FILM FESTIVAL COMES TO NIAGARA FALLS

THE BUFFALO NIAGARA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL RUNS SEPTEMBER 20 TO OCTOBER 1 AT FOUR SEASONS THEATER; PUBLIC WELCOME

For the first  time ever, The Buffalo Niagara Film Festival (BNFF) will be held in Niagara Falls.

The filmmakers’ event, now in its 12th season, will run from September 20 to October 1 inside the six theaters at Four Seasons Theater on Military Road in Niagara Falls.

More than 400 films films will be screened. A distinguished panel of judges will vote on the winners of different categories and genres of films. The public is invited to attend.

Hundreds of filmmakers submitted their films for screening and judgement. The BNFF is one of the top ranked film festivals in the USA and an award is considered a felicitous boost for the resume of a filmmaker and a shot in the arm for any film that wins it.

While the festival is widely known in the film industry, it is not as equally well known locally. Sponsored in part by the Niagara Falls Reporter, the BNFF is produced by Bill Cowell. At the request of the Reporter, Mr. Cowell arranged to locate the film festival in Niagara Falls for the first time in its 12 year history.

Tickets are available online or at the door. Those who want to see new and oftentimes first screenings of films are urged to attend. Many of the filmmakers come to the festival to be on hand for the screening and meet other top industry leaders who attend the event.

Locals will get a rare opportunity to see the film industry at work up close and in ways rarely afforded locally.

“The BNFF is not only for filmmakers and screenwriters but for film-lovers in general,” said Mr. Cowell.

The festival is attended by numerous celebrities and noted film industry leaders, some of whom are looking for emerging talents both in acting and various other expertise in the industry.

This year a screenplay competition open to both professional and amateur filmmakers will be judged by successful screenwriters. A seminar on Hitchcock Suspense will be hosted by writer and independent filmmaker Jeffrey Michael Bays.  The film screenings include features, shorts and music videos.

Director, actor, producer, and acting coach Tom Todoroff is offering an intensive, two-day acting workshop. The public can sign up to attend.

In addition, screenwriter John Steppling will be on hand as well, as well as actress and producer Nikki Moore, film, TV, and stage actress Holly Fain, actress Lynn Lowry, actor, screenwriter, director, producer and jazz vocalist Robert Davi, martial arts legend and film choreographer Frank Dux, actress and filmmaker Catherine Oxenberg and others.

The Four Seasons Cinema is located at 2429 Military Road, Niagara Falls.

Tickets are on sale now. For more info visit:  www.thebnff.com or call 716-297-1951.