Tribal Justice (2017) Brooklyn Film Festival 2017

Tribal Justice is one of the best films I’ve seen playing at the Brooklyn Film Festival. The film is a look at the community courts set up in several Native American communities, specifically the Yurok and Quechan communities  The idea is that judges from the community help create real justice and help to keep the offenders out of jail and living as a part of the community. At a time when there seems to be a minor wave of films looking at how the criminal justice system works in the US and how things might be made better Tribal Justice is a breath of fresh air.

Beautifully blending the story of the community court with the story of two of the judges the film draws us in and makes us part of the discussion happening on screen. While most other similar documentaries also show us the lives of those involved in the story they almost never draw us like in Tribal Justice. In other films there always seems to be a wall between the audience and the judges and even the judges and the people before them, but here the wall is gone and we get a sense of this being more than just being an official proceeding but instead this is a like family. You have to applaud director-- for making this story not about the abstract idea of justice but rather a story about people where we really get a sense of the stakes for everyone involved.

While you may have seen similar stories before few will connect you to the people involved as well as Tribal Justice

Recommended.

TRIBAL JUSTICE plays June 8 and 9 at the Brooklyn Film Festival. FOr tickets and more information go here.

ENTANGLEMENT (2017) Brooklyn FIlm Festival 2017

While searching for the meaning of his life Ben discovers that he almost had a sister. When he meets the woman who might have been things in his already weird life get weirder.

Quirky (in both good and bad way) low key comedy is either going to thrill you or annoy the hell out of you depending upon which moment you are in. Blame both writer Jason Filatrault and director Jason James who take their notion that everything is entangled in everything else and run with it to the point that many sequences just are either over done (the opening attempted suicide sequence) or are just going weird for reasons I'm not sure of.  The result is a film that doesn't quite work because it's trying way too hard to be thoughtful, clever, funny and touching all at the roughly the same time. The result is a film that is like a friend who you want to slap because they just won't stop.

I like the film I just wish it wasn't trying so damn hard to be great.

ENTANGLEMENT opened this years Brooklyn Film Festival last night and it runs again on June 7th.  For more information and tickets go here

First Bloom (2017) Brooklyn Film Festival 2017

I have little to say but if there is justice FIRST BLOOM will win the Oscar for Best Animated Short. This is a five minute film that had me weeping at the end and then watching it again...and again ...until my computer locked up.

The plot is simple - a young boy is bought by the emperor to be the servant of his young daughter.  As time passes they become close.

Done in a watercolor style similar to Isao Takahata’s watercolor work this film is a perfect companion to his THE TALE OF PRINCESS KAGUYA. Not to put too fine a point on it it is as good as that feature which I hold as one of Studio Ghibli's finest achievements.

A simple tale delicately rendered, this is a perfect example of how a simple visual style delicately used can move an audience to tears in mere moments. This is as good as short films get.

An absolute must. This is one of the most amazing films of any length I've seen this year.

FIRST BLOOM plays Monday June 5th and Saturday June 10th. For tickets and more information go here

Shut Up Anthony (2017) Brooklyn Film Festival 2017

How you react to a film very often is keyed to how you react to the characters and if not the characters the actors portraying them. This is especially the case with small independent films that are not in a specific genre since you don't have scares or guns or effects to distract you from the central performances. In the case of SHUT UP ANTHONY how you react to the film is entirely keyed to how you react to actor Robert D’Esposito and his character Anthony.

Anthony is a neurotic guy who takes way too much to heart and who talks way too much and doesn't always say the right thing. This causes him to lose his girlfriend and job in rapid succession. Retreating to his family's time share he ends up having to share it with Tim, an alcoholic childhood friend who is living in the house. As the days pass the pair bond and complications set in.

I am at sixes and sevens about this film. I really like this film for the most part. I think it's funny and charming and frequently on target. Its a film that at it's core is an inde comedy that transcends the genre. I think  writer director Kyle Eaton has made a wonderful film to the point that I want to see what his next film is...

...the problem is Robert D’Esposito as Anthony annoyed the hell out of me. I completely understand that we are supposed to be bothered by this guy but there is simply something about the way that D'Esposito plays him that never allowed me to fully warm to the guy. I kind of wanted him to shut up. While I could follow Anthony's arc and the arc of the character there is something that kept me from truly being happy at the end.

That said there is a super little film here and if you think you can get past the central performance SHUT UP ANTHONY is recommended.

Cooking With Connie (2017) Brooklyn FIlm Festival 2017

I was not ready for the absolute punch in the face mind warp that is COOKING WITH CONNIE. This 20 minute descent into hell is almost certain to leave you wondering what you just saw and why you are feeling out of sorts.

The basic idea of the film is that Connie is performing on a 1970's cooking show being done in her kitchen. The trouble is that her abusive husband is home and he interrupts the cooking. Where it goes and how it goes will leave you staring at the screen.

Bound to get you spinning from it's first minutes the film is an ever evolving experience that will keep you off balance for it's entire running time. Beginning as a badly done cooking show complete with a sign interpreter in the corner, the film begins to fuck with its audience as we first see a bruised eye suddenly appear on Connie and she shakes it off. She then reacts to his rants off screen and we watch as she disconnects as he staggers in and out of the frame. Director Stavit Allweis then drifts off into experimental territory as Connie begins to behave strangely the change over from conventional to something more visceral is so well done that we can't look away nor disconnect from what is happening. We are invested in Connie and her fate and we too feel the emotional toll as her husband's existence rocks her soul.

About half way into the film I put my head in my hands and just stared at the screen. When it was done I stared into the darkness. The film had knocked me back on my heels and I was trying to regroup.

I know I could easily intellectualize what I saw, pretend to know the deeper meanings of it all, but there is something about COOKING WITH CONNIE that kept me from doing that. For me there was something about the emotions kicked up that were kind of more important than the ideas. I know the feelings were connected to the ideas but by sitting and just feeling after the film for a while, I think I connected to the ideas better. The film became something that worked on the head and the heart with so points Allweis was trying to make hit deeper.

I'm rocked. This is something special

At the same time I know that this film isn't going to work for some people. I suspect that seeing this in a collection of shorts is going to have it play differently then how I saw it, alone and isolated with nothing to get in its way. I  kind of don't envy anyone seeing this in a collection where you can't stop the next film from playing and you can't sit quietly and process what you have just seen.

While I don't know how this is going to play for you, I do recommend it because  I think there is a good chance this is going to be a film which will provoke a reaction and make you more than just a passive observer but one who connects and reacts to it.

The film screens June 3 and 11th. For tickets and more information go here.

The Archer (2017) Brooklyn Film Festival 2017

Young woman is sent away to a for profit jail by a corrupt judge.  She doesn't realize how bad a mistake has been made until she runs up against a warden who is a vile scumbag. With one of the other girls she plots an escape.

While claiming to be based on a true story, other than the corrupt judge angle the film has little to do with reality. More concerned with the young women trying to get away the film is best viewed as thriller since that is where the film works best, particularly during the second half.

.Worth a look

THE ARCHER plays Sunday the 4th and Wednesday the 7th at the Brooklyn Film Festival. For more information and tickets go here.

Nightcap 5/28/17 We are covering SIX film festivals this week:Open Roads, Brooklyn, Art of Brooklyn, Dancing With Films and Greenwich

The festival box offices are open

This is going to be a crazy couple of weeks and as a result I have to apologize to a good number of film festivals. I need to apologize because the promised coverage is going to be slightly curtailed. The reduction is not due to my disapproval of the festivals rather there is simply too many going on all at the same time. There are at least 5 film festivals in the New York City Metro area plus one major one in LA all starting this Thursday or Friday and there is a similar amount the following week.

I realized how crazy it was going to be when I sat down to start to schedule the curtain raisers and realized that I was going to be in trouble since there was so much to write up- worse was the realization that I had agreed to review a good number of films at each festival. A couple weeks back I said that I was going to take a break from reviewing stuff only to found I jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire.

Normally I would write up a curtain raiser for each festival but I this week and next I can't do that. There is simply too many things going on and I would have dimply done a cut and paste job for each so instead what I’m going to do is cut to the chase for each and give to the good parts curtain raiser for each.

I know this will bother some of the PR people who would have liked me to talk about their fest on its own but there is way too much inde cinema for me to do that. Actually the cool thing is that this is proof that despite this being the blockbuster season there are some awesome places to find great small films if you just look.
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Lincoln Center’s Open Roads is one of my favorite film festivals of the year. Every year it’s a stunning collection of films from Italy. While we get many “bigger” films released to the multiplexes the truly best film from the country are screened here. I’ve been covering the fest for the last five years and every year there are two or three films that end up in my film collection.

I love it to pieces

As it stands now I’ve seen four films (reviews to follow) and I’m hoping to get to a few of the festival screenings.

Based on what I’ve seen if you are interested just buy a ticket and go. Even the least film I’ve seen is better than most films coming out of Hollywood. They are also the least of a sterling bunch. As always Open Roads is an embarrassment of riches.

Open Roads Runs June 1 to 7. For tickets and more information go here.
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The Brooklyn Film Festival has been running for 20 years and every year it shines a light on some stunning examples of independent cinema. I have had some truly wonderful experiences at the festival and every year I look forward to seeing what sort of goodies the festival is putting forward.

While the festival has had a nomadic existence over the course of its history, it has settled down in to a few permanent locations in the Bushwick sections of Brooklyn.

I’ve seen a bunch of films and I’ve liked everything I’ve seen. I have a few more to see, but I recommend that you check out the schedule (found here) and buy a bunch of tickets.

The Brooklyn Film Festival runs from June 2 to 11. For more information and tickets go here.
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Next weekend, a short train ride from New York is the Greenwich Film Festival. Located in Greenwich Connecticut the festival is a killer collection of titles and events that are bringing some of the best of other fests to those north of NYC. The selection of films is so good that if I didn’t have commitments for other events I’d be on the train to be there in person.

As this posts I am trying to arrange screenings of some of the films showing. I’m not sure it’s going to happen, but I’m hopeful.

However I don’t want to leave you all hanging and below you’ll find a list of films that we’ve covered elsewhere with links to our reviews.

The festival runs June 1 to 4. For more information and tickets go here.

The films we’ve seen:

Blame
Big Sonia
Bobbi Jene
City of Ghosts
Grey State
It’s Not Yet Dark
Swim Team

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I blame Joe Bendel for putting Los Angeles’ Dances with Films on my radar. A couple years back Joe told me I should be covering it and over the years I’ve done so in fits and starts. This year because I caught it earlier, and because I have been dealing with the PR firm responsible for getting word out I got I on the ground floor.

Dances is a wicked festival that always manages to get some killer films that end up being a big deal a couple of months after the fact. The result is always a stream of profanity when I realize I could have been in on the ground floor if I had only known. Dances is just a great mix of inde cinema that any cinema fan worth their salt should either attend or at the very be aware of. Its just a great festival.

I will be having some reviews coming up but until then, if you are in the Los Angeles area go buy tickets. (Might I strongly suggest getting tickets for suggest D-LOVE, IMITATION GIRL, HERBIE, and Jason Kartlian’s fall down funny SUBCULTURE)

Dances With Films runs June 1 to 11. For more information and tickets go here.

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The Art of Brooklyn Film festival runs June 2 to 11 and its one of the best kept secrets in New York.

A neat little festival that always screens some great films and has some great film related panels the festival has been the launching point for some really good films.

We’ve already seen Future 38 and Dunning Man and hopefully we’ll have more coverage of some of the panels (I’m hoping to get to the white washing  and the micro Budget filmmaking seminars).

For tickets and more information go here.

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 And because that isn't enough look for JB to be throwing some coverage your way of MOMA's A New Golden Age: Contemporary Philippine Cinema which runs all through June. Full details on the series here.
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And remember keep checking back because the next three weeks will be nothing but festival coverage (and a few new releases)

20th Annual Brooklyn Film FestivalAnnounces Lineup of 122 Films

Jason James’ “Entanglement” Scheduled to Open Event

Brooklyn, NY (May 15, 2017) - The Brooklyn Film Festival (BFF), presented this year by Stella Artois, announced today the film lineup for the 2017 edition. The festival will open on Friday, June 2nd at returning BFF venue, the Wythe Hotel in Williamsburg. BFF is proud to present its opening night film, 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 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; the Filmmakers Party on June 8th from 6pm-8pm at the new G-Star Raw store in Williamsburg; the BFF Exchange series of panels on June 10th at Kickstarter Headquarters and party at Williamsburg Music Center; and the June 11th Awards Ceremony followed by the closing night party at Windmill Studios NYC. Throughout the duration of the festival, Stella Artois and BFF will provide a Filmmaker Lounge at Windmill Studios. Guests will be able to relax between screenings with a crisp, cold Stella while networking with fellow filmmakers.

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.

Below is a partial line-up of highlighted films. To view the full film line up, visit:
http://www.brooklynfilmfestival.org/films/2017/index.asp.

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” – NEW YORK 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.

About Brooklyn Film Festival (BFF) :
The organizers of the Brooklyn Film Festival (BFF), have been staging International, competitive film events since 1998. BFF's 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. BFF, inc. is a not-for-profit organization.

For more info about the festival please visit www.brooklynfilmfestival.org.

BROOKLYN FILM FESTIVAL Announces 20th Anniversary Edition Presented by Stella Artois

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, March 30, 2017 - Brooklyn Film Festival (BFF), the first international, competitive film festival in New York, has closed submissions for its milestone 20th anniversary edition. BFF received a total of 2,650 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.

BFF’s selection criteria, a 20-year-old set of rules, constitutes the true festival’s trademark. Participating films cannot be older than two years. Films are selected from the submissions only. All the selected films are shown twice. All the selected films participate in the competition. And the smallest film can win the top festival award: The Grand Chameleon.

The festival will run from June 2 through June 11 at our two main venues: Wythe Hotel in Williamsburg and Windmill Studios NYC in Greenpoint. Additional programming will be presented on June 5 and 6 at Syndicated in Bushwick and on June 9 at UnionDocs in Williamsburg. On June 3, BFF will present its 13th annual kidsfilmfest at Made in NY Media Center by IFP in Dumbo. And on June 10, the 6th annual Exchange program will be hosted by Kickstarter in Greenpoint.

BFF Executive Director Marco Ursino said of the 2017 edition, “BFF is 20 years old and it’s a real celebration to share our own film experience with Brooklyn and the world! Since inception, BFF has reviewed more than 30,000 projects and showed in competition more than 2,000 films. We want to honor the indie filmmaker, creativity, resourcefulness and determination, and to celebrate our audience and Brooklyn’s amazing popularity. The 20th BFF is going to be extroverted and fun. More screenings and venues than ever before and a few special events where the audience, the filmmakers, the industry and the media will be able to connect and share. This year’s festival is without a doubt the most ambitious project to date and I can’t think of a better partner than Stella Artois to create situations that are both fun and productive. Stella Artois has been supporting the indie film industry for a very long time and their experience is certainly going to enhance our networking efforts. We are particularly excited to share in part Stella’s commitment to water.org and their charitable Clean Water campaign.”

About Stella Artois
Stella Artois® is part of a Belgian brewing tradition dating back to 1366. It is the No. 1 Belgian beer in the world and is present in over 95 countries. Stella Artois® is a bottom filtered, blonde pilsner. It is thirst quenching with a malty middle and crisp finish delivering a full flavor and a hint of bitterness. Stella Artois® is best enjoyed served between 3 and 5 degrees Celsius and should be served in the unique Stella Artois® Chalice according to the 9-Step Pouring Ritual to guarantee a perfect experience of this gold standard lager. Visit www.stellaartois.com for more information.

BFF’s list of sponsors for 2017 also includes WNET, Eurochannel, G-Star Raw, Panavision, AbelCine, and for the 6th year, the truly innovative TBWA/CHIAT/DAY that will create our promotional campaign. As a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization, BFF is supported, in part, by public funds from the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.

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 and Best New Director. Through the resources of our sponsors, BFF will assign to the winning filmmakers over $60,000 in prizes (products, services, and cash).

About the programmers
BFF’s Feature Narrative programmer is Emilia Ferreira. She’s been making films since the age of 14. After her Journalism and Mass Communications studies in Brazil and the US, she started her career as a photographer and art director. The Feature Documentary programmer is Julie Bridgham, an award-winning documentary filmmaker. She directed and produced “The Sari Soldiers,” for which she received the Nestor Almendros Prize for courage and commitment in human rights filmmaking, and both a Sundance and IFP Documentary Fellowship. Natalie Gee, a multiple short film producer leads BFF’s Short Narrative category. Brandon Harrison, a graduate of the UCLA School of Film and Television is the Short Documentary programmer. Melanie Abramov, a BFF Alumni and director from Brooklyn, is the Experimental category programmer. She received her BFA from Parsons School of Design and later founded her production company, Dame Productions, which lends a necessary and provocative voice to women in media. Julia Cowle, BFF’s Animation programmer, is an independent filmmaker, illustrator, animator, and comedy writer.

About the Exchange
For the sixth consecutive year, on June 10 from 11am-5pm at Kickstarter in Greenpoint, the festival will continue its BFF Exchange, aimed ultimately at connecting filmmakers with film distributors. BFF Exchange will feature a pitch session, panels and a Happy Hour.

About KFF
On Saturday, June 3 from 1pm-3pm at Made in NY Media Center by IFP, BFF will present the 13th annual kidsfilmfest, which aims to discover, expose and promote the youngest generation of filmmakers. The film program is tailored for children of all ages (films are rated "G"), and consists of numerous animated shorts, documentaries and live-action films. A Q&A with the filmmakers and a filmmaker's workshop will follow the program.

About BFF
The organizers of the Brooklyn Film Festival have been staging International, competitive film events since 1998. BFF's 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. BFF, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.

For more info about the festival please visit www.brooklynfilmfestival.org.
For more info about kidsfilmfest, visit www.kidsfilmfest.org.