DISTRICT OFFICE CHAIR 244 UNION AVE SANITATION BROOKLYN, NY 11211 TEL: (718) 963-3141 COMMITTEES TRANSPORTATION LAND USE CITY HALL OFFICE HOSPITALS 250 BROADWAY, SUITE 1740 THE COUNCIL GENERAL WELFARE NEW YORK, NY 10007 OF TEL : (212) 788-7095 SUB-COMMITTEE THE CITY OF NEW YORK ZONING AND FRANCHISES ANTONIO REYNOSO TH COUNCIL MEMBER, 34 DISTRICT, BROOKLYN & QUEENS October 10, 2018 It is an honor to welcome you to this year’s 11th Annual Bushwick Film Festival. After a decade full of incredible screenings and moments that are unique to Bushwick, the festival is as committed as ever to its passion for sharing stories with a distinct point of view. As the years go by, I grow no less grateful that I can attend the festival as the Council Member representing this great community. Thank you all for letting me watch with you. For over a decade now, Bushwick has been a creative haven where residents and artists from all over the world have honed their artistic skills. The inaugural Bushwick Stories workshop has been an important part of this legacy, by providing student filmmakers with the resources to grow artistically and share their voices with the community. This is an exciting development, and I look forward to seeing the work that these young directors have created. Without the festival, we might not be seeing these valuable pieces of art. The program is also emblematic of what makes BFF one of Brooklyn’s most influential cinematic events. Over the course of the festival, we will experience filmmakers from not only Bushwick and the five boroughs of NY, but also dozens of countries around the world. Included in those films you find stories of joy, love, friendship, the community as well as films that deal with the imminent social tensions of today. Today, screening films that represent the strength and unification that foster diversity is paramount. Finally, I would like to recognize BFF founder Kweighbaye Kotee for being a leading voice in the arts community in Bushwick and her team who have continuously made BFF a success over the past 11 years. Of course, I must also shoutout the filmmakers: their works are eclectic and topical, and audiences will be able to dream away, draw inspiration, and discover themselves in stories that reflect them and their challenges, in the way that only film can. Welcome to the 11th Annual Bushwick Film Festival Sincerely, Antonio Reynoso Council Member, 34th District ABOUT THE FESTIVAL Founded in 2007, The Bushwick Film Festival (BFF) is a leading independent film and media company in Brooklyn. The festival is hailed as one of Brooklyn’s most influential cinematic events for its contribution to the borough’s artistic, cultural, and economic growth. The festival attracts film and entertainment industry leaders at national and international levels; and showcases films created by the best and most diverse emerging independent filmmakers in Brooklyn and worldwide. BFF provides a platform for emerging filmmakers to share their stories and provides spaces for audiences from all backgrounds to connect and discover new independent movies and experience unique cultural events. Having made difficult choices while curating a record breaking 1,300 submissions, the Bushwick Film Festival is now thrilled to present the 100 best films of 2018 to you! MEET THE TEAM KWEIGHBAYE KOTEE TILO ZINGLER JOSEPH VASSILY NATHALIE THOMAS AMY CHANG Founder & CEO Director of WILLWERTH Marketing & Production Copy Editor Marketing Director of Coordinator Programming DERRICK BEANIE BARNES TEDDY CHELSEA TAYLOR CHEN ZENG CAMERON Feature Film COLLATOS Feature Film Short Film Feature Film Programmer Feature Film Programmer Programmer Programmer Programmer 2018 VOLUNTEERS/INTERNS Aaron Abeccha Melissa Romeo Adrianna Redhair Miguel Posada Alex Williams Jake Prince JAMES BOO DIONNA MATT GILL Short Film MCMILLIAN Programming Amber Suzor Raginee Nath Programmer Short Film Assistant Cafega Haynes-Ro- Sammy Robison Programmer driguez Samuel Lynch Christine Nguyen Steph Shober 2018 PRE-SCREENERS Cody Noble Tavia Cummings Dante Fresse Tiffany Ruiz Carrie Radigan Aurora Alänge Dwanet Perry Tiy Hampton Savannah Magruder Liliana Tandon Harris Awan Victoria Suyas Anaiis Cisco Nancy Asiamah-Yeboah Hayat Aljowaily Will Tarry Kira Boden-Gologorsky Rachel Garber Cole Jamie Lynn Perritt Zayin Allen Kevin D’Angelo Raul Rubio Kye’Asia Pluck Teresa Lu Matthew Gonzalez THE 11TH ANNUAL TABLE OF BUSHWICK FILM FESTIVAL WOULD LIKE TO CONTENTS THANK ITS SPONSORS WELCOME 2 AND PARTNERS ABOUT THE FESTIVAL 4 SPONSORS & PARTNERS 6 RISING STAR AWARD 8 PROGRAM SCHEDULE 10 - 13 JURY 14 SPECIAL EVENTS 16 PANELS 17 NARRATIVE FEATURE FILMS 18 DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILMS 19 SHORT FILM PROGRAMS 20 - 23 RISING STAR AWARD STEFON BRISTOL is a film obsessive, something that the mentors he encountered during his time at NYU immediately noticed. One of those mentors, Mr. Spike Lee, even served as an Executive Producer on Stefon’s forthcom- ing debut feature, See You Yesterday, an evolution of his visceral short of the same name. That short was made as a graduate thesis project partially financed by the 2016 Spike Lee Production Grant, going on to premiere here at Bushwick Film Festival in 2017. The short exists in the present tense, using sci-fi as a tool for communicating issues that are, for some, political, but personal for the filmmaker. Many people in the U.S. haven’t tried to put themselves in the shoes of those who have lost their loved ones due to unnecessary police violence, and the beauty of science-fiction is that it allows us to simultaneously escape from and ground ourselves in reality. The beauty of Stefon is the way he uses the inventive pursuits of his characters and tactful use of SFX to create a world that is disguised as unlike our own. It has been a crazy journey since See You Yesterday was awarded an honorable mention for Best Short Film here at BFF just 1 year ago: distribution by HBO, a job on BlacKkKlansman, the completion of principal photography on his first feature film… Still, Stefon’s candor and humanism are honestly what we find most awe-inspiring about him. See You Yesterday (the feature) was shot in Brooklyn, right around where Stefon grew up, and he has already set himself apart from other young film-nerd direc- tors by having a natural talent for working with child-actors. This year, we celebrate a star who has risen, but who lets the work talk for him. WEDNESDAYWEDNESDAY THURSDAYTHURSDAY THURSDAYTHURSDAY FRIDAYFRIDAY FRIDAYFRIDAY SATURDAYSATURDAY 3:30PM 3:30PM ONE BEDROOMONE BEDROOM RT: 1 hr, 25 minRT: 1 Q&Ahr, 25 min Q&A 5:30PM5:30PM 5:30PM 5:30PM SEAMANSEAMAN AND 207 AND 207 DOUBLE BILL:DOUBLE A DAY BILL: A DAY 5:45PM 5:45PM 6:00PM6:00PM RED CARPET RED CARPETRT: 1 hr, RT:20 1min hr, 20 min WITH MARTHAWITH MARTHA/ WIKI / WIKI VICTORIOUSVICTORIOUS OPENINGOPENING @ HOY @ HOY Q&A Q&A 6:30PM -6:30PM 8:30PM - 8:30PM RT: 1 hr, 10RT: min 1 hr, Q&A 10 min Q&A RT: 1 hr, 45 RT:min 1 Q&Ahr, 45 min Q&A INDUSTRYINDUSTRY MIXER MIXER 8:00PM8:00PM OPENING OPENING FILM FILM PRESENTEDPRESENTED BY BY BUSHWICKBUSHWICK BEATS BEATS 7:40PM7:40PM UPNORTHUPNORTH 7:30PM 7:30PM Q&A Q&A DIE BESTEDIE ALLER BESTE ALLER *INVITE ONLY**INVITE ONLY* ARE YOUARE GLAD YOU IM GLAD IM8:00PM - 9:30PM8:00PM - 9:30PM WELTENWELTEN (THE BEST (THE OF BEST OF HERE HERE FILMMAKERFILMMAKER PARTY @ PARTY8:20PM @ 8:20PM PRESENTEDPRESENTED BY BY ALL WORLDS)ALL WORLDS) RT: 1 hr, 25RT: min 1 hr, Q&A 25 min Q&ATHE ROOKERYTHE ROOKERY SHORTS: THESHORTS: GANGS THE GANGS SPECTRUMSPECTRUM RT: 1 hr, RT:45 1min hr, 45 min *INVITE ONLY**INVITE ONLY* HERE HERE RT: 1 hr, 25 minRT: 1 Q&Ahr, 25 min Q&A 10:05PM10:05PM 10:00PM10:00PM 9:45PM 9:45PM 10:00PM10:00PM AFTER PARTYAFTER PARTY LOST IN APOCALYPSELOST IN APOCALYPSE SAVAGESAVAGE YOUTH YOUTH KARAOKEKARAOKE NIGHT @ NIGHT @ 10:35PM 10:35PM @ LOT @45 LOT 45 RT: 1 hr, 30RT: min 1 hr, Q&A 30 min Q&A UPNORTHUPNORTH (SANGE I SOLEN)(SANGE I SOLEN) RT: 1 hr, RT:40 1min hr, 40 min MIXMAGMIXMAG SONGS IN THESONGS SUN IN THE SUN ALL STARALL DJS STAR DJS RT: 1 hr, 10 minRT: 1 hr, 10 min 12:00AM 12:00AM PRESENTEDPRESENTED BY BY SHORTS: SHORTS: 12:15AM 12:15AM BRUGALBRUGAL 1888 1888 MIDNIGHTMIDNIGHT PEEP SHOW PEEP SHOW SHORTS BLOCK:SHORTS AFTER BLOCK: AFTER PARTIDAPARTIDA TEQUILA TEQUILA RT: 1 hr, 15RT: min 1 hr, Q&A 15 min Q&A MIDNIGHT MIDNIGHT RT: 1 hr, 10 minRT: 1Q&A hr, 10 min Q&A GO TO WWW.BUSHWICKFILMFESTIVAL.COMGO TO WWW.BUSHWICKFILMFESTIVAL.COM CHEMISTRYCHEMISTRY CREATIVE CREATIVE - 305 Ten - 305 Eyck Ten St, Eyck Brooklyn, St, Brooklyn, NY 11206 NY 11206 HOUSEHOUSE OF YES OF -YES 2 Wyckoff - 2 Wyckoff Ave, Brooklyn,Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11237 NY 11237 THE ROOKERYTHE ROOKERY - 425 Troutman - 425 Troutman St, Brooklyn, St, Brooklyn, NY 11237 NY 11237 LOT LOT45 - 45411 -Troutman 411 Troutman St, Brooklyn, St, Brooklyn, NY 11237 NY 11237 UPNORTHUPNORTH - 17 Wyckoff - 17 Wyckoff Ave, Brooklyn, Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11237 NY 11237 SYNDICATEDSYNDICATED - 40 -Bogart 40 Bogart St, Brooklyn St, Brooklyn NY 11206 NY 11206 BRAVENBRAVEN - 52 Harrison - 52 Harrison Pl, Brooklyn, Pl, Brooklyn, NY 11237 NY 11237 LIGHTSPACELIGHTSPACE STUDIOS STUDIOS - 130 -Thames 130 Thames Street, Street, Brooklyn, Brooklyn, NY NY FINE ANDFINE RAW AND CHOCOLATE RAW CHOCOLATE - 288 Seigel - 288 Street, Seigel BK, Street, 11206 BK, 11206 SATURDAYSATURDAYSATURDAYSATURDAYSATURDAYSATURDAYSUNDAY SUNDAYSUNDAY SUNDAYSUNDAY SUNDAYSUN. SUN. 12:00PM 12:00PM 12:00PM 12:00PM 12:00PM 12:00PM 12:00PM 12:00PM 12:00PM SHORTS: SEASHORTS: CHANGE SEA PANEL:CHANGE BLOCKCHAINPANEL: & BLOCKCHAIN & SHORTS: ALLIES: WORLDSHORTS: THEALLIES: ORGANIZER WORLD THESCREEN ORGANIZER SCREEN RT: 1 hr, 15 minRT: 1 hr, 15 minTHE FUTURE OF ARTSTHE FUTURE & ENT.