• By Mabel Pais

Featuring

Co-Director A. PATTANASHETTY’s Narrative Short: ‘SKIN TO SKIN’ – US Premiere

Director ANDREW NADKARNI’s Documentary Short: ‘BETWEEN EARTH & SKY’

And Many More

Brooklyn’s Greenpoint Film Festival (GFF) annual 13th edition takes place August 7-11. The film festival has more than doubled the number of films screened from last year, now totaling 118 films (20 feature-length, 95 shorts, and 3 XR exhibits). GFF’s footprint has also become larger with additional screens added to The Boiler / ELM Foundation location (191 N. 14th Street), and Film Noir (122 Meserole Avenue) also added to the mix.

The screenings at Film Noir will be a special Polish Cinema Heritage Program offered free-to-the-public. Once again, the Greenpoint Film Festival will be dedicated to its mission to create a platform for local filmmakers to showcase films that carry riveting and thought-provoking stories, which strive to help others find meaning for a more insightful journey in their lives. GFF will also offer additional panels, workshops, and events focused on expanding the local film network in North Brooklyn with the goal of helping local filmmakers make connections and gain support for their projects. That will include GFF’s signature Green Carpet, and the Filmmaker Awards including the presentation of their special festival awards dedicated to films that champion environmental and social justice.

Greenpoint Film Festival Creative Director Ricardo Vilar, said, “Our film festival has grown with leaps and bounds both with the number of films offered and the expansion of our footprint here in Brooklyn. But it all still starts with our mission on behalf of the filmmakers and giving them a platform to tell their stories and connect with audiences and each other. As we continue to build our reputation as a place and event to celebrate cinema here in North Brooklyn, we are thrilled with each step we take to bring recognition to their work and talent.” 

TICKETS

To purchase passes and tickets and to find more information on the Greenpoint Film Festival, visit greenpointfilmfestival.org.

2024 Greenpoint Film Festival Lineup

 OPENING NIGHT SELECTION

Lucha: A Wrestling Tale

Director: Marco Ricci; USA; 96m

‘Lucha’ tells the story of the Taft High School Women’s wrestling team, one of the first girls wrestling programs in NYC. In particular, it tells the story of four young women who view wrestling as their ticket to acceptance and progress. Shirley wants a college scholarship, Nyasia wants to get in shape, Mariam is juggling studies and sports, and Alba is a recent immigrant looking for a home.

CENTERPIECE SELECTION

Unicorns

Director: Alex Lora; Spain; 94m

Isa is a Feminist and polyamorous posh girl; she passionately defends her life. When Guillem proposes to be a monogamous couple, Isa is not sure if he wants to change her life and, given her lack of decision, Guillem decides to break the relationship. Living in a world of appearances and comforts, her contradictions come to light and her universe is crumbling at the blow of likes and moral judgments in this web that social networks have become.

Preceded by

The Masterpiece

Director: Alex Lora; Spain; 20m

Leo and Diana, a rich couple, bring a broken TV to a recycle point. They meet Salif and his son, two scrap dealers. Diana asks them to come to their house to get more objects. Once there, Leo looks at them collecting objects with mistrust, until they see the scrap dealers have an expensive painting. 

CLOSING NIGHT SELECTIONS

Drum Song: The Rhythm of Life – US Premiere

Director: Kelly Moneymaker; USA; 49m

‘Drum Song: The Rhythm of Life’ explores the climate crisis through the eyes of Alaska’s Indigenous peoples as they utilize their ancestral knowledge and modern science to adapt to the changing rhythms of seasons, cycles, and movements across eroding lands and melting Arctic ice. The global impact of the story feeds into the current and worldwide surge of politically conscious indigenous peoples demanding human rights, food sovereignty, and self-governance.

Miwene

Directors: Keith Heyward, Jennifer Berglund, Gange Anita Yeti Enomenga, Obe Beatriz Nenquimo Nihua; Ecuador; 105m

Steeped in the long oral tradition of Waorani storytelling, Gange Yeti shares her own coming-of-age story as a young Waorani woman living deep within the Amazon rainforest. Following Gange and her community for over 11 years, the film captures her transition from a quiet teenager into a confident young mother at a critical turning point for her culture and rainforest.

NARRATIVE FEATURES

In addition, there are 12 narrative features.

DOCUMENTARY FEATURES

There are 4 documentary features.

NARRATIVE SHORTS

There are 74 narrative shorts.

DOCUMENTARY SHORTS

There are 15 documentary shorts.

ANIMATION SHORTS

There are 5 animation shorts.

XR EXHIBIT

Three fit into this category.

For a complete list of films and events, visit greenpointfilmfestival.org

Greenpoint Film Festival (GFF)

Learn more at greenpointfilmfestival.org

About ELM Foundation/The Boiler

Learn more at  elmfoundation.art

(Mabel Pais writes on Social Issues, The Arts and Entertainment, Spirituality, Cuisine, Health & Wellness, Business, and Education)