Brooklyn Film Festival

Overview

The Brooklyn Film Festival is New York's most beloved neighborhood film festival. Founded in 1998 and held annually in May and June in Brooklyn, the festival presents competitive independent international and American cinema with a particular commitment to first-time filmmakers and accessible community programming.

Brooklyn's identity as New York's most creative borough -- home to the largest concentration of working artists in the United States, to major cultural institutions, to diverse immigrant communities from every part of the world, and to a film production community that has grown dramatically with the development of Steiner Studios at the Brooklyn Navy Yard -- gives the festival a genuinely multicultural, creatively engaged audience.

The festival's first-time filmmaker focus means that audiences regularly discover work that will go on to receive wider recognition, creating an atmosphere of genuine discovery.

Key Sections

• International Competition -- competitive films from around the world
• American Independent Competition -- US independent films
• Documentary Competition -- nonfiction features
• Short Film Competition -- competitive short programs
• Brooklyn Filmmakers -- films by Brooklyn-based filmmakers

What Filmmakers Should Know

Brooklyn accepts open submissions. The festival's emphasis on first-time filmmakers creates a context where debut work receives genuine competitive attention. The Brooklyn creative community's connections to New York's media industry create useful informal industry networking.

Major Awards

• Best Film -- jury prize
• Best First-Time Director
• Audience Award

Festival History

Brooklyn Film Festival was founded in 1998 and has operated as New York's most community-connected neighborhood film event.

See Also

For New York City festivals, see Film Festival Strategy. For the Tribeca Film Festival, see Tribeca Film Festival.