” says director Chris Kelly. “It is an exploration of what motivates us, what gives our lives meaning, and what happens when our personal desires colour and shape our actions. It is an unapologetically subjective portrait of my time in Cambodia, of the people who shared their lives with me and of the shifting landscapes, both physical and emotional, that I found there.” The film also includes a riveting original soundtrack by the UK’s best known electronic music artist James Holden. 2017 Brooklyn Film Festival Screening Time and Location showtime: 7:30 pm | Wednesday June 7 | Wythe Hotel showtime: 8:30 pm | Sunday June 11 | Wythe Hotel
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Catherine Eaton’s THE SOUNDING to East Coast Premiere at Brooklyn Film Festival | Trailer

[caption id="attachment_22477" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Catherine Eaton in The Sounding[/caption] The Sounding, an award winning film by filmmaker Catherine Eaton, will East Coast premiere at the upcoming 2017 Brooklyn Film Festival. The film – winner of AZIFF’s Festival Grand Prize, two Best Feature Awards at Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival and Palm Beach International Film Festival, and a New American Visions Audience Choice Award – follows Liv, who after years of silence, begins to weave a language out of Shakespeare’s words as she fights for her voice and her freedom. The Sounding, written and directed by Catherine Eaton, also stars Catherine Eaton along with Teddy Sears, Erin Darke, Harris Yulin, Frankie Faison, Lucy Owen, Danny Burstein, and David Furr. Raised on a remote island off the coast of Maine by her grandfather Lionel, Liv has never spoken. When Lionel (Harris Yulin) discovers he’s dying, he calls the son of his best friend and a neurologist, Michael (Teddy Sears), to the island and asks him to protect Liv’s independence. That night, as Lionel is reading to Liv, his voice fails him. Liv picks up the book of Shakespeare and begins: first reading, then weaving a language from Shakespeare’s words. Michael discovers her speaking and commits her to a psychiatric hospital. Incensed, Lionel’s attorney (Frankie Faison) blocks Michael from treating Liv. She becomes a full-blown rebel in the hospital; her increasing violence threatens to keep her locked up for life. Michael gains illegal entry, and in a final showdown, he wields Shakespeare’s language on her terms. At a tipping point for otherness in our current climate,The Sounding champions it. https://vimeo.com/205987166 UPCOMING SCREENINGS: BROOKLYN FILM FESTIVAL – EAST COAST PREMIERE Sunday, June 4th – 4:00pm* Windmill Studio (300 Kingsland Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11222) Friday, June 9th – 7:30pm* Wythe hotel (80 Wythe Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11249) *(Q&A w/Dir. Catherine Eaton & Cast & Crew following both screenings)
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2017 Brooklyn Film Festival Unveils Lineup of 122 Films, Opens with Jason James’ ENTANGLEMENT

[caption id="attachment_22292" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Entanglement[/caption] The 2017 Brooklyn Film Festival (BFF) will open on Friday, June 2nd at returning BFF venue, the Wythe Hotel in Williamsburg, with the east coast premiere of award-winning director Jason James’ comedy-drama-romance “Entanglement,” starring Jess Weixler (“Teeth”) and Thomas Middleditch (“Silicon Valley”). This year’s festival lineup is comprised of 122 features and shorts from 32 countries spread over six continents. The lineup includes 24 world premieres, 19 USA bows, 33 east coast debuts and 41 first-time screenings in New York. In addition to the feature narratives and documentary films highlighted in this release, the festival will present 37 short narrative films, 17 short documentary films, 26 animated films and 20 experimental films. Director Marco Ursino said about the 2017 festival: “The 20th anniversary is for us a spectacular opportunity to celebrate our experience and make plans for the future. In the past 20 years, we have been able to shape a platform here in Brooklyn that fuels every year a new generation of talented filmmakers. Something to be very proud to be part of.” BFF has also lined up several special events during the festival. They include: the 13th annual KidsFilmFest on Saturday, June 3rd at the Made in NY Media Center by IFP; and the June 11th Awards Ceremony followed by the closing night party at Windmill Studios NYC. Main BFF venues are the Wythe Hotel in Williamsburg and Windmill Studios NYC in Greenpoint. Satellite locations include Syndicated in Bushwick, Made in New York Media Center by IFP in Dumbo, UnionDocs also in Williamsburg; and Kickstarter also in Greenpoint. Films include:
FEATURE NARRATIVES:
“Entanglement” – EAST COAST PREMIERE Dir: Jason James, Canada, 85 min, 2016, Narrative Feature While searching for the meaning of his existence, Ben Layten (Thomas Middleditch) discovers that he very nearly, almost had an adopted sister – and, with the help of his neighbor, Tabby Song (Diana Bang), Ben sets out to find this not-quite sibling in an effort to find out if his life could have been different. When he finally tracks down his would-be sister and discovers the mysterious, Hanna Weathers (Jess Weixler), Ben stumbles upon a very different relationship than he’d been hoping for. “Kate Can’t Swim” – EAST COAST PREMIERE Dir: Josh Helman & Evan Jonigkeit, United States, 90 min, 2016, Narrative Feature When her best friend returns from Paris with a new lover, Kate’s life is thrown off track. Encountering new personalities, old promises and sexual fluidity, Kate must decide to stay on her current path or burn it down to forge a new one. Zosia Mamet of the HBO series “Girls” served as one of the film’s producers. “El Revenge” – U.S. PREMIERE Dir: Fernando Fraiha, Brazil, 90 min, 2016, Narrative Feature Caco plans on surprising his girlfriend with a marriage proposal, but instead catches her in the act of cheating on him – worst of all with an Argentinean. Vadão, Caco’s best friend, drags him on a revenge trip from Brazil to Argentina. While Vadão is in high adventure mode, Caco is focused on getting his ex-girlfriend back. But not everything goes as they expect. “Shut Up Anthony” – EAST COAST PREMIERE Dir: Kyle Eaton, United States, 92 min, 2017, Narrative Feature Anthony talks too much. A neurotic creative grinding out a living at a Portland ad firm, he loses his girlfriend, job and dignity over the course of a few days. With nothing else to do, Anthony flees to his family’s timeshare where he encounters Tim, an estranged family friend who is also an alcoholic theology professor. The two are forced to share the space as they clash over relationships, religion, vodka and coaster etiquette. “The Sounding” – EAST COAST PREMIERE Dir: Catherine Eaton, United States, 93 min, 2017, Narrative Feature An outlier rebels against a world reluctant to embrace her voice. On a remote island off the coast of Maine, Liv, after years of silence, begins to weave a language out of Shakespeare’s words. A driven neurologist, brought to the island to protect her, commits her to a psychiatric hospital. She becomes a full-blow rebel in the hospital; her increasing violence threatens to keep her locked up for life as she fights for her voice and her freedom. At a tipping point for otherness in our current climate, “The Sounding” champions it. “Sweet Parents” – WORLD PREMIERE Dir: David Bly, Canada, 108 min, 2017, Narrative Feature Follows the pursuit for success, and subsequent struggle, in the New York culinary and art worlds. Gabby (a sculptor) and Will (a chef) start side relationships with a successful older man and woman in the hopes that they may gain better opportunities in their careers, but unfortunately, at the peril of ruining their own relationship.
FEATURE DOCUMENTARIES:
“A Cambodian Spring” – U.S. PREMIERE Dir: Chris Kelly, England, 121 min, 2016, Documentary Feature How much would you sacrifice to fight for what you believe in? “Cambodian Spring” is a intimate and unique portrait of three people caught up in the chaotic and often violent development that is shaping modern-day Cambodia. Shot over 6 years, the film charts the growing wave of land-rights protests that led to the ‘Cambodian spring’ and the tragic events that followed. This film is about the complexities – both political and personal, of fighting for what you believe in. WINNER, Hot Docs 2017 Special Jury Prize – International Feature Documentary “Disco’d” – WORLD PREMIERE Dir: Matthew Siretta, United States, 84 min, 2016, Documentary Feature Set on the streets of Los Angeles at night, “Disco’d” explores the lives of the homeless as they struggle with displacement. A couple in a homeless encampment prepares to move for city sanitation. An elderly homeless woman is frustrated with obtaining housing assistance. A recycler contemplates his existence. A man who has been awake for days falls victim to thievery. An ailing senior describes a life of heroin addiction as he tries to maintain civility. When morning comes, the homeless encampment must move for city sanitation, and the elderly woman faces the realities of homeless housing assistance. “Goodbye Darling, I’m Off to Fight” – NEW YORK PREMIERE Dir: Simone Manetti, Italy, 73 min, 2016, Documentary Feature After a painful breaking up with her boyfriend, actress Chantal Ughi found that Thai Boxe fighting was a way to get out her anger, and to fight ghosts from her childhood. She moves to Thailand for five years and becomes the world champion. “Holy (un) Holy River” – NEW YORK PREMIERE Dir: Jake Norton & Pete McBride, United States, 59 min, 2016, Documentary Feature Follows the world’s most revered and reviled rivers, the great Ganges River of India. The film’s directors, Jake Norton and Pete McBride, followed the river source-to-sea in 2013, documenting its intense beauty and struggles. The film tells the story of the River and all its dichotomies and complexities; a river that is revered by a billion people, depended upon by 500 million, and is at once a source of life and inspiration as well as death, pollution and tragedy. “Tribal Justice” – NEW YORK PREMIERE Dir: Anne Makepeace, United States, 87 min, 2017, Documentary Feature Two strong Native American women, both chief judges in their tribe’s courts, strive to reduce incarceration rates and heal their people by restoring rather than punishing offenders, modeling restorative justice in action. “Tribal Justice” is a feature documentary about a little known, underreported but effective criminal justice reform movement in America today: the efforts of tribal courts to create alternative justice systems based on their traditions.
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SWEATY BETTY Wins Top Awards at 2015 Brooklyn Film Festival

Joseph Frank and Zachary Reed won the Best Feature Film award, as well as the Grand Chameleon Award for Sweaty Betty (pictured above) at the 2015 Brooklyn Film Festival which wrapped up on Sunday with a gala evening at new BFF venue, the Wythe Hotel. Alison Bagnall’s Funny Bunny nabbed two awards, best actor for Olly Alexander (shared with Ágúst Örn B. Wigum for Whale Valley) and Best Editing, for Kentucker Audley, David Barker, and Caleb Johnson. Wildlike nabbed three awards, including Best Actor (female) for Ella Purnell, Best Screenplay for director Frank Hall Green and Best Producer for Julie Christeas, Green, Joseph Stephans, and Schuyler Weiss while world premiere New York City film But Not For Me nabbed the Audience Award for Best Feature Narrative, as well as the Best Original Score award for Rafael Leloup with Ryan Carmichael, Marcus Carl Franklin, Quazzy Faffle and Elena Urioste. Alexandria Bombach and Mo Scarpelli’s Frame by Frame nabbed the festival’s Spirit Award for documentary and shared the Audience Award with Neal Broffman’s film Help Us Find Sunil Tripathi. “We’re so pleased with this year’s festival,” said Director of Programming Bryce J. Renninger. “The films, filmmakers, audiences and sponsors all truly exemplify the diversity and spirit of Brooklyn and we look forward to the BFF continuing to be a vibrant part of Brooklyn’s cultural landscape.” This year we brought more filmmakers with their first or second film to New York audiences than ever before. We staged the festival in all new venues and neighborhoods, and it proved to be a great success,” said Marco Ursino, BFF’s Executive Director. “After 18 years, the festival feels as fresh as ever.” This year’s event screened 108 features and shorts from 26 countries and over 70 filmmakers attended, performing Q&A sessions after their screenings, supporting the work of other artists, and attending the festival’s various panels and parties. Complete list of Winners: GRAND CHAMELEON AWARD Best Feature Film: Joseph Frank and Zachary Reed for Sweaty Betty BEST IN CATEGORY Best Animation: Sol Friedman for Day 40 Best Experimental film: Clayton Allis & Alfie Lee for In The Future Love Will Also Best Short Subject: Bartek Konopka for From Bed Thou Arose Best Short Documentary: Danya Abt for Eric, Winter To Spring Best Documentary: Florian Schewe and Katharina Von Schroeder for We Were Rebels Best Feature Film: Joseph Frank and Zachary Reed for Sweaty Betty AUDIENCE AWARDS Audience Award in the Animation Category: Bob Blevins & Bradly Werley for T.P. Audience Award in the Experimental Film Category: Clayton Allis & Alfie Lee for In the Future Love Will Also Audience Award in the Narrative Short Category: Daisy Zhou for How to Be a Black Panther Audience Award in the Short Documentary Category: Sean Ryon and Lea Scruggs for Born Into This Audience Award in the Documentary Category (tie): Neal Broffman for Help Us Find Sunil Tripathi and Alexandria Bombach and Mo Scarpelli for Frame by Frame Audience Award in the Feature Length Narrative Category: Ryan Carmichael for But Not for Me SPIRIT AWARDS | Festival’s Favorite Spirit Award in the Narrative Short Category: Graham Chychele Waterston for And It Was Good Spirit Award in the Exp. Film Category: Janna Kyllästinen & Anne-Katrine Hansen for Division Avenue Spirit Award in the Short Doc Category: Dir: Elizabeth Lo & Melissa Langer for Treasure Island Spirit Award in the Documentary Category: Alexandria Bombach and Mo Scarpelli for Frame by Frame Spirit Award in the Animation Category: Melissa Johnson and Robertino Zambrano for Love in the Time of March Madness Spirit Award in the Feature Category: Vinko Moderndorfer for Inferno Best Brooklyn Project: Harvey Mitkas for Devil Town CERTIFICATES OF ACHIEVEMENT Best Actor (male): Ágúst Örn B. Wigum for Whale Valley and Olly Alexander for Funny Bunny Best Actor (female): Ella Purnell for Wildlike Original Score: Rafael Leloup with Ryan Carmichael, Marcus Carl Franklin Quazzy Faffle and Elena Urioste for But Not for Me Best Editing Award: Kentucker Audley, David Barker, and Caleb Johnson for Funny Bunny Best Cinematography Award: Robert Machoian for God Bless the Child Best Screenplay Award: Frank Hall Green for Wildlike Best Producer Award: Julie Christeas, Frank Hall Green, Joseph Stephans, and Schuyler Weiss for Wildlike Best New Director Award: Robert Gregson for The Refrigerator
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2015 Brooklyn Film Festival Reveals Lineup, and World Premiere of Ryan Carmichael’s But Not For Me

The 18th edition of the Brooklyn Film Festival film lineup will comprise of 108 features and shorts from 26 countries spread over 5 continents and of these, 17 are world premieres and 30 US premieres, with Ryan Carmichael’s But Not For Me as the lone narrative feature world premiere. This New York City film stars Marcus Carl Franklin, Elena Urioste, Maria Vermeulen and Roger Guenveur Smith.

In addition to But Not For Me, BFF films with a NYC connection include Matthew Yeager’s US premiere Valedictorian, starring Brian Dell, Jennifer Prediger and Eleonore Hendricks; Onur Turkel’s Abby Singer/Songwriter , also starring Prediger, along with Turkel and Josephine Decker, Harvey Mitkas’ Devil Town, starring Lindsay Burdge, Alex Karpovsky, Lawrence Michael Levine, Jennifer Prediger (no, we’re not kidding), Sophia Takal, Brooke Bloom, Noah Gershman, Jen Kim, Alex Ross Perry and Caveh Zahedi; Alison Bagnall’s Funny Bunny, starring Kentucker Audley, Joslyn Jensen, Olly Alexander, Louis Cancelmi, Josephine Decker, Anna Margaret Hollyman, Grace Gonglewski, Caridad de la Luz and Nicholas Webber; Frank Hall Green’s Wildlike, starring Ella Purnell, Bruce Greenwood, Brian Geraghty, Teddy Kyle Smith, Nolan Gerard Funk, Ann Dowd, Diane Farr, Joshua Leonard, and Jack & Robert Schurman’s documentary Wild Home.

Special events during the fest include the 11th annual KidsFilmFest 2015 on Saturday, May 30th at the Made in NY Media Center by IFP; the Filmmakers Party on June 3rd at Billet & Bellows; the BFF Exchange series of panels and a pitch session on June 6th; “The Illuminate Party,” also on June 6th, and the June 7th Awards Ceremony.

Main BFF venues are the Wythe Hotel and Windmill Studios in Greenpoint. Satellite locations include Nitehawk Cinema in Williamsburg, Made in New York Media Center By IFP in Dumbo, and BRIC House in Fort Greene.

The complete Feature lineup for the 2015 Brooklyn Film Festival is as follows. Winners of the various festival awards as chosen by the fest juries and Board of Directors receive a total of $50,000 in prizes and film services from festival sponsors Panavision NY, Abelcine, Xeno Lights, Media Services, Film Friends, Mik Cribben Steady-Cam, Cinecall Soundtracks and Windmill Studios.

Opening Night

Manson Family Vacation Director: J. Davis – Two brothers (Jay Duplass and Linas Phillips) reunite when the more free-spirited brother shows up at the other’s door with nothing but a backpack. Together, they get to know each other again while touring the sites of Charles Manson’s exploits and exploring Manson’s contemporary life. EAST COAST PREMIERE

Narrative Features

Abby Singer/Songwriter Director: Onur Tukel – Divorced stockbroker Jamie Block was once an indie-rock star. Going through a life crisis, he teams up with a filmmaker to make a series of music videos in this trippy, funny film. EAST COAST PREMIERE

But Not for Me Director: Ryan Carmichael – Will is a young writer working at an ad agency as a copywriter. Like many others his age, he is hiding his true passion for philosophy and music and holding back his true thoughts, until a relationship with a young woman inspires him. WORLD PREMIERE

Devil Town Director: Harvey Mitkas – A young woman enlists a shady detective to help her find her missing sister in this neo-noir with a cast of indie film favorites.

Eadweard Director: Kyle Rideout – A psychological biopic that explores the mind of Eadweard Muybridge, the godfather of cinema, who was also the last American to receive a justifiable homicide verdict after killing his wife’s lover. EAST COAST PREMIERE

Funny Bunny Director: Alison Bagnall – A young canvasser and a loner teenager who is estranged from his parents go on a journey to meet Ginger, the animal activist with whom the teen has developed an online relationship. EAST COAST PREMIERE

God Bless the Child Directors: Robert Machoian and Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck – In this beautifully realized observational narrative, Harper, the oldest of five siblings, must take care of her siblings. EAST COAST PREMIERE

Inferno Director: Vinko Moderndorfer – In this Slovenian realist drama, young working class family must deal with the struggles of unemployment while the global economy crumbles and local labor rebels. EAST COAST PREMIERE

Sweaty Betty Directors: Joe Frank and Zachary Reed – Two stories come out of the row houses on the border of Washington, D.C. — a pig, Ms. Charlotte, is carted around, vying for a chance to be a team mascot for the Washington Redskins; and two teenage best friends come into ownership of a dog that they attempt to sell. EAST COAST PREMIERE

Valedictorian Director: Matthew Yeager – Ben feels less and less in touch with his life in New York City, and over a year, he must confront the connections — or lack thereof — he feels with those he considers close. NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

Wildlike Director: Frank Hall Green – When teenage Mackenzie is sent to live with her uncle in Juneau, Alaska, she knows it’s not right for her. Shortly after arriving, she embarks on a journey headed south to find her mother.

Documentary Features

20 Years of Madness Director: Jeremy Royce – The founder of a mid-90’s Public Access TV show in Detroit reunites the cast twenty years later to make a new episode and discovers that his friends and former collaborators are struggling with the hard realities of adulthood.

Chameleon Director: Ryan Mullins – The elusive undercover journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas is one of Ghana’s most popular figures. Though the charismatic investigator has named and shamed various high profile malfeasants, his identity remains hidden. U.S. PREMIERE

Deep Web Director: Alex Winter – Thirty-year-old entrepreneur Ross William Ulbricht has been convicted for operating the online black market Silk Road. This comprehensive documentary tracks the history of the site and the vigorously pursued case against Ulbricht.

Frame by Frame Directors: Alexandria Bombach and Mo Scarpelli – Photography was outlawed in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan; however, with the fall of the Taliban, photographers have been key documenters of the changing nation.

Help Us Find Sunil Tripathi Director: Neal Broffman – Four weeks after disappearing from his apartment as a student at Brown University, Sunil Tripathi was accused of being Suspect #2 in the Boston Marathon bombings. The false accusations disrupted his family, steadfastly working with his friends to find him.

I Am Thor Director: Ryan Wise – Jon Mikl Thor was a bodybuilder, steel gender, and rock star in the 70’s and 80’s who led the theatrical band THOR. Today, he seeks to reclaim his mantle as a high-energy rock star. EAST COAST PREMIERE

Paradiso Director: Omar A. Razzak – Projectionist Rafael works hard to tidy up and maintain Madrid’s last remaining adult movie theater, Duque de Alba. NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

Placebo Director: Abhay Kumar – One of the most competitive medical schools, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has an acceptance rate of less than 0.1%. The high academic standards leave a harsh toll on the students. U.S. PREMIERE

We Were Rebels Directors: Katharina von Schroeder and Florian Schewe – Agel took up arms when he was ten to participate in the fight for an independent South Sudan. After leaving the conflict, Agel has returned to an independent South Sudan, where he is the captain of the national basketball team and worries over the young nation’s fragile democracy.

Wild Home Directors: Jack Schurman and Robert Schurman – Deep in the woods of Maine, Bob Miner, a Vietnam Veteran rehabilitates abused and abandoned animals. He and his wife have built a kingdom for lions, tigers, hyenas, kangaroos, black bears, and over 200 other species of animals that attracts a diverse set of visitors.
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2015 Brooklyn Film Festival Announces Film Lineup. Opens with Manson Family Vacation

The Brooklyn Film Festival announced their full slate of films for the 2015 edition, taking place May 30th to June 7th. For their 18th edition, the festival will open with the East Coast premiere of J. Davis’ Manson Family Vacation, starring Jay Duplass, Linas Phillips, Tobin Bell, Leonora Pitts, Adam Chernick and Davie-Blue, screening at new BFF venue the Wythe Hotel in Williamsburg. Executive produced by Jay & Mark Duplass, the film was acquired by Netflix at the 2015 SXSW Film Festival. This year’s festival is comprised of 108 features and shorts from 26 countries spread over 5 continents and of these, 17 are world premieres and 30 US premieres, with Ryan Carmichael’s But Not For Me as the lone narrative feature world premiere. This New York City film stars Marcus Carl Franklin, Elena Urioste, Maria Vermeulen and Roger Guenveur Smith. Other special events during the fest include the 11th annual KidsFilmFest 2015 on Saturday, May 30th at the Made in NY Media Center by IFP; the Filmmakers Party on June 3rd at Billet & Bellows; the BFF Exchange series of panels and a pitch session on June 6th; “The Illuminate Party,” also on June 6th, and the June 7th Awards Ceremony. Main 2015 Brooklyn Film Festival venues are the Wythe Hotel and Windmill Studios in Greenpoint. Satellite locations include Nitehawk Cinema in Williamsburg, Made in New York Media Center By IFP in Dumbo, and BRIC House in Fort Greene. The complete Feature lineup is as follows. Opening Night Manson Family Vacation Director: J. Davis – Two brothers (Jay Duplass and Linas Phillips) reunite when the more free-spirited brother shows up at the other’s door with nothing but a backpack. Together, they get to know each other again while touring the sites of Charles Manson’s exploits and exploring Manson’s contemporary life. EAST COAST PREMIERE Narrative Features Abby Singer/Songwriter Director: Onur Tukel – Divorced stockbroker Jamie Block was once an indie-rock star. Going through a life crisis, he teams up with a filmmaker to make a series of music videos in this trippy, funny film. EAST COAST PREMIERE But Not for Me Director: Ryan Carmichael – Will is a young writer working at an ad agency as a copywriter. Like many others his age, he is hiding his true passion for philosophy and music and holding back his true thoughts, until a relationship with a young woman inspires him. WORLD PREMIERE Devil Town Director: Harvey Mitkas – A young woman enlists a shady detective to help her find her missing sister in this neo-noir with a cast of indie film favorites. Eadweard Director: Kyle Rideout – A psychological biopic that explores the mind of Eadweard Muybridge, the godfather of cinema, who was also the last American to receive a justifiable homicide verdict after killing his wife’s lover. EAST COAST PREMIERE Funny Bunny Director: Alison Bagnall – A young canvasser and a loner teenager who is estranged from his parents go on a journey to meet Ginger, the animal activist with whom the teen has developed an online relationship. EAST COAST PREMIERE God Bless the Child Directors: Robert Machoian and Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck – In this beautifully realized observational narrative, Harper, the oldest of five siblings, must take care of her siblings. EAST COAST PREMIERE Inferno Director: Vinko Moderndorfer – In this Slovenian realist drama, young working class family must deal with the struggles of unemployment while the global economy crumbles and local labor rebels. EAST COAST PREMIERE Sweaty Betty Directors: Joe Frank and Zachary Reed – Two stories come out of the row houses on the border of Washington, D.C. — a pig, Ms. Charlotte, is carted around, vying for a chance to be a team mascot for the Washington Redskins; and two teenage best friends come into ownership of a dog that they attempt to sell. EAST COAST PREMIERE Valedictorian Director: Matthew Yeager – Ben feels less and less in touch with his life in New York City, and over a year, he must confront the connections — or lack thereof — he feels with those he considers close. NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE Wildlike Director: Frank Hall Green – When teenage Mackenzie is sent to live with her uncle in Juneau, Alaska, she knows it’s not right for her. Shortly after arriving, she embarks on a journey headed south to find her mother. Documentary Features 20 Years of Madness Director: Jeremy Royce – The founder of a mid-90’s Public Access TV show in Detroit reunites the cast twenty years later to make a new episode and discovers that his friends and former collaborators are struggling with the hard realities of adulthood. Chameleon Director: Ryan Mullins – The elusive undercover journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas is one of Ghana’s most popular figures. Though the charismatic investigator has named and shamed various high profile malfeasants, his identity remains hidden. U.S. PREMIERE Deep Web Director: Alex Winter – Thirty-year-old entrepreneur Ross William Ulbricht has been convicted for operating the online black market Silk Road. This comprehensive documentary tracks the history of the site and the vigorously pursued case against Ulbricht. Frame by Frame Directors: Alexandria Bombach and Mo Scarpelli – Photography was outlawed in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan; however, with the fall of the Taliban, photographers have been key documenters of the changing nation. Help Us Find Sunil Tripathi Director: Neal Broffman – Four weeks after disappearing from his apartment as a student at Brown University, Sunil Tripathi was accused of being Suspect #2 in the Boston Marathon bombings. The false accusations disrupted his family, steadfastly working with his friends to find him. I Am Thor Director: Ryan Wise – Jon Mikl Thor was a bodybuilder, steel gender, and rock star in the 70’s and 80’s who led the theatrical band THOR. Today, he seeks to reclaim his mantle as a high-energy rock star. EAST COAST PREMIERE Paradiso Director: Omar A. Razzak – Projectionist Rafael works hard to tidy up and maintain Madrid’s last remaining adult movie theater, Duque de Alba. NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE Placebo Director: Abhay Kumar – One of the most competitive medical schools, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has an acceptance rate of less than 0.1%. The high academic standards leave a harsh toll on the students. U.S. PREMIERE We Were Rebels Directors: Katharina von Schroeder and Florian Schewe – Agel took up arms when he was ten to participate in the fight for an independent South Sudan. After leaving the conflict, Agel has returned to an independent South Sudan, where he is the captain of the national basketball team and worries over the young nation’s fragile democracy. Wild Home Directors: Jack Schurman and Robert Schurman – Deep in the woods of Maine, Bob Miner, a Vietnam Veteran rehabilitates abused and abandoned animals. He and his wife have built a kingdom for lions, tigers, hyenas, kangaroos, black bears, and over 200 other species of animals that attracts a diverse set of visitors.
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17th Annual Brooklyn Film Festival Announces FORMULA Winners; Jadrien Steele’s VICTORIANA Wins Grand Chameleon Award and Best Narrative Feature

Brooklyn Film Festival, which ran from May 30 through June 8 in Williamsburg at indieScreen (289 Kent Avenue) and Windmill Studios NYC (287 Kent Avenue), announced the winners of its annual festival themed FORMULA. The event . The festival presented 107 film premieres from 34 countries, selected from over 2,000 submissions.

Jadrien Steele’s Victoriana won the awards for Grand Chameleon Award and Best Narrative Feature, and Best Documentary Feature went to Nima Sarvestani for No Burqas Behind Bars. Alexis Boling’s Movement and Location won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature and David Beilinson, Michael Galinsky and Suki Hawley’s Who Took Johnny won for Best Documentary Feature. Best New Director went to Matan Guggenheim for Paradise Cruise.

BFF awarded the winners with prizes totaling over $50,000 in film services and products. Prizes include a seven-day theatrical release at indieScreen for the Best Narrative Feature and Best Documentary award winners, and for the first time as well for the Best Narrative Short, Best Documentary Short, Best Animation and Best Experimental Film.

GRAND CHAMELEON AWARD:

Jadrien Steele for Victoriana

BEST IN CATEGORY:

Narrative Feature – Jadrien Steele for Victoriana

Documentary Feature – Nima Sarvestani for No Burqas Behind Bars

Narrative Short – Mauricio Osaki for My Father’s Truck

Documentary Short – Anthony Simon for Third Shift

Animation – Uri Kranot & Michelle Kranot for Hollow Land

Experimental – Charles Griffin Gibson for The Meteor

AUDIENCE AWARDS:

Documentary Feature – David Beilinson, Michael Galinsky and Suki Hawley for Who Took Johnny

Narrative Feature – Alexis Boling for Movement and Location

Narrative Short – Jacob Kindlon for Vocabulary of the Mysteries

Documentary Short – Thomas Wood for LA Miner

Animation – Rick Manlapig for Fakie

Experimental – Augusto Giachino for Third Sister

CERTIFICATES OF ACHIEVEMENT:

Best New Director – Matan Guggenheim for Paradise Cruise

Best Producer – Christophe Nick and Victor Ede for Boy Saloum

Best Screenplay – Bodine Boling for Movement and Location

Best Cinematography – Franz Dude for My Blind Heart

Best Editing – T.J. Misny for Intimate Semaphores

Best Original Score – Dan Tepfer for Movement and Location

Best Actor (Female) – Rezeta Veliu for Rezeta

Best Actor (Male) – Christos Haas for My Blind Heart

BROOKLYN PRIDE AWARD:

Beyza Boyacioglu & Sebastian Diaz Aguirre for Toñita’s

SPIRIT AWARDS:

Narrative Feature – Fernando Frias for Rezeta

Documentary Feature – Mladen Kovacevic for Unplugged

Narrative Short – Peter Vack for Send

Documentary Short – Stephen Greenwood for Tunnel Vision

Experimental – Miriam Harris & Juliet Palner for Warsaw, January 2011

Animation – Catya Plate for Hanging By a Thread

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Brooklyn Film Festival

2017 WINNERS

Spirit Awards

Audience Awards

Certificates of Outstanding Achievement

FEATURE NARRATIVES:

FEATURE DOCUMENTARIES: