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!

​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:

• Alan McLane Alejos
• Stef Boone
• Maryll Botula
• Adam Capitanio
• Wendy Lechuga
• ​Ana Moioli

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:

• Set up and break down our ticketing and merch tables
• Set up and break down our pop-up banners, signage, and step-and-repeats
• Scan in ticket holders and usher guests

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.

​Every year the Art of Brooklyn Film Festival invites a different filmmaker to be our Guest Festival Director to ensure that no single POV dominates our curation. Women are always on our shortlist, and two female filmmakers have taken the position, Victoria Negri (2017) and Christie Conochalla (2021)-- but that isn't enough. Over the years we have produced events with women-led organizations like New York Women in Film and Television, Alliance of Women Directors and the streaming platform Lesflicks, and one of the recurring themes in those conversations is simple parity.

​So for our Lucky 13th season we're doing something different: The 2023 Art of Brooklyn Film Festival will be curated by three women and a non-binary filmmaker, working in tandem. Any one of these filmmakers would make a great Guest Festival Director, so we are thrilled they've agreed to work together to curate the 2023 AoBFF.

We are happy to announce that Janet S Kim (she/her) will curate Documentaries, Shannon Morrall (she/her) will curate Narrative Shorts and the filmmaking team of Stacey Maltin (she/her) and Margarita "MARS" Zhitnikova (they/them) will curate Narrative Features.

SHANNON MORRALL is a filmmaker and actor currently pursuing an MFA in Film Production at USC's School of Cinematic Arts. Prior to enrolling she served as the Multi-Media Producer for the Cinema Life Film Festival Collective's inaugural season. Her stories tend to explore human connection, joy, and play, often through the escapism of grand adventure genres.

As a writer, her work has garnered recognition from Sundance (Ignite), ISA, and the Catalyst Content Festival. As a Director, she was recently awarded the $25,000 Natural Florida Film Grant to direct her first documentary film, which will premiere at the Oscar Qualifying AmDocs this spring. Her narrative shorts have screened and taken home awards at film festivals nationwide. As an actor, she trained at the American Conservatory Theater (SF) and the Stella Adler Studio (NY), with appearances Off-Broadway and on screen with independent short and feature films.

Beyond her artistic pursuits, Shannon worked as a women's rights representative at the United Nations and has a Bachelor's degree in International Politics and Mandarin Chinese from Fordham University.

ShannonMorrall.com

MARS (they/them) is a non-binary performer, writer and producer. Born in Stalingrad, Russia, MARS came to America with their family as Jewish refugees when they were six. They found acting and creating to be a salvation of sorts, to see the world from many angles and to figure out what drives their characters. MARS is passionate about leaving the world better than they found it, for everyone. Through their art they strive to cultivate empathy and action. MARS Co-Founded BMM to tackle their mission from all sides. Most recently MARS appeared on the final season of NBC’s acclaimed show New Amsterdam and as a lead character in the award-winning feature film Triple Threat, distributed by Gravitas Ventures. Zasha, the screenplay they co-wrote was a finalist for the Sundance Development Track in 2022. MASHED, a digital series, which they performed in and produced with their partners at BMM has won awards at Bushwick FF, Nashville FF, and Buffalo FF. They have also served as a judge for Revolution Me FF and Run & Gun FF.

STACEY MALTIN (she/her) is an award-winning filmmaker and performer. She has been creating antics on stage since she was eight and after graduating NYU Tisch School of the Arts, she realized that she wanted to create new and authentic stories from the ground up. After a stint living in Tel Aviv, she became immersed in the film world and became passionate about directing gritty and entertaining projects. Through her work she strives to show that humanity is nuanced and empathy is universal. Stacey Directed, wrote, and starred in the feature film Triple Threat which, after winning several awards on the festival circuit, was distributed by Gravitas Ventures in 2022. She Directed the mini-series MASHED which has won awards at Series Fest, Nashville FF, Bushwick FF, and Buffalo FF. Her first feature film Landing Up, was a finalist for the Tribeca All Access Grant and was distributed by The Orchard. Her feature script The Other Side, was produced as a radio play by The Black List starring Darren Criss. On the acting front, she can be seen in the newest season of The L Word: Generation Q. She is a proud member of Film Fatales.

Margarita Zhitnikova (they/them) & Stacey Maltin (she/her)
BestiesMakeMovies.com
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The 12th Annual Art of Brooklyn Film Festival marked our return to a full slate of in-person screenings — and what a slate it was! Over 70 new films from Brooklyn and around the world, screening in venues across the borough (including opening night in Cobble Hill Cinemas.) Special events like our legendary Launch Party, filmmaker workshops, and
our first-ever live music/film event (featuring an original score for the 90th anniversary of Jean Cocteau's landmark silent film The Blood Of A Poet) marked just some of our 2022 highlights.

Enthusiastic audiences and filmmakers were thrilled to meet each other face to face again, and we loved the supportive energy each event generated. To increase the accessibility of our 2022 selections, we used our state-of-the-art virtual platform to screen encores of all our films that streamed across the globe.

We want to thank all our filmmakers, volunteers, partners, and guests for making our 12th edition extra special. See you next year!

Outstanding Cinematography: 
BREAKFAST AT THE BODEGA
Directed by Marina Barham

Outstanding Sound: 
ECHO’S ANSWER
Directed by Cat Tassini

Outstanding Editing:
Mike Enright for NIGHT AT DOWNTOWN BEIRUT

Outstanding Musical Score:
Hope For Agoldensummer for FISH STORY

Outstanding Ensemble Performance: 
Nicolas Calero, Shah Motia, Adrienne Lauren in THE GAME

Outstanding Performance in a Narrative Short:
Katie Vincent in HOMEBOUND

Outstanding Performance in a Narrative Feature: 
West Liang in SILENT RIVER

Outstanding Animation: 
CHILLY & MILLY Directed by Will Caballero

The Dark Side Award: 
DARK TALES FROM CHANNEL X
Directed by Manny Serrano and Lindsay Serrano

The Vanguard Award: 
BEATINGS OF THE DEVIL
Directed by Bradly Dever Treadaway

Outstanding Comedy: 
PUSS
Directed by Leah Shore 

Outstanding Drama: 
’TIL MORNING
Directed by Ana Moioli and Ryan Cairns

Outstanding Short Documentary: 
JUST A BROADWAY BABY: MARY ELLEN ASHLEY
​Directed by Patrick A Riviere

Outstanding Feature Documentary:
MORE THAN ACADEMICS
Directed by Elizabeth Mealey and Dejinay Reed

Outstanding Director of a Narrative Short: 
Shannon Morrall for BRIDGE

Outstanding Director of a Narrative Feature: 
Nick Thompson for SKAGIT

Outstanding Narrative Short: 
I’M FINE Directed by Justin Ho

Outstanding Narrative Feature: 
SILENT RIVER Directed by Chris Chan Lee

Outstanding Screenplay: 
PICK written by Bernhard Riedhammer 

Audience Choice: 
SHAMROCKS Directed by Greg Lofrano