BIFF Shorts: Local Portraits

Intimate portraits of Western New Yorkers who have left a lasting impact on our region. 95 minutes.

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“BUFFALO: City of Refuge”

Olga Joanna Mazurkiewicz (Dir), 22 minutes, USA, US Premiere

Director Olga Joanna Mazurkiewicz in attendance.

With Buffalo as a major destination for refugees for over 100 years, the city continues to benefit from the talents and hard work of those who have made it their home. Featuring Bogdan Kotnis, Miroslawa Szramel, Theresa Zboinski Rivard, and Annette Kerl; this intimate documentary explores the struggles and victories of Polish immigrants in the City of Good Neighbors.

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“I Am Here You Are Not I Love You”

Aidan Matthew Ryan (Dir), 30 minutes, USA, World Premiere

Filmmakers Aidan Ryan and Mark Anthony Dellas will be in attendance.

In this personal, self-reflexive short, Ryan attempts to make sense of the work and clues left behind by the late Buffalo-based visual artists Andrew Topolski and Cindy Suffoletto, his aunt and uncle, who passed away when he was a teenager. Examining their legacy, the film makes compelling findings about the critical role of timing, networking, and institutional as well as interpersonal support in the making and breaking of artistic careers.

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“Pottery Pete: Revitalizing Hodinöhšo:ni:h Pottery”

Jocelyn J. Jones (Dir), 9 minutes, USA, Buffalo Premiere

Director Jocelyn J. Jones, Star/Documentary Participant Peter Jones, and Producer T.C. Owens in attendance.

A documentary portrait of Peter B. Jones of the Cattaraugus Territory of the Seneca Nation of Indians who has played a pivotal role in the revitalization of Hodinöhšo:ni:h pottery since the 1970s.

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“Connie - the powers and possibilities of community engagement”

Dorothea Braemer (Dir), 28 minutes, USA, World Premiere

Director Dorothea Braemer in attendance.

A portrait of the late Constance Boyles Eve – an activist, leader and creator of Women for Human Rights and Dignity, Inc. (WHRD) – an initiative that helped incarcerated women by offering alternatives to incarceration, mentoring, job training, housing, and more.

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“Honoring Sacrifice: The Story of Roy Aldridge”

Sierra Annunziata (Dir), 6 minutes, USA, World Premiere

Director Sierra Annunziata and Producer Jeffrey Werner in attendance.

An animated documentary exploring the key moments in Master Sergeant Roy Aldridge’s life during the Korean War.