BIFF X0: KINGDOM ANIMALIA

Lobsters', bears', lions', dogs', ducks', goats', humans', caribous', and ants'-eye-views from the avant-garde! Total runtime is 96 minutes.

The BIFF X0 series focuses on cinematic poetry in pixels and on celluloid; and works that experiment with the form, function and structure of film, analog media, digital video, and film and media ecosystems.

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LOBSTEROPOLIS

James DeLisio (Dir), 20 minutes, USA, New York State Premiere

An examination of the California Spiny Lobster through a series of disparate environments.

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SEMILLA ESTELAR / INTERSTELLAR SEED

Artemis (Dir), 12 minutes, Mexico, US Premiere

Director Artemis in attendance.

In Spanish w/ English subtitles.

Did you know ants' eyes perceive polarized patterns of light, helping them navigate and orient themselves, even at night among dense vegetation? They cut and harvest leaves, flowers, and other plant parts to take underground, dispersing their seeds. The seeds explore the different possibilities of the forest floor and the anthill. The mission of each seed is simple: to grow by guiding itself toward the light.

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ONE DUCK DOWN

Lindsay Aksarniq McIntyre, (Dir), 12 minutes, Nunavut / Canada, Western New York Premiere

A poetic exploration of the close and enduring connections between Inuit, caribou, lichens and land use. Filmed on the tundra in the Canadian Arctic, this experimental film is a meditation on place and personal histories through memories embedded in the land.

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GUARDIANS OF ANATOLIA

Elif Koyutürk Hazen (Dir), 20 minutes, Türkiye, New York State Premiere

In Turkish w/ English subtitles.

GUARDIANS OF ANATOLIA follows a Sarıkeçili Yörük family, among the last female-led nomadic communities of Anatolia, Türkiye. As they migrate across ancestral lands with their animals, the film reveals an intimate world shaped by women, land, and memory—capturing a living culture at the moment it risks becoming invisible.

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LEO SACER

Emilie Upczak + Eric Coombs Esmail (Dir), 20 minutes, USA, New York State Premiere

Co-Director Eric Coombs Esmail and Editor Sarah Biagini in attendance.

LEO SACER tells the story of a mountain lion suspected of killing at least 15 pet dogs in 30 days around Nederland, Colorado. Fearful, angry, and grief-stricken residents recount their encounters with the animal, creating a social environment that leads to dramatic and devastating results. As the story unfolds, questions arise about the nature of pet ownership, human complicity, and how we react to dangerous encounters at the edge of civilization, raising the question: why do the wilderness aesthetics so often celebrated by mountain residents become grounds for justifying ecological violence?

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BEARS IN HOT TUBS

Claire Musser + Maddie Bear (Dir), 20 minutes, USA, Western New York Premiere

Director of Photography Johanna Turner in attendance.

Through poetic imagery and observational storytelling, BEARS IN HOT TUBS challenges us to rethink coexistence, not as a burden, but as a shared opportunity. This is a story about boundaries: who draws them, who crosses them, and what it means to co-thrive across species lines.