Day 1: Opening Night - April 29
Opening night at the Brooklyn International Film Festival included short speeches from Marco Ursino, the festival director, Marty Markowitz, Brooklyn Borough President and Irwin Yablans, a local producer and Brooklyn native. Excitement oozed from Mr. Ursino, infecting the room with gleeful tension, and the first film of the festival rolled.
The Brooklyn International Film Festival, previously known as the Williamsburg Film Festival, is launching its 5th year as an international draw including films from over 20 countries. The festival’s popularity has even surprised its director, Marco Ursino, who started the festival initially to promote his own film. The boom of artistic activity in Brooklyn over the past decade has augmented the quality of work the selection committees have seen. At the same time, digital filmmaking has increased the quantity of filmmakers submitting to the festival. International attention to the festival has increased its scope and popularity, making it a powerful destination for filmmakers wanting their work to be seen.
She takes long heavy breaths
Whistling sighs in her cavernous breast
And expels, in all seasons and hours of the night
Thick billowing puffs of warm moist air (more…)
Sestina asks, “What is a wave?”
Thirsty sharks circling and drowning men panicking
They know intimately its shape and size and power
Grandmother, in front of the house
Like an old grouper – giant, gray and smiling (more…)