__The Sun Rises in the East__

Tayo Giwa (Dir), 58 minutes, USA, Western New York Premiere

The birth, rise and legacy of The East, a pan-African cultural organization founded in 1969 by teens and young adults in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.

Led by educator and activist Jitu Weusi, The East embodied Black self-determination, building more than a dozen institutions, including its own African-centered school, food co-op, newsmagazine, publisher, record label, restaurant, clothing shop and bookstore. The organization hosted world-famous jazz musicians and poets at its highly sought-after performance venue, and it served as an epicenter for political contemporaries such as the Black Panther Party, the Young Lords and the Congress of Afrikan People, as well as comrades across Africa and the Caribbean.

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[Watch the Virtual Q+A with Director/Producer/Screenwriter Tayo Giwa + Screenwriter/Producer Cynthia Giwa here!](https://vimeo.com/756127903)

Virtual Screening

The Sun Rises in the East

The birth, rise, and legacy of The East, a pan-African cultural organization (est. 1969) in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn by the community.

Eventive

__Musher__

Anuradha Rana + Laurie Little (Dir), 75 minutes, USA, New York State Premiere

An intimate look at the bond between four women and their dogs, and the world of sled-dog racing. As each woman prepares for the Copperdog annual race, we reveal the intimate insight into the mushing community, devotion to that lifestyle, and how women influence the sport.

Musher

An intimate look at the bond between four women and their dogs, and the world of sled-dog racing.

Stories from around the region, and around the block. 90 minutes.

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__Roll It__

Nate Chateaux (Dir), 5 minutes, USA, Buffalo Premiere

Director Nate Chateaux in attendance. 

A music video for the song "Roll It" by Handsome Jack where the band's touring van has broken down and they decide to give it one more ride, as they "roll it" to the junkyard.

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__The Halloween Visitor__

DonnaMarie Vaughan (Dir), 5 minutes, USA, Buffalo Premiere

Director DonnaMarie Vaughan in attendance. 

Grieving the loss of her beloved husband, a widow discovers an unexpected friendship that helps her cope.

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__Lock the Gate__

Sarah Lynn Galasso (Dir), 7 minutes, USA, Buffalo Premiere

Director Sarah Lynn Galasso in attendance. 

A personal recollection of the birth of animator Sarah Lynn Galasso’s first child. Arriving seven weeks prematurely at a weight of only 2lbs, the baby survives and lives for 11 weeks in neonatal care, only to be released in the middle of Buffalo’s infamous “Surprise” Storm in October of 2006. Galasso’s film beautifully captures the anxiety and mixed emotions of this challenging moment amidst the backdrop of the city’s earliest occurring blizzard on record.

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__Goldenrod__

Marjorie DeHay (Dir), 19 minutes, USA, World Premiere

Director Marjorie DeHay in attendance. 

An inquisitive young girl, Clara (Harper Holmes) comes face to face with the realities of the American Civil War when her father Judson (Weston Young) leaves to join the Union army. Unbeknownst to his family, Judson has been helping freedom-seekers passing through Cattaraugus, NY along the Underground Railroad.

__Here & There__

Krista Amigone (Dir), 10 minutes, USA, World Premiere

Siblings (screenwriter Bill Ferris + Jennie Fahn) cope with parental death, family responsibilities, and the repercussions of pursuing dreams in a new drama from director Krista Amigone.

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__Numb__

Daeil Kim (Dir), 11 minutes, USA, World Premiere

Director Daeil Kim in attendance.

When a dancer’s (Ashley Szczerbacki) legs go paralyzed, her obsessive mother (Sarah Roat Waechter) introduces an extreme remedy with twisted consequences in Daeil Kim’s dark drama.

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__I'll Find a Way or Make One - A Rosie Story__

Rebecca Fasanello + Teresa Castillo (Dir), 19 minutes, USA, World Premiere

Co-Directors Rebecca Fasanello + Teresa Castillo in attendance.

Lackawanna native Viola Hippert, once the Bell Aircraft Corporation’s own answer to Rosie the Riveter and an icon of the Rust Belt’s working class, is now in her late 90s but has no intention of slowing down. In Rebecca Fasanello and Teresa Castillo’s documentary portrait, Hippert reflects on her long life. 

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__Wasted Talent__

Derrick Benton (Dir), 14 minutes, USA, Western New York Premiere

Director Derrick Benton in attendance.

Four high school teens are thrown into detention after a fight come together of their love for music and songwriting. However, their newfound bond is brought to a halt by the harsh reality of the world they come from.

20

23

October 5-9

Buffalo, NY

Submissions

Oct 6-10 2022

Archive

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The Sun Rises in the East

Virtual Screening

Musher

Virtual Screening

BIFF Shorts: WNY Stories (Virtual)

Virtual Screening

Page 7 of 7

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