Buffalo International Film Festival

The Buffalo International Film Festival is pleased to present the first showcase presentation of Student Films Across America at The Screening Room, June 24th at 7pm.

Student Films Across America Comes to Buffalo

"The idea of creating a showcase for emerging young film talent seems right on time." -Nylon Magazine

"[SFAA] proves that low-budget does not mean low-quality. Powerful, witty and innovative films can be made with passion, raw talent and without spending hundreds of millions of dollars." -Des Moines CityView

Student Films Across America finds the best films of our tech-savvy generation of student filmmakers and showcases them to the world in traditional art house cinemas. Operated entirely by a handful of college students, the festival will screen 64 films in 40 cities across the U.S. and Canada.

Each show will feature the prizewinners for Best Comedy, Best Drama, and Best Documentary, as chosen by a panel of eight judges from the world of cinema, including John August (screenwriter, "Big Fish," "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory") and Michael Emerson (actor, Ben on "Lost").

The Buffalo stop will also feature a film by a local-area filmmaker. "Beetle Blasphemy," directed by Ferris Webby, a student at Rochester Institute of Technology, is a computer-animated comedy in the Pixar tradition. It joins a Student Academy Award-winning film and other powerful works at The Screening Room, June 24th at 7pm. Tickets are $10.

The Screening Room is located at:

www.screeningroom.net


Student Films Across America is presented in association with the Buffalo International Film Festival. For more info, tickets and lots of online content, check out the SFAA web site at www.sfaa07.com .

and the BIFF website at www.buffalofilmfestival.com

For Immediate Release

First Student-Run Traveling Film Festival Visits Buffalo

Buffalo, New York  &  Sturgeon Bay, WI, June 13th, 2007 -


The Buffalo International Film Festival is pleased to announce that on June 24th, Student Films Across America will visit Buffalo as part of its groundbreaking nationwide summer tour.

The student-run festival, presented in association with the Buffalo International Film Festival, will show the best films made by high school and college students from around the world in a ninety-minute show at The Screening Room.

Featured at the event will be the animated comedy "Beetle Blasphemy" by area student filmmaker Ferris Webby.

Student Films Across America is unique in its scope and mission. Founded by brothers and student filmmakers Brian and Steven Amos, the idea for the non-profit event hatched while looking for a venue in which to enter their own film. "Most festivals have a category for student film," says Steven, a junior at Drake University. "But few are dedicated just to the genre. We decided to fill that hole. We've been able to get exposure for more than 60 student filmmakers."

Also unique is the traveling aspect of the tour. "We modeled ourselves after a band on the road, rather than a wide-release movie," Brian explains. "We're visiting one city per night, with just a show or two per stop. In total, we'll be visiting 40 cities in the United States and Canada." The crew of young students is traveling by tour van from stop to stop.

In total, the festival received 580 films from 44 states and 15 countries. From this pool of films, prizewinners were selected in five categories by a panel of eight judges working in all areas of cinema. The films selected as Best Drama, Comedy, and Documentary will be shown in each city, and will be eligible for the Audience Choice award, as voted on at each stop. In total, $17,000 of prize money will be given away.

In addition, a local student filmmaker will be featured at each city - Buffalo's selection is "Beetle Blasphemy" directed by Ferris Webby, a student at Rochester Institute of Technology. The animated comedy tells the story of Bob the Beetle, whose self-chosen calling causes controversy within the insect world.

For show times and tickets, visit the Student Film Across America website at sfaa07.com <http://sfaa07.com>. The unique festival site is updated daily on the tour, with video, picture, and blog content from each city.

Contact information for the local filmmaker can be provided upon request.
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