Buffalo, New York – Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival, now in its seventh year, has unveiled an ambitious schedule of 101 films, including new features directed by Isaac Ezban, Fred Vogel, and Larry Fessenden. The action, animation, fantasy, horror and science fiction festival will run for seven days, Friday, August 23rd – Thursday, August 29th, at the Dipson Theatres Eastern Hills Cinema in Williamsville, New York. In all, 24 features and 77 shorts will screen, with filmmakers from 15 of the features participating in Q&A sessions.
Director Isaac Ezban
Ezban (El Incidente, Los Parecidos) will make his fourth appearance at the festival to screen his first English language film, Parallel, a science fiction thriller starring Kathleen Quinlan, as the Opening Night Feature. A group of friends stumble upon a mirror that serves as a portal to a “multiverse” but soon discover that importing knowledge from the other side to better their lives brings increasingly dangerous consequences. Ezban is a previous recipient of the festival’s George Pal Visionary Award and Rod Serling Wordsmith Award.
Pittsburgh based indie horror icon Vogel (August Underground, The Resin Tower) makes his first appearance at Buffalo Dreams, and will receive this year’s Indie Genre Spirit Award, to screen his new thriller, The Final Interview. A journalist desperate to salvage his career stages a live TV interview with a notorious convicted murderer hours before the man’s execution, and the two engage in a suspense filled psychological game of cat and mouse.
NYC auteur Fessenden (Wendigo, The Last Winter) will be represented by Depraved, his modern take on the Frankenstein, which will be the festival’s Closing Night Feature. A disillusioned field surgeon suffering from PTSD makes a man out of body parts and brings him to life in a Brooklyn loft. Fessenden will not be in attendance as he is directing a new film.
Buffalo Dreams’ feature roster includes four World Premieres, four US Premieres, nine New York Premieres, five Western New York Premieres, and one Sneak Preview, with filmmakers attending from across the country, Mexico, the UK, France and Germany. Local filmmaker Greg Sterlace will be honored with the Filmmaker of the Year award, and Sabrina Pena Young will receive the Lois Weber award.
Additional highlights include:
-The World Premiere of UK filmmaker Richard Rowntree’s horror thriller Nefarious, about a burglary which goes horribly and horrifyingly awry;
-The World Premiere of Lamberson’s own locally produced Widow’s Point, a haunted lighthouse chiller starring Craig Sheffer, based on the book by Richard Chizmar and Billy Chizmar;
–Echoes of Fear, a haunted house thriller which the programmers promise is the scariest film the festival has ever screened;
–The Mongolian Connection, an action-packed international crime drama from writer-director Drew Thomas;
–Reed Unbound: The Joel M. Reed Story, a documentary about the exploitation filmmaker who directed the cult film Bloodsucking Freaks, from returning filmmaker Adrian Esposito and Jerry Landi;
–Vortex, an outrageous horror thriller from France about a killer who flees the city and begins a bizarre relationship with a witch he encounters; director Christophe Karabache is attending the entire festival.
Science Fiction plays a larger role in the festival than it has in the past. In addition to Parallel, The Tangle is a mystery noir about the first murder committed after artificial intelligence has made such a crime impossible; Volition depicts a clairvoyant trying to prevent his own murder; and Lake Artifact, from attending filmmaker Bruce Wemple, finds a group of friends trapped in a “loop” with murderous results.
The festival isn’t just about horror and science fiction, though. Lamberson and Scioli are making two family films, Farm Days from Ryan Moser, and Max Topas: The Book of the Crystal Children, free. Moser will attend Farm Days and do a Q&A.
“This is our strongest lineup since we started,” Lamberson says, “and there’s a lot of diversity. Because we run a full week, we’re able to include a comedy like Arrows of Outrageous Fortune, and a documentary like Mysteries of the Lake, from Iran.” The festival will screen two blocks of local shorts.
Admission for Buffalo Dreams is $60 for an All Festival Pass and $20 for a Day Pass. Advance tickets for individual screenings will soon be available at www.dipsontheatres.com. The full schedule is available at www.buffalodreamsfilmfest.com .
(March 7th, 2019) Shot entirely in Buffalo, Crown Vic, directed and written by Joel Souza will debut at the Tribeca Film Festival which runs April th 24 to May 5th in New York City. Produced by Anjul Nigam, Gregg Bello, Alec Baldwin, Maxx Tsai. The American Side’s Alyson Latz made a return visit to Buffalo on Crown Vic perform line producer duties.
“Its main distinctions are its refreshingly subdued ending and the convincing performance by Buffalo, N.Y., where the film was entirely shot, as the City of Angels” – Hollywood Reporter review from Tribeca
(Photo – Crown Vic shot set up in front of Milo’s Diner at Michigan and Perry in downtown Buffalo)
Over the course of a single night, two police officers at opposite ends of their careers find themselves thrust into a violent hunt for two cop killers on the loose in the Olympic Division of Los Angeles. With Thomas Jane, Luke Kleintank, Gregg Bello, Josh Hopkins, David Krumholtz, Bridget Moynahan.
(October 15th, 2018) William Fichtner’s directorial debut “Cold Brook” took home the prestigious Carpe Diem Andretta Award at the famed Woodstock Film Festival this past weekend. This was the first festival screening for “Cold Brook” which along with Fichtner co-starred his best friend Kim Coates. The Carpe Diem Andretta Award,sponsored by The Vincent J. Andretta Memorial Fund is presented to the film that best represents living life to the fullest.
Left to right – Cold Brook co-writer Cain Devore, Fichtner, and Kim Coates at post screening Q & A.
Shot in Buffalo, East Aurora, and Cortland in the summer of 2017, “Cold Brook” is the story of two ordinary guys in a small town who embark on an extraordinary adventure. It’s a story about coming home; something everyone, everywhere has an innate desire to do.
Bill Fichtner(center) takes time out for a photo with NY State Film Commissioner Gigi Semone and Buffalo Niagara Film Commissioner Tim Clark, who both made the trip to Woodstock to see “Cold Brook’s” festival debut.
This Sunday at 11 am stop out to East Aurora to see “Hope for Christmas” at the Aurora Theatre. Starring Greg Robbins, Sara Kow-Falcone, Brian Stoyle, Peter Johnson, Kevin Sizemore and Josie Divincenzo, Hope for Christmas is a heart-warming, side-splitting comedy. Pastor Greg is still trying to win over a skeptical congregation, recovered war veteran turned pastor, gears up for his first Christmas sermon. As God would have it, his plans take an unexpected turn. Pastor Greg cashes in on a shopping spree the day of his much- anticipated sermon. In a frenzy to get back in time, he unwittingly gets stuck in an elevator along with cohorts Lori, John, Frank and a pregnant woman. The surprise ending will have the congregation and viewing audiences on the edge of their seats. www.pastorgreg.tv
(October 31st, 2018) Buffalo, New York – Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival, a multi-genre event rated “one of the top 100 best reviewed film festivals” on the submission platform FilmFreeway, returns to Dipson Theatres Eastern Hills Cinema Friday, Nov. 2nd and runs through Thursday, Nov. 8th. The festival spotlights the best independent horror, science fiction, fantasy, action and animated films from around the world, with many out of town filmmakers attending screenings and holding Q&A sessions.
See local filmmaker Sam Qualiana’s comedy Post Apocalyptic Commando Shark (Fri, 11/2, 9 pm)
Now in its sixth year, Buffalo Dreams will screen 102 films: 22 features and 80 shorts. Some opening weekend highlights include the world premiere of local filmmaker Sam Qualiana’s comedy Post Apocalyptic Commando Shark (Fri, 11/2, 9 pm); young Niagara Falls filmmaker Hope Muelhlbauer’s anti-bullying slasher film I Dare You To Open Your Eyes (Sat, 11/3, 12 pm); and festival co-director Gregory Lamberson’s teen horror film Johnny Gruesome (Sat, 11/3, 7 pm). Black Fawn Films (Bite) returns with the critically acclaimed horror film I’ll Take Your Dead (Fri, 11/2, 6:45 pm). Other post-Halloween horrors include the ghost story The Child Remains (Sat, 11/3, 9:30 pm); the Canadian vampire opus Red Spring (Sun 11/4, 7 pm); and the gory Spanish home invasion tale Framed (Sun 11/4, 9 pm). A Thanksgiving home invasion feature, Derelicts (Mon, 11/5. 9:20 pm), will be presented by its writer and director, Brett Glassberg.
See festival co-director Gregory Lamberson’s teen horror film Johnny Gruesome (Sat, 11/3, 7 pm)
Among the more unusual fare are the live action/animated hybrid The Next Kill, which has its US premiere Sat 11/3 at 2:30 pm; local filmmaker Mick O’Keefe’s experimental thriller Will o’ the Wisp (Mon, 11/5, 7 pm); the musical drama Tommy Battles the Silver Sea Dragon (Tuesday, 11/6, 7 pm); and Mickey Reece’s experimental thriller Strike, Dear Mistress, and Cure His Heart, which screens twice (Sun, 11/4, 5:15 pm; Wed, 11/7, 3 pm). Eullenia, a thriller filmed in Bangkok, is the Dexter-like story of a wealthy UK banker (Alex Newman) who is also a serial killer who preys upon desperate teenage girls.
The festival’s Dreamer Awards presentation will be held Sun, 11/4, 5 pm in the WBBZ TV studio, located in the mall, and is open to the public. In addition to competition awards, several Special Awards will be presented. Canadian filmmaker Brett Kelly, whose film noir Murder in High Heels screens Sunday, 11/4 at 12:30 pm, has been named Filmmaker of the Year. Sophia Cacciola and Michael J. Epstein, who collaborated on the horror satire Clickabit (Sat, 11/3, 4:30 pm), will receive the Lois Weber Award and the Dedication to Excellence in Independent Filmmaking Award, respectively. And Sam Qualiana will receive the Indie Genre Spirit Award.
Admission follows Dipson’s regular prices, including bargain matinees and Discount Tuesdays. Day Passes ($20) and All Festival Passes ($70) are available at the Eastern Hills Cinema box office. Advance tickets are available at www.dipsontheatres.com.
(October 15th, 2018) William Fichtner’s directorial debut “Cold Brook” took home the prestigious Carpe Diem Andretta Award at the famed Woodstock Film Festival this past weekend. This was the first festival screening for “Cold Brook” which along with Fichtner co-starred his best friend Kim Coates. The Carpe Diem Andretta Award,sponsored by The Vincent J. Andretta Memorial Fund is presented to the film that best represents living life to the fullest.
Left to right – Cold Brook co-writer Cain Devore, Fichtner, and Kim Coates at post screening Q & A.
Shot in Buffalo, East Aurora, and Cortland in the summer of 2017, “Cold Brook” is the story of two ordinary guys in a small town who embark on an extraordinary adventure. It’s a story about coming home; something everyone, everywhere has an innate desire to do.
Bill Fichtner(center) takes time out for a photo with NY State Film Commissioner Gigi Semone and Buffalo Niagara Film Commissioner Tim Clark, who both made the trip to Woodstock to see “Cold Brook’s” festival debut.
(Photo – Crown Vic shot set up in front of Milo’s Diner at Michigan and Perry in downtown Buffalo)
