The Third Annual Art Of Brooklyn Film Festival Is Looking For The Next Great Brooklyn Films

Oct. 26, 2012 - PRLog -- CONTACT:
Anthony DeVito, Director of Communications
917-755-1788
anthony@theartofbrooklyn.org
Art of Brooklyn Film Festival website:  http//www.aobff.org

The Art of Brooklyn has opened submissions for its third annual Film Festival, which will screen the best in new independent film from May 15-19, 2013. The AoBFF is the only festival to exclusively feature local and international premieres that have a meaningful link to the borough. That means cast or crewmembers were born, raised, or have lived in Brooklyn, the film was shot in Brooklyn, or Brooklyn was a major inspiration in the creation of the film. Submissions close March 15, 2013.

The 2012 AoBFF received submissions from all over the world. From a documentary about a Brooklyn Hassidic rapper made by a filmmaker from Italy, to a Turkish comedy inspired by the tolerance of Brooklyn's diversity, to a claymation short by an 11-year-old native of Brooklyn, New South Wales, Australia… these global entries joined local emerging filmmakers to delight audiences and critics alike.

What makes the AoBFF unique is that each film must demonstrate a meaningful link to Brooklyn to be eligible. And every zip code and community in Brooklyn is treated equally. “Major events mostly cluster around only a few north Brooklyn neighborhoods,” said Joseph Shahadi, the festival’s executive director. “Our innovation is simple: We include everyone, from Boerum Hill to Bergen Beach, Fort Greene to Flatlands. This isn’t about hipster bashing, but now that the borough has become an international center for art and culture, excluding some people because they live in the ‘wrong’ neighborhood is unacceptable. Everyone is invited to this party.”​

Festival Director Jason Cusato leads a jury of industry professionals who select and judge the winning films, including actor and frequent Brooklyn resident Eric Mabius (Resident Evil, Ugly Betty), director Elliot Lester (Blitz, Love Is the Drug), actress/filmmaker and curator at Michigan’s prestigious Waterfront Film Festival Christine Elise McCarthy (ER, 90210), director/ producer Digger T. Mesch (Cinescape magazine’s Power 100), Brooklyn College Professor of Film Annette Danto and more.

Eric Mabius says,
“I have always loved Brooklyn, it is one of the most creative and productive environments in the world. These absolutely unique surroundings deserve to be celebrated with a festival possessing the Art of Brooklyn’s kind of vision: to be a major industry event that gets everyone excited about the things we already know. The whole idea of bringing New and Classic Brooklyn together — nobody else is doing that, until NOW.”

For information about submitting a film to the 2013 Art of Brooklyn Film Festival, including deadlines, fees, rules and FAQs visit: www.theartofbrooklyn.org