The Bushwick Film Festival Celebrates Its Milestone 10 Year Anniversary on October 12-15
THE BUSHWICK FILM FESTIVAL CELEBRATES ITS MILESTONE 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY ON OCTOBER 12 -15 AND ANNOUNCES CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
Female-Founded Festival Marks a Decade of Bringing Diverse Stories to Bushwick Audiences
Brooklyn, NY—From October 12-15, 2017, the Bushwick Film Festival will celebrate its milestone 10 year anniversary, marking a decade of bringing independent stories to audiences from all walks of life. Located in Bushwick, the bustling center of Brooklyn’s artistic and cultural community, the festival will offer four days of screenings, panels, workshops, parties, and networking opportunities. To date, the festival has showcased the work of over 300 filmmakers, most of them Brooklyn and New York-based, as well as international films from 30 countries across the globe.
In addition to a wide range of genres and topics, the festival’s programming continues to highlight films directed by and starring women, along with stories from underrepresented groups. Filmmakers and web series directors who want the unique opportunity to screen their work in front of Bushwick audiences can now submit their film through July 15th, with an early bird budget-friendly deadline of February 28th.
The Bushwick Film Festival has a cinematic history: founded in 2007 by Kweighbaye Kotee who, at a young age, fled from Liberia to the U.S. with her family to escape violence from an emerging civil war. With determination and perseverance, she received a full scholarship from the Wight Foundation to attend Blair Academy, later graduated from New York University with Media Culture and Communications degree, and moved to Bushwick when the neighborhood was becoming popular for its arts and cultural scene. “I have a deep love for storytelling and film, especially indie films, because they tend to be more true to life. Because the industry suffers from a lack of diversity, I wanted to create a unique platform where all stories — including immigrant stories like mine — could be shared,” says Kotee.
Today, the festival is hailed as one of Brooklyn’s strongest cinematic events and has been featured in major news outlets, including The Huffington Post, Fox News, News 12, Tribeca, IndieWire, and Brooklyn Magazine. With a mission to foster the growth of independent filmmaking outside the Hollywood system, the festival is now an industry staple for emerging talent and screens the work of the most promising filmmakers of today. Past BFF directors, starring actors and special guests who have successful careers include Issa Rae, Lucy Mulloy, Brandi Cyrus, Arturo Castro, Diarra Kilpatrick, Kevin Corrigan, Ira Sachs and Elizabeth Wood. Festival jury and panelists include industry professionals from Tribeca, Sony Pictures, Vimeo, Kickstarter, Reelworks, UnionDocs and ESPN Films.
After a decade full of incredible screenings and moments, the festival is as driven as ever to continue its passion for sharing amazing stories with its forward-thinking audience. Growing and sustaining the Bushwick Film Festival for all these years would not have been possible without its wonderful community of talented filmmakers, passionate volunteers, dynamic audiences, and generous sponsors.
More news to come via the festival's website www.bushwickfilmfestival.com, instagram: @bushwickfilmfest, twitter: @bushwickfilm, and on Facebook at Bushwick Film Festival.
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Important 2017 Dates:
Early Bird Deadline: February 28, 2017
Regular Deadline: May 31, 2017
Late Deadline: July 15, 2017
Notification Date: August 15, 2017
Festival Dates: October 12 - 15, 2017
Best of 2016 Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjA-uOflT_0
2016 Winning Films:
http://bushwickfilmfestival.com/2016-festival-winners/
About The Bushwick Film Festival:
Founded in 2007, The Bushwick Film Festival exhibits independent film and media in the heart of New York City’s new locus of eclectic creativity and contemporary culture: Bushwick. Our programming runs year-round with classes, workshops, and content open to the community and distributed via digital and broadcast networks. Our competition, now in its tenth year, attracts industry leaders, submissions of international note, and culminates in a four-day festival of screenings and events.
Copyright © 2018 Bushwick Film Festival, All rights reserved.