16th Annual Buffalo Int’l Film Festival Announces Lineup of 160+ Film Premieres from 28 Countries
Buffalo, NY, September 16, 2022: The 16th annual Buffalo Int’l Film Festival (BIFF) is excited to announce its 2022 festival lineup, which includes World, US, Regional, and City premieres; and anticipated WNY-made titles Bunker, Bashira, Rules of Lacrosse, and WNY Stories Shorts; as well as festival favorites Memoria, Peter Case: A Million Miles Away, Slash/Back, The Unknown Country, and much more! The festival will present five days of film, art, music, performances, panels (and more!) from October 6–10th in Buffalo, NY; while also presenting a selection of films and related content online from October 6–20th.
Film screenings will be presented at venues throughout the City of Buffalo, NY including the North Park Theatre (1428 Hertel Avenue), Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center (341 Delaware Avenue), and Burchfield Penney Art Center (1300 Elmwood Avenue).
“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 and cast 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
Tickets and passes are available at buffalofilm.org. Tickets are $12 for all in person screenings, and $10 for all online screenings. All screenings and events are open to the general public on a first come first serve basis. BIFF also participates in Arts Services Inc’s Arts Access Program, which allows program participants to reserve free tickets to all festival events. New for 2022, BIFF’s popular all-access Bison Pass is now available with three tiers: $40 (online only), $50 (theatrical), $60 (theatrical and online). Some 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.
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SPOTLIGHT + CENTERPIECE FILMS:
Opening Night Gala:
Nickson Fong (Dir), 124 minutes, USA/Japan, Buffalo Premiere
Director Nickson Fong, and Stars Liam Aiken, Mitzi Akaha, Kiki Sukezane, Emma Caymares, and Brandon Gill in attendance.
An electronic musician (Liam Aiken) and a troubled fan with a haunting voice (Mitzi Akaha) are plunged into a hallucinogenic nightmare when they must confront an ancient entity capable of bending space and time, and wreaking havoc and death; in order to save their own souls and the lives of those they love.
Based on a Japanese legend and shot on location throughout Buffalo and surrounding lands (including The Statler, Rock City State Forest, and more!), this musical-horror-fantasy film is one wild ride!
NORTH PARK THEATRE – OCTOBER 7, 2022 – FRIDAY, 7:00 PM
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Arthouse Spotlight:
MemoriaApichatpong Weerasethakul (Dir), 136 minutes, USA, Buffalo Premiere
A lyrical drama exploring myth, memory and colonialism. Jessica (Tilda Swinton), a Scottish expat living in Bogotá, Colombia sets off to find the source of a mysterious sonic boom that only she can hear. With the help of a sound engineer (Elkin Diaz), Jessica explores a psychological and metaphysical world where more than just the past is excavated. A NEON release.
NORTH PARK THEATRE – OCTOBER 9, 2022 – SUNDAY, 1:30 PM
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City Centerpiece:
BunkerAdrian Langley (Dir), 108 minutes, USA, World Premiere
Director Adrian Langley, Writer Michael Huntsman, and Producers Patrick Rizzotti and James Huntsman in attendance.
Trapped in a bunker during World War I, a group of soldiers are faced with an ungodly presence that slowly turns them against each other. Made in Western New York at Buffalo FilmWorks. A Blue Fox Entertainment release.
NORTH PARK THEATRE – OCTOBER 8, 2022 – SATURDAY, 9:00 PM
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Regional Centerpiece:
The Rules of LacrosseJoanne Storkan (Dir), 124 minutes, USA, Western New York Premiere
Director Joanne Storkan in attendance.
The A to Z of men’s lacrosse – from its rich, Indigenous history to the growing of the game internationally from its North American roots, to its future status of an official men’s and women’s Olympics sport, beginning in 2028. Featuring interviews with some of the greatest names in the sport and its biggest supporters, including Oren Lyons, Gary Sundown, Louis Delisle, Garylord Powless, Dean French, Teiotièntaron ‘River’ McComber, Wayne Gretzky, Seymour Knox IV, Johnny Mouradian, the Buffalo Bandits, and many more!
NORTH PARK THEATRE – OCTOBER 8, 2022 – SATURDAY, 12:30 PM
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Decolonial Spotlight:
Slash/BackNyla Innuksuk (Dir), 87 minutes, Canada, Western New York Premiere
In a remote Arctic community, a group of Inuit girls fight off an alien invasion, all while trying to make it to the coolest party in town.
NORTH PARK THEATRE – OCTOBER 10, 2022 – MONDAY, 9:30 PM
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Closing Night Gala:
Lesya Kalynska + Ruslan Batytskyi (Dir), 83 minutes, Ukraine/USA, Western New York Premiere
Director Lesya Kalynska and Producer TJ Collins in attendance.
Following two young Ukrainian idealists from the peaceful protest in Kyiv in 2013, to the full-scale Russian invasion of the Ukraine in 2022, Pavlo and Svitlana met and fell in love at the Maidan Revolution and were filmed over 8 years, with several expeditions to the frontlines of the war.
In Ukrainian and English, with English subtitles.
NORTH PARK THEATRE – OCTOBER 10, 2022 – MONDAY, 7:00 PM
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*More spotlight films and exciting guests TBA soon! (!!!)
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SCREENINGS IN BUFFALO OCT 6-10:
*Chronological – please check individual film pages for date/time/venue, and filmmakers in attendance.
Narrative Features:
The Unknown Country w/ Meet the Sky
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Documentary Features:
Nowhere Man and A Whiskey Girl
Terrible Children w/ Winter 1984 + Meantime
Lovely Jackson w/ Mind of Moses
Boblo Boats: A Detroit Ferry Tale
Peter Case: A Million Miles Away
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Shorts Blocks:
BIFF SHORTS: RACIAL JUSTICE IN VIEW
BIFF SHORTS: SATURDAY MORNING CARTOONS
BIFF EPISODIC: SCI-FI & THRILLERS & FANTASIES
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SCREENINGS ONLINE OCT 6-20:
Narrative Features:
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Documentary Features:
All of Our Heartbeats are Connected Through Exploding Stars
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Shorts Blocks:
BIFF SHORTS: EARTH + WATER WORKS
BIFF SHORTS: LETTERS TO THE FUTURE
*More films and 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
Ana Grujić, Marketing + Outreach Coordinator,419-378-0701, ana.g@buffalofilm.org