Buffalo, New York – Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival announces its first wave of feature film premieres screening during its ninth season, August 19th – 25th at Dipson Theatres’ Eastern Hills Cinema in Williamsville. Buffalo Dreams is a seven-day celebration of independently produced action, animation, comedy, horror, and science fiction films from around the world. Submissions are open via FilmFreeway.com until July 24th.
Chicken Ranch
Among the initial round of Official Selections is the highly anticipated New York Premiere of Bashira, a stunning “J-horror” film directed by special visual effects artist Nickson Fong at various Buffalo locations including the Buffalo Filmworks soundstage. Chicken Ranch, an offbeat comedy from Oklahoma City writer-director-actor Cate Jones, will also have its New York Premiere at the fest. Jones first came to the attention of Buffalo Dreams when she played Priscilla Presley in Mickey Reece’s Alien, and last year made a splash with her directorial debut, She’s the Eldest.
Galaxy Warriors
Exclusive World Premieres include Galaxy Warriors, Canadian filmmaker Brett Kelly’s loving homage to campy sci-fi flicks from the 1980s; Mask of the Devil, UK director Richard Rowntree’s retro horror film about supernatural mayhem on the set of a porn film; and Pact of Vengeance, an action film from Pennsylvania filmmaker Len Kabasinski, starring Leo Fong and Jon Mikl Thor.
Guns of Eden
Buffalo Dreams will host the World Premieres of two non-competition features: festival director Gregory Lamberson’s Guns of Eden, an action movie in the vein of First Blood, filmed in and around Buffalo and starring Alexandra Faye Sadeghian and Lynn Lowry; and Showdown in Yesteryear, a fantasy western starring Jeff Grennell as a contemporary ranch hand who travels through time to the wild west. Showdown was produced by Tim O’Hearn, directed by Aaron Bratcher, and co-stars Vernon Wells and Debra Lamb.
Lamberson and festival co-founder Chris Scioli will present the Lois Weber Award, named after the iconic silent era director, to Anne-Marie Frigon from Ottawa, Canada for her contributions to the medium. Frigon produced Galaxy Warriors, as well as 20 other features and many shorts, and has worked in numerous areas of production.
Western New Yorker Terry Kimmel, president of Buffalo Movie-Video Makers, will receive the festival’s Local Hero Award for his longtime contributions to the Buffalo film community. BMVM is the oldest film club in the country.
Additional Special Awards and Official Selections, including shorts and yet to be produced screenplays, will be announced July 25th. Buffalo Dreams only holds in-person screenings, frequently with filmmaker Q&As.
Cindy Abbott Letro interviews producer Justin Martell who is currently in Buffalo producing his latest feature the paranormal thriller “Let It Lie” which will be available this fall on the Shutter streaming service. This is the third feature Justin has brought to Western NY along side “The Alcoholist” and “Return to the Class of Nukem’ High” directed by Lloyd Kaufman.
“First of all, the life in Buffalo is fantastic in terms of the cultural scene. The food scene is fantastic. Two things that are very important for me,” del Toro says. “You cannot find a better film office in the world. And it’s basically a sampler of every style of architecture in the 20th century. You want to set it in the 1900s, the 1800s even… You want [art] deco. You want classical architecture from 1940. You get everything. It’s effortless to make a period picture there.”
The complete Yahoo Entertainment coverage on “Nightmare Alley” can coverage can be found here:
Jeff Fahey grew up in Lackawanna and North Buffalo and started his acting career at the old Studio Arena Theatre on Main Street(current of of the Town Ballroom) he went on to feature and starring roles on television with The Marshall and Lost as well as in film with Lawnmower Man and Clint Eastwood directed White Hunter Black Heart.
Cindy Abbott Letro sat down with Jeff while he was in Buffalo scouting for a future feature film as well as a stage play.
Buffalo, New York – Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival returns to Dipson Theatres’ Eastern Hills Cinema for in-person screenings, premieres, and filmmaker Q&As Fiday, November 5th – Thursday, November 11th. Filmmakers from around the country will attend and network with local artists and moviegoers. Over 90 films will screen, primarily from the genres of action, horror, science fiction, and animation. In addition, sound mixer Adam Bloch will receive the festival’s Local Hero Award for his many contributions to the western New York film community at the Dreamer Awards presentation held at the WBBZ TV studio in the Eastern Hills Mall on Sunday, November 7th.
Among the festival highlights:
A 40th anniversary screening of Fear No Evil, an Omen-like horror film directed by Frank LaLoggia in Rochester, which programmers Greg Lamberson and Chris Scioli credit as the first horror feature produced in the area. Friday, Nov. 5th, 7 pm.
The western New York premiere of New York Ninja, a campy martial arts film shot in New York City in 1984 and only completed this year, featuring the talents of Don “the Dragon” Wilson and Cynthia Rothrock. Sat, Nov. 6th. 7 pm.
The World Premiere of Self Isolated, a pandemic-related suspense thriller written and directed by Chad Ridgely, who will attend. Sat, Nov. 5th, 4:30 pm.
The North American premiere of the thriller Mystery Spot, about travelers drawn to a mystical roadside attraction, written and directed by Mel House, who will attend. Sat, Nov. 6th, 9:30 pm.
Clowns in the Woods, a comedic horror film directed by Rochester filmmakers Adrian Esposito and Curt Markham, who will attend. Sat, Nov. 6th, 1:30 pm.
The NYS film festival premiere of The Last Frankenstein, filmed in Central New York, with writer-director David Weaver.
Abyssal Spider, a Taiwanese film about a giant spider-crab hybrid that attacks the crew of a freighter, with outstanding special effects. Wed, Nov. 10th, 4 pm.
Advance tickets are available at Dipsontheatres.com, and All Festival Passes are available at the box office. Admission is $10 per screening, $20 for a Day Pass, and $70 for an All Festival Pass. Visit www.buffalodreamsfilmfest.com for additional details.
The 15th Annual Buffalo International Film Festival starts tonight at the North Park Theatre with the local premiere of Luguna Ave produced by Buffalo Expat Alison Barone. In this charmingly campy, lo-fi sci-fi comedy, a disaffected former musician is drawn into the mysterious and sinister world of his downstairs neighbor.
LAGUNA AVE TRAILER
The Buffalo Int’l Film Festival is excited to announce this year’s lineup and its return to presenting screenings at the North Park Theatre and Burchfield Penney Art Center, as well as virtually via the Eventive digital cinema platform.
BIFF 2021 TRAILER
This year’s festival will again screen over 120 films from 24 countries with a celebration of stellar locally produced films, including an opening night presentation of Catch The Fair One, the Tribeca Film Festival winning thriller filmed in Buffalo with Star Kali Reis and Producer Kimberly Parker presenting the film.
“We look forward to welcoming new and old friends back to BIFF to celebrate our fifteenth anniversary and our official selections. Great storytellers have found innovative ways to stay creative and it has been very exciting to see how filmmakers have adapted to the challenges we’ve collectively faced” said Artistic Director John J. Fink.
Tickets and passes are on sale now at WWW.BUFFALOFILM.ORG including the all-access Bison Pass ($45) and Triptych Virtual (3 virtual screenings for $20). Individual tickets to live screenings with filmmaker Q+As are $12 and virtual screenings are $9.
Catch the Fair One, Josef Kubota Wladyka (Dir), 85 minutes, USA, WNY Premiere
Opening Night Gala
Star and co-writer Kali Reis, and Producer Kimberly Parker in attendance.
A boxer retraces the steps of her kid sister in this Western New York lensed revenge thriller. This enthralling exploration of personal justice is simultaneously a meditation on the plight of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) across North America. Starring and co-written (with Wladyka) by Boxing World Champion Kali (KO) Reis. Produced by Oscar-winner Mollye Asher, and Executive Producer Darren Aronofsky and more. An IFC Films release.
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Bitchin’: The Sound of Fury of Rick James, Sacha Jenkins (Dir), 111 minutes, USA, WNY Premiere
Regional Centerpiece & Special Presentation
Director Sacha Jenkins, and Producer Steve Rivo in attendance.
Legendary funk/R&B icon and lifelong Buffalonian Rick James is the subject of this quintessential introduction to the life and work of this oft misunderstood, musical genius. A kaleidoscopic portrait of the man, the myth and the legend that has you tapping your foot from the opening shot through the end credits. A Showtime Documentary Films release.
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Bad Attitude: The Art of Spain Rodriguez, Susan Stern (Dir), 71 minutes, USA, NY Premiere
Arthouse Centerpiece
Director Susan Stern in attendance.
A loving tribute to the legendary and controversial, Buffalo-raised underground cartoonist and graffiti artist, Spain Rodriguez.
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100 Years From Mississippi, Tarabu Betserai Kirkland (Dir), 60 minutes, USA, WNY Premiere
WNY Spotlight
Director Tarabu Betserai Kirkland in attendance.
Fleeing Ellisville, Mississippi in 1915 as her father escaped a lynch mob, Mamie Lang Kirkland resettles and eventually raises her family in Buffalo. In this illuminating oral history directed by her son Tarabu Betserai Kirkland, Mrs Kirkland looks back on a life well lived in the shadow of America’s legacy of racial violence.
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Rust Belt Driller, David R. Williams & Tilke Hill (Dir), 84 minutes, WNY Feature, USA, East Coast Premiere
Late Night Spotlight
Directors David R. Williams and Tilke Hill, and Star and Writer Aaron Krygier in attendance.
An artist (writer Aaron Krygier) spirals into a homicidal rage, turning his studio into a slaughterhouse thanks to his trusty Drillinator 9,000 in this Western New York-filmed bloody valentine to grindhouse classics.
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We Burn Like This, Alana Waksman, (Dir), 81 minutes, USA, NY Premiere
Closing Night Gala
Director Alana Waksman in attendance.
When 22 year-old Rae (Madeleine Coghlan), a descendant of Holocaust survivors, is targeted by Neo-Nazis in Billings, Montana, her ancestors’ trauma becomes tangible.
Catch the Fair One, Josef Kubota Wladyka (Dir), 85 minutes, USA, WNY Premiere
Friday October 9, 7:30pm, North Park Theatre
Laguna Ave, David Buchanan (Dir), 80 minutes, USA, WNY Premiere
Thursday October 7, 9:30pm, North Park Theatre
Landlocked, Timothy Hall (Dir), 81 minutes, USA, NY Premiere
Monday October 11–5:00pm, North Park Theatre
Leda (in 3D), Samuel Tessler IV (Dir), 75 minutes, USA, WNY Premiere — Screening with: This Bank of The River, Shoaib Sultan (Dir), 30 minutes, Pakistan, WNY Premiere
Sunday October 10–12:00pm, Burchfield Penney Art Center
Life After You, Sarah T. Schwab (Dir), 89 minutes, USA, NY Premiere — Screening with: Turning Blue, Dana White & Christopher Knoblock (Dir), 15 minutes, USA, NY Premiere
Sunday October 10–6:30pm, North Park Theatre
My Dead Dad, Fabio Frey (Dir), 90 minutes, USA, WNY Premiere
Sunday October 10–9:00pm, North Park Theatre
The Laws of the Universe — The Age of Elohim, Isamu Imakake (Dir), 120 minutes, Japan, NY Premiere
Sunday October 10, 11:00am, North Park Theatre
Rust Belt Driller, David R. Williams & Tilke Hill (Dir), 84 minutes, WNY Feature, USA, East Coast Premiere
Saturday October 9–9:45pm, North Park Theatre
We Burn Like This, Alana Waksman, (Dir), 81 minutes, USA, NY Premiere
Narratives and documentaries from around the region and around the block. 78 minutes
Sunday October 10, 4:00pm North Park Theatre
“Be Good, Make Me Proud” — the Honorable Arthur O. Eve and the Educational Opportunity Program, Dorothea Braemer & Steve Peraza, 18 minutes, WNY Short Film, USA, World Premiere
City Eyes, Nick Green, 11 minutes, Local Student Short Film, USA, World Premiere
Echo Falls, Aaron Webb, 18 minutes, WNY Short Film, USA, World Premiere
Invisible Niagara, Brett Michael Cox, 14 minutes, WNY, USA, World Premiere
Winter Mourning, Dahee Yun, 17 minutes, Republic of Korea / USA, WNY Premiere
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BIFF SHORTS: GLOBAL DOCUMENTARY
Reel stories from around the world. 66 minutes
Friday October 8, 5:30pm, Burchfield Penney Art Center
From Trash to Treasure: Turning Negatives Into Positives in Lesotho, Iara Lee, 25 minutes, USA/Lesotho, WNY Premiere
Junior, AJ Wilhelm, 11 minutes, USA/Haiti, WNY Premiere
Our Feet Are Rooted, Krista Imbesi, 30 minutes, USA/Uganda, NY Premiere
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BIFF SHORTS: EXPERIMENTAL
Cinematic poetry and essays in pixels and celluloid. 77 minutes
Sunday October 10, 2:15pm, Burchfield Penney Art Center
Action Potential, Caitlin Mary Deibel, 3 minutes, USA, World Premiere
Ancient Sunshine, Jason Livingston, 20 minutes, USA, NY Premiere
Diachrony, Jason Bernagozzi, 4 minutes, USA, WNY Premiere
Fracture, Laura Kraning, 4 minutes, USA, WNY Premiere
the gleaners, and: ritual for signaled bodies, Benjamin Rosenthal & Eric Souther, 9 minutes, USA, Special Presentation
The Lake, Tyler Hubby, 13 minutes, USA, NY Premiere
Probes and Burrows, Barbara K Lattanzi, 4 minutes, USA, WNY Premiere
Scary Places/Shapes & Sizes, Pamela Falkenberg, Jack Cochran, 6 minutes, USA, NY Premiere
Volcano Rondo, Barbara Lattanzi, 7 minutes, WNY Short Film, USA, World Premiere
The Wind and The Kite, Robert Machoian, Keely Song, 7 minutes, USA, NY Premiere
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BIFF SHORTS: DANGER ZONE
NSFW / OMG / LMFAO flicks… the weirder, wilder sider of BIFF is back. 103 minutes
Friday October 8, 9:45pm North Park Theatre
As I Lie Awake, Benjamin Tomson, 6 minutes, USA, WNY Premiere
Behind Door Two, Frank Felipe, 5 minutes, USA, NY Premiere
Black Goat: The 6000 Steps (Series Pilot), Davey Robertson, 44 minutes, WNY Short Film, USA, World Premiere
Can’t Help But Run, Pedro Tamames, 11 minutes, USA, WNY Premiere
The Mainframe, Courtlin Byrd, 13 minutes, USA, World Premiere
Nuevo Rico, Kristian Mercado, 16 minutes, USA, WNY Premiere
Toy Terminator, Matt Wisniewski, 7 minutes, WNY Short Film, USA, World Premiere
Where’s Mommy?, Jarek Pulit, 1 minute, USA, World Premiere
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BIFF SHORTS: SATURDAY MORNING CARTOONS
A collection of fun family friendly cartoons from Western New York and international creators. 58 minutes
Saturday October 9, 11:00am North Park Theatre
Anthropocene Sketchbook ( version 2), Katy Shepherd, 4 minutes, UK, NY Premiere
Eye of the Terrier, Geoff Roberts, 3 minutes, USA, World Premiere
Fight or Flight, Eileen Hill, 2 minutes, USA, World Premiere
Hobros Train of Pain, Jack Gatto, 5 minutes, USA, World Premiere
Jumbo, Austin Deer, 3 minutes, USA, World Premiere
King’s Game, William Doyle, 3 minutes, USA, World Premiere
Memory Lane, Jessica Ochs, 4 minutes, USA, World Premiere
Muscle Beach Party of Awesomeness, Kyle Payne, 3 minutes, USA, World Premiere
On / Off, Nicolas P. Villarreal, 7 minutes, Argentina, WNY Premiere
Turtle Bird, Daniel Houghton, 4 minutes, USA, NY Premiere
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BIFF SHORTS: THE UNEXPECTED
Comedies and light documentaries and dramas with a twist. 85 minutes
Saturday October 9, 4:45pm North Park Theatre
FCK (Friends Can’t Kiss), Sarah Young, 24 minutes, USA, WNY Premiere
I Am A Unicorn, Natalie Malla, 14 minutes, UK, US Premiere
Swipe, Anthony Sneed, 5 minutes, USA, WNY Premiere
Welcome to the Dollhouse, Elizabeth Miller-Derstine, 20 minutes, USA, WNY Premiere
Wives of the Skies, Honey Lauren, 22 minutes, USA, WNY Premiere
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BIFF SHORTS: STUDENTS
The next generation of filmmaking, today. 104 minutes.
Saturday October 9, 12:00pm, Burchfield Penny
Amica, Mira Steuer, 2 minutes, Local Student Short Film, USA, World Premiere
Artifact, Durotimi Akinkugbe, 5 minutes Local Student Short Film, Nigeria/USA
World Premiere
BL00D 0F A R0B0T, Abby Mohaddes, 15 minutes, USA, WNY Premiere
Bond, Simon Yahn, 18 minutes, USA, Buffalo Premiere
Calla Lilies, Aidan Hamell, 19 minutes, USA, WNY Premiere
can’t talk, a movie’s on, Anna Evtushenko, 13 minutes, Local Student Short Film, Russia
World Premiere
The Line, Everett Marston, 15 minutes, New Zealand, NY Premiere
Oh No, Aaron Ettestad, 6 minutes, Local Student Short Film, USA, World Premiere
Voice Box, Eamon Kelly, 8 minutes, Local Student Short Film, USA
WNY Premiere
Y2Koncert, Jake Jasie, 9 minutes, Local Student Short Film, USA, World Premiere
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ONLINE:
BIFF SHORTS: RACIAL JUSTICE IN VIEW
A curated program of documentary, experimental, video essays and narratives that shine a light on race, (de)colonialism, and inequity in the United States, Canada and neighboring Indigenous Nations. 84 minutes
Online, Free with RSVP
The Ascendants (Episode 2), Ladan Osman, 9 minutes, USA, Special Presentation
Big Touch, Christopher Tenzis, 3 minutes, USA, NY Premiere
Ego of a Nation, Wes Day, 3 minutes, Canada, Special Presentation
Graffica!, Yogi Dada, 15 minutes, USA, NY Premiere
Hallowed Ground, Catherine Rafferty, 13 minutes, WNY Short Film, USA, Buffalo Premiere
Hustle, Xavier Cousens, 10 minutes, USA, WNY Premiere
Monologue Harmonic, Yuma Dean Hester, 7 minutes, Canada, Special Presentation
Shoulders Deep, John Fiege, 8 minutes, USA, WNY Premiere
Superstar, Jordan Hidalgo, 16 minutes, USA, WNY Premiere
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BIFF SHORTS: TIME STANDS STILL
A series of shorts making sense of the last year. 116 minutes
Online
Chokablok, Cameron Carver, 19 minutes, UK, NY Premiere
Disappearing Pathways, Michael Covello, Elizabeth Schneider, 13 minutes, USA, WNY Premiere
Faith, Carol Butrón, 19 minutes, Spain, WNY Premiere
Lilies, Joni Renee Whitworth, 9 minutes, USA, NY Premiere
Ships in the Night, Katherine Bourne Taylor, 12 minutes, USA, NY Premiere
Time Time Ki Baat (A Matter Of Time), Abhiiruchi Lovel Risshi, 18 minutes, India, US Premiere
Tornado Lake, Tiffany Deater, 11 minutes, USA
World Premiere
What If?, Katia Shannon, 15 minutes, UK, NY Premiere
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BIFF SHORTS: INTERVENTIONS + INTERSECTIONS
Films about life changing moments. 109 minutes
Online
Between the Headphones, Matt Colin Evans, 23 minutes, UK, NY Premiere
Feeling Through, Doug Roland, 18 minutes, USA, Special Presentation
Frankie, James Kautz, 11 minutes, USA, WNY Premiere
Lion on the Mat, Asali Echols, 17 minutes, USA, WNY Premiere
Moço, Bernardo Lopes, 14 minutes, Portugal, NY Premiere
Paper Gease, Elizabeth Chatelain, 14 minutes, USA, WNY Premiere
