Oct 18, 2023
Robbins Stunt Team is holding a John/Joan Wick style stunt bootcamp at The Sportsplex in North Tonawanda. Saturday and Sunday October 28th-29th actors and stunt performers will take a high-octane stunt bootcamp with professional stunt performers/fight choreographers, armorers, and firearm safety experts.
Founder, Greg Robbins is leading the bootcamp along with his professional stunt team. “Greg Robbins and his team are very knowledgeable, safe and are the go-to stunt team for the projects that come to Buffalo.” said Buffalo/Niagara Film Commissioner, Tim Clark.
Mr. Robbins has been preforming stunts, stunt coordinating and armorer for decades with credits that include, stunt coordinator on Hail Mary, Bad Cupid, Givers of Death, Bunker, Bound and was a stunt performer on The Terminator, Clover and Cabrini. Just to name a few.
“The film industry in Western New York needs more stunt performers” says, Greg Robbins. “This is the perfect time to bring up the next generation of stunt performers, firearm safety experts and future coordinators. We have wonderful support crews that complement the film tax credit and our beautiful city attracts the motion picture industry. We need more stunt people here, so we don’t have to hire outside of our area. This bootcamp will help with that need.”- Greg Robbins
To register email Greg Robbins: GregvRobbins@gmail.com
Website: www.robbinsstuntteam.com
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCua29brLjU1tWsywsF-QTwg
Sep 28, 2023
17th Annual Buffalo Int’l Film Festival Announces Full Lineup of 160 Film Premieres from 30 Countries + Offscreen Events + Panels – in venues across Buffalo, NY
Highlights include made-in-WNY films The Puppetman, Heartbreak Falls, A Decade At DBs, WNY Stories, Local Portraits, 98 Degrees West, Tradition, Trauma & Tenderness, [six years], Starting from Zero,
Festival favorites include If You Were the Last, Maria Schneider, 1983, Fancy Dance, Chasing Chasing Amy, Kim’s Video, Alien Food, Eat Bitter, Only the Good Survive, unseen
Buffalo, NY, September 22, 2023: The 17th annual Buffalo Int’l Film Festival (BIFF) is excited to announce its 2023 festival lineup, which includes festival favorites from Cannes, Sundance, Hot Docs, SXSW, and Tribeca; and world, US, and regional premieres! The festival will present five days of film, art, music, performances, panels (and more!) from October 5–9th in Buffalo.
For the first time since the pandemic all of BIFF’s programming will take place in person, with the exception of hybrid events like panels and Offscreen art and performances that will be presented live and also live streamed. To better serve our community and accommodate for the growth that we’ve experienced these last few years, BIFF is thrilled to be extending our offerings to new neighborhoods within the City of Buffalo and working with new community partners, as well as long term collaborators.
In addition to the festival’s three core venues – the North Park Theatre (1428 Hertel Ave), Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center (341 Delaware Ave), and Burchfield Penney Art Center (1300 Elmwood Ave), and new for 2023 – BIFF will also present screenings and panels at Buffalo Toronto Public Media (140 Lower Terrace St), Mason O. Damon Theater at the Buffalo & Erie County Downtown Central Library (1 Lafayette Sq), The Buffalo History Museum (1 Museum Ct), and Journey’s End Cinema at the Tri-Main Center (2495 Main St #530).
BIFF 2023 Festival Trailer from Buffalo Int’l Film Festival on Vimeo.
We’re so excited to share this year’s program which offers a celebration of creativity and connection as we return to a fully in-person event. The line-up offers quality films for everyone from seasoned cinephiles to the next generation of movie lovers and makers. – John J. Fink, Artistic Director.
“We’re so thrilled and honored to present these phenomenal films to the WNY community, and to welcome new and old friends to our beautiful city for this year’s Buffalo Int’l Film Festival! Our team has been working hard for the last year to curate several highly anticipated titles, many of which will be accompanied by live filmmaker Q+As. There is so much incredible content – something for every age and taste. Everybody is invited to Buffalo’s city-wide celebration of cinema – we can’t wait!” – Anna Scime, Executive Director
Seats can be reserved for free programming, and tickets and passes can be purchased at buffalofilm.org or at each venue’s box office on the day of the screening. Tickets are $12 for all in person screenings, $7 for select matinees. BIFF also participates in Arts Services Inc’s Arts Access Program, which allows program participants to reserve free tickets to all festival events. BIFF’s popular All-Access Bison Pass is also on sale for $55 and provides access to the festival’s 150+ film screenings, official events, and more.
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SPOTLIGHT + CENTERPIECE FILMS:
OPENING NIGHT GALA
IF YOU WERE THE LAST
Director Kristian Mercado, and Producers Andrew Miano and Dan Balgoyen in attendance.
Friday October 6, 7:00pm – North Park Theatre
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ARTHOUSE SPOTLIGHT
MARIA SCHNEIDER, 1983 + THE PASSENGER
Director Elisabeth Subrin in attendance.
Friday October 6, 1:00pm – Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center Cinema
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CITY CENTERPIECE
THE PUPPETMAN
Director Brandon Christensen in attendance.
Saturday October 7, 9:30pm – North Park Theatre
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LATE NIGHT SPOTLIGHT
ONLY THE GOOD SURVIVE
Friday October 6, 9:30pm – North Park Theatre
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CLOSING NIGHT – DECOLONIAL SPOTLIGHT
FANCY DANCE
Monday October 9, 7:00pm – North Park Theatre
*In celebration of Indigenous Peoples’ Day in Seneca/Haudenosaunee lands, this is a free screening. RSVP is encouraged and donations/pay-what-you-can welcome.
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SCREENINGS IN BUFFALO OCT 5-9:
*Alphabetical order – please check individual film pages for date/time/venue, and filmmakers in attendance.
Narrative Features:
Alien Food
Eight Eyes
Everybody Wants To Be Loved w/ Learning to Dance
Fancy Dance
Heartbreak Falls
If You Were the Last
Maria Schneider, 1983 + The Passenger
Meera
New Strains
Only the Good Survive
Poundcake
Scrap
Under the Influencer
Unfriending
Where The Road Leads w/ Midnight Ride
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Documentary Features:
98 Degrees West – Zamir Discovers Bourdains America
A Decade At DBs
A Thousand Pines
Aurora’s Sunrise
Break the Game w/ Pronoia
Chasing Chasing Amy
Eat Bitter
Go On, Be Brave
I Like It Here w/ Gone Before Your Eyes
Into the Spotlight
Kenyatta Do Not Wait Your Turn
Kim’s Video
Love is Not an Orange
Plan C
Razing Liberty Square
[six years] w/ Accordion
Starting from Zero
The Golden Thread
The Only Doctor
Tradition, Trauma, & Tenderness
Unseen
ᏓᏗᏬᏂᏏ / We Will Speak
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Shorts Blocks:
Coming of Age
Community
Connections
Danger Zone
DMS@50+
Episodic Stories
Experimental
Family Films
Film on Film
Homefronts
Local Portraits
Next Gen
Saturday Morning Cartoons
Students
Racial Justice in View
Vast Confinements
WNY Stories
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Free Film Programming:
BIFF Shorts: Next Gen
BIFF Shorts: Racial Justice in View
Fancy Dance
Free Offscreen, Panel + Party Programming:
Award Ceremony
BIFF Offscreen: II
BIFF Offscreen: Cage Match Dress Rehearsals
BIFF Offscreen: The Flicker
BIFF Offscreen: Starjuice
BIFF Offscreen: Stress Dolls
BIFF Offscreen: woolgathering
Community-Focused Nonfiction Panel
In Focus + On Location: The Puppetman
Space Is the Place Party
Spare Key Party
Sunday Funday Party
*More exciting free programming (Offscreen art, music and performance events, panels, roundtables, workshops, parties + more) TBA soon!
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About Buffalo Int’l Film Festival:
Buffalo International Film Festival (est. 2006) champions regional, national, and international films that push the limits of independent cinema – presenting quality films from around the world to WNY residents and visitors. BIFF is committed to amplifying diverse voices and exhibiting cutting-edge programming in narrative, documentary and experimental film. A proud supporter of local filmmaking and the arts; BIFF also offers workshops, seminars, industry panel discussions, fiscal sponsorship and professional development opportunities, as well as an Offscreen series of art, music and performance.
For more info, please visit buffalofilm.org.
Press Contacts:
John Fink, Artistic Director, 973-615-3124, john@buffalofilm.org
Anna Scime, Executive Director, 716-316-8510, anna@buffaloifilm.org
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Buffalo International Film Festival
A celebration of cinema!
Sep 25, 2023
TFA Visiting Artist Series presents
ON CASTING: FINDING THE RIGHT ACTORS
Panel discussion with Emmy award winning writer/producer and Buffalo State alumni, Tom Fontana and TV Network casting executive, Rosalie Joseph Moderated by TFA associate professor, Jeffrey Hirschberg this Thursday, September 28th, 3pm, Ciminelli Recital Hall in Rockwell Hall at Buffalo State University
Sponsored by the Television and Film Arts program and the Theater Department
Emmy award winning writer/producer and Buffalo State alumni, Tom Fontana
Tom Fontana has written and produced such groundbreaking television series as St. Elsewhere, Homicide: Life On The Street, Oz, City On A Hill, and Netflix’s Borgia. Fontana wrote the HBO film Strip Search, directed by Sidney Lumet, as well as contributed two pieces to the September 11th special America: A Tribute to Heroes. His new series, Monsieur Spade will premiere on AMC/Canal+ in 2024. He has received, among others, three Emmy Awards, four Peabody Awards, three Writers’ Guild Awards, four Television Critics Association Awards, the Cable Ace Award, the Humanitas Prize, a Special Edgar and the first prize at Geneva’s Cinema Tout Ecran Festival.
He was executive producer of American Tragedy for CBS, The Killing Fields for Discovery, Shot in the Heart, Paterno, You Don’t Know Jack, and Wizard of Lies for HBO. He also produced the documentary The Press Secretary for PBS and the independent films, Jean, In Good Conscience and Anytown USA. Fontana has written articles for such periodicals as The New York Times, TV Guide and Esquire and has taught at Columbia, Syracuse, Rutgers and the State University College at Buffalo, his alma mater, from which he received the Distinguished Alumni Award and an Honorary Doctorate of Letters.
He is a member of the Dramatists Guild, the Producers Guild of America, the Friars Club, the Players Club, the Writers Guild of America, East, from which he received the Evelyn F. Burkey Award, the Richard B. Jablow Award and the Ian McLellan Hunter Award for Lifetime Achievement. Fontana co-founded the charitable organization Stockings with Care and serves on the boards of the American Theatre Wing, the Paley Center for Media’s International Council, The Writers Guild Initiative and the Williamstown Theatre Festival.
Fontana has had numerous plays produced in New York, where he lives, as well as at San Francisco’s American Conservatory Theatre, the Cincinnati Playhouse in the
Park, the Williamstown Theatre Festival, the McCarter Theatre Company, the Berkshire Playwrights Lab and here in Buffalo, at the Studio Arena Theatre.
TV Network casting executive, Rosalie Joseph
Rosalie Joseph spent much of her over 4-decade Casting Career as a TV Network Casting executive. She served as Vice President of Casting for ABC and Senior Casting Executive at CBS. In between her time at the networks, she was an independent Casting Director and cast pilots and series as well as theater and film. Rosalie served on the Casting Society of America’s Board for 2 decades and presently serves on the Board of Casting Society Cares. In 2019, the Casting Society of America created the Rosalie Joseph Humanitarian Award to honor her philanthropic work both inside and outside the entertainment industry. The first award, presented to Rosalie at the CSA Artios Awards, will be presented annually to a Casting Director or Associate who actively works in philanthropic and humanitarian causes.
Buffalo State University is located at 1300 Elmwood Avenue, NY 14222.
Aug 22, 2023
The Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival now till Thursday at The Dipson Amherst Theatre located at 3500 Main Street in Buffalo.
Seven days of animation, comedy, drama, fantasy, horror and science fiction. Our TENTH year of bringing the best independent films from around the word to Western New York, and shining a spotlight on local artists. Consistently raked one of the 100 top film festivals on FilmFreeway.
BLOCK 15
2:00 International Shorts #1 (76 mins)
Six amazing international short films.
Playtime of the Dead (UK, 5 mins)
Girl in the Dark (Ukraine, 5 mins)
Lethe (China, 22 mins)
Giti Jan (Iran, 10 mins)
Terminally On (China, 34 mins)
BLOCK 16
3:45 International Shorts #2 (85 mins)
Our second block of some of the best international short films.
Emily’s Mountain (Israel, 22 mins)
The Black Box (Taiwan, 30 mins)
The Ankou, the Child, and the Bandits (France, 33 mins)
BLOCK 17
6:30 WNY Shorts 3 (70 mins)
Seven short films by local artists who will do Q&As.
Rusalka (4 mins)
Our Last Ride (2 mins)
Cruzando (6 mins)
Launchpad (6 mins)
To Know a Veil (10 mins)
WORLD PREMIERE: The Sicks (20 mins)
World Premiere: Haunted (22 mins)
BLOCK 18
8:45 Break Glass (Comedy-Drama, NYS, 1 hr 51 mins)
Offbeat comedy-drama about two brothers and one woman who take a road trip across New York State to repair mistakes of the past.
BLOCK 19
3:30 US & Canadian Shorts (89 mins)
Five incredible shorts from the US and the Great White North.
All the Young Dudes (US, 9 mins)
Greed & Gore (Canada, 15 mins)
The 44th Chamber of Shaolin (NYC, 15 mins)
Vegas is Calling (US, 22 mins)
Some Visitors (US, 28 mins)
BLOCK 20
6:30 WNY Shorts 4 (56 mins)
Six short films produced in WNY, with Q&As.
Give the Gate (7 mins)
Simulacrum (8 mins)
The Conduit (9 mins)
Time Stood Still (8 mins)
Nothing Personal (P.O.C.) (11 mins)
Love’s a Drug (12 mins)
BLOCK 21
8:30 Demon Behind the Glass (Horror, WNY, 84 mins)
A corpse discovered by a journalist in his rental home is reanimated by demons.
Short: Demons in the Closet (claymation, 1 min)
Thursday, August 24th
BLOCK 22
3:30 The Haunting of the Lady-Jane (Horror, UK, 98 mins)
A man’s obsession with ghosts upends a boat tour of the British canals taken by two women. Suspense served with a terrifying conclusion!
BLOCK 23
6:30 The Beautiful Mess (WNY, 5 mins)
WNY Short Features: Willowvale Harbor (WNY, Horror, 55 mins)
A conspiracy theorist discovers an abandoned town believed to exist only in urban legends.
The Rise of Marco Alfonsi (WNY, Crime Drama, 46 mins) A young man’s climb to power.
BLOCK 24
9:20 Fang (Horror, US, 98 min)
The legendary Lynn Lowry co-stars in this story of a troubled young man who undergoes terrifying changes after being bitten by a rat.
In memory of William S. Brown, one of us, 1943 – 2022
Aug 11, 2023
Cindy Letro
Buffalo, New York – Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival, celebrating its tenth season, will honor Cindy Abbott Letro with its Local Service Award in recognition of her significant contributions to the Buffalo-Niagara film industry. Buffalo Dreams runs for seven days, from Friday, August 18th – Thursday, August 24th at Dipson’s Amherst Theatre, 3500 Main Street in Buffalo. Eighty-one films will screen, including 16 features and 66 shorts, a record 30 produced in Western New York.
Cindy Abbott Letro is a community volunteer with an impressive history of supporting arts and culture in Western New York and has played a key role in growing the Buffalo-Niagara film industry. She serves as the chair of the Buffalo Niagara Film Commission, a position she has held for almost twenty years, and hosts Behind the Camera, an online program which spotlights filmmakers and other figures committed to developing and promoting the Buffalo-Niagara film industry.
Ms. Letro will receive her award at Buffalo Dreams’ in-person Dreamer Awards presentation in the Amherst Theatre at 5 pm on Sunday, August 20th. Former recipients include Buffalo Niagara Film Commissioner Tim Clark, Buffalo Film Office Director of Operations Rich Wall, City of Buffalo Mayor Byron W. Brown, former NYS Fim Commissioner (and current NYC Film Commissioner) Pat Kaufman, Off Beat Cinema co-producer and WBBZ TV station manager John Di Sciullo, and Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz.
Cindy Abbott Letro
Cindy Abbott Letro is the current chair of the Buffalo Niagara Film Commission, a position she has held for nearly twenty years. During that time, she has helped gain government support from state, county and city sources for the areas developing film industry.
She is the current chair of the region’s Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, Visit Buffalo Niagara, and the Chair of the Western District of New York State Parks. She is a past chair of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra Board and the Burchfield Penney Art Center. She is consistently listed in Business First’s top 200 Women of Influence and was listed in its top ten Women of Influence in 2022.
Ms. Letro is Business Manager of her husband’s law firm, Francis M. Letro Attorneys at Law and makes her home in the City of Buffalo.
She has a B.A. in English Literature from The College of Wooster, and a M.S.in Communications from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School.
Buffalo Dreams on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BuffaloDreamsFilmFestival
Website: http://www.buffalodreamsfantasticfilmfestival.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BuffaloDreams
Aug 8, 2023
Actor/Director Jon Abrahams appearing at “Actor’s Expo”.
Actor/Director Jon Abrahams will give a special seminar discussion at the “Casting Buffalo Actors Expo” Saturday, August 26th. Abrahams is known for his roles in “Scary Movie” and “Meet The Parents”, as well as director/actor roles in two films shot in Buffalo “Clover” and “All at Once”.
Casting Buffalo Founders/Partners(L-R) Peter Johnson, Kyle Mecca, and Harry Lipsitz
“Casting Buffalo Actors Expo” is a one-stop-shop for local actors and aspiring talent of all ages! This inaugural, one-day event was created to help talent gain pertinent career information, most importantly, how to gain the skills needed to land roles in film, theater, and commercial productions happening in Western New York and beyond. Attendees will have the opportunity to network, get new headshots, meet with hair and makeup artists, speak with talent agencies, get the low down on the WNY TV/film industry and shop vendors and exhibitors from across New York State.
Over 20 local vendors and exhibitors from various departments within the entertainment industry will be in attendance including: – Casting directors from across the state – Various union representatives in the film/stage/commercial industry – Professional acting and vocal coaches – Stunt team demonstrations – Spokespersons from area colleges and universities with theatre and film programs – Local film production vendors
WHEN: Saturday, August 26, 2023
**2 Sessions: Noon – 3p.m. and 4p.m. – 7p.m.
WHERE: The Atrium at Rich’s 1 Robert Rich Way Buffalo, NY 14213
TICKETS: On sale NOW at www.castingbuffalo.com via Eventbright – $35 **Students – $25 with valid Student I.D.
