Brooklyn International Film Festival
Encyclopedia
The Brooklyn Film Festival (BFF), prior to 2011 called the Brooklyn International Film Festival (BiFF) is an independent film
festival held every June in Brooklyn, New York
. Started by Marco Ursino, Susan Mackell, and Mario Pegoraro in 1998, its mission is to “discover, expose, and promote independent filmmakers while drawing worldwide attention to Brooklyn
as a center for cinema." Its base is South 4th Street, Williamsburg
.
The not-for-profit
festival operates under the fiscal sponsorship of Brooklyn Economic Development Corporation
. Since its inception the festival has grown exponentially, exceeding the boundaries of its Brooklyn
base.
BFF also oversees the annual KidsFilmFest, a program that reaches out to children and families. The New Museum
in Manhattan has incorporated our kids programs in their First Saturdays for Families.
rooms operated side-by-side featuring 81 two-hour film programs. Nightly networking after-parties
took place at various locations in DUMBO, Brooklyn
. Previously, the festival has been held at Brooklyn Lyceum, Brooklyn Academy of Music
(BAM), Brooklyn Museum
, Steiner Studios
, Brooklyn Public Library
, and the Brooklyn Historical Society
.
filmmakers, while approximately 20% are European. The remaining 30% come from other parts of the globe. In 2009, the festival received 2,780 films for consideration from 110 countries.
BFF awards filmmakers over $80,000 in prizes in the form of cash, film services, and products. It accepts around 25 feature narratives, 30 documentaries, 45 short subjects films
, 20 experimental films, and 30 animated works. Over 30 screeners help BFF to review the entries, and there are 25 judges (or, five per category).
The fee for submitting films before November 30 is $30, after which fee rises to $50. Alumni filmmakers are exempt from paying this fees. The fee is also waived in several other cases. Accommodation
for participating filmmakers is provided by a festival sponsor, Hotel Chandler, Manhattan.
Every year, BFF creates a "Best of Fest" package to take to different venues as a festival showcase. In the past, these films have been shown in other parts of Brooklyn, in Manhattan, as well as at the Havana Film Festival
and the Museo Arte Contemporanea in Rome
.
Marco Ursino has been immersed in the entertainment industry in both the US and Italy
for the past 33 years. Beginning in Italy
in 1976, he has appeared as an actor in various video projects for Italian TV. He has written several screenplays, worked in production design, and produced independent documentaries and feature films, including his own, Clouds of Magellan, which he wrote and directed. He is a member of the Screen Actors Guild
.
Director of programming Mario Pegoraro won Best Short film at the 1993 Venice Film Festival
. He also produced the international "City of Water Project" in collaboration with architects from around the globe. He joined BFF following a successful career in film production, distribution
and new media
development in 1998.
Director of development Susan Mackell has 19 years of public relations
experience working on the PR program for the American College for the Applied Arts in London
and Atlanta, Georgia
. She has also produced several film projects.
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
festival held every June in Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. Started by Marco Ursino, Susan Mackell, and Mario Pegoraro in 1998, its mission is to “discover, expose, and promote independent filmmakers while drawing worldwide attention to Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
as a center for cinema." Its base is South 4th Street, Williamsburg
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordering Greenpoint to the north, Bedford-Stuyvesant to the south, Bushwick to the east and the East River to the west. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 1. The neighborhood is served by the NYPD's 90th ...
.
The not-for-profit
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
festival operates under the fiscal sponsorship of Brooklyn Economic Development Corporation
Economic Development Corporation
An economic development corporation is an organization common in the United States, usually a 501 non-profit whose mission is to promote economic development within a specific geographical area. These organizations are similar to, and complementary to Chambers of Commerce.-For Further...
. Since its inception the festival has grown exponentially, exceeding the boundaries of its Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
base.
BFF also oversees the annual KidsFilmFest, a program that reaches out to children and families. The New Museum
New Museum of Contemporary Art
The New Museum, founded in 1977 by Marcia Tucker, is the only museum in New York City exclusively devoted to presenting contemporary art from around the world...
in Manhattan has incorporated our kids programs in their First Saturdays for Families.
Venue
In 2009, the festival took place at the Brooklyn Heights Cinema on Henry Street in Brooklyn Heights where two screeningFilm screening
A film screening is the displaying of a motion picture or film, generally referring to a special showing as part of a film's production and release cycle...
rooms operated side-by-side featuring 81 two-hour film programs. Nightly networking after-parties
Afterparty
The term afterparty, after-party, or after party refers to a phenomenon in modern culture often seen in the hospitality or entertainment industries and among college and high-school circles in society, which involves a planned celebration following a significant event attended by guests associated...
took place at various locations in DUMBO, Brooklyn
DUMBO, Brooklyn
Dumbo, an acronym for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass, is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It encompasses two sections: one located between the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges, which connect Brooklyn to Manhattan across the East River, and another that continues...
. Previously, the festival has been held at Brooklyn Lyceum, Brooklyn Academy of Music
Brooklyn Academy of Music
Brooklyn Academy of Music is a major performing arts venue in Brooklyn, a borough of New York City, United States, known as a center for progressive and avant garde performance....
(BAM), Brooklyn Museum
Brooklyn Museum
The Brooklyn Museum is an encyclopedia art museum located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. At 560,000 square feet, the museum holds New York City's second largest art collection with roughly 1.5 million works....
, Steiner Studios
Steiner Studios
Steiner Studios is the largest film and television production studio complex outside of Hollywood. Steiner Studios offers of soundstages, with air conditioning and power infrastructure, and an additional of offices, dressing and make-up rooms, mill shops, spray booths, prop lock-ups, etc. All...
, Brooklyn Public Library
Brooklyn Public Library
The Brooklyn Public Library is the public library system of the borough of Brooklyn in New York City. It is the fifth largest public library system in the United States. Like the two other public library systems in New York City, it is an independent nonprofit organization that is funded by the...
, and the Brooklyn Historical Society
Brooklyn Historical Society
Founded in 1863, the Brooklyn Historical Society is a museum, library, and educational center preserving and encouraging the study of Brooklyn's rich 400-year past. The Brooklyn Historical Society houses materials relating to the history of Brooklyn and its people. These holdings supply...
.
Entries
Roughly half of films submitted and shown are by USCitizenship in the United States
Citizenship in the United States is a status given to individuals that entails specific rights, duties, privileges, and benefits between the United States and the individual...
filmmakers, while approximately 20% are European. The remaining 30% come from other parts of the globe. In 2009, the festival received 2,780 films for consideration from 110 countries.
BFF awards filmmakers over $80,000 in prizes in the form of cash, film services, and products. It accepts around 25 feature narratives, 30 documentaries, 45 short subjects films
Short subject
A short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all...
, 20 experimental films, and 30 animated works. Over 30 screeners help BFF to review the entries, and there are 25 judges (or, five per category).
The fee for submitting films before November 30 is $30, after which fee rises to $50. Alumni filmmakers are exempt from paying this fees. The fee is also waived in several other cases. Accommodation
Lodging
Lodging is a type of residential accommodation. People who travel and stay away from home for more than a day need lodging for sleep, rest, safety, shelter from cold temperatures or rain, storage of luggage and access to common household functions.Lodgings may be self catering in which case no...
for participating filmmakers is provided by a festival sponsor, Hotel Chandler, Manhattan.
Past winners
The most prestigious award given out at BFF is the Grand Chameleon for the best film.2011
- Main Competition
- Grand Chameleon Award: Battle for Brooklyn (Suki Hawley and Michael Galinsky)
- Best Narrative Feature: W. Zappatore (Massimiliano Verdesca)
- Best Documentary: Battle for Brooklyn (Suki Hawley and Michael Galinsky)
- Best Narrative Short: Rita (Antonio Piazza and Fabio Grassadonia)
- Best Animation: A Morning Stroll (Grant Orchard)
- Best Experimental: Dame Factory (Melanie Abramov)
- Best New Director: Slava Ross (Siberia Monamour)
- Spirit Awards
- Feature Narrative: Amy GeorgeAmy GeorgeAmy George is a 2011 Canadian microbudget film written, produced and directed by Yonah Lewis and Calvin Thomas. It stars Gabriel del Castillo Mullally as the adolescent Jesse and Claudia Dey and Don Kerr as his parents. The film tells the story of the 13 year old Jesse who wants to be an artist,...
(Yonah Lewis and Calvin Thomas) - Documentary: ScrapperScrapper (film)Scrapper is a 2011 American documentary feature film directed by Stephan Wassmann and co-directed by Olivier Hermitant. It documents the lives of persons who salvage scrap metal from a live-fire military testing range in Southern California....
(Stephan Wassmann) - Short Narrative: Gowanus 83 (Michael Wood)
- Experimental: To Be In Me (Marina Mello)
- Animation: Amar (Isabel Herguera)
- Feature Narrative: Amy George
- Audience Awards
- Feature Narrative: David (Joel Fendelman)
- Documentary: Bed Stuy Do or Die (Daniel Bishop)
- Short Narrative: Teardrop (Damian John Harper)
- Experimental: Pose (Ivaylo Getov)
- Animation: Falling Up (Djuna Wahlrab)
- Certificates of Outstanding Achievement
- Screenplay: Anna Kerrigan (Five Days Gone)
- Producer: S. Schaefer, D. Crespo, C. Silber (My Last Day Without YouMy Last Day Without YouMy Last Day Without You is an independent feature film produced by Cicala Filmworks and Silver Shepherd. The film is directed by Stefan Schaefer, co-written by Schaefer and Christoph Silber, and produced by Diane Crespo, Silber and Schaefer....
) - Cinematography: Magela Crosignani (Mary Marie)
- Editing: Takashi Doscher (Snow on the Bluff)
- Original Score: Fall On Your Sword (Aardvark)
- Actor Female: Marielena Logsdon (Babyland) and Sandra Milo (W. Zappatore)
- Actor Male: Rasselas Lakew (The AthleteThe AthleteThe Athlete is a 2009 Ethiopian drama film directed by Davey Frankel and Rasselas Lakew. The film was selected as the Ethiopian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 83rd Academy Awards, but it didn't make the final shortlist...
)
2010
- Main Competition
- Grand Chameleon Award: The Minutemen Movie (Corey Wascinski)
- Best Narrative Feature: Gabi on the Roof in July (Lawrence Michael Levinea)
- Best Documentary: The Minutemen Movie (Corey Wascinski)
- Best Narrative Short: Naissances (Anne Émond)
- Best Animation: Sputnik 5 (Susanna Nicchiarelli)
- Best Experimental: Necessary Games (Sophie Hyde)
- Best New Director: Bad Day to Go Fishing (Alvaro Brechner)
- Spirit Awards
- Feature Narrative: Bummer Summer (Zach Weintraub)
- Documentary: Survival Song (Yu Guangyi)
- Short Narrative: Autopilot (J.B. Herndon)
- Experimental: Lucky Girl (Alexandra Grimanis)
- Animation: Miramare (Michaela Muller)
- Audience Awards
- Feature Narrative: Colin Hearts Kay (Sebastian Conley)
- Documentary: Being in the World (Tao RuspoliTao RuspoliTao Ruspoli is an Italian American filmmaker and musician.-Background:Ruspoli is the second son of occasional actor and aristocrat Prince Alessandro Ruspoli, 9th Prince of Cerveteri and Austrian-American actress Debra Berger. He is the older brother of Bartolomeo dei Principi Ruspoli , second...
) - Short Narrative: Mosquito (Jeremy Engle)
- Experimental: Noise (Esther Löwe)
- Animation: The Bellies (Philippe Grammaticopoulos)
- Certificates of Outstanding Achievement
- Screenplay: Alli Haapasalo (On Thin Ice)
- Producer: Feliks Pastusiak (The Dark House)
- Cinematography: Zoran Popovic (Redland)
- Editing: Sabastian Conley (Colin Hearts Kay)
- Original Score: Brandon Seabrook (A Different Bunny)
- Actor Female: Sophia Takal (Gabi on the Roof in July)
- Actor Male: Oscar van Rompay (Win/Win)
2009
- Main Competition
- Grand Chameleon Award: Breaking Upwards (Daryl Wein)
- Best Narrative Feature: Breaking Upwards (Daryl Wein)
- Best Documentary: The Hillside Crowd (Berni Goldblat)
- Best Short: The Chambermaid (Ann Holmgren)
- Best Animation: Passages (Marie-Josee Saint-PierreMarie-Josee Saint-PierreMarie-Josée Saint-Pierre is a French Canadian documentary filmmaker and film animator based in Montreal, Canada.-History:...
) - Best Experimental: Soaring Roaring Diving (Miriam Harris and Juliet Palmer)
- Best New Director: Knife Point (Carlo Mirabella-Davis)
- Spirit Awards
- Feature Narrative: Dr. Alemán (Tom Schreiber)
- Documentary: Survival Song (Yu Guangyi)
- Short Narrative: The Dinner (J.B. Herndon)
- Experimental: Naiade (Nadia Micault and Lorenzo Nanni)
- Animation: Trickster (Alexander Pohl)
- Audience Awards
- Feature Narrative: Sea Legs (Craig Butta)
- Documentary: Between the Folds (Vanessa Gould)
- Short Narrative: Pinchas (Pini Tavger)
- Experimental: Flying Lotus (Daniel Garcia)
- Animation: Skhizein (Jeremy Clapin)
- Certificates of Outstanding Achievement
- Screenplay: Vinko Moderndorfer (Landscape No. 2)
- Producer: Jim Jermanok and Harry Gregson-WilliamsHarry Gregson-WilliamsHarry Gregson-Williams is a prolific British composer, orchestrator, conductor, and music producer. He is best known for his film scores, of which he has composed over sixty using electronic music and orchestral pieces...
(Em) - Cinematography: Steve Asselin (Borderline)
- Editing: John Weiner and Danny Kuchuck (Cryptic)
- Original Score: Ben Lovett (The Last LullabyThe Last LullabyThe Last Lullaby is 2008 drama/noir film starring Tom Sizemore, and Sasha Alexander. Filming took place in Shreveport, Louisiana.- Plot :Price is an ex-hitman who retired to live the "easy life" only to find himself restless...
) - Actor Female: Kate Lyn Sheil (Knife Point)
- Actor Male: Joshua PeaceJoshua PeaceJoshua Peace also known as Josh Peace is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his roles on Devil as Detective Markowitz and in the films Cube Zero, You Might as Well Live and Survival of the Dead.-Filmography:*Unlucky as Bob...
(You Might as Well LiveYou Might as Well LiveYou Might as Well Live is a Canadian 2009 film directed by Simon Ennis and co-written with Joshua Peace.-Plot:On the advice of his childhood hero, Robert R...
)
2008
- Main Competition
- Grand Chameleon Award: FixFix (film)Fix is a 2008 feature film directed by Tao Ruspoli starring Shawn Andrews, Olivia Wilde, Megalyn Echikunwoke, Tao Ruspoli, Dedee Pfeiffer and Andrew Fiscella.- Plot :...
(Tao RuspoliTao RuspoliTao Ruspoli is an Italian American filmmaker and musician.-Background:Ruspoli is the second son of occasional actor and aristocrat Prince Alessandro Ruspoli, 9th Prince of Cerveteri and Austrian-American actress Debra Berger. He is the older brother of Bartolomeo dei Principi Ruspoli , second...
) - Best Narrative Feature: Fix (Tao Ruspoli)
- Best Documentary (Diane Seligman Award): Carny (Alison MurrayAlison MurrayAlison Murray is a Canadian director of films and documentaries.Murray's documentaries include Carny and Train on the Brain . Her most well known feature length film is Mouth to Mouth starring Ellen Page. One of Murray's great skills as a filmmaker is to bring her camera into the subcultures...
) - Best Short: On the Line (Reto Caffi)
- Best Animation: 24 Frames (Brad Pattullo)
- Best Experimental: Flying Lesson (R. Chamecki, P. Harder, A. Lerner)
- Best New Director: The Unidentified (Kevan Tucker)
- Grand Chameleon Award: Fix
- Spirit Awards
- Feature Narrative: Apollo 54 (Giordano Giulivi)
- Documentary: ABC Columbia (Enrica Colusso)
- Short Narrative: The Line (Kent Basset)
- Experimental: Nightwalking (Ellen Blom)
- Animation: Hezurbeltzak, A Common Grave (Izibene Onederra)
- Audience Awards
- Feature Narrative: The Collective (Judson Pearce MorganJudson Pearce MorganJudson Pearce Morgan is an American actor, writer, producer, and director. Morgan has been married to actress Kelly Overton since April 2004.-Career:...
and Kelly OvertonKelly Overton (actress)Kelly Overton is an American actress, screenwriter, director, and producer.-Early life:Overton grew up in Wilbraham, Massachusetts, and studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, where she graduated with their highest honor, The Charles Jehlinger Award.-Career:She has...
) - Documentary: CrawfordCrawford (film)Crawford is a 2008 documentary film about Crawford, Texas, and the impact of President George W. Bush having relocated to the town shorty after announcing his nomination for the 2000 presidential election. The film spans nearly the entirety of Bush's presidency, from 1999 to mid-2008...
(David Modigliani) - Short Narrative: Crosse (Liova Jedlicki)
- Experimental: Machine with Wishbone (Randall Okita)
- Animation: The Long Journey Home (Billie Mintz and Jeffrey Stewart Timmins)
- Feature Narrative: The Collective (Judson Pearce Morgan
- Certificates of Outstanding Achievement
- Screenplay: Ilmar RaagIlmar RaagIlmar Raag is an Estonian media executive, screenwriter and film director, best known for his socio-critical film The Class . He has served as CEO of Estonian National Television from 2002 to 2005. He is well known columnist in many prestigious Estonian newspapers...
(The Class) - Producer: P. Krik, K. Lang, A. Krepostman (Able Danger')
- Cinematography: Filip Zumbrunn (Out of Bounds)
- Editing: Giordano Giulivi (Apollo 54)
- Original Score: Bart Westerlaken (Panman, Rhythm of the PalmsThe Panman: Rhythm of the PalmsThe Panman: Rhythm of the Palms is a 2007 award-winning film that tells the story of the rise and fall of the steel drum pan player Harry Daniel. Harry is an icon of the Caribbean whose personal life suffers when he places his music above his family. For he is desperate to pass the pan culture to a...
) - Actor Female: Marie-Luise SchrammMarie-Luise SchrammMarie-Luise Schramm is a German actress and voice actress from Berlin.Marie-Luise Schramm is the only daughter of actor Bernd Schramm, with three older brothers. She planned on becoming an association football player, but knee problems forced her to give this up...
(Nothing Else Matters) - Actor Male: Shawn AndrewsShawn Andrews (actor)Shawn Andrews is an actor best known for his appearance in the classic cult film Dazed and Confused, where he plays Kevin Pickford, a high school student whose party is ruined when his parents find out what he was up to....
(Fix)
- Screenplay: Ilmar Raag
Every year, BFF creates a "Best of Fest" package to take to different venues as a festival showcase. In the past, these films have been shown in other parts of Brooklyn, in Manhattan, as well as at the Havana Film Festival
Havana Film Festival
The Havana Film Festival is a Cuban festival that focuses on the promotion of Spanish-language filmmakers. It is also known in Spanish as Festival Internacional del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano de La Habana, and in English as Festival of New Latinamerican Cinema of La Havana.The festival takes place...
and the Museo Arte Contemporanea in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.
Festival team
Executive directorExecutive director
Executive director is a term sometimes applied to the chief executive officer or managing director of an organization, company, or corporation. It is widely used in North American non-profit organizations, though in recent decades many U.S. nonprofits have adopted the title "President/CEO"...
Marco Ursino has been immersed in the entertainment industry in both the US and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
for the past 33 years. Beginning in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
in 1976, he has appeared as an actor in various video projects for Italian TV. He has written several screenplays, worked in production design, and produced independent documentaries and feature films, including his own, Clouds of Magellan, which he wrote and directed. He is a member of the Screen Actors Guild
Screen Actors Guild
The Screen Actors Guild is an American labor union representing over 200,000 film and television principal performers and background performers worldwide...
.
Director of programming Mario Pegoraro won Best Short film at the 1993 Venice Film Festival
Venice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
. He also produced the international "City of Water Project" in collaboration with architects from around the globe. He joined BFF following a successful career in film production, distribution
Film distribution
The distribution of a film is the process through which a movie is made available to watch for an audience by a film distributor...
and new media
New media
New media is a broad term in media studies that emerged in the latter part of the 20th century. For example, new media holds out a possibility of on-demand access to content any time, anywhere, on any digital device, as well as interactive user feedback, creative participation and community...
development in 1998.
Director of development Susan Mackell has 19 years of public relations
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
experience working on the PR program for the American College for the Applied Arts in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
. She has also produced several film projects.