For AoBFF's 14th Season, our 2024 Guest Festival Directors Melissa D'Agostino and Matt Campagna (Narrative Features), Brittany Prater (Documentary Features and Shorts), Edward Worthy (Narrative Shorts), and our Script Contest Director Gina Leone have selected a wonderful program of films and screenplays from hundreds of impressive entries from around the way, and around the world. Once again, we are inspired and impressed by the talent and vision of independent artists. They truly are THE FUTURE OF FILM. We are very proud to announce our 2024 Official Selections! The 2024 AoBFF runs May 30 - June 9 • Schedule and Tickets: aobff.org AOBFF 2024 OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Narrative Features: A/WAY 67 Minutes | United States | 2023 After suffering a profound loss, travel journalist Anna sets out to Martinique on a work trip meant only to further deflect her untended grief. While profiling locals for the piece, she is met with unexpected openness that sparks an honest reflection of her own life. Blending the lines between documentary and narrative, A/way focuses on the accomplishments of the people Anna profiles in Martinique, which builds on Anna’s own journey in accompaniment, pushing her to examine her own path forward. Is this all there is, or is there another way? GIANT’S KETTLE 101 Minutes | Finland | 2023 Experimental Somewhere up north at the age of peak modern there is a man longing for connection but unable to break loose, and a woman feeling alien to the world which has everything figured out for her, without her. They make their best to fit in and fulfill their roles but struggle to connect with the world, themselves and others. Something important is missing. As if the whole world was drained of love, chugging along on mere duties and bureaucratic inertia, passing over the baggage of the generations. During the family trip back to the past everything starts to break apart. For how long is it possible to resist the force of life? Giant’s Kettle is a journey into the unconscious, a love story without love, an epic tragicomedy of the mundane, and a mystery in a world emptied of mystery. MOTHER FATHER SISTER BROTHER FRANK 85 Minutes | Canada | 2024 A suburban family plots murder when an uncle crashes Sunday dinner with a nasty surprise. Starring Mindy Cohn (The Facts of Life) and Enrico Colantoni (Just Shoot Me, Veronica Mars, Galaxy Quest.) NYCTOPHOBIA 88 Minutes | United States | 2023 As Liz struggles with nyctophobia (fear of the dark), a form of anxiety disorder that causes sleeping issues, she desperately tries to fall asleep by entering her “inner world” where she can access her happy childhood memories. However, she ultimately becomes trapped in a time loop of sorts in her “lucid dream” world and encounters her nightmare, Dark Figure, who appears in various forms and shapes as a clown. The time loop pushes her deeper into her lucid dream world, forcing her to reach her subconscious world where she meets her worst nightmare, the original form of Dark Figure. STRANGERS IN A ROOM 84 Minutes | Canada | 2023 Working actor Jae Kim is stalked by a demonic vision the day of a big commercial audition, but when micro-aggressions steeped in industry politics leave him in the grips of depression, he questions whether he has come to hate his dream. Documentary Features: THAT THING THAT SOUND 100 Minutes | United States | 2021 Documentary That Thing That Sound explores the uncertain future of the steel guitar, an instrument primarily played by older white men. Because it’s an expensive and challenging instrument, most young and diverse musicians do not have access to steel guitars or instructors. The film follows a man's journey to pass on his knowledge and keep the steel guitar alive. His inspirational story is a model for anyone looking to make a difference in the world. OUR 20S 71 Minutes | United States | 2023 A filmmaker decides to record at least one minute of every day of 2020. He ends up capturing the year that changed the world, from start to finish. Documentary Shorts: ART 21: HANK WILLIS THOMAS 14 Minutes | United States | 2023 As a child, artist Hank Willis Thomas was told he stared too much and asked too many questions. Today, these very attributes shape his artistic practice, which pivots on the theme of perspective. This short film follows Thomas as he works on The Embrace (2023), a public memorial to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King to be installed in the Boston Common, and traces how he draws from his background in photography to augment his work with other media and translates the part of an image that impacts the viewer into three-dimensional space. BIRDFEEDER 12 Minutes | United States | 2024 The birds outside a Brooklyn window help a man heal as the world turns upside down. When two doves build a nest on his fire escape, they bring hope for a new beginning. COMMUNITY INTERRUPTED 19 Minutes | United Kingdom | 2024 "Community Interrupted" unveils the shared struggles of refugees and host communities in the developing world. Amidst poverty and displacement, providing income and employment support empowers both refuges and hosts to forge new friendships and bonds of trust. Until disaster hits. A hurricane strikes, leaving a trail of destruction and devastation. Social ties fracture, pushing both sides to feel isolated and less trusting again. Through poignant storytelling, the documentary exposes the resilience and vulnerability of those striving to integrate and survive together in the face of unpredictable shocks that test the fabric of fragile communities. DEEP AMBITION 20 Minutes | United States | 2023 Karen van den Oever attempts to break the women's world record for the deepest scuba dive. FORBIDDEN POND 14 Minutes | United States | 2023 Deb Kapell pursues her curiosity of life and death at all sizes while making stunning images of microbiology. This short film is episode #1 of the documentary series, Dig Where I Stand, which profiles interesting characters within a 15-minute bike ride of Director Eric Jenkins-Sahlin's I AM KANAKA 15 Minutes | United Kingdom | 2023 A local Hawaiian hero fights to save his culture by teaching traditions, sustainability, and life skills to disadvantaged indigenous kids. IT’S NOT UP TO US 13 Minutes | United States | 2023 Legendary visual artist Nancy Burson sparked a technological revolution by using computer morphing techniques to blend art and science, but claims she didn’t do it alone. The complex truth behind Nancy's beliefs and how they shaped her career evokes questions about the nature of creation and of reality itself. SALON DES REFUSES 14 Minutes | Sweden | 2023 Can a stubborn Swedish climate activist transform the fashion industry with his extreme pine tree clothing and unusual marketing strategy? SARAH SZE: EMOTIONAL TIME 8 Minutes | United States | 2023 Following renowned artist Sarah Sze as she creates and installs artwork for her 2023 exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum, this short documentary highlights how Sze’s site-specific works call attention to the museum’s unique design, and how art and architecture impact viewers’ experience of the world. Spanning sculptures, projections, and paintings, Sze’s body of work on exhibit underscores the idea that the truth of our memory and measurement of time lies in their emotional intensity. FILM AS ART - Experimental & Non-Linear Shorts: BROOKLYN TOTEM 3:15 Minutes | United States | 2023 A three minute experimental film that takes a playful look at a weathered old staircase in one of the great urban spaces in New York City, that is Prospect Park. . Combining choreographed sequences alongside verite snatches of walkers, joggers, bird watchers, children, parents, dogs, dreamers, dancers and more, the film suggests the interconnectedness of urban denizens, who for a moment share s space and time with one another. Tthe inspiration for this theme was the totem pole, an indigenous art form in North America, where animals, and occasionally humans are seen to be so interconnected, they literally transform seamlessly.from one to the other -- from crow to bear to serpent to human. In the video realization of this idea, in a busy historic urban landmark, updates this native cosmology -- allowing a new type of transformational imagining. DEMI-GODDESSES 7:25 Minutes | United States | 2023 ‘Demi-Goddesses’ is the second essay about still dominant dark aspects of our modern society. It is conceived as a surreal anti-patriarchal thought experiment and raises important questions about gender, power, and social change, prompting us to reflect on how historical patterns of discrimination and oppression might be either repeated or overcome in a reversed gendered world. It challenges the viewer to confront their own assumptions and biases, and to consider the possibilities of a more equitable society. Overall, the intention of the film is that it will spark conversations and inspire the viewer to imagine a world where gender is not a limiting factor. At best, the audience will leave the theater with a greater awareness of the issues and a sense of possibility for a just future. GARDEN STATE 11:36 | United States | 2023 Filmed in various locations throughout New Jersey, Garden State explores the diverse landscapes in which wildlife, development, farming, and industry coexist in the most densely packed state in the union. Thematically concerned with utopian/dystopian ideas about modernist ‘progress’, the static camera lens observes New Jersey without judgement in order to allow the viewer to draw connections between the visual poetics of the landscape and the overwhelming legacy of human intervention. Kevin T. Allen’s sound design-- a heightened soundtrack of organically sourced hums and drones -- lures the viewer into a hypnotic and meditative experience while sonically announcing the presence of the human figure in the landscape. Garden State both encourages us to slow down, take a long lingering look at our surroundings, and to find wonder, beauty, ruin, and awe in the most unlikely of places. HOWL 3:37 Minutes | United States | 2022 INTER 6:28 Minutes | Austria | 2023 Sequences, splitters, fragments. In settings of body and pictureroom in space of representation and poetry is volume scanned and reproduced, expressed and restored. A Collage in hommage to Antonin Artaud. LIZARD SONG 6:35 | United States | 2023 A cross-genre film that darts and skitters. Lizard is wild and Lizard is you. ROBERTO’S DREAM 2:35 Minutes | United States | 2023 "Roberto's Dream" is how I see the world - where surreal and imaginary overwhelms the reality, an illusory fairytale. Believing that something strange exists is enough for it to appear in front of our eyes! And that's how magic happens. SPELL 6 Minutes |Brazil | 2023 A spell is cast on the dance floors, and it transforms the atmosphere. Sensory stimuli and traces of a documentary past are captured and thrown into an imaginary present, a fabulation beyond the fascination of the night, towards a re-enchantment with life, with being together, interweaving conviviality and liberation. THIS IS HOW I FELT 1:35 Minutes | United States | 2022 This Is How I Felt was filmed in a twenty-four period while the filmmaker was wearing a heart monitor to investigate possible arrhythmias. THE LUCID DREAM OF THE LAST POETS 8:48 Minutes |United States | 2023 "Just as the body needs nourishment, and not just any, but only the appropriate one, so the psyche needs those images and ideas that correspond to its nature, that is the images aroused by the unconscious. Our imagines are components of our spirit, and if our dream reproduces any representation, it is primarily our representations. All dream creation is subjective, and the dream is a theater in which the dreamer is scene, actor, prompter, director, author, audience and reviewer together. All dream figures have personified traits of the dreamer's personality, and when one observes oneself within, one sees moving images." (Carl Gustav Jung) Narrative Shorts: AND WHAT IF I AM? 16 Minutes | United States | 2023 Bullied by classmates and lacking support from his parents, Tim is suspended from school and left at home alone. Rebelling against his mother's instructions, Tim chooses to spend the day with Josh, a mysterious new student in his class. BACKCOUNTRY 27 Minutes | United States | 2024 After the shocking death of a young man, his best friend and his girlfriend set out on a week-long backpacking trip, attempting to find closure in very different ways. As they hike deeper into the forest, they find themselves entrenched in one another’s grief as they come to terms with a new relationship to mortality. BECAUSE I LOVE YOU 14 Minutes | United States | 2023 Marco and Joanna enjoy an electric marriage, until Marco is witness to a series of events that lead him to suspect Joanna is having an affair with a co-worker. Starring Bob Celli (Gotham), Jennifer Plotzke (Blacklist), Dave Roberts (Blue Bloods), and Melissa Joyner (The Morning Show) BLUE HOUR 16 Minutes | United States | 2024 Two personal journeys intersect when a struggling young photographer is hired for a cheap last minute portrait gig. The unfolding photo session, while transient, leaves an indelible mark on both women. BROKEN VESSELS 20 Minutes | United States | 2023 While fighting a deadly blood cancer, Jane contends with the effects of “chemo-brain”, attempting to discern reality from fantasy as she summons up her newfound strength to face-off with an abusive husband. CASA PARAISO 21 Minutes | United States | 2024 A hotel manager must orchestrate a flawless experience for a family of potential buyers, all while dealing with room issues, bad smells - and a masked killer. DEFINITELY SOMETHING 20 Minutes | United States | 2023 Two high school sweethearts reunite in their 30s for an Emo Night in Brooklyn, only to have their evening derailed by lingering passion and hidden scars. Punctuated by spiked bracelets and a soundtrack featuring emo icons SAY ANYTHING and THURSDAY, Definitely Something is a millennial's homage to both the early 2000s and the continued struggle of wearing your heart on your sleeve. EVERYTHING’S FINE 13 Minutes | United States | 2023 A casual teen gathering is upended by a harrowing encounter with a sinister force. As terror engulfs them, John must contend with the menacing shadow that may be his inheritance. FACCIA BRUTTA 10 Minutes | United States | 2023 A 12 year old girl questions whether or not to conform to the harsh beauty standards that her Italian culture and hypercritical matriarchs place upon her. FLOOR 12 Minutes | United States | 2023 Molly is a young Asian woman trying to figure out where her father’s body is after his sudden death by suicide. Due to a challenging relationship with her mother, the location is being withheld from her. While at her friend Elli’s house, Molly gets a call from her aunt telling her where she can find her father. The two friends jump into Elli’s car and race to get Molly to the funeral home so that Molly can see him. During the car ride Molly get’s an unsettling series of texts from her mother. After Elli proposes she can choose not to go, Molly makes the choice to defy her mother and see him. GOLD RUSH 12 Minutes | United States | 2024 In this surrealist satire of the Ozempic era, a young woman must decide how far she’s willing to go to achieve the skin of her dreams. GOOD FORTUNE 9 Minutes | United States | 2023 After amassing a debt he cannot pay, a compulsive sports bettor looks for a way to change his fortune. HARLEM FRAGMENTS 17 Minutes | United States | 2024 An Afro-futurist scrapbook storytelling of a Harlem Black family's beautiful destruction during the 2008 recession. A natural disaster so mesmerizing you can't look away from the tragedy. Based on true events. I DON’T BITE 13 Minutes | United States | 2023 A thrill-seeking woman and a psychopathic dentist spark an ill-fated romance. IN THE SUMMER RAIN 39 Minutes | United States | 2023 After the death of her friend, a high school senior finds first love with the pastor's daughter. IN YOUR OWN TIME 11 Minutes | United States | 2024 After a domestic dispute leaves Isobelle battered in the hospital, she undergoes a groundbreaking new form of cognitive therapy in the Metaverse that allows her consciousness to explore cycles of abuse, while her body is left in the real world to properly heal. LIMINALITY 20 Minutes | United States | 2023 Zari and Aina are a young couple, orbiting each other but struggling to connect. We first see each of them in their own element: Zari painting to finish a piece for a gallery opening, and Aina coding her own video game designed to increase self-awareness. When Aina makes an effort to connect and Zari shuts her out again, Aina is triggered to send her girlfriend into the video game. In the game, Zari meets different versions of herself and her ego's desires. Ultimately, she has to decide what she's willing to let go of in order to advance to the next level. When the game malfunctions, Aina launches her back into reality and they finally confront each other. L’HYPERMNESIQUE (THE HYPERMNESTIC) 20 Minutes | United Kingdom | 2024 Gaby (Agathe Natanson Marielle) and Jo (Bernard Farcy) are an elderly couple without children, living alone in their flat. Throughout their lifetime, they each had life plans and yet never managed to live out their dreams and Gaby felt a deep sense of guilt and trauma due to her inability to conceive children. As Jo approaches the end of his life, his memory slowly fades away. Gaby sees a chance to give her husband a taste of the life he had never lived. Every night while he sleeps, she places false memories all over their apartment: fake trinkets and family photos filled with grandchildren. Since she can no longer rely on the future to change things, she will try to change the past to give Jo the feeling of a fulfilled life with no regrets. LOVE BITES 10 Minutes | United States | 2024 A young romantic discovers just how far he's willing to go to fit in on a first date. LUNCHBOX 16 Minutes | United States | 2022 When a Taiwanese American woman prepares lunches from her childhood, she struggles to forgive herself for pushing away her immigrant mother. MAMA NIGHT 14:58 Minutes | United States | 2023 A pregnant woman learns what she must sacrifice in order to become a real Mama. MINDFULNESS 8:27 Minutes | United States | 2023 After a stressful day of work, all Lana wants is some relaxation time. Unfortunately for her, the universe seems determined to make her meditation session anything but mindful. OUR DEAR LOVE 14:27 Minutes | United States | 2023 In an argument with his model, a young painter discovers unexpected truths about himself. PEOPLE WATCHING PEOPLE 27 Minutes | United States | 2024 A summer day in Brooklyn brings strangers to the same area of a bustling park. However, they don’t realize that other than their proximity to one another, they also share similar internal and external conflicts that are displayed by weaving through their conversations. Ranging from a first date to disgruntled tech workers to a relationship on the rocks, these individuals’ disparate experiences are connected through the universal act of perceiving one another: "people watching." SLUMBER PARTY 8:20 Minutes | United States | 2024 In “Slumber Party,” two novice criminals, Ilya and Alexei, are sent by their mentor, Nikolai, to steal from a gangster's mansion. To their shock, they stumble upon a tweenage slumber party hosted by the gangster's daughter, Oxana. As they attempt the heist, Oxana and her friends foil their plans with deadly force. Disappointed but unfazed, Nikolai abandons his protegés, leaving them to their grim fate in a house filled with danger and secrets. SOFT ANIMALS 14:25 Minutes | United States | 2023 Inside his own tormented fantasy, Draco tries in vain to reject the advances of an irresistible younger man. STOLEN DREAMS 12 Minutes | United States | 2022 A detained migrant escapes a detention center and tries to survive on the run. A fever dream into the psyche of a migrant teenager traumatized by his journey. THE ANTIQUE 20 Minutes | United States | 2023 The Antique is about twin sisters trying to save their family home from foreclosure after their mother dies. The only chance they have to afford the payments is if their mother's treasured antique is worth anything. During their journey to get it appraised on a famous show, the sisters come to terms with their relationships with a complicated mother and each other. THE EXIT 4 Minutes | United States | 2024 A delicate portrayal of a mental health crisis, centered around a woman plotting an elaborate escape from her apartment building. THE FISHERMAN’S WIFE 8:38 Minutes | United States | 2023 It’s the near future after total environmental collapse. The oceans are dead; pollution clouds the sky. In the wreckage of former industry a fisherman struggles to sustain himself and his daughter. His net catches only plastic refuse and animal carcasses. One bleak morning, after another failed fishing expedition, the fisherman makes a surprise discovery: a mermaid, washed ashore. She’s tangled in a net, terrified, and struggling to breathe. Desperate and lonely, he brings her back to the decrepit building he calls a home, makes her dinner, and introduces her to his daughter. They then all gather around the table, to eat. The fisherman, the daughter, and the mermaid… to an extent. THE GHOST 10:32 Minutes | United States | 2023 A woman is ghosted by the man she's dating ...and then the haunting begins. THE PEACH 7:03 Minutes | United States | 2023 Russ catches up with his buddy Dave by watching a film. A certain scene takes Russ by surprise and his night takes a strange turn. THE TOWER 10:27 Minutes | United States | 2024 Jane, a newly single and jobless Brooklynite *literally* stumbles upon a mysterious book that catapults her into a dizzying quest of self-discovery. After unexplained manifestations occur on her dreaded birthday, Jane sets off on a bizarre adventure to find the author of the book. The serendipitous journey leads her to a remarkable mystic, challenging her to confront her unresolved grief and finally move forward… TWO KNOCKS ON A DOOR 16:46 Minutes | United States | 2023 A father grows suspicious that there's an intruder in his house, only to discover something much darker. VINCENT 26 Minutes | United States | 2024 Two best friends get in a tragic accident. One dies, and the other survives. 2024 SCREENPLAY COMPETITION Finalists A Queen’s Ransom Written by Will Franke Astronaut Written By Lukas Hassel Chateau Sauvignon Written By David M Night Maire & Adam T Wolfe Semi-Finalists Assimilated(short) Written by Christopher Guerrero Assimilated(feature) Written by Christopher Guerrero Ban The Bullet Written by Salvatore Klezmer Riggio Bank Robbery Hottie Written by Ruby Mainieri Brooklynese Written By Troy Ransome Closer to the Wall Written by Jeremy Balon & Danny Tamberelli Crazy Honey Written By Tim Young False Hope Written by Piotr Zawislak Journey to the End of the World Written By Alejandro Villarreal Killswitch Engineer Written by Brad Cooper Little Italo Written by Mattia Simioni Lloydsville Nursing Written by William Read Hopkins Lost and Found Written By Katrina Jaxson Salima’s Last Chance Written by Roxanna Allen Status Quo Written by Lauryn Eisenstein Sunrise Over Oak Hill Written By will Franke Thanks Written By Brian Laprocino The Girl with the Devil Eyes Written by Toby Marks The Heart of a Feather Written by Daniel Stevens The Intermission Written By Andre Thierry The Mundane Reporter Written by Koby Garcia The Pick Up Written By Karen Wang The Strings of the Violin Written by Alisse Lee Goldenberg What Momma Wants Written by Mark & Kathy Clark Young Nixon Written by Pedro Salinas Quarterfinalists Ann Arbor Written by Richard Redlo Before the Fog Written by Elise Marenson Bam Written by Matt Mulcahy Belladonna Written by Danielle Tjoekler Blood, Scum & Neon Lights Written by Brent Howard Nelson Box Camera Written by Shiva Ramanathan Caring to Death Written By Joseph Cassis Danica’s Parts Written by Jessica Curwen Everyday Devils Written by Sergio Bonnici Garbage People Written by Danielle Tjoelker Grandma N Gays Written by Michael Buonacore Grave Expectations Written by Larry Michael Ziegelman & Jason Silberberg Heroes, Just For One Day Written by Salvatore Klezmer Riggio How The Light Gets In Written by Paul Bland How To Name A Place Written by Jamison Bruce Anthony Let’s Go Mutts Written by Robert Potter Lost in Time Written By Justine Plourde Love & Detroit Written by Michael John Dunker, Alex Ruiz & Jess Carfield Ludlow Written by Jake Caddeau & Matt Silverman My Only Everything Written by Gillie Perkins Nearlywed Written By Natalie Ryan Out for Blood Written by Isobel Houseman Ravenous Written By Danielle Tjoelker Scrupulosity Written by James Martin Signature Photo Written By Michael Bucklin Silent Wings Written By Brian Schey & Tom Bishop Sins of the Father Written By Christopher Guerrero Survive The Night Written by Richard Hohenrath That’s Our Girl Written by Lexi Brandt The Beggar’s Dream Written by Kristopher Woupio The Guardians of Kabardia Written by Jonathan Isshak The Last Stand Written by Matthew Morrison The Lost Camp Written by Connor Etter The Manor Written by Will Mullins The Modern Age Written by Max Kemp The Redemption of Nash Daniels: Infamous Basketball Legend Written by Jimmy Cuty The Road to a Rumble Written by Stirling duBell Valentine’s Day Written by Jazz Darius Watermelon, Watermelon, Watermelon Written By Calvin Claudio Wilder Greene Written By Ximena Uribe Honorable Mentions A Christmas Wish To Come Written By Veronica Bourassa Cheat Written by Lauryn Eisenstein Don’t Eat Paper Written by Julius Galacki Drones Written By Pedro Salinas End of Discussion Written by Richard Redlo Goodnight Cowboy Written by Lauryn Eisenstein How Do you Spell Ransom? Written by Jonathan Isshak Idiopathy Written by Jennifer McKnight In Search of Home Written By Simi Ten Indulgentia Written By Kenneth Fu Know The Enemy Written By Charles Tucker Light Written By Reynaldo McFarlane Looker Written By Rich Wingerter Outer Borough Written by Tom Loy Ratting Written By Baha Gurel Revelations Written By DJ Alvine Samdi Give Me Passage Written By Guilberly Louissaint Sexually Speaking Written By Danielle Tjoekler Spirit of Darkness Written By Richard Gann Taking Banica Written By Guilberly Louissaint The Greatest Gift Written by Richard Termini The Little Theatre Story Written by Amey Richards, JR Hartigan, Warren Levi Haney, Michelle Cope Neil The Suns of Home Written By Paul Robertson The Year After the Fall Written by George Rowan This Thing of Ours Written By Ben Monaco Turn the Sandglass Written by Robert Gokay Every year the Art of Brooklyn Film Festival invites a different filmmaker to be our Guest Festival Director for the season to keep our curation fresh, exciting and diverse. It is our pleasure to announce that for 2024 we have invited the award winning filmmakers Edward Worthy (Narrative Shorts), Britt Prater (Documentary Shorts and Features) and the team Melissa D’Agostino and Matt Campagna (Narrative Features) to be the Guest Festival Directors working in tandem for our 14th season. Originally from Mississippi, Los Angeles based screenwriter and director Edward Worthy is curating Narrative Shorts. He was a 2019 Stowe Story Lab Fellow and his recent short screenplay for REAR won or placed in screenplay competitions across the United States and was selected for the Moving Picture Institute’s 2021 Dramatic Screenwriting and Directing Workshops. The short film version of REAR had a successful festival run including The Art of Brooklyn Film Festival, where Edward won Outstanding Director of a narrative short.
Matt Campagna and Melissa D’Agostino, Toronto-based filmmakers and co-founders of the international streaming platform HighballTV, are curating Narrative Features. Melissa’s debut feature, MOTHER OF ALL SHOWS, co-starring sitcom legend Wendie Malick, won Outstanding Narrative Feature and Outstanding Director of a Narrative Feature at the 2023 Art of Brooklyn Film Festival. She has since co-directed the feature film PAIGE DARCY with Matt Campagna, and is now in pre-production on an animated feature she has co-written and will co-direct. Through HighballTV, Matt has produced 11 features since 2020, including MOTHER OF ALL SHOWS. He directed the innovative western feature SIX DAYS TO DIE, starring Colm Feore and shot against green screen at the height of the pandemic, won over a dozen awards at festivals across North America before receiving global distribution in a bidding war. Matt’s films have screened in every continent except Antarctica, so far. The Art of Brooklyn is an award-winning international film festival centered in Brooklyn’s vibrant indie film scene. Now in our 14th year AoBFF has produced film events in a dozen neighborhoods across the borough of Brooklyn, bringing the film industry to diverse filmmakers and audiences.
As of 2024, 35 Art of Brooklyn premieres have received distribution and one became an HBO series. The Art of Brooklyn Film Festival 2024 call for entries is open until May 1st and the festival runs in the first two weeks of June (dates TBD). aobff.org
The 2023 AoBFF was one to remember — for its energy, support, and growth.
Our 13th edition saw us expand again, adding new venues across Brooklyn to our scope. It was our first time at the independent Stuart Cinema in Greenpoint (where we screened 2 sold-out premieres), and the gorgeous AbelCine screening room in Industry City where we welcomed hundreds of audience members. We were also thrilled to be back at the wonderful Katharine L. McKenna screening room at Pratt Film/Video for the first time since the pandemic. And we kicked it all off with the sold-out opening night World Premiere of MOTHER OF ALL SHOWS — joined by its star, comedy legend Wendie Malick — for our second year at the legendary Cobble Hill Cinemas. We also added a second free outdoor park screening (at Bay Ridge's Owl's Head Park) which joined our annual event on the main lawn of Sunset Park as our gifts to the community. And last but not least, we returned to Chilo's Greenwood for our world-famous launch party. Our trademark Guest Festival Director program also grew this year. Instead of inviting one Brooklyn filmmaker to curate our season, we worked with four talented people: Shannon Morrall (narrative shorts), Janet S. Kim (documentaries), and the filmmaking team of Stacey Maltin and Mars (narrative features.) It all added up to an incredibly strong and diverse slate of over 50 films with 5 sold-out in-person screenings! All our selections had a streaming Encore Screening, with special discounted ticket pricing. This program increased festival accessibility for fans who weren't able to attend in person (or couldn't because a screening sold out) but still wanted to support AoBFF and enjoy our films. Our streaming panel discussions grew too. Thanks to our friends at MNN, we were able to film a special intimate conversation between legendary filmmaker Christine Choy, and our 2023 Guest Festival Director for Documentaries, Janet S. Kim. We also streamed a timely conversation about the WGA strike, and an interview with award-winning filmmaker Eric Trenkamp and his new book about how genre films perpetuate ideas about what it means to be an American. Our screenplay competition also grew! Our entries more than tripled from 2022 with great scripts from around the world. The prize package we offer writers also got bigger thanks to our partnerships with InkTip, Roadmap Writers, ScriptHop, Fade In software and more. The growing support of The New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) and the NYC Dept of Cultural Affairs, plus sponsorship of Sony this year, made it possible for us to produce an event worthy of our nonprofit mission and our commitment to independent filmmakers. Our profile grew as well. We were able to run our first TV commercial in the NYC market, aired over 60,000 times for local viewers. Even our social media grew, as we surpassed 3,000 instagram followers and had thousands of post views leading up to and during the festival. All our growth culminated in a wonderful festival, filled with supportive energy, enthusiasm and love. We want to thank every artist who took part, as we announce those who took home our handmade trophies featuring an image of our "Cameranaut" as interpreted by artist Ian Cinco. Thank you to everyone who entered, participated, and attended. See you soon! Winners of the 2023 AoBFF
Outstanding Cinematography: MARTYR OF A FORGOTTEN DREAM
Outstanding Sound: MISPRINT Outstanding Editing: 300 HOURS Outstanding Musical Score: STILLNESS Outstanding Ensemble Performance: $ BROKE BOI Outstanding Performance in a Narrative Short: Alexandra Rey in GOOD GIRL Outstanding Performance in a Narrative Feature: Kerry Lacy in ARTIST UNKNOWN Outstanding Animation: HANDWRITTEN The Dark Side Award: THE BUTTON GAME The Vanguard Award: AGITA Outstanding Comedy: HOLD TO DASH Outstanding Drama: HAKONIWA Outstanding Short Documentary: THREE LESSONS (HOW TO SHOOT A GUN) Outstanding Feature Documentary: THE FORGOTTEN OCCUPATION: JIM CROW GOES TO HAITI Outstanding Director of a Narrative Short: Edward Worthy for REAR Outstanding Director of a Narrative Feature: Melissa D'Agostino for MOTHER OF ALL SHOWS Outstanding Narrative Short: FLOPPIES Outstanding Narrative Feature: MOTHER OF ALL SHOWS Outstanding Screenplay: GODFOR, written by Pablo Torroella Jury Prize: ARTIST UNKNOWN Audience Choice: THE FORGOTTEN OCCUPATION: JIM CROW GOES TO HAITI Watch our Filmmaker acceptance videos here.
Comedy icon Wendie Malick (Young Sheldon, Hot In Cleveland, Just Shoot Me, Seinfeld) is coming to Brooklyn's Cobble Hill Cinemas Thursday, June 1 for the World Premiere of her new movie "Mother Of All Shows" — kicking off a slate of over 50 new films in the 2023 Art of Brooklyn Film Festival.
The Art of Brooklyn Film Festival (June 1-12) launches its 13th edition with the World Premiere of MOTHER OF ALL SHOWS starring Wendie Malick (Young Sheldon, Hot in Cleveland, Just Shoot Me.) Fresh from being offered for sale at Cannes and tipped by The Hollywood Reporter as a film to watch for, it’s the story of a woman coping with the impending death of her estranged mother (Malick) by imagining their conflict as a 1970s musical variety show. Wendie will appear with director and co-star Melissa D’Agostino at the premiere Thursday, June 1st at Brooklyn’s historic Cobble Hill Cinemas, with a Q&A to follow. It will have a streaming Encore Presentation on Monday, June 5.
“I’m very excited to be part of Mother Of All Shows, which has been chosen by the Art of Brooklyn Film Festival to be its opening night film," Wendie said in a video message she created for the premiere. "If you’re in town, I hope you’ll join us.”
The 13th annual Art of Brooklyn Film Festival features over 50 of the best new films from across the borough and around the world. Highlights include:
ARTIST UNKNOWN (World Premiere, June 6) is a whip-smart action comedy that deftly combines an art heist caper, queer romance, and martial arts dazzle-dazzle. The latest by Brooklyn film maker Cinder Chau, Artist Unknown is innovative and fun. Screening at Stuart Cinema in Greenpoint, with a streaming Encore Presentation. HAKONIWA (US Premiere, June 9) is visually stunning Science Fiction from Japan about a young man who attempts to heal his childhood trauma by connecting with a female AI. Past and present merge and his sense of reality begins to warp, even as his connection to the AI grows. A timely exploration of contemporary anxieties, Hakoniwa is a the first feature film by Hiroki Wakamatsu, who is traveling from Japan attend the premiere. Screening at AbelCine in Industry City, with a streaming Encore Presentation. BONES OF CROWS (Brooklyn Premiere, Closing Film, June 11) is a multi-generational epic following a Cree musical prodigy in her journey from Canada’s infamous residential schools to matriarch of her family. Fresh from the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) Bones of Crows is a period piece with a mythic scope, from acclaimed indigenous (Métis/Dene) filmmaker Marie Clements. Screening at AbelCine in Industry City, with a streaming Encore Presentation. THE FORGOTTEN OCCUPATION: Jim Crow Goes to Haiti (World Premiere, June 10) is a documentary that opens with filmmaker Alain Martin reading a letter to his deceased grandfather that recalls a morose family conversation that bemoaned the chronic troubles of Haiti and hoping for an American intervention. Alain reminds his grandfather that the US had already occupied Haiti and only left it more impoverished. The letter illuminates how the brutal decades of the Occupation resulted in violent clashes of of race, culture and class, resulting in the wholesale theft of their homeland. Screening at Pratt Film/Video screening room, with a streaming Encore Presentation. AoBFF has also programmed outstanding blocks of exciting new short films with something for everyone including comedies, dramas, thrillers, documentaries, and experimental films. FULL SCHEDULE The award-winning AoBFF is the only film festival that screens across the borough. 2023 venues include the historic Cobble Hill Cinemas (Cobble Hill), Stuart Cinema (Greenpoint), Pratt Institute’s Katherine McKenna Screening Room (Clinton Hill), and AbelCine at Industry City (Sunset Park). The entire slate of films will also be available to stream anywhere in the United States during the dates of the festival. Full 2023 AoBFF Schedule and Film Guide About The Art of Brooklyn Film Festival Founded in 2011, THE ART OF BROOKLYN is an award-winning nonprofit international film festival located within Brooklyn’s vibrant indie film scene. AoBFF showcases exciting emerging creators and established voices, hosts world-class events locally across the entire borough, and streams internationally using state of the art technology. Noted for the originality of our programming, AoBFF invites a different Guest Festival Director to curate each season to keep our perspective fresh and focused on the future. A key part of our nonprofit mission is our Ethical Submission Policy. We watch and consider every entry we receive, and often program films that come to us on the very last day of our Call For Entries.
Our Screening Panel is an important part of the process. Each season, a diverse group of volunteers consisting of filmmakers, festival programmers, and fans of indie cinema view our submissions and offer feedback. Their different perspectives and points of view help our Guest Festival Directors as they put together our Official Selections. We couldn't do it without them! Thank you to our 2023 Screening Panel members:
The 13th season of AoBFF has been very lucky so far. We received our highest number of entries of films and screenplays from Brooklyn and around the world, and the level of talent out there continues to amaze and inspire. We're proud to announce our 2023 Official Selections... congratulations to them all, and thank you to everyone who entered. The 2023 AoBFF runs June 1-12. Schedule and Tickets coming soon! AOBFF 2023 OFFICIAL SELECTIONS NARRATIVE FEATURES:
A Fleeting Encounter 85 Minutes | Switzerland | 2022 Drama, Romance Grappling with a mid-life crisis, Sacha leaves his girlfriend and escapes to his grandparents’ Airbnb. He is surprised by the presence of Marjan, an Iranian woman who is facing her own marital crisis. They are both annoyed at having to share the apartment and rather than finding a place of retreat, tension builds. When Mina, a vibrant American, arrives, their mutual prejudices give way to curiosity and complicity. What began as an involuntary encounter becomes a moment of new possibilities. Artist Unknown 80 Minutes | United States | 2023 Juniper, an insecure martial artist, must find out the origins of a painting after two thieves try to steal it from her. $ Broke Boi 73 Minutes | United States | 2022 Dark Comedy, Coming of Age, Satire A weed delivery boy, with dreams of being an NYC Hustler, gets robbed of his stash and profits at the worst time. He was late with the payment last week, racked up some poor performance reviews, and the company’s Henchmen "Don't play no games". Now, this #Brokeboi and friends have twelve hours to make as much money as they can to pay back the supplier, while also trying to make it to the “Party of The Summer”. Bones Of Crows 2 hours | Canada | 2022 Drama Removed from their family home and forced into Canada’s residential school system, Cree musical prodigy Aline and her siblings are plunged into a struggle for survival. Bones of Crows is Aline's journey from child to matriarch, a moving multi-generational epic of resilience, survival and the pursuit of justice. Hakoniwa 71 Minutes | Japan | 2022 Sci-fi, Drama, Psychological To contribute to a better world filled with kindness, a young man named Makoto, joins a brain experiment to connect his brain waves with a female humanoid, Ageha, who has a human brain powered by general A.I. for Emotional Healing. As they learn to sympathize with each other, he begins mixing up his traumatic memory of childhood with his current reality. He desperately tries to quit the experiment, until Ageha asks him if he is truly okay with continuing to escape from his real problems. Give Me Your Eyes 100 Minutes | United States | 2022 "Give Me Your Eyes” is a breakneck action thriller movie that follows an agoraphobic young woman who must remotely aid a mysterious girl being pursued by a pair of seemingly unstoppable killers. Agoraphobic voice actor Jael Jones volunteers for a video chat app that connects sighted individuals with visually impaired users. Need to know the expiration date on a can of soup? Want to confirm that your tie matches your shirt? Jael is here to help you out. But Jael’s feel-good service becomes a nightmare when Alejandra, a mysterious blind woman, wakes her with a chilling late-night call: “There’s somebody in my house. I need your help.” In an isolated location where the police are not an option, Jael must remotely guide Alejandra as she flees a pair of hooded killers... while unraveling the secret of the blind woman’s dark past, her savior the assassin, and her increasingly violent nature. Mother Of All Shows 110 Minutes | Canada | 2022 In order for Liza to cope with the impending death of her estranged mother, she retreats to a 70's variety show in her mind where the all-powerful host is her own mother, Rosa, who leads a cast of people from Liza's past and present, all a jumble in her mind. After a lifetime of Rosa making everything in Liza's life about Rosa, Liza decided she needed to put up a boundary and go no contact. Rosa hasn't seen her daughter in 2 years. Rosa appears as the host of a 70s variety show in Liza's head with all the bravado and pizazz of Phyllis Diller, Bea Arthur, and Rosemary Clooney. She sings, dances, and yuks it up, all in Liza's imagination; the moments of their lives play out in sketches and songs since they can't seem to connect at all in reality without the conversation blowing up or falling apart. DOCUMENTARY FEATURES: The Forgotten Occupation: Jim Crow Goes to Haiti 106 Minutes | United States | 2023 The documentary opens with Filmmaker Alain Martin reading a letter to his deceased grandfather. In that letter’s opening, the filmmaker recalls a morose conversation between his grandfather and another familiar member in which they bemoan the chronic troubles of their country, Haiti. They find themselves desperately hoping for an American intervention, seeing it as the only solution for their ravaged nation. Alain reminds his grandfather that the United States had already occupied Haiti and only left it more impoverished. As the letter continues, the brutal decades of the Occupation come to light, betraying the complicated history of a people who, a century ago, looked to the United States for guidance only to find themselves enmeshed in violent clashes of race, culture, and class, resulting in the wholesale theft of their homeland. When I Go Outside 70 Minutes | Canada | 2022 Told through his painting, this is the story of Syrian-born, Kurdish artist Bîstyek. With no knowledge of Western art or any formal training, his work speaks to the multi-dimensional aspects of his experience and his voice. A unique portrait of a "refugee" who refuses to be seen through only one lens. FILM AS ART - Experimental & Non-Linear Shorts: 300 Hours 11:18 Minutes | United States | 2022 Experimental short Inspired by hip-hop and trap music, 300 hours is a vertical film directed, shot, and edited by 3 young black men from brooklyn, new york. This creative expression is made by and for black youth at the center of the ongoing art movement taking place in New York city. 300 hours is set in Binghamton, New York within the multi studios apartment shared by Robert Provilus and Jabari Brxwne. The film follows Robert through his tentative journey as he constructs and completes 3 masterful paintings- whilst being filmed by two close friends. 300 hours features 3 different visual mediums (super 8mm, VHS & digital) and is a culmination of an entire year's worth of footage (july 2021- september 2022). A Day Longer Than A Day 4:25 | Germany | 2022 Experimental Short “A day longer than a day” (2022) is a cinematic reflection on the irregular currents in the Euripus Strait, a narrow tract of water running along the coast of Chalkida (Greece). On six days during the synodic lunar month, three days after each squaring of Sun-Earth-Moon (90-degree constellation), the regular tidal forces weaken and the currents become so unpredictable that they violently change direction up to 14 times in 24 hours. This unique natural phenomenon and the associated historical process of understanding it, which begins with Aristotle, is used as a mirror for contradictory forces within the human soul. Agita 16:59 Minutes | United States | 2022 Horror, Drama, Fantasy A mother and daughter living in a seaside town fall prey to the mischievous coercion of a grief demon in this experimental short film. Demi-Gods 5:33 Minutes | Germany | 2022 Animation, Music Video, Experimental What is the human experience of war, narcissism and ecological destruction? Demi-Gods addresses these three dark aspects of humanity in the form of a musical and visual essay. It shows our worship of these dark forces, which have now become normalized and fetishized. A furtive look from us mortals at the mechanics of the dark demi-gods of our time; turned into a surreal sequence of sonic and visual transformations. Reveal 5:22 Minutes | United States | 2022 Horror, Comedy, Animation A pregnant woman senses something is amiss when her sister throws an unwanted baby shower. Stillness 6:05 Minutes | United States | 2022 Experimental, Music The calm after the storm, the quiet reflection on stillness in winter. About how time can pass and while some things change, others remain the same. Time’s Ticking 5 Minutes | United States | 2022 Experimental An experimental short film exploring the movement of fast vs. slow time and my identity. DOCUMENTARY SHORTS: Garden Ministry 9 Minutes 50 Seconds | United States | 2023 A joyful portrait of Reverend Dallas Conyers–how she survived environmental racism, became a climate organizer out of necessity, and her passion for healing the climate crisis through community organizing and her front yard garden. Handwritten 8 Minutes 48 Seconds | United States | 2022 After discovering old diaries and notebooks, artist Jaime Sunwoo examines her shapeshifting penmanship and wonders why she's never had a consistent style. Through playful paper puppetry and animation, she reflects on what handwriting means to her personally, its significance throughout history, and its relevance in our computerized world. Joyous 23 Minutes | United States | 2022 Justin is your typical kid with one very distinct exception. He’s grown up as global classical music superstar. By the time he was in pre-k, he had played in stadiums and cathedrals, but now he faces his biggest challenge yet; becoming a teenager. Justin attends a music school run by his father, Julian. His father also happens to be one of his music teachers and the manager of the classical music group, Joyous String Ensemble. His father runs a tight ship and is a respected composer in his own right. He believes classical music is the most pure expression of music. Justin and the group want to move more towards Pop covers and mixing in dance numbers but Julian wants them to stay more traditional. Can Justin convince Julian to add a hip hop number in time for their Times Square performance or will they continue to just stick to the classics. Remember The Children 22 Minutes 40 Seconds | United States | 2022 WSD Productions presents, "Remember the Children", a short film (23min) addressing Indian Boarding Schools in America. There were over 400 government funded, often church run, Indian Boarding Schools in the US. Thousands of children died at these schools throughout the 19th and 20th centuries… This is the story of the Rapid City Indian Boarding School. These stories have been kept alive through the elders… the grandmothers that never forgot and continued to share the stories of the forgotten children. They are no longer forgotten through the advocacy of historians and community members sharing the stories of the children. As a result of the community advocacy and partners that want positive change, the Children’s Memorial is now a reality. Rose Salane’s Lost & Found 9 Minutes 25 Seconds | United States | 2022 Born and raised in New York City, artist Rose Salane has been fascinated by how found objects, such as rings lost on the city’s thousands of trains and buses, can be entry points into the lives of the commuters she’s ridden alongside for much of her life and into the city that is still her home today. This short documentary follows Salane as she consults an eclectic mix of professionals around the city about the value and significance of these rings, uncovering a series of often poignant micro-histories, as well as a much larger, overarching story of New York’s cultural and economic networks Scrawn 7 Minutes 44 Seconds | United States | 2022 Scrawn is a short documentary about baby pigeons growing up in the wild - which, here, means a fire escape in Washington Heights, NYC. Ever seen a baby pigeon before? Song Dong: 生 /Sheng 8 Minutes 57 Seconds | United States/China | 2022 Internationally acclaimed Chinese artist Song Dong is known for collaborating with artist Yin Xiuzhen, his wife, on large-scale mixed-media chopsticks sculptures. For this ongoing series that was started in 2001, each of them creates one chopstick and only reveals their work to each other when exhibiting the pieces together as a pair. This short documentary tells the story of how Song’s family deeply influences his art, and how he is sharing his creative practice with his own daughter. Through artwork that honors the power of memory and our relationships with those closest to us, he attempts to hold the impermanence of life at bay. Three Lessons (How to Shoot a Gun) 36 Minutes 04 Seconds | United States | 2019 Three Lessons (How to shoot a gun) is an essay film that examines the reproduction and naturalization of gun culture while deconstructing the notion of gun culture as monolith. It follows a young woman as she travels to New York, Illinois and Colorado in order to learn how to operate a firearm from three men of different backgrounds and ideological points of view. Incorporating instructional, interview and found footage the film presents a complex consideration of the multiple attitudes and approaches toward gun ownership in America. NARRATIVE SHORTS: Aaron With 2 A’s 16 minutes 59 seconds | United States | 2022 Drama, Comedy Meet Aaron. He's starting his 2nd career at age 65... As an actor. What could go wrong? AARON WITH 2 A'S is a short comedy-drama about learning to get out of your own head. Blue Square 28 Minutes | United States | 2022 Horror, Comedy, Satire, Psychological thriller After discovering the lucrative business of contemporary fine art, Tim sets off on a get-rich-quick scheme to create the most simple, most valuable piece of art he can. But his desire to create may lead him down a dark path as he is consumed by the artistic process, and perhaps something even more sinister. Clambake 27 Minutes 50 Seconds | United States | 2021 Comedy, Drama Three sisters reunite for a clambake on Cape Cod after their mother's death. Events at Hemlock Manor 14 Minutes 15 Seconds | United States | 2022 Web Series, Television, New Media At its core, this is a series about underdogs: a ragtag group of spooky weirdos with nowhere else to go. Hemlock Manor is not only a year-round haunted house with a terrible business model, it’s also a home. Exposure Therapy 9 Minutes 50 Seconds | United States | 2022 Psychological Drama A young woman struggles with thoughts of killing her best friend. Floppies 14 Minutes | United States | 2022 Drama, Family, Disability Floppies is an intimate glimpse into the complicated relationship between an artist's son and his dementia-addled father as they attempt to communicate by collaborating on a one-page comic. As they bring this comic to life, they recall flashbacks to key moments in each of their lives. Fog Around August 11 Minutes 35 Seconds | United States | 2022 Drama An intimate look at a young man's desires or the lack thereof. From My Package to Yours 6 minutes 48 seconds | United States | 2022 Comedy, Romance Can true love be delivered to your door? Good Girl 11 minutes 37 seconds | United States | 2023 Comedy, Romance, LGBTQIA+, New York, RomCom After ending a six year relationship, a well-behaved, Jewish, OBGYN decides to turn her brain off and her body on by exploring BDSM; instances of which are popping up in the most unusual places. Hold to Dash 15 Minutes 38 Seconds | United States | 2023 Comedy, Drama, Dark Comedy Neil Durst makes a living streaming his gaming skills to an audience of overstimulated, undersexed males. When he’s asked on a date by a female fan, Neil must leave his bedroom and take a plunge into the real world. Hologramme 9 Minutes 29 Seconds | Canada | 2023 Drama I Didn’t Mean To Go Mental 30 Minutes | United States | 2022 Television When two women crash their cars into each other in a school parking lot, they are forced to spend the weekend in a psych ward together. It’s a Dog 7 Minutes 30 Seconds | United States | 2022 Comedy He's bald. Well, no, he's *going* bald. He still has hair. On like, the sides. Does that count? It counts, right? Maybe? Either way, he’s pathetic. And he’s getting old. Jared & Daughter 19 Minutes 52 Seconds | United States | 2022 Drama Comedy Fantasy When an aging table wiper faces a grim diagnosis, his underappreciated daughter must step forward to save the family business. Larua 20 Minutes | Italy | 2022 Drama, Mystery During a mild morning of Autumn a mother has been called by her daughter's primary school teachers who are worried because the 10-year-old Francesca obsessively draws the same empty, ephemeral ghosts silhouettes.Thus we enter the world of little Francesca, where her daily life flows parallel to the world surrounding her: a mother, a brother, a boyfriend and their precarious presence. Little Yellow Flower (小黃花 ) 29 minutes 55 seconds | Taiwan | 2021 Experimental, Short Photo Retoucher A-nan returns to the old house that saddens him. The eerily beautiful yellow flowers on the loofah trellis attract a whole nest of ants. As a child, A-nan accidentally killed all these yellow flowers when spraying insecticide on them to kill the ants. In a rage, his father beat him lame. This caused a lifelong conflict between them. The elderly and paralyzed father, now wrapped in diapers and covered with ants, evokes the painful memories of A-nan’s youth. A-nan sprays and kills the ants again. But how will A-nan unravel this knotted relationship with his father, entangled for so many years? How will he restore the loving beauty of the yellow flowers that once bloomed in the courtyard? Martyr of a Forgotten Dream 23 minutes 35 seconds | United States | 2023 Neo-Western, Western, Action In a small town somewhere in the Rust-Belt, Leon is forced to surrender his Family home to foreclosure. On eviction day he must decide, to leave or go down fighting. Misprint 19 Minutes 58 Seconds | United States | 2022 Thriller, Drama When a reformed criminal receives a cry for help from his former partner in crime, he finds himself back in the game with no way out but through. On Slauson 9 minutes 5 seconds | United States | 2023 Student Film, Drama This fiction short film follows a young man, Miguel, who leads a double life as an East LA gang member, and beloved son. He becomes a waiter in hopes of finding some form of identity, only to discover that a terribly perfect coincidence will lead to detrimental effects on the relationship with his mother. Rear 20 Minutes 22 Seconds | United States | 2022 Drama When a teacher leaves bruises on a child, an objecting mother unintentionally starts a debate on the use of school corporal punishment in her southern black community. Simone 6 minutes 30 seconds | United States | 2022 Student Film One hectic morning, a young mother attempts to navigate the New York City subway to get her baby to daycare on time. Snail Mail 6 minutes 28 seconds | United States | 2022 Comedy Clara is tired of getting mail, but her mail carrier is very dedicated to the job. Let the battle begin! Steel Forest / 钢铁森林 7 minutes 37 seconds | China | 2021 Drama, Children, Family, Fantasy A 10-years old left-behind boy in China secretly follows his poet father to the city, trying to find the poetic and fantasy outside world written in his father's poems, but in the end, he discovers his father is a liar and a construction worker. The Auditions 4 minutes 17 seconds | United States | 2023 Comedy A series of fake auditions based on REAL events. The Button Game 7 minutes 20 seconds | United States | 2022 Experimental A brutal display of a life in isolation. The Invite 10 minutes 59 seconds | United States | 2022 Comedy, Drama As his wedding day approaches, an Indian American man realizes his turban must be tied for his wedding and has to decide whether to invite his father to be a part of the biggest day of his life. The Prisoner’s Ransom 12 minutes 40 seconds | United States | 2023 Psychological Thriller, Drama, Coming of Age Twenty-two-year-old Jaime Wilson has become the prisoner of his own mind. He's being held ransom by a deranged criminal doppelgänger, the double, who demands Jaime's father pay $25,000 for his release. Wednesday Night 18 Minutes 27 Seconds | United States | 2022 Coming of Age, Mumblecore, Slice of Life With the assistance of his high school best friend's visit, college senior Mac comes to terms with the rapidly approaching transition he has been avoiding. Wendy 10 minutes 13 seconds | United States | 2022 Romance, Young Adult, LGBTQ, Coming of Age A quiet but imaginative eighth grader attempts to find the courage to approach her secret crush while working on a middle-school production of Romeo & Juliet. 2023 SCREENPLAY COMPETITION FINALISTS: Cuffe - Written by Anita Allison Godfor - Written by Pablo Torroella Once When U Were Mine – Written by Richard Dane Scott Outer Bankers – Written by Diann Ducharme Snake Oil – Written by David Salisbury The Wrestling Show – Written by – Julie Harrison-Harney SEMI-FINALISTS: 5 Sandwiches – Written by Michael Puzzo Another Will Come – Written by Kevin J. Howard Bog Water – Written by Jonathan Weisbrod Gloves – Written by Michael Clifton Greetings from the Floodgates – Written by Mary Von Aue Here Goes Nothing – Written by Hanna Gerlander & Marky Hinojosa Into the Dark Wood – Written by – Benjamin Rummans Libertaire – Written by Elizabeth Indianos Man Up Fairy Dust –Written by Christopher Schwartz M.D. Moksha – Written by Saurin D. Lakhia Rumspringa –Written by Finnegan Haid & Jake Haddock Superstition - Written by Jeremy St. Romain Taste the Road, Jack – Written by Stefan Alexander & Eric Williford They Saved Rippers – Written by Jared Warner & Eric Schmidt QUARTERFINALISTS: Ars Gratia Artis – Written by Stefan Alexander Air & Noise – Written by Edward Tadross Cathedrals on the Warm Surface – Written by Colin Dodds Critters of Run Amok Gulch– Written byCharles Tucker Dark Matter – Written by Olga Holtz Do Unto Others – Written by Joseph Leone Golem – Written by Michael Levine Graven – Written by Michael Clifton Grounded – Written by Martin Tylicki Guessing – Written by Sharon Spell Happiness Therapy – Written by Ornella Ohayon Her Seventh Death – Written by Virginia Austin How Do You Spell Ransom? – Written by Jonathan Isshak I Am the Dragon King– Written by Storm Choi In The Dark– Written by Stefan Mannes & Anthony Guilanti Johnny Jump Up – Written by Shiva Ramanathan Josh – Written by Maria Carolan Maddie and Frannie – Written by Virginia Austin Metal Box – Written by Brayden Dalazzone Montezuma’s Treasure – Written by Hal Streckert No Address – Written by Julia Verdin & James Papa Otherworld, NJ – Written by Matthew McLachlan Solice – Written by George Basiev The Bad Poet – Written by Michael Clifton The Lost Camp – Written by Conner Etter The Twin Portraits – Written by Eva Everett Irving The Voice of Holiday Brown – Written by Cheran Rush OFFICIAL SELECTIONS: A More Perfect Union – Written by Jonathan Weisbrod 4N6(Not Dead Bodies) – Written by Melissa Aquiles Abstract of Love – Written by Scott James Cook Black Inks – Written by Zaric Reed Brooklyn-Country – Written by Wayne Nuessle Chitlin – Written by Michael Clifton Coop – Written by Joseph Leone Damaging People – Written by Laura DeBar Doctor-ish – Written by Benjamin J. Stevens MD From Greenpoint with Love – Written by Bob Canning Gallows Hill – Written by Cory Rowe Girls Night – Written by Austin Roe Kate’s Ballad – Written by Rory O’Connor Killing Cherry Jane – Written by Cassidy Rose Layton Ladykiller – Written by Brian W. Smith Macho – Written by Francisco Solarzano & Anthony Guilianti Off His Meds – Written by Luis Ortiz & Tsunami Ortiz Pet Peeves – Written by Denai Carrillo PTSDee – Written by Hannah Petosa Sheepwolf – Written by Arlene Bogna & Zi R. Lem Show Your Work – Written by Andre Paul Thierry Superheroish – Written by Andre Paul Thierry The Age of Blood – Written by Alexa Salimpour The Big Eighties – Written by Betty Ouyang The First Christmas – Written by Matthew Trudeau Typhoid Mary – Written by Rachel Ward Under The Shadow – Written by Jim Wurst Whiskey Tango Foxtrot – Written by Matthew Domenico Become a volunteer at the 13th Annual AoBFF and help us celebrate all things indie film! The 2023 Art of Brooklyn Film Festival (June 1-12) is very excited to be returning with a full slate of in-person screenings, parties, & events featuring the best emerging filmmakers from the Brooklyn NYC scene, across the country and around the world. And we need your help to make it great! We're looking for motivated, reliable volunteers to help us with production tasks including:
AoBFF is a big part of NYC's cultural calendar. Volunteering is a great opportunity for people starting their careers in the NYC film community. Every volunteer also gets a VIP Pass to attend every screening and event for free. We'll do an orientation meeting over Zoom to get you ready before the fest. AoBFF is always a fun event that supports and celebrates diverse independent artists. Many past volunteers have gone on to work on film projects with collaborators they met at our festival. And much of our staff started out by volunteering with us! We will schedule shifts based on your availability. Our weeknight blocks are 7PM to 9PM and 9PM to 11PM, and our weekend blocks start at 2PM and go every 2 hours until 11PM. We will have a schedule of screenings available soon showing every event and slot. Because we are a live event with a small dedicated staff, it's important that you only apply if you're confident you can attend the festival in person on the dates and times you commit to. Venue info coming soon! (Please use our form below to apply) ABOUT US: The Art of Brooklyn Film Festival is a 501c3 nonprofit organization proudly supported by the New York State Council on the Arts, and the NYC Dept of Cultural Affairs. All donations are tax deductible. The Art of Brooklyn Film Festival is a unique event that brings Brooklyn’s celebrated film and media makers together with their peers across the country and around the world. The award-winning AoBFF is a filmmaker-focused event, platform and showcase for exciting emerging creators and established voices. We partner with film distributors and media organizations, host world-class talkbacks, create innovative programming for networking and skill building, and screen for enthusiastic audiences across Brooklyn. Founded by working artists in 2011, AoBFF has had over a dozen festival premieres get theatrical distribution to date — and one became an HBO series. We've held events in nineteen different venues in nine neighborhoods across Brooklyn (so far,) often partnering with local businesses and organizations to reach the widest possible audience. |
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