14TH ANNUAL BUSHWICK FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES AWARD WINNING FILMS
Honors Go To Homebody, Bangla Surf Girls, and Many Other Outstanding Films
Brooklyn, NY (October 27, 2021) – The Bushwick Film Festival (BFF) culminated an exciting 14th year with five days of screenings and events from October 20-24, 2021 in various “dimensions” including real life, online and in the metaverse as the first film festival to present a Non-fungible token (NFT) showcase. The festival screened over 125 of the best emerging independent films from NYC and 27 countries around the world. 13 films and filmmakers received awards for their unique, fun, provocative, and socially conscious stories. Erica Eng, director of “Americanized," received the Rising Star Award which was created to acknowledge BFF alumni who have gone on to achieve notable levels of success.
This year’s jurors, invited in recognition of their accomplishments and commitment to the industry, selected the award winners in addition to selecting their own Honorable Mention prize. Jurors for the Festival included: FilmRise Manager of New Releases and Festivals Garineh Nazarian, DGA Special Projects Committee Director of Episodic TV Rachel Raimist, Bleecker Street Media Acquisitions Manager Miranda King, Cinema Guild President Peter Kelly, Documentarian and Film Professor Paloma Martinez, Deputy Editor at Variety Pat Saperstein, Nickelodeon Production and Development Senior Manager Niki Williams, Film Critic and Comedian Jourdain Searles, GLAAD Creative Director Abdool Corlette, Producer and Director Caitlin Mae Burke, Professor at University of Bradford Film and Television Department Dr. Karen Thornton, Director and Film Professor Vincent Singleton, Paper Street Media Producer Harris Gurny, 35 Ventures Head of Scripted/Unscripted Amani Martin, and Adult Swim Manager of Development Live Action/Animation Jordan Askins.
Below is the complete list of award winners:
Rising Star Award - Erica Eng - director of Americanized
Best Feature Narrative Film - Homebody directed by Joseph Sackett
Honorable Mention - Everything in The End directed by Mylissa Fitzsimmons
Best Feature Documentary Film - Bangla Surf Girls directed by Elizabeth D. Costa
Honorable Mention- The Last Out directed by Sami Khan and Michael Gassert
Best Short Narrative Film - Nuevo Rico directed by Kristian Mercado
Honorable Mention - Appa Appa Appa directed by Anna Sang Park
Honorable Mention - Monkey Bars directed by Jacqueline Xerri
Best Short Documentary Film - Unemployment Hotline directed by Nikos Campbell
Honorable Mention - Art21: John Akomfrah directed by Ian Forster
Honorable Mention - The Things I Tell You directed by Daniela Silva Solórzano
Best Series - Hit The Ground Running directed by Ben Bouvier-Farrell
Honorable Mention - Occupied directed by Pranav Pringle Reddy
Bushwick Film Festival kicked off with their highly anticipated Opening Night Reception at Lot45. The night was presented by Spectrum with beverages by Johnnie Walker Black. Audiences this year were able to beam into the Metaverse and enter an exotic virtual world filled with whimsical avatars and nearly endless NFT and digital media content. BFF also featured a full day of live screenings on Saturday October 23, 2021 through a partnership with Regal Cinema as well as hosted their Movie Industry Conference featuring conversations with leading voices in the film industry on October 24, 2021.
The 14th Annual Bushwick Film Festival would like to thank the following sponsors and partners: Spectrum, Regal Cinemas, New York City Artists Corps, Broadway Stages, Circa Brewing Co., Heard City, Liman Video Rental, Lot 45, Schneps Media, Lowkey Giant, and Yes Universe.
About the Bushwick Film Festival:
The Bushwick Film Festival is a M/WBE certified independent film festival based in Brooklyn, showcasing the best-emerging films from NYC and around the world and featuring conversations with leading voices in the film industry. Over the last 14 years, we have been recognized by our community, top press outlets, local elected officials, and just recently Lucy Liu for doing groundbreaking work in film and entertainment! Our annual festival attracts over 3500 attendees, as well as more than 1500 film submissions from 60 countries around the world, contributing to the Borough's cultural and economic growth. We are committed to community building, empowering underrepresented storytellers, and increasing diversity in film and other forms of media through year-round programming. Our programming includes free public screenings and events, hands-on film production workshops, and career training for young adults so that they have the tools to enter a successful career in the media industry. For more information visit watch.bushwickfilmfestival.com. Follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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Media Contact: Fox Greenberg Public Relations bushwickfilmfestival@foxgreenberg.com