__Freeland__

Kate McLean & Mario Furloni (Dir), 80 minutes, NY Premiere, USA

An aging pot farmer (Krisha Fairchild) suddenly finds her world shattered as she races to bring in what could be her final harvest. Fighting against the threat of eviction, the legalization of the cannabis industry has rapidly destroyed her idyllic way of life.

Festivals: SXSW, Oxford Film Festival, Sidewalk Film Festival

[Watch a Clip](https://vimeo.com/450159834 "Watch a Clip from Freeland")

_____________

Screening with:

__Hung Up__

Damon O’Steen (Dir), 13 minutes, NY Premiere, USA

Following a debilitating injury, a modern-day cowgirl (Melissa Jackson) risks paralysis to reclaim her former glory in this thrilling Texan drama.

[Watch the Virtual Red Carpet for *Freeland* here!](https://vimeo.com/468022003)


Freeland w/ Hung Up

An aging pot farmer suddenly finds her world shattered as she races to bring in what could be her final harvest.

Screening w/ Filmmaker Q&A

__BIFF Shorts: Global Documentary__

Nonfiction dispatches from Poland, France, Greenland and Spain.

_______

__A Greenlander__

Nicholas Jones (Dir), 37 minutes, WNY Premiere, France/Greenland

English and French with English subtitles 

After his partner of 14 years returns to France, painter Pierre Auzias waits in limbo for the Danish government to grant him permission to stay in Nicholas Jones’ poetic documentary about longing, place, migration and identity.
_______

__Personaje Personaje__

Renata Rezende + María Begoña Izquierdo (Dir), 35 minutes, NY Premiere, Spain

Spanish with English Subtitles

A collaged portrait of Personaje Personaje, a young queer artist who deals with the intimate problems of maturing, while lending his body to other entities during his performances.
_______

__Glass Negatives__

Jan Borowiec (Dir), 40 minutes, NY Premiere, Poland

English and Polish with English subtitles

Jan Borowiec’s moving documentary explores the stories behind a large collection of recently discovered glass plates created between 1914 - 1939. In addition to fascinating stories of the individual, the director gives new life to these archives and tells the collective story of Lublin prior to World War II.

_______

[Watch the Virtual Red Carpet Interview for *Glass Negatives* here!](https://vimeo.com/468077505)


BIFF Shorts: Global Docs

Nonfiction dispatches from Poland, France, Greenland and Spain.

__The Songpoet__

Paul Lamont (Dir), 113 minutes, NY Premiere, USA

Diving deep into conflicts of career, ego, relationships and the unrelenting pursuit of one’s purpose this film explores what it takes to keep moving forward, as it traces the journey of folk musician Eric Andersen. 

[Watch the filmmaker Q+A here!](https://vimeo.com/466384529)

[And read an interview about *The Songpoet* here!](https://medium.com/buffalo-international-film-festival/the-songpoet-fb583215826e)


The Songpoet

Folk musician Eric Andersen dives deep into conflicts of career, ego, relationships and the unrelenting pursuit of one’s purpose.

__Landfall__

Cecilia Aldarondo, (Dir), 91 minutes, WNY Premiere, USA

Spanish with English subtitles

A kaleidoscopic portrait of Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria that criss-crosses the island to document the resilience of a community abandoned by the mainland and banded together to rebuild. This visually arresting cinematic essay examines the ecological and economic crises of American colonialism through the lense of a devastating natural disaster.

Festivals: Tribeca, Hot Docs

[Watch this Clip](https://vimeo.com/451339147 "Clip from Landfall")

Landfall

Kaleidoscopic portrait of Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.

__BIFF Shorts: International Narratives__

Stories from across the globe and into your home. 
__________

__Wednesday__

Lisa Delhom & Jeremy Paquet (Dir), 10 minutes, WNY Premiere, Canada 

French with English subtitles

When their bus doesn’t arrive, 8-year olds Iris and Leo set out on an unforgettable urban adventure in this charming fantasy.
__________

__Since Ambreen__

Alexandre Ayoub (Dir), 13 minutes, WNY Premiere, France

French with English subtitles

Shortly after the death of his wife Ambreen, Zeeshan (Milou Berra), the owner of a minimarket in the suburbs of Paris, has to face the consequences of the sudden disappearance of his 9-year-old daughter Jawna.
__________

__Il Vestito (The Suit)__

Maurizio Ravallese (Dir), 15 minutes, NY Premiere, USA

Italian with English subtitles

Syrian immigrant Amed (Danilo Arena) is caught stealing a suit from a sick groom who has just been left at the altar and is sent on a mission to atone for his sin. 
__________

__Anna__

Dekel Berenson (Dir), 15 minutes, WNY Premiere, UK/Ukraine

Ukrainian and English with English subtitles

Living in war-torn Eastern Ukraine, Anna (Svetlana Barandich) is an aging single mother who is desperate for a change. Lured by a radio advertisement, she goes to party with a group of American men who are touring the country and searching for love.
__________

__Kaddish__

Razid Season (Dir), 15 minutes, NY Premiere, USA

German, Polish and Yiddish with English subtitles 

A young Ashkenazim man and a Rabi risk everything to honor their deceased families in Nazi occupied Poland in this captivating 1943-set drama.
__________

__About Colonia__

Eduardo Shlomo Velazquez (Dir), 30 minutes, WNY Premiere, USA/Dominican Republic

English and Spanish with English subtitles

Colonia is a nineteen-year-old Dominican-American nursing student who lives in a tiny apartment in Brooklyn with her eccentric and religiously conservative mother.
__________

__The News__

Lorin Terezi (Dir), 20 minutes, WNY Premiere, Albania

Albanian with English subtitles

After a shocking discovery from afar, a small Albanian village finds itself in the national spotlight in this subtle satire.

__________

[Watch the Virtual Red Carpet Interview for *Anna* here!](https://vimeo.com/468052124)

[Watch the Virtual Red Carpet Interview for *Wednesday* here!](https://vimeo.com/469261993)


BIFF Shorts: International Narratives

Stories from across the globe and into your home. 

__Work__

Mani Mehrvarz (Dir), 58 minutes, World Premiere, USA

Grappling with issues of labor, environmental justice, and workplace democracy, Buffalo-based experimental music ensemble Wooden Cities sets about to create their new album Work in Mani Mehrvarz’s meditative exploration of the process of making Work. 

Work

Buffalo-based experimental music ensemble Wooden Cities sets about to create their new album.

The next generation of storytellers – exciting new voices and work by filmmakers under 18. Co-presented with Squeaky Wheel Film and Media Art Center, and curated by youth education and work pipeline Saturday Cafe students Jolie Criscione and Fiona Rigney.

__So Long__, Bryan Uvaldo (Dir), WNY Premiere, USA 
_________________________________________________________________________

__From The Out Here__, BYMI Class (Dir), WNY Premiere, USA
_________________________________________________________________________

__First Vote__, Nathanem Dagnachew (Dir), WNY Premiere, USA 
_________________________________________________________________________

__Athens Democracy Forum__, Aryan Ashory (Dir), WNY Premiere, USA 
_________________________________________________________________________

__Poison Petals__, Laura Grantz (Dir), WNY Premiere, USA 
_________________________________________________________________________

__Untitled__, Gyasi Mitchell (Dir), WNY Premiere, USA
_________________________________________________________________________

__IIntezaar...waiting for normalcy__, Nandini Hazra (Dir), WNY Premiere, USA
_________________________________________________________________________

__Masked__, Felix Kiene (Dir), WNY Premiere, USA
_________________________________________________________________________

__Cage__, Bishakha Mondal( Dir), WNY Premiere, USA 
_________________________________________________________________________

__Cravings__, Maryanna Tollemache (Dir), WNY Premiere, USA
_________________________________________________________________________

__My Poster Film__, Bryan Uvaldo (Dir), WNY Premiere, USA
_________________________________________________________________________

__Identity Pie__, Ayanna White (Dir), WNY Premiere, USA
_________________________________________________________________________

__Projection of Me__, Jannah Muhammad (Dir), WNY Premiere, USA 
_________________________________________________________________________

__CORONA #IRL__,  Aryan Ashory (Dir), WNY Premiere, USA 

Youth Shorts Block

The next generation of storytellers – exciting new voices and work by filmmakers under 18.

Screening

__Icarus: The Legend of Mietk Kosz__, Maciej Pieprzyca (Dir), 122 minutes, WNY Premiere, Poland

The true story of Mieczyslaw “Mietek" Kosz, a Polish jazz pianist who died in tragic circumstances, and whose life we see through select episodes depicting the most influential moments in his life and career: his childhood on a poor farm in the farmlands of Poland, the loss of his eyesight at a young age, great successes in his musical career accompanied by his loneliness and desperate need for acceptance.

Icarus: The Legend of Mietk Kosz

The true story of Mieczyslaw “Mietek" Kosz, a Polish jazz pianist who died in tragic circumstances.

__I Never Cry__, Piotr Doalewski (Dir), 95 minutes, US Premiere, Poland/Ireland

In Polish with English subtitles

When Ola’s father dies on a building site in Ireland, she must travel there to bring his remains back to Poland. Dealing with foreign bureaucracy and her father’s acquaintances in her own street-smart way, Ola (Zofia Stafiej)  learns her biggest dream wasn’t a car, but getting to know who her father really was.

Festivals: San Sabastain

I Never Cry

When Ola’s father dies on a building site in Ireland, she must travel there to bring his remains back to Poland.

BIFF

Submissions

Archive

Oct 8-12 2020

Page 5 of 5

Freeland w/ Hung Up

Screening w/ Filmmaker Q&A

BIFF Shorts: Global Docs

Screening w/ Filmmaker Q&A

The Songpoet

Screening w/ Filmmaker Q&A

Landfall

Screening w/ Filmmaker Q&A

BIFF Shorts: International Narratives

Screening w/ Filmmaker Q&A

Work

Screening w/ Filmmaker Q&A

Youth Shorts Block

Screening

Icarus: The Legend of Mietk Kosz

Screening

I Never Cry

Screening

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