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11th Annual Socially Relevant Film Festival New York

 

Now in its 11th installment, the SR Socially Relevant Film Festival, NY (SRFF) covers a broad range of social issues from film makers the world over. Running March 13 to 18th at venues across NYC, the festival has 53 films, with the Official Selection, including the short films lineup, being featured virtually as well as in person screenings. The themes grouping films together include 100 Years of Armenian Cinema, Black History Month, BIPOC films, Aging and Disability, Women, LGBTQI+, and more. 

On Sunday, March 17th is a special spotlight screening of the 1966 Armenian film Barev Yes Em (Hello It's Me). One of the historic milestones of Armenian cinema, inspired by the lives of two physicists and with the participation of three actors from Soviet cinema’s hall of fame: Rolan Bykov (Tarkovsky's Andrei Rublev), Armen Dzhigarkhanyan (Zero City and The Assassin of the Tsar from Karen Shakhnazarov) and Margarita Terekhova (The Mirror by Andrei Tarkovsky) in her film debut.Hello, Hello It’s Me was released in the Soviet Union in the spring of 1966 to wide acclaim and is now presented in a new restoration which was previously shown at the Cannes Film Festival 2023 in the Cannes Classics section.

Other films being screened include:

  • Bleecker
  • Citrotoxic
  • From Life to Life
  • I Am Gitmo
  • Maya
  • Valley of Exile
  • Return to Eden
  • Trust in Love

And many more

"We’re proud to have had the opportunity to present 700 socially relevant films from 40 countries over the past 10 years. The work of talented and dedicated filmmakers has offered us the bonus of learning about the human condition, filmmaking, and ways of engaging an audience, as the first steps towards raising awareness of social issues." Festival Founding Artistic Director Nora Armani said.

To learn more, go to: https://www.ratedsrfilms.org/

11th Annual Socially Relevant Film Festival New York
March 13 - 18, 2024

Various venues in NYC and Online

Athena Film Festival: Voices of Women from Around the World


Held at Barnard College, the Athena Film Festival returns February 29th to March 3. The annual festival showcases narrative features, documentaries, and short films; in-depth conversations with filmmakers and thought leaders; and a wide variety of events focused on amplifying women’s leadership through storytelling. Included in the festival is a curated program of panels that will touch on a wide variety of topics such as disability, feminism, abortion, Indigenous storytelling and more. Panels include Decolonizing the Film Industry: Indigenous Women’s Voices (featuring Tremblay); Keeping the Industry Door Open: Beyond the “Trend” of Disability; Abortion Storytelling; Next-Generation Storytellers; and STEM Showcase: Data Science and Feminism.

Films being shown include:

  • 20,000 Species of Bees
  • ANIMALIA
  • Earth Mama
  • GIRL
  • The Persian Version
  • Dancing Queen
  • Fitting In
  • Waitress: The Musical
  • No One Asked You
  • Your Fat Friend

And many more.

To learn more, go to: https://athenafilmfestival.com/

Athena Film Festival
February 29 - March 3, 2024

Barnard College
New York

12th Annual Winter Film Awards International Film Festival

 

With a commitment to inclusivity and culture, Winter Film Awards International Film Festival (WFA-IFF) is returning to New York for its 12th year. Running February 22nd to 24th at the LOOK Dine-In Cinemas (657 West 57th Street) the festival aims to put a special emphasis on highlighting the work of women and under-represented filmmakers. For 2024, the festival will showcase 82 films from around the world - from animated films, documentaries, dramas, horror films and music videos, 13 student films, 27 first-time directors and more than half of the films made by women and half by BIPOC directors.

SCREENING BLOCK HIGHLIGHTS

  • Documentary Day – Saturday February 24 12:45pm-11:50pm. All documentaries, all day!

  • Bloody Friday Night Horror – Friday February 23 9pm-11:45pm. Eleven frightening short films from around the world!

  • Films from Spain  – 6 films, Thursday Feb 22, 8:30 PM-11:15 PM

  • Films from France – 5 films, Friday Feb 23, 8:30 PM-11:15 PM

  • Short Film Blocks  Thursday Feb 22, 6:00 PM-8:20 PM and Saturday Feb 24, 12:20 PM-2:25 PM

The Festival also includes a block of Education Sessions to help emerging filmmakers learn how to break into the industry.  There will be six FREE educational and career-building sessions open to the public.

  • All About Filmmaking in New York, with NYC Mayor’s Office of Media & Entertainment Deputy Director of Film Thavary Krouch and Laura Berning, Sr. Project Manager from the NYS Governor’s Office of Motion Picture & Television Development (Feb 22 12:45-2PM)

  • Everything You Need to Know about Music for Your Indie Film (Feb 22 2:15pm-3:30pm)

  • Filmmaking Unveiled: Navigating the Essentials for Actor Filmmakers with Valorie Hubbard  (Feb 22 3:45pm-5:00pm)

  • Grantwriting For Filmmakers (Feb 23 12:45pm-2:00pm)

  • Casting Strategies for Indie Filmmakers & Actors with Richard Jordan Casting (Feb 23 2:15pm-3:30pm)

  • Distribution Strategies For Independent Filmmakers with Dan Gurlitz (Feb 23 3:45pm-5:00pm)

To learn more, go to: https://winterfilmawards.com/

12th Annual Winter Film Awards International Film Festival
February 21 - 25, 2024

LOOK Dine-In Cinemas W57
657 West 57th Street
New York, NY 10019

39th Santa Barbara International Film Festival: Special Cinema & Special Guests

 

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival, now in it’s 39th entry, is set to have eleven days of cinema and special guests. The festival runs February 7th to the 17th at the Arlington Theatre, the festival features a wide swath of films. 

The opening night film is Madu, directed by Matt Ogens and Joel ‘Kachi Benson. Madu is a documentary that goes from the streets of Lagos to stages in England, as twelve-year-old Anthony Madu leaves his home in Nigeria to study at one of the most prestigious ballet schools in the world. His journey is a story of extraordinary obstacles, courage, growth, and ultimately, his search for belonging. 76 Days is a uniquely immersive documentary, in which Steven Callahan gives a gripping first-hand account of his New York Times bestselling novel, Adrift: Seventy-six Days Lost at Sea. Forced into his emergency raft after colliding with a whale, Steven drifts across the entire Atlantic Ocean. The closing night film is Chosen Family, which is written, directed by, and starring Heather Graham. Yoga teacher Ann is trying to find inner peace, despite having a manic family, a miserable dating life, and an inability to say no that keeps her busy trying to fix everyone else’s problems.

Among its guests, the festival has announced  that cinema icon Robert Downey Jr. will receive the Maltin Modern Master Award, its highest accolade.  The ceremony will include an in-person conversation between Downey and legendary film historian and critic Leonard Maltin, for whom the award is named. Danielle Brooks, Colman Domingo, America Ferrera, and Andrew Scott will discuss their work and receive their awards in-person on Saturday, February 10. Other special guests include Jeffrey Wright, Mark Ruffalo, Annette Bening, and Paul Giamatti.

Also part of the fest is a selection of free filmmaker seminars. Topics include:

  • First-time Female Filmmakers 
  • The Long and Short of Short Filmmaking Monday
  • Fight the Power: Documentary Activism at Work
  • Independent Filmmaking
  • Global Lens: Conversations with International Filmmakers
  • My So Cal Life: California Filmmakers’ Roundtable 

To learn more, go to: https://sbiff.org/

39th Santa Barbara International Film Festival
February 7 – 17, 2024

The Arlington Theatre
1317 State St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101

 

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