The Buffalo International Film Festival (BIFF) is an annual film festival held in Buffalo, New York. The festival takes place in October at multiple venues throughout the city of Buffalo. It is also known as the Buffalo Film Festival.
The weeklong festival screens over 200 films each year from more than 30 countries. The festival jury awards filmmakers in both international and domestic categories, with additional awards for films made in Western New York.
History The Buffalo International Film Festival was founded in 2006 by Edward Summer. It is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Early BIFF activities were focused on film history in the Western New York region. In 2007, Summer uncovered evidence of the 1896 opening of a Vitascope theater within Edisonia Hall in Buffalo's Ellicott Square Building. He proposed that this was the first purpose-built movie theater in the world.Press Release . October 16, 2007Sommer, Mark. "Another groundbreaker for Buffalo." Buffalo News, November 25, 2007 For several years following the discovery, BIFF hosted a birthday party on the anniversary of the theater's original opening.
In 2007, BIFF made Buffalo the first city in the world to declare UNESCO World Day for Audio-Visual Heritage.
Edward Summer also founded the Buffalo Film Society to support additional year-round programming. The festival and film society co-presented the 2008 Harold Lloyd Comedy Film Festival at the Riviera Theatre. The event featured performances by Robert Israel and Clark Wilson on the Mighty Wurlitzer theatre organ.
Following Summer’s death in 2014, Raymond Guarnieri became the new Executive Director. The 2015 festival brought about several changes including the introduction of a judging panel for awards. The programming focus in this era shifted to premiering new work rather than the classic films and retrospectives favored by Summer. Films premiered at Squeaky Wheel Buffalo Media Arts Center, The Screening Room, and the newly restored North Park Theatre. For BIFF’s 10th edition in 2016, the festival was held exclusively at venues within the city of Buffalo, including Hallwalls.
The 2020 festival shifted to a hybrid format due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Films and Q&As were screened virtually with select events taking place at the Dark Alley Drive-In, a pop-up outdoor cinema.
BIFF also features live music, performance, and new media installations through its BIFF Offscreen series. Offscreen has featured work by Barbara Hammer, Tony Conrad, The Yes Men, and Steina and Woody Vasulka.
Board Current board members include: Tammy McGovern (Chair), Paige Sarlin (Vice Chair), Keith Poplawski (Secretary), Meg Knowles (Treasurer), Michael Faust (Member), LeRoi Johnson (Member), Annette Daniels Taylor (Member), and Renee Russell (Emeritus), Renée M. Saracki (Emeritus).
Previous board advisors have included: Tom Fontana, Lauren Belfer, Lawrence Block, A.R. Gurney, Nancy Kress, Herbert Hauptman, Jim Steranko, Howard Bloom, Edward Summer, Lloyd Kaufman, David Shire, Mort Walker, Bill Prady and others.
Staff Staff members include: Anna Scime (Executive Director), John J. Fink (Artistic Director), Ana Grujić (Marketing + Outreach Coordinator), Myari Ware (Platform Strategist), Elizabeth Dunning (ASI Springboard Fellow).
Awards and screenings
Early Years The inaugural festival was June 13, 2007 and included "Student Films Across America."
In 2008, it screened more than 25 films including regional and national premieres. These screenings included a Harold Lloyd Film Retrospective (with personal appearance by Suzanne Lloyd) and "Hollywood 39" a retrospective of great Hollywood movies from 1939.
In 2009, BIFF held a Spring Gala and Fall Festival. The Spring Gala was a celebration of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse arranged through The Walt Disney Company. The festival that year ran from October 9–27, 2009 and included 18 films from all over the world and 16 guests who presented them including Abigail Disney, Rick Schmidlin, Charles Band, Dwayne Buckle, David Heeley, Ray Bradbury, J.B. Kaufman, Mary Pat Kelly "From Chaplin to B Movies". Buffalo News, November 12, 2009.2nd Week Coverage . Artvoice.
BIFF 2009 included the First Annual Al Boasberg Comedy Award given in honor of famed comedy writer Al Boasberg, who was born in Buffalo."Buffalo's Everett Greenbaum is one recipient of First Al Boasberg Comedy Award" . Artvoice.
Al Boasberg Comedy Award—Lifetime Achievement in Comedy Writing - Larry Gelbart Al Boasberg Comedy Award—Lifetime Achievement in Comedy Writing - Joseph Stein Al Boasberg Comedy Award—Lifetime Achievement in Comedy Writing - Everett Greenbaum Al Boasberg Comedy Award—Lifetime Achievement in Comedy Performance - Kathleen Howard Al Boasberg Comedy Award—Lifetime Achievement in Comedy Art and Writing - Harvey Kurtzman
Festival Awards The Buffalo International Film Festival began awarding films in 2011. These awards were all audience-voted until the introduction of juried award categories in 2015. The jury's top prize was originally called the Gold Bison, but this name was later retired. There is still a single Audience Award that is decided by festival attendees.
The festival staff selects additional special awards like the BIFF Boundary Breaker Award, issued to a groundbreaking work, and the BIFF Lifetime Achievement Award, which celebrates a person from Buffalo who has made significant contributions to the film industry. The Lifetime Achievement award is paired with a Legacy Gala screening during the festival.
BIFF Lifetime Achievement Award Year Recipient Legacy Gala Screening 2024 David L. Snyder Demolition Man 2025 Stephen McKinley Henderson Everyday People
Audience Awards 2011-2014 Year Category Rank Film or Recipient Director(s) 2011 Animation First Place Flatland Ladd Ehlinger Jr. Best of Festival First Place Cape No. 7 Wei Te-sheng The Whisperer in Darkness Sean Branney Honorable Mention Cultures of Resistance Iara Lee Comedy First Place Gallants Derek Kwok, Clement Cheng, and David M. Rosenthal Second Place Romantics Anonymous Jean-Pierre Améris Documentary Film First Place If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front Marshall Curry, David M. Rosenthal, and Jean-Pierre Améris Second Place Cultures of Resistance Iara Lee, David M. Rosenthal, and Jean-Pierre Améris Honorable Mention Kumpania Katina Dunn Drama First Place Shock Corridor Samuel Fuller and Jean-Pierre Améris Second Place Essential Killing Jerzy Skolimowski and Jean-Pierre Améris Third Place Janie Jones David M. Rosenthal Foreign Language Film First Place Cape No. 7 Wei Te-sheng Second Place Orz Boyz Yang Ya-che Honorable Mention Gallants Derek Kwok, Clement Cheng, and David M. Rosenthal Romantics, Anonymous Jean-Pierre Améris Horror/Science Fiction First Place The Whisperer in Darkness Sean Branney Second Place House on Haunted Hill William Castle Honorable Mention Black Eve Ryan M. Andrews Samuel Fuller Guerrilla Filmmaking Award First Place Atwill Charles Dennis Special Event First Place Meet the Pros: Filmmaking Workshop with David Heely and Joan Kramer 2012 Animation First Place My Neighbor Totoro Hayao Miyazaki Best of Buffalo - Feature Film First Place Zeus Jeremy Hurlburt Best of Buffalo - Short Film First Place Take it Off Anna Van Valin Second Place Viral Video Jenn Dlugos Honorable Mention Feeble Attraction Brandyn Betz Exit 7A William Peters Best of Festival First Place Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan Gilles Penso Starry, Starry Night Tom Lin Documentary First Place Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan Gilles Penso Second Place Somewhere Between Linda Goldstein Knowlton Third Place Alive Inside (work-in-progress) Michael Rossato-Bennett Drama First Place Starry, Starry Night Tom Lin Second Place Extraterrestrial Nacho Vigalondo Third Place A Case of Deceit Foreign Language Film First Place Starry, Starry Night Tom Lin Second Place Extraterrestrial Nacho Vigalondo Science Fiction First Place Extraterrestrial Nacho Vigalondo Short Film - International First Place Behind the Concrete Simon Stunt 2013 Best Documentary First Place Persistence of Vision Kevin Schreck Second Place Magic Camp Judd Ehrlich Third Place Dear Mr. Watterson Joel Allen Schroeder Best Feature Film First Place Les aventures extraordinaires d’Adèle Blanc-Sec Luc Besson Second Place The Thief and the Cobbler – Recobbled Cut Garrett Gilchrist Third Place Red Light Revolution Sam Voutas Best Made in Buffalo Documentaries First Place Long Live TOY Austin McLoughlin and Mary Elizabeth Murray Second Place The Long Bike Back Julia Wrona Third Place Ming Day and Night Diedie Weng East Side: A Community of Hope Erik Taheri and Rich Lunghino Where the Crow Will be Forever Ashley Fike and Lauren Mosier Best Made in Buffalo Features First Place Buffalo Boys Ray Guarnieri Second Place Brandonwood John Fink Best of Festival First Place Persistence of Vision Kevin Schreck Second Place Les aventures extraordinaires d’Adèle Blanc-Sec Luc Besson Third Place Company Best of Made in Buffalo First Place Long Live TOY Austin McLoughlin and Mary Elizabeth Murray Special Award First Place She Charlene Amoia 2014 There were no awards in 2014 due to the death of founder Edward Summer.