Mar 27, 2025
Expo Producer Greg Lamberson of Cinema Arts Collaborative
Villa Maria College will host the first Cinema Arts Expo on Saturday, April 5th from 10:30am – 5:30 pm. The expo is the first event from Cinema Arts Collaborative, Inc., a new nonprofit organization created to promote, educate and grow the Buffalo-Niagara film community. The event will consist primarily of panels featuring area creators and professionals. Local filmmaker Gregory Lamberson, a member of the Producers Guild of America, serves as the executive director of CAC and will moderate most of the panels.
“Many films are coming to Buffalo to shoot in the very near future and we need to grow our crew base,” says Lamberson. “This expo is aimed at creators, but also at people who wish to join the film crew community: film students, graduates and others seeking to get their foot in the door. Networking is crucial, and showing up is a large part of the battle.”
The first panel of the day will be “Buffalo Niagara Film Production,” featuring Buffalo-Niagara Film Commissioner Tim Clark, Buffalo Film Office Director of Operations Rich Wall, and Cindy Abbott Letro, who sits on the film commission’s board of directors and hosts Behind the Camera on YouTube. “This is a great opportunity for local residents, including students who are graduating this spring, to network with film professionals and learn about the Buffalo-Niagara film community,” says Clark.
Additional panels will be devoted to Screenwriting (Jeff Wilber, Paul McGinnis, Richie Leyland, Ken Rowe), Producing (Peter Johnson, Tom Paolino, Emily Sheng, Nikki Styliades Howze), Directing (Peter McGennis, John Michael Nolan, Kyle Mecca, David O. Anderson), and Women in Film (Sabrina Pena Young, Kristen Skeet, Hope Muehlbauer).
In addition, Lameberson will conduct an on stage conversation with John Scardino, Business Representative for Local 52 Motion Picture Studio Mechanics. Scardino will discuss the benefits and process of joining the union. “Not everyone who wants to work on movies wants to be a writer, director, or producer,” says Lamberson. “Students are graduating from Villa Maria, Buff State, and UB who wish to earn a living working on movies in a wide range of crew positions.”
To help graduating students and others land those all important first film set jobs, Lamberson is requesting that interested parties bring a hard copy of their resume to the expo and submit it to the Cinema Arts Collaborative table where tickets will be sold. “We’re going to scan these resumes, create a PDF directory, and send it to every person I know who is likely to be hiring crew when all these movies start coming to town. Additionally, a fellow nonprofit, Film Neighbor Network, will have a table at the expo, and they have a track record of helping students land internships.”
Lamberson plans to grow Cinema Arts Expo in the years to come because the demand for crew members is only going to increase, and he hopes Villa Maria will always be the event’s home because their goals are well aligned. “We look forward to welcoming the Cinema Arts Collaborative to campus for the first Cinema Arts Expo,” says Dr. Matthew Giordano, president of Villa Maria College. “By providing an opportunity for collaboration, education, and networking, the event will strengthen the local film community while providing our students with another opportunity to learn from experienced professionals. Hosting events like the Cinema Arts Expo support our ongoing efforts to create structured pathways to sustainable careers for our students and the greater Western New York film industry.”
The Founding Directors of Cinema Arts Collaborative, Inc. are Sabrina Pena Young, President; Terry Kimmel, Vice President and Secretary; and Armand John Petri, Treasurer.
Villa Maria College is located at 240 Pine Ridge Road in Buffalo. Regular admission for Cinema Arts Expo is $20, and students and seniors 60 and over pay $15 (cash at the door).
Cinema Arts Collaborative, Inc.
www.CinmaArtsCollaborative.com
On Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555323446689
Mar 27, 2025
STUDIO CITY, CA and BUFFALO, NY – March 27, 2025 –– On the heels of its winning partnership last year, Hallmark Media, NFL and Skydance Sports are running it back this Christmas with Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story, a new, original movie premiering during the GOAT of festive films, Hallmark Channel’s 16th annual Countdown to Christmas. The announcement was made today through a video featuring Bills Safety Damar Hamlin. Production kicks off later this year and will film entirely at locations in and around Buffalo, New York, including iconic Highmark Stadium, which is making its last stand as the Bills home field in the upcoming 2025 NFL season. The starting lineup will be announced at a later date.
“The incredible success of last year’s partnership with the NFL and the Kansas City Chiefs far exceeded our expectations,” said Darren Abbott, Chief Brand Officer, Hallmark. “We are thrilled to team up with the Bills this year for a new holiday movie filled with heart, family and the classic Hallmark storytelling that our fans know and love, all set against the special community the Bills franchise has nurtured throughout its storied history.”
“We were honored to be approached by Skydance Sports to participate in this amazing project that will showcase two powerful brands – Hallmark and the Buffalo Bills,” said Pete Guelli, Chief Operating Officer, Buffalo Bills. “This is just another example of how the Bills brand and our amazing fan base continues to grow across the sports and entertainment landscape. This is an incredible opportunity to feature Western New York and Bills Mafia on the Hallmark platform. It is a privilege to be part of this project, and we hope this film will be a hit during the holiday season!”
With planning underway, fan activations, unique co-branded merchandise, and on-air, social, and digital promotion, the multifaceted partnership will engage widespread audiences both on and off the field, with more details to be announced later this year. What’s more, this film will fuel the proven track record of viewership crossover between Countdown to Christmas enthusiasts and football fans. In fact, over 75% of Hallmark Channel viewers also watched NFL Football while Countdown to Christmas was on air in 2024, making this film the perfect holiday occasion.*
Skydance Sports serves as the Executive Producer of Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story. A newly formed venture between Skydance Media and the NFL, Skydance Sports is designed to create a top-end sports content studio and expand multi-platform sports programming across a broad range of formats.
ABOUT HALLMARK MEDIA
Owned and operated by Hallmark Cards, Inc., Hallmark Media is entertainment’s leading destination for feel-good content. Hallmark Channel features an ambitious slate of new, original movies, scripted series, and the popular annual holiday franchise, Countdown to Christmas. Hallmark Mystery features a unique mix of movies and acquired series focused on the lighter side of the suspense and mystery genres, as well as its own seasonal programming event, Miracles of Christmas. Hallmark Family showcases timeless storytelling for the whole family centered around faith, love, and community. The company’s subscription streaming service and membership program, Hallmark+ offers a distinctive blend of all new, exclusive original series and movies, next-day access to Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Mystery premieres, plus monthly discounts and rewards for shopping at Hallmark Gold Crown retail stores. For more information, please visit www.corporate.hallmarkmedia.com.
ABOUT SKYDANCE SPORTS
Skydance Sports, the joint venture between the NFL and Skydance, has quickly become the preeminent studio for leagues, teams, elite athletes and A-List Hollywood talent seeking to produce premium, sports-related entertainment. Initially launched in 2021, the studio’s first two projects include the Sports Emmy-nominated docuseries Good Rivals and the critically acclaimed film Air which received two Golden Globe Award nominations including “Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.” In 2022, Skydance partnered with the NFL and NFL Films on a joint venture to significantly expand multi-platform programming across sports in a broad range of formats for partners, fans, and viewers around the world. The partnership’s projects include the upcoming docuseries America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys chronicling the Dallas Cowboys’ dynasty and franchise owner Jerry Jones, a documentary feature on football legend John Elway, and a docuseries on tennis icon Rafael Nadal for Netflix along with a scripted series for Hulu written and executive produced by Dan Fogelman set inside the world of the NFL. Recently released projects include the Hallmark holiday movie Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story, Aaron Rodgers: Enigma for Netflix, Freediver on Prime Video, Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants for HBO as well as the Sports Emmy-nominated NFL Draft: The Pick Is In for The Roku Channel and Kelce for Prime Video.
The latest media coverage links:
Today Show
Buffalo Bills
Sports Illustrated
Variety
Buffalo News
Nov 11, 2024
Actor Gabrielle Nunzio with Director Geg Lamberson. (PHOTO: Nancy J. Parisi)
Principal photography on the horror thriller Frenzy Moon has wrapped in Clarence, New York. The film was written and directed by Buffalo-based filmmaker Gregory Lamberson, who produced it with Tamar Lamberson, Keith Lukowski and Chris Cosgrave.
This is Lamberson’s tenth feature film as a director, and his seventh filmed in Western New York. A member of the Producers Guild of America, some of his previous films include Johnny Gruesome, Widow’s Point and Guns of Eden.
Frenzy Moon tells the story of six college students and a mysterious hunter who spend a terrifying night battling werewolves in a remote cabin. Lamberson is the author of 15 books, including the novels The Frenzy Way, The Frenzy War and The Frenzy Wolves. He describes Freny Moon as “a cross between The Howling and John Carpenter’s The Thing.”
The film’s principal cast is primarily comprised of Western New York theater actors: Alyssa Grace Adams, Aaron Krygier, Kayla Walker, Gabrielle Nunzio, Harold Octavius Jacob, Steven Maiseke and Jacob Applegate. Lamberson cast many of them after scouting them in local stage productions.
(PHOTO: Nancy J. Parisi)
“The audience needs to believe the characters’ fear in a horror film. I wanted theater actors because they tend to have more training and discipline, and can better handle long, intense dialogue scenes. There was no need to look outside Western New York, because we have so many talented actors right here.”
The crew was also local.
“I’ve been shooting here for fourteen years. A lot of people have gotten their start with me, and I’ve learned from visiting producers and directors. I’ve surrounded myself with the best people I can, and as a team we provide training and mentorship to the next generation. We have everything we need right here – except for a local source of financing. This was an incredibly ambitious project to do on a low budget.”
Lamberson raised the budget for the film through a combination of crowdfunding, private investors, and a distribution advance; he expects the film to be released around September 2025.
“We’re always looking for new producers. People can back us through Frenzy Moon on Kickstarter and Indiegogo, receive certain reward perks, and see their name in the credits of a movie that will be seen around the world.”
Gregory Lamberson Film: https://www.gregorylambersonfilm.com/
Frenzy Moon Kickstarter: http://kck.st/3Xnn5Q4
Frenzy Moon Indiegogo: https://igg.me/at/FrenzyMoonFilm/x/25844736#/
Oct 10, 2024
Fall Guy/Gal Stunt Boot Camp this Saturday and Sunday
Robbins Stunt Team is holding their 2nd annual stunt boot camp. Fall Guy/Gal style stunt
bootcamp this Saturday(10/12)11:00 am to 3:30pm and Sunday(10/13) 8:45am-1:45pm.
In true stunt fashion we have added high falls to the already high-octane stunt bootcamp.
Greg Robbins and his professional stunt team will guide actors and stunt performers in Falls,
Fights, Prop Firearm handling and safety.
“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 The Panic, The Cutman, Hello Beautiful, 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. Our bootcamp will help with that need.”- Greg
Robbins.
Boot camp is held at The Sportsplex 90 Ridge Road, North Tonawanda, NY 14120.
To register email Greg Robbins: GregvRobbins@gmail.com
Website: www.robbinsstuntteam.com
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCua29brLjU1tWsywsF-QTwg
Oct 4, 2024
18th Annual Buffalo Int’l Film Festival (OCT 10-17) ANNOUNCES OPENING AND CLOSING NIGHT FILMS + EXPANDED 2024 FESTIVAL RUN
Buffalo Int’l Film Festival to open w/ the North American Premiere of Phoebe Nir’s Eco Village (Starring Rising Buffalo Star Sidney Flanigan – in attendance) and closes with the Western New York Premiere of Marco Gianfreda’s Tre Regole Infallibili / Three Infallible Rules (Starring Mother Cabrini herself, Cristiana Dell’Anna – in attendance)
Buffalo, NY: Friday, October 4, 2024 – The Buffalo Int’l Film Festival announces an extended run (from 5 to 8 days) October 10-17th at venues throughout the City of Buffalo. The festival’s programming will include 220+ Western New York premiere films from 30+ countries, many with visiting filmmakers in attendance to present their films and participate in live audience Q+As and panels.
BIFF’s Lineup of Official Film Selections is composed of acclaimed hits from major festivals including Sundance, South By Southwest, Tribeca, Hot Docs, Cannes Film Festival, and more; alongside exciting discoveries from around the WNY region and the globe.
Some of films presented in this year’s lineup, including BIFF’s Decolonial Spotlights (Renowned Mohawk Director Katsitsionni Fox and Star/Documentary Participant Jessica Shenandoah in attendance), ၁၀ နှစ်အက ြာ မြန်ြြာ / Ten Years Myanmar, and Next Gen: Teen + Youth-Made Shorts are offered free of charge thanks to the generous support from The National Endowment for Arts, New York Council on the Arts, and Erie County Arts and Cultural Funding, and BIFF’s many amazing community partners and supporters. Shorts blocks, like Racial Justice in View, as well as BIFF’s Offscreen series of music, art, and performance; industry and academic panels; and other special events are free for the general public to attend as well.
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, $8 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. Films are now on sale including BIFF’s Opening Night and Closing Night selections. BIFF’s popular All-Access Bison Pass is also on sale for $70 and provides access to the festival’s 220+ film screenings, official events, and more.
BIFF will also present screenings and panels at – the North Park Theatre (1428 Hertel Ave), Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center (341 Delaware Ave), and Burchfield Penney Art Center (1300 Elmwood Ave), Buffalo Toronto Public Media (140 Lower Terrace St), and Journey’s End Cinema at the Tri-Main Center (2495 Main St #530).
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.
“We’re so excited to host some many incredible filmmakers here in Buffalo this October, and to celebrate these phenomenal films and bold cinematic works,” said Executive Director Anna Scime. “All are welcome and there’s a little something for everybody – we can’t wait to see you at the fest!”
_______
SPOTLIGHT + CENTERPIECE FILMS:
OPENING NIGHT GALA – Eco Village – Friday, October 11, 2024 – 7:15 PM – North Park Theatre
Phoebe Nir (Dir), 82 minutes, USA, North American Premiere
Director/Writer Phoebe Nir, Star Sidney Flanigan, Star Lindsay Burdge, Star Eric Austin, Producer Giovanni Labadessa and Editor/Co-Producer Linds Gray in attendance.
Songwriter Robyn (Sidney Flanigan of Never Rarely Sometimes Always + Only the Good Survive) hitch-hikes her way to a commune. There, she meets an eccentric cast of characters, including commune founder Ursula (Lindsay Michelle Burdge) and handyman Jake (Alex Breaux), the later becoming her lover.
This relationship upsets the delicate equilibrium of the eco-village ecosystem, setting off a drug-addled frenzy of shifting power, manipulation, friendship and lust. Throughout these uncertain alliances and games, music remains Robyn’s salvation and structures the film.
+
Related BIFF Panels (free!)
BIFF Panel: It Takes an Eco Village – Friday, October 11th, 4pm @ Buffalo Toronto Public Media + live streamed to social + website
+
BIFF Panel: Buffalo’s Brightest – Sunday, October 13th, 5pm @ Buffalo Toronto Public Media + live streamed to social + website (Daniel Croix (Huli), Sidney Flanigan (Eco Village), Patrick Gallo (The Disinvited)
______
CLOSING NIGHT GALA – Tre Regole Infallibili / Three Infallible Rules – Thursday, October 17, 2024 – 7:15 PM – North Park Theatre
Marco Gianfreda (Dir), 98 minutes, Italy, Western New York Premiere
Director Marco Gianfreda and Star Cristiana Dell’Anna in attendance.
In Italian w/ English subtitles.
Fourteen year-old Bruno (Guglielmo Aquaro) is in a state of panic: he finds out his first love is requited, but has no idea what to do next. He needs someone to teach him the ropes, and it just so happens that his best bet is the much detested Luca (Matteo Olivetti), the only man capable of making his hopeless mother Claudia (Cabrini Star Cristiana Dell’Anna) fall in love again.
Bruno must swallow his pride and accept his worst enemy’s advice. Little does he know that Luca and Claudia’s relationship is anything but exemplary.
+
Related BIFF Panel (free!) Love (Italian Style) – Thursday, October 17th, 4pm @ Buffalo Toronto Public Media + live streamed to social + website
_______
SOCIAL JUSTICE SPOTLIGHT – Songs from the Hole – Sunday, October 13, 2024 – 7:15 PM – North Park Theatre
Contessa Gayles (Dir), 106 minutes, USA, New York State Premiere
Director Contessa Gayles in attendance. (Buffalo Native)
At 15, he took a life. Three days later, his brother’s life was taken. A documentary visual album, SONGS FROM THE HOLE follows James “JJ’88” Jacobs through a musical opus of Hip-Hop and Soul, inspired by his innermost struggles as both a person who has committed and experienced violent harm, as he serves a double-life prison sentence.
The film interweaves the collective storytelling of its non-fiction participants with imagined representations of memories, dreams and spiritual dialogues set to its protagonist/writer’s original music.
______
ARTHOUSE CENTERPIECE – New Wave – Thursday, October 10, 2024 – 7:00 PM – Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center
Elizabeth Ai (Dir), 89 minutes, USA, Western New York Premiere
Director Elizabeth Ai and Producer Rachel Sine in attendance.
A self reflexive story of joy and youthful defiance, filmmaker Elizabeth Ai explores a musical phenomenon in the 1980s known to Vietnamese American teens as new wave.
As she delves into the lives of family members and icons of the new wave scene, a surprising and powerful story emerges about lasting effects of the Vietnam War and displacement on the community’s mental health, and how that impact carries over generations.
______
ARTHOUSE SPOTLIGHT –S/He Is Still Her/e – Sunday, October 13, 2024 – 7:15 PM – North Park Theatre
David Charles Rodrigues (Dir), 99 minutes, USA, Western New York Premiere
Pioneering electronic musician/avant-garde artist/spiritual explorer/gender revolutionary/cult leader(!?) Genesis P. Orridge has been featured in numerous films and videos, but never the full story…until now.
In this “authorized” but extremely raw and personal documentary, award-winning director David Charles Rodrigues (GAY CHORUS DEEP SOUTH) documents the final year of P-Orridge’s existence as they grapple with mortality and get ready to “drop [their] body.”
Featuring William Burroughs, Brion Gyson, Timothy Leary, Alice Genesse (PTV), David J (Bauhaus/Love and Rockets), Nepalese monks, African Witch doctors and a special cameo by her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth, plus never before seen archival treasures, performances from COUM Transmissions, Throbbing Gristle and Psychic TV. Very few artists lived their art, but Genesis died three times for it.
____
DECOLONIAL SPOTLIGHT – BIFF Shorts: Decolonial Spotlights – Monday, October 14, 2024 – 7:15 PM – North Park Theatre
Anti-ethnographic works that provide windows into the lives, minds and cultures of some of the world’s most exciting, contemporary Indigenous filmmakers. Free screening! 62 minutes.
“Tentsítewahkwe”
Katsitsionni Fox (Dir) 18 minutes, Akwesasne / USA / Canada, New York State Premiere
Director Katsitsionni Fox and Star/Documentary Participant Jessica Shenandoah in attendance.
In Kanien’kéha and English w/ English subtitles.
Haudenosaunee people follow the season cycles of the earth – their mothers and grandmothers knew how to take what was harvested from the land to create what was needed for their families. Jessica Shenandoah is Wolf Clan from the Akwesasne Mohawk Nation and comes from a large family of knowledge keepers. As a young girl, she picked medicines, berries and wild food plants with her mother and grandmother. She is now a mother of four, seeking to bring back the land based practices that have been lost. Jessica reaches both inside and outside Haudenosaunee territories to find those who have reconnected this knowledge, so she can bring it back to her community and the future generations. She embodies Tentsítewahkwe, as she picks up knowledge of the old ways, these slow methods of creating and connecting in reciprocity with the earth reemerge.
LEGACY GALA – Demolition Man w/ Production Designer David L. Snyder – Wednesday, October 16, 2024 – 7:15 PM – North Park Theatre
DEMOLITION MAN, directed by Marco Brambilla (USA)
Followed by an extended conversation and live audience Q+A with BIFF’s inaugural Lifetime Achievement award winner, BAFTA Winning + Academy Award nominated Production Designer David L. Snyder (Buffalo Native)!
John Spartan (Sylvester Stallone) is a risk-taking LAPD police officer in 1996 with a reputation for causing destruction while carrying out his work. After a failed attempt to rescue hostages from evil crime lord Simon Phoenix (Westley Snipes), they are both sentenced to be cryogenically frozen. Phoenix is thawed for a parole hearing in 2032 but escapes into a society that has changed after all violent crime has seemingly been eliminated. This pacifistic future society is ill-equipped to deal with a criminal of Phoenix’s caliber, and Spartan is released from the cryogenic prison to pursue his old ultra-violent-nemesis. A Warner Brothers release.
_______
And much more!
______
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.
