Big Apple Film Festival ()

Inicio Festival: 22 mayo 2023      Fin Festival: 26 mayo 2023

Big Apple Film Festival (Spring Edition) will present theatrical screenings May 22-26 in the heart of NYC, with industry networking conferences taking place as well throughout the week.

In addition to film screenings and screenplay competition, BAFF presents numerous networking opportunities, including an Agents and Managers Conference, Agents and Managers Networking Lab, Film Distribution Summit, Networking with Producers, Streamers and Showrunners, along with Screenwriting, Directing, Casting and Producing Mentorship Labs.

Each season the festival concludes a closing night awards presentation and reception.

AGENTS AND MANAGERS CONFERENCE:

BAFF Agents and Managers Conference provides career advice, strategies, guidance and networking opportunities with top agents and managers representing filmmakers and screenwriters. The conferences will assist filmmakers and writers in strategies for acquiring representation, selling/option/licensing scripts and film projects to streaming networks, production companies and distributors.

Previous participating agents and managers have included reps from: WME, The Gersh Agency, APA, Kazarian/Measures/Ruskin & Associates, A3, Kaplan Stahler Agency
Anonymous Content, 3 Arts Entertainment , Magnolia Entertainment, Culture Creative Entertainment, Meridian Artists, Stobby Entertainment, Sweet 180 Managements, Alexander Creatives and more...

FILM DISTRIBUTION SUMMIT:

BAFF Distribution Summit provides strategies and guidance to filmmakers and series creators on distribution opportunities available to them in the theatrical, streaming and TV marketplace.

Previous speakers have included distribution reps from: Sony Pictures, 20th Century Fox
Magnolia Pictures, FilmRise, Amazon Studios
and more...

PRODUCERS, DIRECTORS, SHOWRUNNERS AND SCREENWRITERS CONFERENCES:
Big Apple Film Festival offer a series of conferences for emerging creatives to meet and network with industry professionals.

BAFF's network of speakers in previous events have included: representatives from HBO, NBCUniversal, staff writers from CBS, ABC, and Lifetime, Academy Award winning Killer Films, Film Rise(distributor of numerous Oscar Award winning and Emmy Award winning films), Emmy Award winning Gigantic Productions, Academy Award nominated and Emmy Award winning filmmakers, Academy Award and Emmy Award winning screenwriters, Filmmakers with projects released through Sony Pictures, Disney, LionsGate, Warner Brothers, Showtime, Amazon Studios, Netflix and Hulu, Sundance, Tribeca, SXSW alumni and more…

(NOTE: Participating speakers and mentors for all conferences will be announced approximately 4-6 weeks prior to the festival)

AGENTS AND MANAGERS NETWORKING LAB
Filmmakers, screenwriters, producers and series creators are invited to apply to our Agents and Managers Networking Lab. The purpose of these labs is to provide writers and filmmakers currently seeking representation with direct access and networking opportunities through small group meetings with selected agents and managers to discuss and pitch their projects and receive valuable feedback. Labs will take place virtually allowing all selected participants to join remotely.


BIG APPLE FILM FESTIVAL
BAFF, named one of MovieMaker Magazine's top "25 Film Festivals Worth The Entry Fee,” top "25 Coolest Film Festivals,”, CBS New York's "Best Film Festivals in New York...,” and FilmFreeway's "Top 100 Best Reviewed Festivals", is dedicated to showcasing, highlighting and promoting the highest quality films from the New York City independent film community, as well as additional specially selected films from across the country and around the world. Our goal is to celebrate the great city of New York through the exhibition of innovative and purposeful filmmaking.


ALUMNI include films released theatrically and by distributors such as Netflix, Showtime, IFC, Hulu, Amazon, Apple TV and more, as well as filmmakers and cast that are Academy Award and Golden Globe nominees, Independent Spirit Award nominees, Writers Guild of America and Producers Guild of America nominees, SAG Award winners and nominees (visit bigapplefilmfestival.com for a list of highlighted alumni films).

PREVIOUS HONORARY GUESTS, AWARD RECIPIENTS, GUEST SPEAKERS AND VIP ATTENDEES INCLUDE:
Kevin Bacon (Golden Globe and SAG award winner), Kyra Sedgwick (Emmy and Golden Globe winner), Jesse Eisenberg(Academy Award, Golden Globe and SAG Award nominee)
David Krumholtz (SAG Award nominee, HBO's "The White House Plumbers", "The Deuce", Academy Award nominee "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs"), Cuba Gooding Jr.(Academy Award winner), Matthew Rhys(Emmy Award winner, Golden Globe nominee, SAG Award nominee), Morgan Spurlock(Academy Award nominee, WGA Award winner)
Alan Cumming(Tony Award and Independent Spirit Award winner), Actress/Comedian Kim Wayans, Doug Roland (Academy Award nominated filmmaker)
Academy Award winning screenwriter Jose Rivera, Jerry Stiller, Olympia Dukakis(Academy Award and Golden Globe Award winner), Kevin Corrigan , Mario Cantone, Roger Sherman(Academy Award nominee and Emmy Award winner), Haley Joel Osment(Academy Award nominee), Kwame Parker(Academy Award nominated producer, "Green Book", "Robin Hood") and more...

BIG APPLE FILM FESTIVAL HAS BEEN FEATURED IN:
Indiewire
The New York Times
MovieMaker Magazine (Top 25 Coolest Film Festivals and Top 25 Festivals Worth The Entry Fee)
CBS New York (Best Film Festivals in New York...)
The Hollywood Reporter
BuzzFeed
PIX News
New York 1
AM New York
And more..

FILM SCREENINGS:

Big Apple Film Festival accepts submissions and presents selected films in live theatrical screenings in NYC, followed by post screening filmmaker Q and A's.

ABOUT OUR SCREENPLAY COMPETITION:

Big Apple Film Festival Screenplay Competition seeks to discover and support the most original and innovative screenplays from emerging and established screenwriters from around the world.
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FILM FESTIVAL AND SCREENPLAY COMPETITION INDUSTRY JURORS
Film and screenplay industry jurors in previous seasons have included: Academy Award, Emmy Award and Independent Spirit Award nominees, producers who created projects for Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros., NBCUniversal, agents and managers from companies including Anonymous Content, APA, Stobby Entertainment and more...

Current season industry jurors will be announced approximately 6 weeks prior to the festival.

TESTIMONIALS
"I wanted to thank you, I have signed with an agent. I met her because of the Big Apple Film Festival" - Andrea Careri (BAFF screenplay winner, Agents and Managers Conference participant).

"Since being a finalist with Big Apple, I was signed by A3 (Abrams) and have taken meetings with Starz, Lionsgate, and Anonymous Content (among others). I was also recently a Semi-Finalist for the Sundance Episodic Lab!" -Maia Henkin

"My feature script The Tenant recently became a finalist in the Big Apple Film Festival. This accolade moved my script onto Coverfly's Red List. This helped in querying representation and getting signed by a literary manager."
-Janet J. Lawler

PREVIOUS SCREENPLAY COMPETITION WINNERS AND FINALISTS INCLUDE: Shia LaBeouf (SAG Award, People's Choice Award and Independent Spirit Award nominee), Caytha Jentis(written/directed/produced projects for HBO, Amazon), Ron Friedman(Emmy nominee and WGA Award winner), Jyllian Gunther(Emmy Award winner, producer for NBC, ABC, A&E), Henry Sarwer-Foner(Directors Guild of Canada Award nominee), Daniel Talbott (writer ABC's "The Conners", "The Mist" produced by The Weinstein Company and Spike TV), Michael Vaynberg (writer/director Cannes Film Festival selection "9.8 m/s²"), Shruti Tewari (member of the Sundance Collab Directing Program), Bill Brock (Semi-Finalist - Stage 32 Feature Screenwriting Contest), Ken Krauss (writer "Tom, Dick, & Harriet" - Hallmark Channel), Kevin Emerson (author of over twenty novels published by HarperCollins, Random House, Scholastic), Linda Shayne (writer/director "Undercover Kid" released by WARNER BROTHERS, HBO Family, "Little Ghost,” distributed by PARAMOUNT video airing on HBO), Chris Phillips (Finalist - Sundance Institute Development Track, Award for Overall Excellence in Playwriting-New York International Fringe Festival), Maia Henkin (Second Round Austin Film Festival Screenplay Competition, repped by Abrams Artists Agency), and many more...

FILM AWARDS:
Best Feature Film
Best Short Film
Best Feature Documentary
Best Short Documentary
Best Animation
Best Web Series
Best Student Film
Best Music Video

SCREENPLAY COMPETITION AWARDS:
1. Screenplay winners in each category will receive small group meetings with established producers and other industry representatives. These industry professionals will be selected from BAFF alumni and other members of our industry network (screenplay winners will receive information on this year's selected industry reps in the weeks following the festival).

Our network of professionals from previous years have included representatives from: HBO, NBCUniversal, Academy Award winning Killer Films, William Morris Endeavor Agency, The Gersh Agency, APA Agency, Magnolia Pictures, Film Rise(distributor of numerous Oscar Award winning and Emmy Award winning films), Emmy Award winning Gigantic Productions, Cinepointe Advisors(legal counsel on numerous Oscar nominated films), Academy Award nominated and Emmy Award winning filmmakers, Academy Award and Emmy Award winning screenwriters, Fimmakers with projects released through Sony, Disney, Lions Gate, HBO, Showtime, Netflix, Amazon Studios, Hulu, and theatrically, as well as staff writers for CBS, ABC, Lifetime, and more...

These meetings are designed to provide winning screenwriters with direct access and live interaction with industry professionals to provide strategies, guidance and mentorship to emerging screenwriters.

Conferences take place virtually allowing participants to join remotely.

2. Winning screenplays will be promoted to Big Apple Film Festival's list of alumni filmmakers, many of which include filmmakers who have had film released theatrically, as well as on numerous major distribution platforms, including Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, HBO, iTunes, NBCUniveral and more...

3. Winners will receive a complimentary all access badge to Big Apple Film Festival events, including film screenings, Agents and Managers Conferences, Distribution Summit, Producers and Screenwriters Conferences and awards reception.

4. Winners will receive a complimentary InkTip listing, which will provide access to InkTip's entire network of producers, filmmakers, agents and managers. Producers have made over 400 films discovered thru InkTip.

BIG APPLE FILM FESTIVAL RULES AND REGULATIONS

1. Big Apple Film Festival accepts submissions for feature films, short films, feature documentaries, short documentaries, animation, web series, music videos, student films, feature length screenplays, short screenplays, scripts for television/web series pilots and virtual reality.

2. All films submitted must have been completed on or after January 1, 2022.

3. All films must be submitted with an online screener

4. All feature narrative and feature documentary submissions must be over 60 minutes in length.

5. All short film narrative and short documentary submissions must be under 60 minutes in length.

6. Animation, web series, and student film submissions of all lengths will be considered.

7. Music Videos must be under 10 minutes

8. BAFF will present selected films as a live in person event, with possible additional selections to be presented virtually. All submitted films will be considered for our live event and/or virtual screenings section.

9. ALL SUBMISSION FEES ARE NON-REFUNDABLE

10. Please be sure to read all rules and regulations prior to submitting your project.

SCREENPLAY COMPETITION RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR FEATURE LENGTH SCREENPLAYS, SHORT SCRIPTS AND TV/EPISODIC PILOT SCRIPTS:

1. Big Apple Film Festival Screenplay Competition accepts feature length screenplays, short scripts and series/episodic pilot scripts. Feature length scripts must be a minimum of 60 pages and no longer than 150 pages. Series/episodic and short scripts must under 60 pages.

2. Submitted screenplays can not have been optioned, purchased, or otherwise produced at the time of submission.

3. Writers may submit as many screenplays as they’d like to the competition, however each script requires a separate application and payment.

4.All entries must be submitted in English.

5. Submissions must include the title, author(s) and any relevant registration or copyright information.

6. Screenplays must be submitted in PDF or MS WORD.

7.All screenplays are considered complete once they are received by the Big Apple Film Festival. No revisions or updated copies will be accepted.

8. Submission fees are non-refundable.

9. Please be sure to read all rules and regulations prior to submitting your project.