For Immediate Release — BIFF 2020 Releases Film Lineup for Virtual Fest + Drive-in — Tickets on Sale Now!
The 14th Annual Buffalo International Film Festival (October 8–12, 2020) Announces Feature Film Programming & Shorts Blocks
September 23, 2020, Buffalo, NY — The 14th annual Buffalo International Film Festival (BIFF), running from October 8th — 12th, announces that tickets are now on sale for the main film lineup, featuring many Western New York premieres. Presented in a socially distanced, cinematically connected, virtual-first format, this year’s festival invites filmmakers and audiences to participate in the way that they feel most comfortable.
In addition to a wide array of virtual film offerings to be watched at the leisure of the ticket holder during the festival period, pre-recorded and live-streamed filmmaker Q&As, panels and performances, as well as installations at local art spaces, the 2020 festival will also include two evenings of screenings at the Dark Alley Drive-in on Hertel Avenue. This year’s festival showcases over 100 films, shorts and episodic series from 20 countries, with over 100 film delegates from across the globe participating!
Tickets on sale now at buffalofilm.org. Films screening in the online festival will be available to watch from October 8–12th, and viewers will have 48-hour watch window from purchase/unlock.
Audiences will be able to screen BIFF films on their computers, mobile devices and smart TVs with screen casting or the Eventive TV app for Roku and Apple TV. This year BIFF will offer three affordable, flat-fee options for virtual viewing — $8/Individual screenings, $17/Triptychet (three screenings) and the unlimited Bison Pass (all virtual festival screenings and events, and one $20 drive-in ticket for $40). Drive-in tickets are $20/car load. One car per transaction. BIFF is also partnering with the Arts Services Initiative of Western New York and participating in their Arts Access Program to offer free tickets to community members enrolled in the program.
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Announced Centerpiece Titles:
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Arthouse Centerpiece — The Vasulka Effect, directed by Hrafnhildur Gunnarsdóttirby
Video art pioneers Steina and Woody Vasulka struggle with finances, an extensive archive and a legacy spanning decades across multiple cities and continents. This documentary traces their life and work from Iceland to NYC, to Buffalo, to Santa Fe and back again. From the ‘second renaissance’ celebrating the decentralization of media and revolution against censorship, to the present day — this intimate portrait explores what it means to be a media maker in an ever-changing, technological world.
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WNY Centerpiece — Runaway, directed by Meg Knowles
Buffalo-based filmmaker Meg Knowles retraces the steps of her sister, who in the summer of ’73 ran away from an upscale New England summer camp, hitchhiking cross-country to California. Weaving a tale of teen angst gone off the rails, a mother’s patient desperation and a sister’s disbelief, Knowles’ warm, personal documentary begs the question: does retracing your steps heal old wounds or make new ones?
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Regional Centerpiece — The Walrus and the Whistleblower, directed by Natalie Bibeau
St. Catherines-raised filmmaker Nathalie Bibeau’s award winning documentary follows Phil Demers, an ex-trainer at Niagara Falls, Ontario’s MarineLand who sets about to expose the park’s practices on social media and before the Canadian Senate, all while being sued by the park’s owners for $1.5 million for plotting to steal a walrus.
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Arthouse Spotlight — Queer Genius, directed by Chet Catherine Pancake
Chet Catherine Pancake’s affectionate and intimate portrait of multiple generations of critically acclaimed and notoriously radical queer artists overcome personal and political obstacles to find new ways to think about and live their own “genius.” Featuring Barbara Hammer, Eileen Myles, Black Quantum Futurism, Moor Mother, and Dynasty Handbag / Jibz Cameron.
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Additionally BIFF is proud to host the Western New York premieres of several New York State feature film productions including Tahara and United We Sing (filmed in Rochester) and Paper Spiders (filmed in Syracuse) as well as features by local filmmakers including Work and The Songpoet.
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Main 2020 Film Lineup:
This year’s filmic programming will feature 15 Domestic + International Narratives, 16 Domestic + International Documentaries, and 9 Shorts Blocks.
BIFF Domestic + International Narratives:
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Beautiful Dreamer, Amy Glazer (Dir), East Coast Premiere, USA
Screening with short film: A Dinner Party, Michèle Kaye (Dir), US Premiere, Canada
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Cold Feet, Brad Ellis & Allen C. Gardner (Dir), NY Premiere, USA
Screening with short film: Black Hearts, Red Hands, Russell Southam (Dir), WNY Premiere, Australia
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County Lines, Henry Blake (Dir), NY Premiere, UK
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Fall Back Down, Sara Beth (SB) Edwards (Dir), US Premiere, Canada
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Freeland, Kate McLean & Mario Furloni (Dir), WNY Premiere, USA
Screening with short film: Hung Up, Damon O’Steen (Dir), NY Premiere, USA
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Go/Don’t Go, Alex Knapp (Dir), WNY Premiere, USA
Screening with short film: Bodies, Jacob Anderson (Dir), WNY Premiere, USA
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How To Stop a Recurring Dream, Edward Morris (Dir), NY Premiere, UK
Screening with short film: Two Winters, Anthony Saxe (Dir), WNY Premiere, USA
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La Fameuse Invasion des Ours en Sicile (The Bear’s Famous Invasion of Sicily), Lorenzo Mattotti (Dir), NY Premiere, France
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Marcus, J.R. Poli (Dir), North East Premiere, USA
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Paper Spiders, Inon Shampanier (Dir), WNY Premiere, USA
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Small Town Wisconsin, Niels Mueller (Dir), Special Presentation, USA
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Tahara, Oliva Peace (Dir), NY Premiere, USA
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Toprak, Sevgi Hirschhauser (Dir), NY Premiere, Turkey
Screening with short film: alterSchädel, jonCates (Dir), NY Premiere, USA
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Two Komachis, Takeshi Sone (Dir), WNY Premiere, Japan (Japanese with English subtitles)
Screening with short film: Those Beautiful Moments, Vasily Chuprina (Dir), NY Premiere, Russia (Russian with English subtitles)
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Up On The Glass, Kevin Del Principe (Dir), Special Presentation, USA
Screening with short film: Treeline Lake, Sinah Ober (Dir), NY Premiere, USA
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BIFF Domestic + International Documentaries:
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Determined: The Story of Holocost Survivor Avrahm Perlmutter, Keren Perlmutter (Dir), NY Premiere, USA
Screening with short film: Alina, Rami Kodeih (Dir), WNY Premiere, USA
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Disrupted, Sarah Colt (Dir), NY Premiere, USA
Screening with short film: Dear Georgina, Adam Mazo & Ben Pender-Cudlip (Dir), WNY Premiere, USA
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Higher Love, Hasan Oswald (Dir), WNY Premiere, USA
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How To Overthrow The US Government (Legally), Caveh Zahedi (Dir), North American Premiere, USA
Screening with short film: The Deepest Hole, Matt McCormick (Dir), NY Premiere, USA
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Landfall, Cecilia Aldorando, (Dir), WNY Premiere, USA (Spanish with English subtitles)
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No Bone: Scars of Survival, Mark Schiller (Dir), WNY Premiere, USA
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Queer Genius, Chet Catherine Pancake (Dir), WNY Premiere, USA
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Runaway, Meg Knowles (Dir), NY Premiere, USA
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The Songpoet, Paul Lamont (Dir), NY Premiere, USA
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There’s No Place Like This Place Anyplace, Lulu Wei (Dir), US Premiere, Canada
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United We Sing, Dan Petracca (Dir), World Premiere, USA
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The Donut Dollies, Norm Anderson (Dir), NY Premiere, USA
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The Grand Unified Theory of Everything, Charlie Hoxie (Dir), WNY Premiere, USA
Screening with short film: Flag Country, Pamela Falkenberg & Jack Cochran (Dir), NY Premiere, USA
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The Vasulka Effect, Hrafnhildur Gunnarsdóttir (Dir), NY Premiere, Iceland
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The Walrus and the Whistleblower, Nathalie Bibeau (Dir), NY Premiere, Canada
Screening with short film: Sleepless Flight Jeremey Cournyea (Dir), NY Premiere, USA
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Work, Mani Mehrvarz (Dir), World Premiere, USA
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BIFF Shorts Blocks:
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BIFF Shorts: Danger Zone
OMG / WTF / NSFW / LMFAO movies.
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BIFF Episodic
BIFF’s ongoing screening series about ongoing stories.
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BIFF Shorts: Global Docs
Nonfiction dispatches from Poland, Greenland and Brazil.
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BIFF Shorts: International Narratives
Stories from across the globe and into your home.
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BIFF Shorts: Lost Connections
Films about those lost and found moments in life.
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BIFF Shorts: Racial Justice in View
Works exploring issues of race, colonialism, visibility, (in)justice and more.
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BIFF Shorts: Students
Your first look at exciting new voices in cinema.
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BIFF Shorts: WNY Stories
Celebrating unique perspectives, voices and stories from Western New York.
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BIFF Shorts: Youth Block
The next generation of storytellers — exciting new voices and work by filmmakers under 18. Co-presented with Squeaky Wheel Film and Media Art Center, and curated by students enrolled in their youth education and workforce development pipelines.
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“We’re excited to provide a safe, socially distanced platform for cinematic discovery and networking this year with over 100 films, shorts and webisodes. We’re committed to keeping what makes BIFF a special experience for our filmmakers and patrons while giving our audiences a little more time and space to discover our amazing official selections on a screen of their choosing during the festival weekend.”
– Artistic Director, John J. Fink.
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The 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, BIFF also offers workshops, seminars, industry panel discussions, fiscal sponsorship and professional development opportunities.
For more information about the organization, please visit: www.buffalofilm.org
