16 years ago this month, The Film Stage was born in city of Buffalo. For those living in or near the Western New York city, the Buffalo International Film Festival is certainly on your radar, curated by Artistic Director John J. Fink, also a long-time contributor to The Film Stage. The 18th edition of the festival has now announced its lineup, featuring over 200 feature films, shorts and episodic works from over 30 countries, running in person October 10-17th. Festival screening venues in Buffalo include the historic North Park Theatre, Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center, Buffalo Toronto Public Media (WNED Studios), Burchfield Penney Arts Center, Journey’s End Refugee Cinema.
“We’re so excited to welcome everyone to our expanded edition of the Buffalo International Film Festival, which features a rich assortment of local, regional, national and global fiction and nonfiction works that we hope will delight, inspire, and challenge our audiences to see the world in new ways,” said Artistic Director John J. Fink.
Executive Director Anna Scime added, “We’re proud to contribute to our growing film production ecosystems here in WNY by creating memorable events for our community, celebrating our local filmmakers and industries, and inviting visiting film delegates to our remarkable region to enjoy all that it has to offer and share their work. We’re honored to present these amazing films and artists to our audiences here in WNY/ S. Ontario/ Hodinöhšo:ni:h lands.”
Tickets and passes for this year’s edition are on sale to the general public now at buffalofilm.org.
See the lineup below.
OPENING NIGHT GALA
ECO VILLAGE, directed by Phoebe Nir (USA)
Songwriter Robyn (Sidney Flanigan of Never Rarely Sometimes Always) hitch-hikes her way to a commune. There, she meets an eccentric cast of characters, including commune founder Ursula (Lindsay Michelle Burdge) and handyman Jake (Alex Breaux), the latter becoming her lover.
CLOSING NIGHT GALA
THREE INFALLIBLE RULES, directed by Marco Gianfreda (Italy)
Fourteen year-old Bruno (Guglielmo Aquaro) is in a state of panic: he finds out his first love is requited, but has no idea what to do next. He needs someone to teach him the ropes, and it just so happens that his best bet is the much detested Luca (Matteo Olivetti), the only man capable of making his hopeless mother Claudia (Cristiana Dell’Anna) fall in love again.
LEGACY GALA
DEMOLITION MAN, directed by Marco Brambilla (USA)
Featuring an extended conversation with BIFF Lifetime Achievement award winner, Production Designer David L. Snyder.
John Spartan (Sylvester Stallone) is a risk-taking LAPD police officer in 1996 with a reputation for causing destruction while carrying out his work. After a failed attempt to rescue hostages from evil crime lord Simon Phoenix (Westley Snipes), they are both sentenced to be cryogenically frozen. Phoenix is thawed for a parole hearing in 2032 but escapes into a society that has changed after all violent crime has seemingly been eliminated. This pacifistic future society is ill-equipped to deal with a criminal of Phoenix’s caliber, and Spartan is released from the cryogenic prison to pursue his old ultra-violent-nemesis. A Warner Brothers release.
ART HOUSE CENTERPIECE
NEW WAVE, directed by Elizabeth Ai (USA)
A self reflexive story of joy and youthful defiance, filmmaker Elizabeth Ai explores a musical phenomenon in the 1980s known to Vietnamese American teens as new wave.
ART HOUSE SPOTLIGHT
S/HE IS STILL HER/E, directed by David Charles Rodrigues (USA)
Pioneering electronic musician/avant-garde artist/spiritual explorer/gender revolutionary/cult leader(!?) Genesis P. Orridge has been featured in numerous films and videos, but never the full story…until now. In this “authorized” but extremely raw and personal documentary, award-winning director David Charles Rodrigues (GAY CHORUS DEEP SOUTH) documents the final year of P-Orridge’s existence as they grapple with mortality and get ready to “drop [their] body.”
SOCIAL JUSTICE SPOTLIGHT
SONGS FROM THE HOLE, directed by Contessa Gayles (USA)
At 15, he took a life. Three days later, his brother’s life was taken. A documentary visual album, SONGS FROM THE HOLE follows James “JJ’88” Jacobs through a musical opus of Hip-Hop and Soul, inspired by his innermost struggles as both a person who has committed and experienced violent harm, as he serves a double-life prison sentence.
PANEL PROGRAMS
Presented at Buffalo Toronto Public Media
BUFFALO’S BRIGHTEST
This panel features some of Buffalo’s brightest acting talents! Panelists Daniel Croix, Sidney Flanigan, and Patrick Gallo will discuss their work in this year’s festival, and their careers, creative processes, and more.
IT TAKES AN ECO VILLAGE
This panel focuses on BIFF’s Opening Night Gala Film – Eco Village – a folk-opera-romance and coming-of-age tale set in a commune, exploring the contradictions and costs of living in utopia. Panelists will discuss their film, the production process and process of poiesis, creative exchanges, and more. Panelists: Director/Writer Phoebe Nir, Star Sidney Flanigan, Star Lindsay Burdge, Star Eric Austin, Producer Giovanni Labadessa, and Editor/Co-Producer Linds Gray
LOVE (ITALIAN STYLE)
This panel focuses on BIFF’s Closing Night Gala Film – Three Infallible Rules – a film about a single mother and her son who both fall in love, and struggle to find a balance between their home and romantic lives. Panelists will discuss their film, the production process and process of poiesis, creative exchanges, and more. Panelists: Marco Gianfreda and Star Cristiana Dell’Anna.
DOCUMENTARY FEATURES
23 MILE, directed by Mitch McCabe (USA)
Part verité essay film, part political diary, 23 MILE is an experimental nonfiction film following Americans during cataclysmic events in the Midwestern swing state of Michigan throughout 2020– including the plot to kidnap governor Whitmer– painting a portrait of a populace that defies media stereotypes.
ALL TOO CLEAR, directed by Yvonne Drebert + Zach Melnick (Canada)
Using cutting-edge underwater drones to explore how quadrillions of tiny invasive mussels are re-engineering the ecosystem of North America’s Great Lakes at a scale not seen since the glaciers, this film focuses its lens on the lake bottom sounding the alarm about the threat of vast biological deserts.
A PICTURE TO REMEMBER, directed by Olga Chernykh (Ukraine)
An essayistic account of a family’s long journey through the war. It chronicles the search for a way to handle terrible and recurring losses experienced by three generations of Ukrainian women – those of the director, her mother, and her grandmother. It’s a moving exploration of identity, heritage, and the power of storytelling to connect us in times of upheaval.
BEST OF THE BEST – JAZZ FROM DETROIT, directed by Daniel Loewenthal (USA)
The story of Detroit’s innovative and influential jazz musicians, set within the dramatic rise and fall of this most resilient American city, highlights the profound creativity and landmark impact of its African American musical community.
CHILDREN OF THE WICKER MAN, directed by Justin Hardy, Dominic Hardy & Chris Nunn
50 years on from the making of The Wicker Man (1973), director Robin Hardy’s lost papers come to filmmaker son Justin. Enlisting his brother Dominic, they journey to uncover the complex nature of the infamous production and their relationships with their father.
DEMON MINERAL, directed by Hadley Austin (USA)
In this community portrait, the Navajo Nation struggles to restore vital living space in the radioactive desert of the American Southwest. Spanning the breadth of the Navajo Nation, in a landscape perforated by abandoned uranium mines, the film unearths the thousand-years-long project of reclaiming sacred homeland.
DIARY OF AN ELEPHANT ORPHAN, directed by Hermien Roelvert-van Gils (South Africa)
Khanyisa – a 3-month-old albino elephant calf – is brought to an orphanage after being caught in a wire snare. As the team running the orphanage fight to save the young calf’s life, the question remains: will Khanyisa be able to integrate into a new family and, by doing so, prove that the Jabulani-elephant herd can change the face of elephant rehabilitation in South Africa.
DRIVER, directed by Nesa Azimi (USA)
After losing everything, Desiree Wood takes a second lease on life as a long-haul truck driver. Alongside an irreverent group of women truckers, she fights for a life on the road. Using an intimate and observational approach, DRIVER captures the experience of Desiree and her fellow drivers within a system that routinely promises and denies them the safety and autonomy that they desire.
FILM IS DEAD. LONG LIVE FILM, directed by Peter Flynn (USA)
An exploration of the vanishing world of private film collecting — an obsessive, secretive, often illicit world of basement film vaults, piled -high with forgotten reels, inhabited by passionate cinephiles devoted to the rescue and preservation of photochemical film.
HIS NAME IS RAY, directed by Michael Del Monte (Canada)
Ray once had everything. A job that he loved with the Coast Guard. The father to a family. But his addiction took it all away. Now, the former sailor lives on the streets of Toronto with an entire population that seems to have just fallen through the cracks.
HOLLYWOOD ON A SHOESTRING, directed by Matthew Devlen (USA)
A playful profile exploring the life, films, and crew surrounding independent low budget filmmaker Mark Pirro.
Screening with the short film HIT GIRL, directed by Victoria Gluchoski & Thom Henke
HOMEGROWN, directed by Michael Premo (USA)
A verité portrait of a fractured America, offering an unprecedented look at three right-wing activists as they search for purpose and power – with dire consequences.
LA LAGUNA DEL SOLDADO / THE SOLDIER’S LAGOON, directed by Pablo Alvarez-Mesa (Canada)
La Laguna del Soldado delves deep into the misty Páramo region, and into an ecosystem rich in water, and saturated with oral narratives that populate the territory like foggy patches. Reflecting on the construction of oral history and its relation to the land, the film traverses the Páramo; a living and elusive archive, navigating through the dense fog suspended between Simon Bolivar’s past and Colombia’s present.
Screening with the short film HULI, directed by Daniel Croix.
LESVIA, directed by Tzeli Hadjidimitriou (Greece)
Greek cinematographer/filmmaker Tzeli Hadjidimitriou humorously describes herself as “a double lesbian…a woman who grew up on Lesbos and is also a lesbian” in this illuminating, nostalgic, and kaleidoscopic portrait of the sun-soaked village of Eressos on the island of Lesbos, where women who love women from around the world have been gathering since the late 1970s.
Screening with the short film TESTUDO HERMANNI, directed by G. Anthony Svatek
LICENSE TO DIE: THE PAT ROWE STORY, directed by Daniel M. Crapsi (USA)
Orphaned early, Pat Rowe overcomes a life of struggles to become a role model and mentor to countless people through founding Silver Wheels, a wheelchair football team in Buffalo, N.Y.
THE LOST LEGACY OF TONY GAUDIO, directed by Alessandro Nucci (Italy)
The fascinating story of Tony Gaudio, the first Italian to win an Academy Award in 1937. 75 years later an American detective goes on his trail, reconstructing the fascinating life of Tony Gaudio, in the hope of finding his Oscar statuette.
REALM OF SATAN, directed by Scott Cummings (USA)
An experimental nonfiction portrait of the Church of Satan, a worldwide, half-century old religion dedicated to the celebration of carnality and individualism that takes Satan as its central figure. The film explores Satanists as they exist today, portraying their everyday lives and the magical rituals they engage in.
ROBERT SHIELDS: MY LIFE AS A ROBOT, directed by Mark Bonn (USA)
The story of Robert Shields who went from a teenager performing as a robot in front of the Hollywood Wax Museum to having a top-rated CBS variety show with his wife Lorene Yarnell in the ’70s and, unbeknownst to him, became the inspiration for top dancers all over the world.
UNION, directed by Stephen Maing & Brett Story (USA)
The Amazon Labor Union (ALU) — a group of current and former Amazon workers in New York City’s Staten Island — takes on one of the world’s largest and most powerful companies in the fight to unionize. Chronicling the historic efforts of the ALU, UNION is an intimate and surprising story of dogged determination, unorthodox tactics, and speaking up despite David vs. Goliath odds.
NARRATIVE FEATURES
AVA, directed by Martin R. McGowan (USA)
After the death of her best friend, Ava is thrown into her senior year of high school alone in this tender indie drama.
Screening with the short film THIS CROWDED ROOM, directed by Rafael Burgo Nieves.
THE DISINVITED, directed by Devin Lawrence (USA)
Against his–or anyone else’s–better judgment, Carl (Sam Daly) decides to crash an event where he is no longer welcome, setting off a day filled with betrayal, violence, heartache, and exes who should never get back together.
JAZZY, directed by Morissa Maltz (USA)
Jazzy navigates the space between childhood and young adulthood. When her best friend moves away, Jazzy (Jasmine Shangreaux) experiences both a sense of loss and her first inkling of independence. Also starring Lily Gladstone, Raymond Lee, Syriah Fool Head Means, Golden Rose, and Richard Ray Whitman.
JUST A FARMER, directed by Simon Lyndon (Australia)
When Alison’s beloved and hardworking husband, Alec, suddenly dies, she is left with the care of an alcoholic father-in-law, a failing farm, and her two young children. Struggling to pick up the pieces of her life, Alison is forced to reckon with the reasons for her husband’s death while trying to forge a new path for her family in rural Victoria.
MAGPIE, directed by Sam Yates (UK)
A married couple’s relationship (Daisy Ridley and Shazad Latif) begins to fracture when their daughter is cast alongside a glamorous movie star (Matilda Lutz). As suspicions intensify, secrets and lies threaten to bubble to the surface and destroy them all. A Shout Studios release.
Screening with the short film ONE TAKE, directed by Elizabeth Cappuccino
MEMOIR OF A SNAIL, directed by Adam Eliot (Australia)
Grace, a young girl in 1970s Australia, begins collecting snails after her mother’s death. She and her twin brother Gilbert live with their father Percy, an alcoholic former juggler and paraplegic, until he dies in his sleep and the twins are separated and sent to foster homes hundreds of miles away from each other. Featuring the voices of Eric Bana, Sarah Snook, Kodi Smit-McPhee and Nick Cave. An IFC FIlms release.
Screening with the short film I WANT TO BE ALONE, directed by Piper Charron.
MICRO BUDGET, directed by Morgan Evans (USA)
When Terry (Patrick Noth) discovers he’s about to be a father, he does what any other sane person would do. He moves himself and his nine-months-pregnant wife from Iowa to Los Angeles to shoot a low-budget indie movie and sell it to a streamer for a “fuck-ton of money.”
THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG, directed by Mohammad Rasoulof (Germany/France/Iran)
Investigating Judge Iman grapples with paranoia amid political unrest in Tehran. When his gun vanishes, he suspects his wife and daughters, imposing draconian measures that strain family ties as societal rules crumble. A Neon release.
SKEET, directed by Nik Sexton (Canada)
Fresh out of prison, Billy Skinner (Sean Dalton) returns to his transformed low-income neighborhood feeling like a fish out of water. The area has changed dramatically, and what was once a predominantly white neighborhood is now mostly occupied by refugee families.
TALLYWACKER, directed by Brendan Boogie (USA)
When he gets a shot at the big time, Allister (Jeremy Dubs), a rock musician with brittle bone disease, is forced to choose between a life of touring or remaining in Boston with bandmate Chris Goowin (Emmett) and protective mother Bonnie (Laurie Hamfeldt Mahoney).
TEN YEARS MYANMAR, directed by Thaiddhi, Nay Wunn Ni, Myo Thar Khin, Aung Min & Lamin Oo (Myanmar)
An omnibus of five stories speculating on the future of Myanmar, curated by Keiko Sei, with support by Chris Hill
TO A LAND UNKNOWN, directed by Mahdi Fleifel (Greece/ Denmark/ United Kingdom/ Netherlands/ Qatar/ Saudi Arabia/ Palestine)
Chatila (Mahmood Bakri) and Reda (Aram Sabbah) are Palestinian refugees living in Athens and are trying to save what little money they can acquire to purchase fake passports so they can move to Germany. When Reda spends all their money on heroin, Chatila is drawn into a high-risk smuggling plot.
UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE, directed by Matthew Rankin (Canada)
In a mysterious and surreal interzone somewhere between Tehran and Winnipeg, the lives of multiple characters interweave with each other in surprising ways. An Oscilloscope Laboratories release.
QUEEN OF THE RING, directed by Ash Avildsen (USA)
The true story of Mildred Burke (Emily Bett Rickards), the first million-dollar female athlete in history. Millie, a young single mother, defies societal norms by becoming a professional wrestler during a time when female wrestling was illegal in most of the U.S. Starting her career by competing against men at carnivals, she builds an impressive record and paves the way for women’s wrestling to gain acceptance.
VULCANIZADORA, directed by Joel Potrykus (USA)
Two friends, Marty and Derek, trudge through a Michigan forest with the intention of following through on a disturbing pact. After they fail, one of them must return home to deal with the legal and emotional repercussions. A Factory 25 release.
A WITCH LIVES IN THE ATTIC, directed by Lilith Crimi (USA)
A witch and other strange things live in the attic above lonely, dope-addled artist, Grey. After meeting Renee, Grey struggles to appease these beings, as she tries to find her place within the outside world.
Screening with the short film RED THUMB, directed by Kolya Kishinsky & Geneva Huffman
BIFF SHORTS PROGRAMS
COMEDIES + DRAMEDIES
A collection of comedies, dramedies, episodics and shorts.
Featuring the short films and episodes:
THE CAFONE, EPISODE # 1: “THE BADGE”, directed by Thomas Bentey
PROBLEMATIC, directed by Sushma Khadepaun
CINCHING SADDLES, directed by Aman Pannu & Kevin Sengara
PREMIUM CASKET, directed by Josh Park
EXPECTING, directed by Esther Rauch
BREAKFAST, directed by Ohad Ira Amram
CROSSING PATHS
An ode to all manner of encounters.
Features the short films:
HOLDING ON FOREVER, directed by Chelsea Christer
OVER THE HILL, directed by Ryan Canney
SHINER, directed by Nora Marris
OKAY BOOMER, directed by Julian Stamboulieh
TRYING, directed by Emily Alpren
COYOTES, directed by Vashti Anderson
MATINEE BABY, directed by Thom Hilton
HANDLE WITH CARE, directed by Michael Glover Smith
DANGER ZONE
NSFW. WTF. LMFAO. Movies.
Featuring the short films:
WHEN JACOB JINKERS CAME TO TOWN, directed by Max Levine & Alex Schulman
HEAP, directed by Kyle Marchen
SECRET MENU BEAUTY PAGEANT, directed by Frankie Campisano & SG Egan
TRANSYLVANIE, directed by Rodrigue Huart
BERTA, directed by Lucia Forner Segarra
MIDNIGHT POSTMAN, directed by Alycia Ripley
HAIR DIE, directed by Emily Sugar
DECOLONIAL SPOTLIGHTS
Anti-ethnographic works that provide windows into the lives, minds and cultures of some of the world’s most exciting, contemporary Indigenous filmmakers.
Features the short films:
TENTSÍTEWAHKWE, directed by Katsitsionni Fox
TAHNAANOOKU’, directed by Justin Deegan
ARMEA, directed by Letila Mitchell
ENCHUKUNOTO / THE RETURN, directed by Laissa Malih
EXPERIMENTAL (PROGRAM O)
Cinematic poetry in pixels and on celluloid; and works that experiment with the form, function and structure of film and media ecosystems.
Featuring the short films:
THE LOST SEASON, directed by Kelly Sears
NKISI, directed by Joel Mulindwa
40° 24.2983’N 79° 58.251’W, directed by Tony Buba
DEEP TIME OF LATENT SPACE, directed by Eric Souther
I DREAM OF THINGS FORBIDDEN, directed by Phil Hastings
A KIND OF TESTAMENT, directed by Stephen Vuillemin
ADIDAS OWNS REALITY, directed by Keil Orion Troisi & Igor Vamos
BLEACH, directed by Giuliano Joseph Gatti
DISTANT EARLY WARNING directed by Anna Chiaretta Lavatelli
EXPERIMENTAL (PROGRAM X)
Cinematic poetry in pixels and on celluloid; and works that experiment with the form, function and structure of film and media ecosystems.
Features the short films:
BODY-ODDY-ODDY-ODDY: DESTABILIZING THE SURVEILLING OF QUEER BODIES, directed by Benjamin Rosenthal & Eric Souther
ARE WE HUMAN OR ARE WE MACHINE, directed by Jamie Hager
POEM WITH HUMAN INTELLIGENCE, directed by Pamela Falkenberg & Jack Cochran
SOME THOUGHTS ON THE COMMON TOAD, directed by G. Anthony Svatek
ANCIENT LORE, directed by Patrick Müller
29° S, 71°W, directed by Sandy Williams IV
THIS NIGHT, directed by Roshni Jayakrishnan Nair
MEMORIES OF AN EMPTY HOUSE, directed by Bruno Carnide
GLOBAL EPISOTIC
Women’s stories – a womb with a view.
Features the episodic works:
ESCORT: A NEW CALL, created by Darina Manapova
EXPECTING, created by Esther Rauch
IN RETROSPECT
Sometimes you have to rewind to move forward.
Features the short films:
DISSOLUTION, directed by Anthony Saxe
MANTING, directed by Shuyao Chen
MINUTES TO GO, directed by Rick Page
HELLO, GOODBYE, directed by Chris Lee
REINITA, directed byMariana Canelones
HUSTLES
Films about movers, shakers, forgers, scrappers – shorts about scams, negotiations and doing the work.
Featuring the short films:
THE MASTERPIECE, directed by Àlex Lora
HALF A LIFE, directed by Sanjit Majumdar & Ranju Majumdar
FALL RISK, directed by Alex Martini
SCRATCH OFF, directed by Tara E. Sheffer
DORI, directed by Redi Mazi
SHADOW BROTHER SUNDAY, directed by Alden Ehrenreich
LIVE AND LET DIE
Existential tales.
Featuring the short films:
E FOR EILEEN, directed by Gerard Brennan & Kelly Ryan
SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN, directed by Dahlia Nemlich
SOIL, directed by Saman Abaee
A SHOW OF THE STRAY, directed by Qi Tan
LOCAL PORTRAITS
Intimate portraits of Western New Yorkers who have left a lasting impact on our region.
Features the short films:
BUFFALO: CITY OF REFUGE, directed by Olga Joanna Mazurkiewicz
I AM HERE YOU ARE NOT I LOVE YOU, directed by Aidan Matthew Ryan
POTTERY PETE: REVITALIZING HODINÖHŠO:NI:H POTTERY, directed by Jocelyn C Jones
CONNIE – THE POWERS AND POSSIBILITIES OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, directed by Dorothea Braemer
HONORING SACRIFICE: THE STORY OF ROY ALDRIDGE, directed by Sierra Annunziata
MIGRATIONS
Fiction and nonfiction diasporic tales from around the globe.
Features the short films:
UNTIL HE’S BACK, directed by Jacqueline Baylon
DEAF, directed by Roy Arida
CHRYSTALLID, directed by Esteban Powell
THE TEST, directed by Claudia Myers & Laura Waters Hinson
A JOURNEY OF FAITH, directed by Gabriel Ponte-Fleary
NEXT GEN
Thoughtful and fun, teen made shorts. BIFF partners with Squeaky Wheel Film & Media Art Center and their advanced track Teen Council students to review submissions, and curate and organize this screening.
Features the short films:
THE REASONS, directed by Kendric Warrick
YESTERDAY, directed by Issrat Prova
FEMININE SCREAMS OF A FORCED SAGA, directed by Ericka Palmer
{HIDDEN, SOUL & CONFESSION}, directed by Roja Khanam
BADGES & BATONS, GUNS DRAWN, directed by Mo Hill
AWAKENING, directed by Nusrin Sultana
DEAD BIRDS AND CHAINED NATIONS, directed by Cole Chapels
THE BOX, directed by Willow Dilweg
DMV, directed by Zelda Abramovich
OUR FLAGS, OUR GLORY, directed by Kim-Jimi + Dr. Lisa Spencer
TOO FAST, directed by Annika Wilewicz
HISTOIRE D’AMOUR DE L’OMBRE / SHADOW LOVE STORY, directed by Liya Mean
DRIFTERS IN BEIJING,directed by Jiaxin Li (Dir.)
NEED A LIGHT?, directed by Jillian Smith
PERSONAL AND POLITICAL
Fiction and nonfiction stories from around the world about the people trapped between the politics.
Features the short films:
TITANIC, SUITABLE VERSION FOR IRANIAN FAMILIES, directed by Farnoosh Samadi
ÇÜRÜK, directed by Marion Molinari + Tuğçe Karabacak
PALESTINE ISLANDS directed by Nour Ben Salem + Julien Menanteau
FOR THE PEOPLE, directed by Waylon Wilson
WE RIDE FOR HER, directed by Prairie Rose Seminole & Katrina Lillian Sorrentino
WHEN WILL IT SNOW, directed by Soot On
RACIAL JUSTICE IN VIEW
Evocative shorts exploring racial and social justice issues – free community program.
Features the short films:
INTERCEPTION: JAYNE KENNEDY • AMERICAN SPORTSCASTER, directed by Safiya Songhai
Addressing racial injustice, directed Dewitt Lee
HOW TO SUE THE KLAN, directed by John Beder
TEHRAN IS OURS, directed by Hamideh Azimi
I AM READY, WARDEN, directed by Smriti Mundhra
A TIMELINE OF UB’S PRO-PALESTINE PROTESTS AND POLICE BACKLASH, directed by Dominick Joseph Matarese
RECIPROCITY
Fiction and nonfiction shorts that share decolonial themes, and focus on reciprocity and gratitude.
Features the short films:
MA ŊAYE KA MASAALA A SE KA WƆMƐTI / FROM GOD TO MAN, directed by Lansana Mansaray
TAYAL FOREST CLUB, directed by Laha Mebow
GATH & K’IYH: LISTEN TO HEAL, directed by Princess Daazhraii Johnson
ÁHKUIN, directed by Radio-JusSunná / Sunná Nousuniemi & Guhtur Niillas Rita Duomis / Tuomas Kumpulainen
SATURDAY MORNING CARTOONS
Fun, family friendly cartoons from WNY’s leading animation programs and global creators.
Features the short films:
EDISON’S GRAVY, directed by Ryan George Kittleman
FEATHERLIGHT, directed by Madeline van Wijngaarden
CAP’N & THE KRAKEN, directed by Trevor Saeva (Dir)
LAUREL’S BIRTHDAY SPLASH, directed by Alenyz Paris
DAY AT DAD’S SHOP, directed by Nicole Olszewski
WILD GOON CHASE, directed by Kylie Ann Boyle
HAMSTER HEIST, directed by Alexis Taylor Payne
AN EARLY SPRING, directed by Giovanna Fortunato
ONE NIGHT AT THE ZOO, directed by Virgil Hare
MY DOG’S LEG, directed by Ashton Polak
BILLY AND SKIPPY: VACATIONS ARE NOT FOR HEROES, directed by Asher XT Gordon
BIRDS OF A FEATHER, directed by Katie Cobos
LOVING CARE, directed by Peyton Monroe
CRUMBLE, directed by Gabrielle Bautista
SHRINKING SKIRMISH, directed by Cassie Volkin
MYSTIC MAYHEM directed by Victoria Meinhold
EARTH THROUGH STARRY EYES directed by Caitlin Paige Cork
THE WITCH AND THE FLOWER, directed by Erin J. Hill
SPACES
Place-based nonfiction from Western New York, Southern Ontario and beyond.
Featuring the short films:
TERRY’S LITTLE VILLAGE, directed by Jack Kukolic
BEYOND THE WHITE CUBE, directed by Giulia Magno
GROWING UP ABSURD, directed by Matan Berman
PINS AND NEEDLES, directed by Claire Beseler
BEAR EARS: ECHOES OF TIME, directed by Daniel Richardson
SERPENTINE, directed by Amanda Besl
STUDENTS (PROGRAM 1)
The next generation of great storytellers, now
Featuring the short films:
THE MOON AND THE SUN, directed by Katie E. Daugherty
LUX, directed by Mira H. Steuer
PROMETHEAN, directed by Nina Marie Aisa & Jhunleroy Morala
SUNDAYS ARE FOR WINNERS, directed by Ryan Elizabeth Brady
GHOST MARRIAGE, directed by Vivian Chung
UNDER THE MOUNTAIN GOD, directed by Grace Park
THE LIFE HARM, directed by Ethan King
JUAN, directed by Azriel Chavez
WHEN THE WORLD CHANGES, directed by Benjamin Caruccio & Changhee Chun
THE WELLSPRING, directed by C.J. Henrich
BEFORE EVERYTHING CHANGES, directed by Giulia Guzzo
SUCH A MONSTER, directed by Taylor Mann
STUDENTS (PROGRAM 2)
Proudly presenting the next generation of storytellers from Western New York colleges and universities.
Featuring the short films:
Washed Up, directed by Ashlyn Taylor Kreiss
School Haze, directed by Ian Hagerty
Where We Are, directed by Katelyn Park
Shoelaces, directed by Eddie D. Murphy
Molting, directed by Maia B. Kromer
NO(BODY), directed by Nathaniel Washburn
SUPERMASSIVE, directed by India June
A NEW CHALLENGER, directed by Vinh Hong Nguyen
BPD – CHRONICLES – JOESPH G ALVAREZ, directed by Cat Martinez
THEO’S TEARS, directed by Jeremy Shinder
KISS OF GOD, directed by Matthew “Ari” Roman & Piper Mohring
Eldritch Kiss, directed by J. Ramos & Claudia Nero
TWISTED
Sit back, relax, and get uncomfortable.
Featuring the short films:
THE CONJUGAL VISIT, directed by Ryan Lampe
HONESTLY WORK, directed by Angel Barber
THIRST, directed by Jedi Joongoo Kang
TEA, directed by Blake Winston Rice
LUH, HAMMERHEAD, directed by Jamison Namingha
ROOM FOR TWO, directed by EJ Yeh
CYCLES, directed by Will Darbyshire
HI! YOU ARE CURRENTLY BEING RECORDED, directed by Kyle Garrett Greenberg & Anna Maguire
WNY STORIES
Unique stories from around the block and around the region.
Featuring the short films:
BLOKE WITH A CELL PHONE, directed by Richard Fysh
LEMON WATER, directed by Oscar James Heard
MY FRIEND MATTY, directed by John Takacs
WHEN I SEE YOU, directed by Ben Richey & Tony Vescio
LOVE AND RODENTS, directed by Mary Wall
APPLES TO ORANGES, directed by Trisha Pickelhaupt
PORTLAND IS THE NEW PORTLAND” directed by Christopher Scamurra
GEOFFREY SHOW LIVE, directed by Daniel Swinton
THE WAITING ROOM, directed Jahaad Shairi
YA
Teen dreams and drama queens. The young and the restless.
Featuring the short films:
LIP VIRGIN, directed by Shimrit Eldis
SUNFLOWER GIRL, directed by Holly M. Kaplan
EXUVIA, directed by Scott Burkhardt
KIMMI, directed by Ford Blitzer + Kelsey Ledgin
SEPTEMBER 13, 2024, directed by Derrick Benton
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