As we wrap up the 14th season of the ART OF BROOKLYN Film Festival, the word that keeps coming to mind is "community." We programmed 60 films this season, from around the way and around the world. Points of view that couldn't have been more diverse, with artistic themes that spoke to each other organically. The energy at AoBFF was palpable, with filmmakers and audience clearly so happy to be there to interact with the work and each other. Seeing old friends and making new ones, and planning potential collaborations. It's what Brooklyn, and AoBFF, are all about. We were very excited to hold an informative panel discussion on the cutting-edge world of virtual production techniques (and how emerging indie filmmakers can harness them) and a wonderful discussion with director Christ Kentis about his landmark indie feature OPEN WATER. Both were professionally filmed and will be part of our free media offerings soon. We want to thank our nonprofit funders including the New York State Council on the Arts, and the NYC Dept. of Youth and Community Development. The festival was sponsored by the Sony BURANO, who made it possible to hold our screenings and events at the beautiful AbelCine screening room — with their stunning new LED wall that made our screenings so impactful. A special thanks to the AbleCine staff who worked hard to make every event there wonderful. Speaking of venues, thank you to Cobble Hill Cinemas, Greenwood Park, AbelCine, Stuart Cinema, and Pratt Film/Video for hosting our world-class screenings and events. Our incredible Guest Festival Directors Matt Campagna, Melissa D'Agostino, Brit Prater and Edward Worthy worked with us to create a stunning program of independent film. One of the running themes among filmmakers this year was how interesting and unique our curation is. It's what sets us apart and makes AoBFF special. And we are always so happy to hear that everyone in our festival feels respected and taken care of. We work hard to create an experience filmmakers and screenwriters will remember, because they deserve it. Now more than ever, artists matter. And one more thank you to every film and screenplay that was part of the 2024 AoBFF. Each one represents a achievement in itself, and we are continually inspired by you! Be proud of what you created, and keep up the amazing work. 2024 AoBFF WinnersOutstanding Sound: BROKEN VESSELS
Outstanding Score: IN THE SUMMER RAIN Outstanding Editing: NYCTOPHOBIA Outstanding Cinematography: GIANT'S KETTLE Outstanding Animation: ROBERTO'S DREAM Outstanding Screenplay: ASTRONAUT by Lukas Hassel The Dark Side Award: CASA PARAISO The Vanguard Award (for Experimental Film): THIS IS HOW I FELT Outstanding Performance in a Short: Kara Overlien in GOLD RUSH Outstanding Performance in a Feature: Rosie McDonald in A/WAY Outstanding Ensemble Performance: MAMA NIGHT Outstanding Comedy: THE PEACH Outstanding Drama: BLUE HOUR Outstanding Short Documentary: (It's a tie!) FORBIDDEN POND and BIRDFEEDER Outstanding Feature Documentary: THAT THING THAT SOUND Outstanding Director of a Narrative Short: Anne Hu for LUNCHBOX Outstanding Narrative Short: L'HYPERMNÉSIQUE Outstanding Director of a Narrative Feature: Derek Shane Garcia for A/WAY Outstanding Narrative Feature: A/WAY The 14th Annual Art of Brooklyn Film Festival kicks off May 30th with the East Coast premiere of new comedy ‘Mother Father Sister Brother Frank’ — starring Mindy Cohn (The Facts Of Life, Palm Royale) and Enrico Colantoni (Just Shoot Me, Veronica Mars, Galaxy Quest) as the parents of a dysfunctional family who must resort to murder to save everything they love. The Art of Brooklyn Film Festival opens its 14th season with Mindy Cohn (The Facts Of Life, Palm Royale) and Enrico Colantoni (Just Shoot Me, Veronica Mars, Galaxy Quest), starring in the hilarious new murder comedy ‘Mother Father Sister Brother Frank.’ The film’s East Coast premiere will screen at the legendary Cobble Hill Cinemas Thursday, May 30 2024 at 8PM. The dysfunctional Jennings family are slogging through yet another strained Sunday dinner when utter a-hole Uncle Frank crashes with a nasty surprise. Joy (Mindy Cohn), Jerry (Enrico Colantoni), Jolene (Melanie Leishman) and Jim (Iain Stewart) suddenly find themselves collaborating on a murder to save everything they love, and finally get to really know each other during their bungling attempts to cover it up. To their shock, the crime actually brings them together, freeing them of the secrets and resentments that defined them for so long. Film info, trailer and tickets “Growing up queer in conservative Calgary, Alberta, Canada, I know about burying the truth and how hard dealing with it can be. But, I also know the freedom and joy that comes when you finally start leading with your truth. Alone it can seem impossible, but when we come together, we can kill our “Franks” in whatever form they take,” said the film’s director Caden Douglas. "We are bloody excited (pun intended) to be having our East Coast Premiere at the incredible Art of Brooklyn Film Festival, and truly honored to be the opening night film of a festival that celebrates, and has such passion for indie film,” said Caden. There will be a Q&A with the filmmakers after the screening. About The Art of Brooklyn Film Festival The 14th Annual Art of Brooklyn Film Festival features 60 new independent films from around the way and around the world, plus special events, and an awards ceremony that's free to attend. The 2024 AoBFF takes place May 30 - June 9 at venues across Kings County including Cobble Hill Cinemas, Stuart Cinema & Cafe, the AbelCine screening room at Industry City, and the Pratt Film/Video Department. AoBFF Schedule, Film Guide and Tickets 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 "As a creative soul of many years, I’ve always been grateful to have maintained a regular job allowing me in turn to create exactly the type of art my heart spoke without worrying about settling for anything less. But over the years, that everyday grind can wear you out. Sometimes the money is just not enough and the politics that goes into that can make you question morality at its core. My experimental short film Howl was written at a time when I needed to purge many of those emotions. You give your best to a position and hope it’ll be genuinely recognized where it matters. But time and time again, you’re let down by those who are in higher command. It’s a tricky line to walk, but it’s survival." - Martin Del Carpio 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 One Deliverable Soul Written by Randall Talton. 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:
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