20th Annual Brooklyn Film Festival announces lineup of 122 films

May 15, 2017 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Abby Abinanti surveys Yurok traditional lands in "Tribal Justice." Photo by Anne Makepeacee

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The Brooklyn Film Festival (BFF), presented this year by Stella Artois, announced on Monday the film lineup for the 2017 edition. The festival will open on Friday, June 2 at returning BFF venue, the Wythe Hotel in Williamsburg. BFF is proud to present its opening night film, the east coast premiere of award-winning director Jason James’ comedy-drama-romance “Entanglement,” starring Jess Weixler and Thomas Middleditch.

This year’s festival is comprised of 122 features and shorts from 32 countries spread over six continents. The lineup includes 24 world premieres, 19 U.S. bows, 33 East Coast debuts and 41 first-time screenings in New York.

In addition to the feature narratives and documentary films highlighted in this release, the festival will present 37 short narrative films, 17 short documentary films, 26 animated films and 20 experimental films.

Director Marco Ursino said about the 2017 festival: “The 20th anniversary is for us a spectacular opportunity to celebrate our experience and make plans for the future. In the past 20 years, we have been able to shape a platform here in Brooklyn that fuels every year a new generation of talented filmmakers. Something to be very proud to be part of.”

BFF has also lined up several special events during the festival. They include the 13th annual KidsFilmFest on Saturday, June 3 at the Made in NY Media Center by IFP; the Filmmakers Party on June 8 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the new G-Star Raw store in Williamsburg; the BFF Exchange series of panels on June 10 at Kickstarter Headquarters and party at Williamsburg Music Center; and the June 11 Awards Ceremony followed by the closing-night party at Windmill Studios NYC. Throughout the duration of the festival, Stella Artois and BFF will provide a Filmmaker Lounge at Windmill Studios. Guests will be able to relax between screenings with a Stella while networking with fellow filmmakers.

Main BFF venues are the Wythe Hotel in Williamsburg and Windmill Studios NYC in Greenpoint. Satellite locations include Syndicated in Bushwick; Made in New York Media Center by IFP in DUMBO; UnionDocs in Williamsburg; and Kickstarter in Greenpoint.

Feature narratives that will be presented include “Entanglement” (East Coast premiere), “Kate Can’t Swim” (East Coast premiere), “El Revenge” (U.S. premier), “Shut Up Anthony” (New York premiere), “The Sounding” (East Coast premiere) and “Sweet Parents” (world premiere).

Feature documentaries will include “A Cambodian Spring” (U.S. premiere), “Disco’d” (world premiere), “Goodbye Darling, I’m Off to Fight” (New York premiere), “Holy (un) Holy River” (New York premiere) and “Tribal Justice” (New York premiere).

To view the full film line up, visit brooklynfilmfestival.org/films/2017/index.asp.

The organizers of BFF have been staging international, competitive film events since 1998. BFF’s mission is to provide a public forum in Brooklyn in order to advance public interest in films and the independent production of films, to draw worldwide attention to Brooklyn as a center for cinema, to encourage the rights of all Brooklyn residents to access and experience the power of independent filmmaking, and to promote artistic excellence and the creative freedom of artists without censure. BFF Inc. is a not-for-profit organization.

For more info about the festival please visit brooklynfilmfestival.org.