Following its successful relaunch under the direction of new Executive Director Raymond Guarneri during the 2015 season, which saw the doubling of festival attendance over the previous year, the festival will look to expand its programing to include new venues and neighborhoods within New York State’s second largest city, Buffalo. Since opening the call for entries on January 29, 2016, the festival has seen a sharp increase in submissions over last year’s early bird deadline.
“Our growing festival promises to offer new opportunities for artists working within all forms of cinema, we’re also expanding our commitment to diverse independent storytelling providing a vital platform for voices that have been historically underrepresented in media” said Tilke Hill, Co-Director.
“BIFF 2016 promises to be our biggest and most successful festival yet - we’re currently seeking submissions in all categories including narrative, documentary and experimental features, shorts, and student films in all genres - including work that defies form and genre from all over the world from Tehran to Tonawanda” said Director of Programming John J. Fink.
The Buffalo International Film Festival is offering a substantial discount for filmmakers submitting before its Early Bird Deadline of May 1, 2016. The festival will continue to accept submissions until July 15, 2016 at 11:59PM EST. Filmmakers can learn more about BIFF and submit their films by searching for the Buffalo International Film Festival on Without A Box or Film Freeway.
Aligning the festival for future growth, the Buffalo International Film Festival has announced its 2016 staff positions:
Raymond Guanieri - Executive Director
Tilke Hill - Co-Director
Robert Lingle - Associate Director
John Fink - Director of Programming
Laurie Brown - Director of Events
Lukia Costello - Director of Diversity
Renee Russell - Secretary / Treasurer
The Buffalo International Film Festival is a 501(c) non-profit organization celebrating tenth anniversary. Its main program is its’ annual film festival championing local, national, and international films that test the limits of independent cinema. Each year, BIFF presents juries selections from hundreds of submissions to Western New York residents and visitors. BIFF proudly supports local filmmakers by offering workshops, seminars, industry panel discussions and fiscal sponsorship on a year-round basis.
The Best Feature Narrative Award of the 9th BIFF went to Abbas Rafei's 'Oblivion Season' from Iran.
MS/PR