The Brooklyn Magazine guide to the 2024 Bushwick Film Festival

By Precious Fondren

When you’re an artist, the creative work is often done alone, almost invisibly. You grind away without guarantees.

For Kweighbaye Kotee, that artistic process can be as fascinating as the end result. The founder of The Bushwick Film Festival, Kotee says while audiences will see the finished product — a film, a painting, an album — they often have no idea what went into it. So, as this year’s theme for the 17th annual incarnation of the festival, she chose “Producing the Dream.”

“We pretty to explore a little bit more about what it takes to realize a major goal in your life … and look at it a little bit closer at all the tasks, all the effort and all the blood, sweat and tears that usually go into realizing something that is important to an artist or even an individual,” says Kotee.

As an example, she points to the film “Doubles,” which screens on October 17 at 6 p.m. It took director Ian K. Harnarine a decade — and a move to Canada — to complete the movie.

“He was having trouble funding it with U.S. funding,” she says. “And after 10 years of trying to raise money to shoot him in Brooklyn, it just didn’t happen. So he had to find another route.”

Kotee says she hopes the festival brings recognition and encouragement to artists like Harnarine.

“Creating art can be such a fickle industry. So it does take a certain type of person to keep pursuing it and to achieve some sort of success,” she says. “We try to be really playful with how to interpret this journey to a dream.”

Below are some more details to help film lovers navigate this year’s offerings.

When
The Bushwick Film Festival kicks off on Wednesday, October 16 and runs through Sunday, the 20th. Times for screenings will vary with the majority taking place Thursday through Sunday from about 12:30 to 9 p.m.

Where
This year’s festival will host about 32 screenings — showing over 80 short films and full-length features — inside two theaters at Williamsburg Cinemas at 217 Grand Street. Other events are set to take place at the Lot45, FirstLive and Gracemoon Arts.

Events open to the public 
In addition to the film screenings, there are a handful of special events the public can also attend. On Thursday, Oct. 17th, comedians Simeon Goodson, Colleen Genvieve, Tatiana Frank, Neko White, Niles Abston, and Usama Siddique will come together to provide the laughs for audiences at a comedy night at Lot 45, kicking off at 8 p.m.

For a chance to meet other filmmakers the festival is also hosting a mixer at the production venue FirstLive. Filmmakers part of the festival can be interviewed on the FirstLive podcast. This event kicks off at 9 p.m. on October 18.

Writer and director Roberto Fatal is teaming up with the festival to present a reading of his screenplay “Electric Homies” at Gracemoon Arts Company on October 19 at 5:30 p.m. The screenplay follows a social worker as they try “to preserve community and culture as thousands in their neighborhood upload themselves to a mysterious digital utopia.”

Immediately following the reading people can — with purchase of a ticket — stay to watch as some of this year’s films receive awards as part of the festival’s closing ceremony and party. The ceremony kicks off at 8:30 p.m.

How to get tickets
Cinephiles interested in purchasing tickets to any screenings or events related to the festival can grab them individually from the festival’s Eventbrite page. You’ll need to drop $20.46 for most screenings.

The special comedy night will cost you $22.53 while the reading of the screenplay “Electric Homies” will be free with a suggested donation. There’s also a filmmakers mixer that will run attendees $22.53. Patrons will need to drop $100 to attend the awards event that’ll honor the best films of the festival.

If you are in the mood for special perks throughout the entire festival, a VIP pass will cost you $1,000. You’ll have access to all film screenings with reserved seating, be able to walk the red carpet at opening night, complimentary drinks and appetizers at the mixer and ceremony, skip-the-line privileges for all events, and a VIP gift bag filled with festival goodies.

Highlights from Brooklyn-based filmmakers

While the festival showcases shorts and feature films from a variety of places, this being Brooklyn Magazine we have to highlight the work from filmmakers based in the colorful borough.

‘Aliza Nisenbaum: Painting from Life’
Ian Forster’s 14-minute short documentary about Mexican-born, New York-based painter Aliza Nisenbaum premieres as part of “The Artist Way” short block of films on Thursday, October 17 at 1:15 p.m.

‘The Untitled Performers Project’
As “RuPaul’s Drag Race” Brita Filter and burlesque performer The Maine Attraction interview each other about their tragedies and triumphs, the film, which is part of a docuseries, follows each in their personal lives leading up to a live performance. “The Untitled Perfomers Project” also shows during the “The Artist Way” block on Thursday.

“Love Taps”
Directed by Derrick Woodyard and produced by Spike Lee, “Love Taps” follows a young man’s journey as he learns of his father’s affair with another man. “Love Taps” will screen during the “Family Compass” short films block on Thursday, October 17 at 3:45 p.m.

“Plus Minus One”
In this 14-minute documentary about friendship breakups, director Lynn Ma explores what it means to lose a platonic relationship and its impact. “Plus Minus One” is part of the “Good Company” block that screens on Thursday, October 17 at 8:30 p.m.

“After the Deluge”
Tara Young directs a 14-minute dramedy about the bubbling friendship between an artist and a “ lone traveler” during the pandemic. “After the Deluge” is also showing during the “Good Company” block on Thursday..

“Failed State”
While the vast majority of screenings will be shorts there are a bunch of feature-length films showing as well. Directed by Christopher Jason Bell and Mitch Blummer, “Failed State” tells the story of a messenger in New York City as he attempts to keep his life from falling apart. You can see it on Thursday, October 17 at 8:30 p.m.

“A Life, Lost”
Andrew Nisinson directed a 16-minute short film about a man putting the pieces of his living life back together after he dies. “A Life, Lost” screens as part of the “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” block for audiences on Friday, October 18 at 8:45 p.m.

“Pushover”
Another one in the “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” block is the Brian Lederman-directed 7-minute short, “Pushover.” In it, “a man’s life is upended by increasingly threatening phone calls demanding he leave a review for a paperweight purchased online.” You can join the waitlist for the screening taking place on Friday at 8:45 p.m.

“Knead”
The Timothy Michael Cooper-directed “Knead” is an 11-minute sci-fi comedy about an alien invasion that makes people follow their dreams. You can catch it on Saturday, October 19 at 2:45 p.m.

“All the Men I Met But Never Dated”
On Saturday, October 19 at 5:15 p.m., the short films block, “Queer Hearts” will have a number of films that explore queer relationships. One of them is “All the Men I Met But Never Dated.” The movie is directed by Muneeb Hassan and follows a Muslim man named Ali as he must choose between a budding new relationship and his religion.