16th NYC Independent Film Festival Announces Official Selection for the 2024 Festival. June 5 to 8, 2024

The 16th annual edition from June 5 to 8

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES, April 28, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ — The 14th annual edition of the NYC Independent Film Festival in New York will take place from June 12 to 19 at the Producer’s Club on West 44th St in Manhattan. More than 180 films, including documentaries, feature films, shorts and animations, will be shown during this week, in the presence of the filmmakers. After the screening, visitors can talk directly with the makers about their film.

COVID-19 brought the film industry almost to a standstill. Film attendance in cinemas stopped completely for almost two years. And along with the shrinking screening window production and distribution of new films were disrupted. The NYC Independent Film Festival held a digital edition in 2020 and a smaller live version in 2021, but is completely back now in 2022, with a full blown live edition at the Producer’s Club from June 12 to 19, and the award show on June 19th at the Theater Center on 50 St and Broadway.

With the covid pandemic almost over, it’s time for a real festival again, where film lovers and filmmakers from all over the world can meet and enjoy brand new films. The NYC Independent Film Festival is especially for the independent filmmakers who don’t have the backing of major production companies or international distribution companies. Filmmakers selected for the NYC Independent Film Festival are often the film creator, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and director, all in one. For them, the festival is the ideal platform to launch their new film and to reach a wide audience in New York. And to make important contacts in the film world.

For 14 years in a row, festival director Dennis Cieri, a documentary filmmaker himself, has been committed to independent filmmaking and the promotion of it. ‘So much of todays entertainment is idol based, where the person is known for being famous and also no other excellence has been lost,’ he says. ‘While the indie filmmakers have a place in bringing back idea and passion based films.’ That is why, according to Cieri, they are so important and necessary.

To attend the NYC Independent Film Festival you can buy tickets here. For Press: Email us at info@nycindieff.com. Dennis Cieri is Executive Director and Co-Founder.

Timothy Busfield for “GUEST ARTIST”

https://www.nycindieff.com/film/guest-artist

The story of a young man coming face to face with his hero (Jeff Daniels) and exploring the tangled relationship between the dreams of youth and the wisdom of age. Joseph Harris (Jeff Daniels), a legendary but troubled playwright arrives at a small Michigan town at Christmastime to mount his latest play. Greeting the cynical New Yorker is a young aspiring writer who challenges his literary hero to be the icon he’d hoped for. Harris wants no part of Michigan, being the young man’s hero, or the theatre he’s come to work with. No sooner than he arrives Harris makes plans to return to NY on the next train out. Desperate and scrambling to keep him in town, the young man must face his hero and explore the tangled relationship between the dreams of youth and the wisdom of age.

Alejandro Cantú for “Nadie Sabrá Nunca” (NOW SCREENING ON NETFLIX)

Trapped in a rural Mexico of the 1970’s, Lucia and her eight year old son, Braulio, find solace listening to radio plays and watching movies. She dreams of a better life in the capital, something which her husband, Rigoberto is staunchly opposed to. One night, when the father is away, mother and son allow a stranger into their home. This man, who resembles the heroes in their beloved stories, manages to transform their constrained world into a magical one, as the line between reality and fantasy becomes blurred. But when the stranger leaves and Rigoberto returns, their mundane life continue as before. Yet, Lucia is no longer willing to hold off on her dream to take her family away from this little town.

Sol de Carvalho for “Mabata Bata”

https://www.nycindieff.com/film/mabata-bata  

Azarias is a young orphan shepherd, keeper of a herd of oxen, where the ox Mabata Bata stands out. The oxen will be the basis of the “lobolo” payment, a traditional dowry that his uncle Raul must pay for his own marriage. Azarias’ dream is to be a normal child, to go to school, gold that is supported by his grandmother. One day, when Azariah is in the pasture, Mabata Bata steps into a mine – the result of the civil war in the country – and explodes. The young man fears his uncle’s reprisals and flees to the forest, taking with him the remaining oxen. The grandmother and uncle leave in their quest to rescue him and persuade him to return.

Paul Higbie and Seth Pompi for “Hysterical”

https://www.nycindieff.com/film/hysterical

On the fringe of the New York stand-up scene, there are characters no comedian could make up. At open mics, they do effortlessly fascinating comedy which sometimes only makes sense to them. Two outsider comedians (Gary Marinoff and Alan Shain) let us deep into their lives, which are even more surprising and peculiar than their acts.

Damian Kudelka for “By Any Means Necessary”

https://www.nycindieff.com/film/by-any-means-necessary

A social justice documentary exploring why the NYPD, and US police departments more broadly, routinely use deadly force against non-violent minor offenders without receiving any punishment beyond losing vacation days. The film examines police practices primarily through the lens of the NYPD Eric Garner incident although other US police departments are covered. NYPD officers used a policy prohibited chokehold on Mr. Garner because he was selling 50 cent cigarettes on the street and wound up choking him to death. The film discovers how the management of police departments create a climate where officers routinely use excessive force against minor offenses. Additionally, we observe NYC government’s failed responses to prevent future officer chokeholds and present actionable solutions for reforming the NYPD and US police departments.

Gabe Dinsmoor for “SAGE”

https://www.nycindieff.com/film/sage

Erricka Bridgeford’s work to organize city-wide ceasefires is changing the way residents think about violence in their communities. After learning from her son that Baltimore had it’s most violent year on record she and a small group of organizers decided to take matters into their own hands.

Susan McCormick for “Thin Walls”

https://www.nycindieff.com/film/thin-walls

A girl attempts to commit suicide in a bathroom stall. A suicide attempt is interrupted.

Maryam Mohajer for “Red Dress. No Straps”

https://www.nycindieff.com/film/red-dress-no-straps

1985. Tehran. Iran-Iraq war. For ‘Marmar’ it is another ordinary afternoon at the grandparents’. The echo of ‘Death to America’ chants from school mixes with grandad’s favourite ‘The voice of America’ on the radio whilst waiting for granny to make Marmar a dress exactly the same as the American Popstar. Bright red. No straps.

Benjamin Roberds for “Don Broco – Come out to LA”

https://www.nycindieff.com/film/don-broco-come-out-to-la

The music video for the track Come Out To LA by Don Broco features death, dancing, robots, inter-band rivalries, mad scientists, insane TV performances and much more.

Julian Olariu for “Above the Angel”

https://www.nycindieff.com/film/above-the-angel

The chronicle of a communist afternoon.

Jason Ortiz for “Vincent Van Gogh Fuck Yourself Todd”

https://www.nycindieff.com/film/vincent-van-gogh-f-k-yourself-todd

Vincent van Gogh invites his closest friends to an exclusive showing of his latest paintings, a series entitled ‘My Friends, My Truth’.

Quentin Fabiani for “Vieux Jeu”

https://www.nycindieff.com/film/vieux-jeu-ep-01-old-game-ep-01

It’s the story of Adrian, an old bowling alley owner who wishes to retire and sell his business after 50 years. Each and every night, at the end of business hours, Adrian stays alone and plays solitary games in order to achieve his ultimate dream, a perfect game! But one night, Bernard, a ghost from his past, visits Adrian and warns the old man that he will die at the end of the week. Adria as less than a week to sell his business, make order in his life and try to play the perfect game.

Rainbow Ruthie – Directed by: Ruth Marantz

https://www.nycindieff.com/film/rainbow-ruthie

An ex teen star from Manhattan Public Access TV in the nineties decides to relive her glory days.

Jeff Daniels for “GUEST ARTIST”

https://www.nycindieff.com/film/guest-artist

The story of a young man coming face to face with his hero (Jeff Daniels) and exploring the tangled relationship between the dreams of youth and the wisdom of age. Joseph Harris (Jeff Daniels), a legendary but troubled playwright arrives at a small Michigan town at Christmastime to mount his latest play. Greeting the cynical New Yorker is a young aspiring writer who challenges his literary hero to be the icon he’d hoped for. Harris wants no part of Michigan, being the young man’s hero, or the theatre he’s come to work with. No sooner than he arrives Harris makes plans to return to NY on the next train out. Desperate and scrambling to keep him in town, the young man must face his hero and explore the tangled relationship between the dreams of youth and the wisdom of age.

Clare Durant for “ANIMAS”

https://www.nycindieff.com/film/animas

Alex is a girl with a strong personality. She’s very close to her best friend Abraham, a shy, insecure boy as a consequence of his complex relationship with his parents. Everything changes when Abraham’s father dies in a bizarre accident. From this moment on, Alex will be thrust into a

mind-bending trip where the line between reality and nightmares will start to start to blur.

Gayatri Parameswaran for “Home After War”

https://www.nycindieff.com/film/home-after-war

As you follow his story, the narrative takes a shocking turn. An unfortunate truth looms in the space – the death of Ahmaied’s sons by a booby trap. Ironically, while he was concerned about his home being safe, Ahmaied’s sons died in an incident in another home just around the corner. You experience this explosion in first person. As you wind down from this climax, you hear Ahmaied speak of his loss and his hopes for his family, country and the world.This project was part of the Oculus VR for Good Creators Lab 2017 and was produced in collaboration with the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD).