On Tuesday November 13, the Big Apple Film Festival opened with a amazing party at the Smyth Tribeca Hotel. The party was a mixer for filmmakers to mingle and meet. It would be the start to a weekend full of 150+ films, receptions, parties and awards ceremonies. Today the film festival closes its door with its annual film awards. During the span of four days I was lucky in enough to check a couple of screenings out including our screening. Unfortunately though time did not allow me to check quite as many films as I would have liked to.
On opening Night I was unable to attend but on Thursday Night Messenger screened to to great enthusiasm. It was also incredible to see some friends and crew at the screening. On that same night I was able to attend two screening of which I saw some incredible shorts. Friday night I attended another screening at 8pm and saw another batch shorts and on Saturday I saw Morgan Spurlock's documentary followed by the closing night Party.
As always I have compiled a list of my favorite films I saw at the Festival. The list is in no particular order.
A Family Dinner-is a short film by Peter Davenport which tells the story of a family reuniting for dinner after a couple of years. The film is both comic, tragic and intense. Every time you think you know where the film is going, it surprises you with every plot twist. By the end of the film I was so satisfied but wanted to know where each character eventually ended. Luckily, Davenport stated in his Q&A that he plans on expanding the film into a feature.
Chicken- tells the story of two friends who go to vacationing to Puerto Rico to get away from their daily lives and forget their past relationships. The end result is a film filled with sexual tension and two very strong performances by its two leads.
Angela Wright-tells the story of a girl pressured to get an A on a math test. The result leads Angela to do whatever it takes to get that A. The film is beautifully shot, scripted and impeccably acted by its lead actress and writer Genevieve Farrell. Raw and very real, Angela Wright leaves a profound impact on the audience.
Comic Con Episode IV: A Fan's Boys Hope- Directed by Morgan Spurlock, Comic Con is a very entertaining and engaging account of Comic Con and seeing the back stage workings and the lives of everyday people going to the convention. The film tells the story's of different individuals arriving at the Con with different goals. Two men in search of working for the best Comic publishers, while another woman in search of winning the masquerade. There is also a bussiness man who needs to make money off his comic business in order to survive and a man who goes in search of a limited edition toy. There is even a man who goes to the Con to propose to his girlfriend. All these story while some of the people are not successful keep the film very real and incredibly amusing as we see the journey's these people take to obtain their goals. After the screening Morgan Spurlock who unfortunately was unable to attend received the Golden Apple Award. The award was given to him prior to the screening and was taped and shown to the audience.
Sam-is a harrowing tale of gender identity, and bullying. Visually astounding, the film tells the story of a girl who is trying to coup with her identity as she is bullied at school. It is a story that is universal and one that resonates even after one has left the theater.
Tonight is the award ceremony and I am looking forward to seeing whether any of these films win.
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