> by JORDAN CANAHAI

The Buffalo International Film Festival—now in its 9th year—is the region’s premiere celebration of the moving image. Following the passing of BIFF founder and former executive director Edward Summer last fall, the festival has tapped Ray Guarnieri, 25, filmmaker and Buffalo native, to be its next executive director. Summer was a mentor of Guarnieri’s, who has stepped in to ensure the mission of supporting the local film community while bringing the best of American independent cinema is continued this year.

BIFF is one of the largest and longest-running film festivals in New York State outside of New York City. BIFF champions local, national, and international films that test the limits of independent cinema. “Every year, we present top selections from hundreds of submissions to WNY’ers and travelers seeking to explore the great food, nightlife, history and adventure that defines Buffalo,” says Guarnieri. BIFF also proudly supports local filmmakers by offering workshops, seminars, panels, and fiscal sponsorship on a year-round basis.

In an effort to rebrand the festival, BIFF has launched an IndieGoGo crowd-funding campaign with a goal to raise $9,000 for exclusive access to the North Park Theater on Hertel Avenue for its 2015 festival. “We want to build on the success of the past eight years by making the festival more accessible to Buffalo residents,” Guarnieri explains. “Hertel Avenue is one of the areas that exemplifies the renaissance the city is experiencing. One of the jewels of that renaissance is the restoration of the magnificent and historic North Park Theatre, which captures the kind of energy and excitement that the Sundance Film Festival’s Egyptian Theatre has. It’s also easily accessible and surrounded by restaurants, bars and shops, all of which gives our audience the opportunity to gather and celebrate the movies, while attracting more people to Hertel Avenue businesses, showcasing another success story in our great city of Buffalo.”

In order to secure exclusive access to the North Park Theatre during the festival this year on October 16-18, BIFF hopes to to raise $9,000— $4,000 of which is needed as soon as possible as a deposit required to reserve the space. In return for support, BIFF is offering individual tickets and ticket packages at discounted prices, and the opportunity to join in on the dialogue that will shape BIFF into one of the most anticipated cultural events in Western New York, and, over time, one of the top film festivals in North America.

This rebranding process presents the Buffalo International Film Festival with an extraordinary opportunity to deliver its best year ever, and in time hopefully to evolve into one of the top film festivals in the country. Through the crowd-funding campaign, it gives Buffalo residents, local filmmakers and movie-lovers alike, the chance to be a part of the event and contribute to our city’s wonderful art scene and history.

To learn more about BIFF and help spread the word about the festival, as well as to contribute to the crowd-funding campaign, check out the IndieGoGo page here: indiegogo.com/projects/buffalo-international-film-festival-2015#/story.