May 29 – June 7, 2020
#1 Register on the website: Registering a free account with the festival is easy, but required. Go to REGISTER and follow instructions. Don’t forget to activate your email account.
#2 Login in at brooklynfilmfestival.org and click Go to THEATER LOBBY »
#3 On May 29, the programs will populate the THEATER LOBBY in 4 groups at different times from 6am to 6pm EST: The 1st group of programs will be available from 6am (EST) on. The 2nd group from 10am (EST). The 3rd group from 2pm (EST). The 4th group from 6pm (EST). After all the programs populate on BFF’s website, they will remain available until June 7.
FILMS | https://www.brooklynfilmfestival.org/theater-lobby
OPENING DAY OF BROOKLYN FILM FESTIVAL – MAY 29
The 23rd BFF is scheduled to run online from May 29 through June 7, around the clock. With this year’s edition, ‘Turning Point’, BFF plans to highlight the global profile of the 2020 lineup throughout the opening day of the festival as we slowly release 4 slates of programming, “Quadrants”, travelling counterclockwise from one corner of the globe to another.
‘Turning Point’ is about refreshing our own point of view. It’s about rethinking our old assumptions and learning from the people who share our screen whether they live on a different continent or across the street. ‘Turning Point’ is about reinventing our planet and our lives.
FRIDAY, MAY 29
OPENING DAY SCHEDULE
06:00 am EST | Quadrant #1 | film lineup
THE JOURNEY OF MURDER
Dir: Jun WANG, China, 105 min, 2019, Narrative Feature
Sha Tao is a village girl with mental disorders. She is married to gambler Ma Saike, who plans to take Sha Tao to a boss in Shanxi Province in exchange for … more »
KINGDOM OF ARCHERS
Dir: Robert Hixon, United States, Bhutan, 78 min, 2019, Documentary Feature
When the Kingdom of Bhutan joined the United Nations in 1971, archery was designated as its national sport. Indeed, archery in Bhutan is a rich part of the … more »
GROWING PAINS
Documentary Short Block #3
COMEDY & FANTASY
Animation Block #1
THE AWAKENING MOVEMENT
Experimental Block #1
SECRETS, SECRETS, SECRETS
Narrative Short – Block #4
CURRENT SEA
Dir: Christopher Smith, Malaysia, Cambodia, 91 min, 2020, Documentary Feature
A feature-length, environmental thriller that follows investigative journalist, Matt Blomberg, and ocean activist, Paul Ferber, in their dangerous efforts … more »
BEING YOURSELF VS. WHAT OTHERS WANT YOU TO BE
Narrative Short – Block #2
SNATCHERS
Dir: John Kingman, United States, 85 min, 2019, Narrative Feature
A rough-hewn Mennonite witnesses a meteor rip apart the skies on his farm, leaving behind a smoking crater filled with glowing corn husks. A lesbian couple … more »
SUFFOCATION
Dir: Kenya Márquez, Mexico, 88 min, 2018, Narrative Feature
After getting out of jail, where she learned to care for the sick, Alma, an albino woman, is determined to recover something much more important than her … more »
10:00 am EST | Quadrant #2 | film lineup
Kidsfilmfest: Program #1 (ages 3-7) & Program #2 (ages 8-15)
KFF aims to discover and promote children’s filmmakers as well as expose filmmakers of all ages who make films for younger crowds. All films are rated “G”. Both programs consist of several animated shorts, live-action films, and documentaries…
RIGHT NEAR THE BEACH
Dir: Gibrey Allen, United States, Jamaica, 80 min, 2019, Narrative Feature
When prominent Jamaican sprinter Jeffrey Jacobs is brutally murdered, rumors about the secret life he may have lived create public uproar, causing obstacles … more »
MACABRE
Dir: Marcos Prado, Brazil, 100 min, 2019, Narrative Feature
Macabre is a feature film based on the true story of the "Necrophil Brothers", two young brothers who were accused of brutal murders in the 90's, in Brazil … more »
UNCIVILIZED
Dir: Michael Lees, Dominica, 71 min, 2019, Documentary Feature
Disenchanted by the modern world, Michael Lees heads into the forest of Dominica with some basic survival gear, religious texts and a camera. "Why did man … more »
ENEMIES IN YOUR PATH
Narrative Short – Block #1
INTO THE STORM [EN LA TORMENTA]
Dir: Adam Brown, United Kingdom, Peru, 84 min, 2020, Documentary Feature
A troubled teenager from a crime-ridden barrio of Lima, Peru, struggles against the odds to realise his dream of becoming a professional surfer and lift hi … more »
TWINKLE DAMMIT!
Dir: Chuang Xu, United States, 70 min, 2020, Documentary Feature
In 1971, Margaret Leng Tan was the first woman to earn a Doctorate degree from the Juilliard School. Since then, her five-decade career has made the musici … more »
ZORO'S SOLO
Dir: Martin Busker, Germany, 90 min, 2019, Narrative Feature
A 13-year-old refugee from Afghanistan living in an emergency shelter in Germany joins a Christian boys' choir to save his father who was left stranded in … more »
2:00 pm EST | Quadrant #3 | film lineup
ROTTEN EARS
Dir: Piotr Dylewski, Poland, 61 min, 2019, Narrative Feature
ROTTEN EARS is a tale of a somewhat premature marital crisis caused by unfulfilled expectations and lack of communication. Yanek and Marzena will face their … more »
SNAELAND
Dir: Lise Raven, United States, Germany, Iceland, 75 min, 2019, Narrative Feature
Set in Iceland and Berlin, this slow burn neo-noir focuses on a disgraced journalist and a story that could revive his career: is the wife of a local really … more »
DOMINO EFFECT
Dir: Alessandro Rossetto, Italy, 107 min, 2019, Narrative Feature
By 2030, the fraction of the population aged 65 and over will exceed 30% in wealthy nations. In 2050, for the first time in human history, the elderly pop … more »
THE RIGHT GIRLS
Dir: Timothy Wolfer, United States, Mexico, 86 min, 2019, Documentary Feature
Three young transgender women from El Salvador and Honduras – Valentina, Johanna and Chantal – travel through Southern Mexico within the high-profile "Migr … more »
HIGHER LOVE
Dir: Hasan Oswald, United States, 80 min, 2019, Documentary Feature
~WINNER: SLAMDANCE GRAND JURY AWARD~Daryl Gant is a Camden native, father of eight, and printing press operator. He was raised by a singl … more »
CHARACTERS AT A CROSSROADS
Narrative Short – Block #3
MENTAL NOISE
Experimental Block #2
GROWING PAINS
Documentary Short Block #3
MIDNIGHT GENRE
Narrative Short – Block #6
6:00 pm EST | Quadrant #4 | film lineup
THE EROTIC FIRE OF UNATTAINABLE
Dir: Frank Vitale, United States, 80 min, 2019, Narrative Feature
Erotic Fire of the Unattainable is people carrying on at 60. Lovers trick each other, lie to each other, negotiate, have sex, break hearts, laugh, and come … more »
MILKWATER
Dir: Morgan Ingari, United States, 102 min, 2019, Narrative Feature
Seeking direction and purpose, Milo rashly decides to become a surrogate and egg donor for an older gay man she meets in a bar. However, as Milo becomes in … more »
SISTERS: DREAM & VARIATIONS
Dir: Catherine Legault, Canada, 85 min, 2019, Documentary Feature
Tyr and Jasa grew up in an artistic household where art was a way of life. Quirky and insightful sisters, Tyr is a musician and singer while Jasa is an in … more »
WIN LOSE OR DRAW STRAWS
Dir: Casey Phillips, United States, 80 min, 2019, Documentary Feature
Did you know the next President of the United States could be decided by drawing names from a hat? … more »
BEAT OF YOUR DRUM
Documentary Short Block #1
BLACK EMPEROR OF BROADWAY
Dir: Arthur Egeli, United States, 95 min, 2019, Narrative Feature
By the time Charles Gilpin encountered Eugene O'Neill, he'd had a twenty-year career in Black Theatre. Starting out in Minstrel Shows and as a Jubilee Sing … more »
CAVIAR
Dir: Joseph Mensch, United States, 90 min, 2019, Narrative Feature
A young stockbroker at a Mob-controlled Wall Street firm gets betrayed and sent to prison for six years. When he gets out, he seeks revenge. … more »
BEFORE OBLIVION
Dir: Iria Gómez Concheiro, Mexico, 103 min, 2019, Narrative Feature
Facing the threat of an eviction, the tenants of a vecindad (low-income tenement house) join in solidarity to come out of their self-absorption and fight f … more »
OUR OWN
Dir: Jeanne Leblanc, Canada, 103 min, 2019, Narrative Feature
When faced with life’s challenges, Ste-Adeline’s community has always stuck together. But this time, a scandal sends shockwaves through the quiet little to … more »
OPEKA
Dir: Cam Cowan, United States, Argentina, Madagascar, 89 min, 2019, Doc Feature
An iron-willed Argentine priest inspires hope for an entire nation by teaching people living in Madagascar's largest landfill to build a highly … more »
FINDING YOUR PLACE IN THE WORLD
Narrative Short – Block #5
DRAMA
Animation Block #2