BUFFALO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES 2025 BIFF LEGACY GALA AND SPECIAL EVENT FILMS
Actor Stephen McKinley Henderson to receive 2025 BIFF Lifetime Achievement Award
Festival to open with the world premiere of Starbucks Union documentary BARISTAS VS. BILLIONAIRES, filmed in Buffalo with Oscar-nominated Director Mark Mori and Producer Alec Baldwin (and many more!) in attendance, and close with a special presentation of the historical drama THE PANIC, filmed in Buffalo and starring Cary Elwes, Colm Meaney, Cristiana Dell’Anna, and Malcolm McDowell. Director/Writer Daniel Adams, Stars Cristiana Dell’Anna and Anastasiya Mitrunen, and Producer Michael Mailer in attendance.
The Buffalo International Film Festival runs October 9-16, 2025
Tickets are on sale now
BUFFALO, NY (September 14, 2025) – The Buffalo International Film Festival, Western New York’s leading film festival, announces its 2025 opening, closing and BIFF Legacy galas. This year’s edition will feature more than 200 feature films, shorts and episodic works from 37+ countries from October 9-16th. Screening venues include the historic North Park Theatre, Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center, Buffalo Toronto Public Media (WNED Studios), and Burchfield Penney Art Center.
BIFF’s opening night gala on October 10th will be BARISTAS VS. BILLIONAIRES at the North Park Theatre at 7:15 PM Director/Writer/Producer Mark Mori, Producers Alec Baldwin and Bob Judson, Editor Leigh Anne Sides, Associate Producer Cat Miller, and Resource Producer Roberta Bryant will attend and participate in a post-screening Q&A. A growing number of documentary participants will also be in attendance at the event.
On Sunday October 12 at 7:00 PM., the festival will host BIFF Lifetime Achievement honoree Stephen McKinley Henderson for an extended conversation following a screening of Jim McKay’s EVERYDAY PEOPLE. The festival will also feature Henderson’s 2025 film, THE DUTCHMAN (also starring André Holland and Kate Mara), on Saturday October 11 at 4:45 PM, with Henderson inattendance for a live audience Q+A as well.
The festival closes on October 16 at 6:30 PM with the Special Presentation of Blue Fox Entertainment’s THE PANIC. Director/Writer Daniel Adams, Stars Cristiana Dell’Anna and Anastasiya Mitrunen, and Producer Michael Mailer will be in attendance for a post-film Q&A.
Tickets for select films and passes for this year’s edition are on sale now at buffalofilm.org.
OPENING NIGHT GALA
BARISTAS VS. BILLIONAIRES, directed by Mark Mori (USA), 72 minutes, USA, World Premiere
Director/Writer/Producer Mark Mori; Producers Alec Baldwin and Bob Judson; Editor Leigh Anne Sides; Camera Operator Rifat Choudhury; Co-Producer Dennis L.A. White; Associate Producer Cat Miller; and Resource Producer Roberta Bryant.
Documentary Participants Gianna Reeve, Angel Krempa, Gary Bonadonna, Will Westlake, and Richard Bensinger also in attendance.
Starbucks baristas in Buffalo, NY organize against corporate exploitation, sparking a nationwide uprising among working-class Millennials and Gen Zer’s as they challenge a powerful billionaire CEO. A gripping story of a new generation of diverse, young workers fighting for their right to unionize.
CLOSING NIGHT GALA
THE PANIC, directed by Daniel Adams, 120 minutes, USA, Special Presentation
Director/Writer Daniel Adams, Stars Cristiana Dell’Anna and Anastasiya Mitrunen, and Producer Michael Mailer in attendance.
The true story of the nationwide financial panic that erupted in October 1907 when the Knickerbocker Trust Company in New York went bust due to the actions of a group of unscrupulous bankers and businessmen. The ensuing chaos nearly brought down the American economy and led to the creation of the Federal Reserve six years later.
Filmed in various locations throughout Buffalo, the film stars Cary Elwes, Colm Meaney, Cristiana Dell’Anna, Justin Chatwin, Anastasiya Mitrunen and Malcolm McDowell.
BIFF LEGACY GALA
EVERYDAY PEOPLE (2004), directed by Jim McKay, 91 minutes, USA, Special Presentation
The screening will be followed by a live discussion and Q+A with Everyday People Star and BIFF 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Stephen McKinley Henderson
The closing of a popular neighborhood restaurant in Brooklyn affects employees who have dedicated their lives to the eatery.
Starring Stephen McKinley Henderson, Bridget Barkan, Jordan Gelber, Nelson George, Sydnee Stewart, Steve Axelrod, Ron Butler, Reg E. Cathey, Nathan De’Shon Myers, Billoah Greene, Kadijah Carlisle, and Polly Humphreys.
Stephen McKinley Henderson has called Buffalo home since he joined UB’s Department of Theatre and Dance in 1987. Equally active in theater and film, he came to prominence performing the plays of August Wilson. He has received nominations for two Tony Awards and a Drama Desk Award. In 2021, Vulture named Henderson as one of “The 32 Greatest Character Actors Working Today”.
He made his film debut in A Pleasure Doing Business (1979) and has since appeared in Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011), Lincoln (2012), Fences (2016), Manchester by the Sea (2016), Lady Bird (2017), Dune (2021), Causeway (2022), Beau Is Afraid (2023), Civil War (2024), and The Dutchman (2025). For television he has appeared in Law & Order (1995–2010), The Newsroom (2013), The Blacklist (2018), Wu-Tang: An American Saga (2019–2020), Devs (2020), The Madness (2024), and A Man on the Inside (2024).
ABOUT THE BUFFALO INTERNATIONAL 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. 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 and to browse the full lineup of films, please visit buffalofilm.org.
Press Contacts:
John Fink, Artistic Director, 973-615-3124, john@buffalofilm.org
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Anna Scime, Executive Director, 716-316-8510, anna@buffalofilm.org