Big Apple Film Festival and Screenplay Competition

Big Apple Film Festival is currently accepting entries for the SPRING 2025 edition.

SUCCESS
Big Apple Film Festival and Screenplay Competition prides itself on its long list of acclaimed participants the festival has welcomed throughout its 22 year history.

Congratulations to BAFF participants featured in the 97th Academy Awards:

BAFF official selection and award nominee, "I’M NOT A ROBOT", Oscar® winner in the Live Action Short Film Category; Festival alumni Krushan Naik served as producer on the Oscar® nominated short film ANUJA; and congrats to BAFF Golden Apple Award recipient Jesse Eisenberg on his Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay for A REAL PAIN. Big Apple Film Festival was proud to present the NYC premiere of Jesse's earlier film, THE LIVING WAKE, now streaming on Prime and Apple TV.

FESTIVAL EVENTS
In addition to film screenings and screenplay competition, BAFF presents numerous networking opportunities, including Meet The Agents and Managers Conference, industry panels, networking receptions, along with year round industry networking and mentoring sessions. ALL submitters to this season's festival will receive complimentary access to select networking and mentorship events.

MEET THE AGENTS AND MANAGERS CONFERENCE
BAFF Meet The Agents and Managers Conference is a virtual event providing career advice, strategies, guidance and networking opportunities with top agents and managers who specialize in representing filmmakers and screenwriters. The conferences will assist filmmakers and writers in learning strategies for acquiring representation, understanding the process of selling/optioning/licensing material to TV/streaming networks, theatrical market, production companies, studios, distributors, development executives and more..

Participating agents, managers and industry professionals include reps from:

●The Gersh Agency
●William Morris Endeavor Agency
●Magnolia Entertainment
●Culture Creative Agency
●Magnolia Entertainment
●Zero Gravity Management
●Gramercy Park Entertainment
●Kaplan Stahler Agency
●3 Arts Entertainment
●Stage Coach Entertainment
●Writers Guild of America East
●and more...

MEET THE AGENTS AND MANAGERS CONFERENCE REGISTRATION
Upon submitting a film, series of script, submitters have the option to register for a prepaid All Access Pass at a 50% discounted rate to the Big Apple Film Festival Meet the Agents and Managers Conference. The All Access Pass will provide entry to all general conferences and workshops, which will focus on various topics on assisting filmmakers and writers in learning strategies for acquiring representation, understanding the process of selling/optioning/licensing material to TV/streaming networks, theatrical market, production companies, studios, distributors, development executives and more..

This event takes place virtually in conjunction with the festival in May 2025. Submitters who choose this option will receive a code approximately two weeks before the event to redeem your prepaid All Access Pass.

NOTE: All submitters who register for a prepaid All Access Pass to the Meet the Agents and Managers Conference at the time of entry, will automatically receive their pass in May 2025, regardless of whether or not their project is selected for inclusion in the festival.

YEAR ROUND INDUSTRY NETWORKING, MENTORING AND PITCH SESSIONS
In an effort to support and connect filmmakers, screenwriters and series creators to industry professionals throughout the year, BAFF offers a series of year round virtual networking, mentorship and pitch sessions.

FOR UPCOMING INDUSTRY NETWORKING, MENTORSHIP AND PITCH SESSIONS VISIT: https://bigapplefilmfestivalindustrynetworkingevents.eventive.org/schedule

BAFF's network of mentors throughout the years have included writers, producers, directors and development executives who have developed projects for:
Netflix, HBO, NBCUniversal, Disney, Hulu, Warner Bros., Showtime
Amazon Studios, CBS , ABC, Film Rise

BIG APPLE FILM FESTIVAL
BAFF, named one of MovieMaker Magazine's top "25 Film Festivals Worth The Entry Fee,” top "25 Coolest Film Festivals,”, CBS New York's "Best Film Festivals in New York...,” and FilmFreeway's "Top 100 Best Reviewed Festivals", is dedicated to showcasing, highlighting and promoting the highest quality films from the New York City independent film community, as well as additional specially selected films from across the country and around the world. Our goal is to celebrate the great city of New York through the exhibition of innovative and purposeful filmmaking.

"According to reviews from real FilmFreeway users, Big Apple Film Festival ranks in the top 1% of more than 10,000 film festivals and creative contests around the world." -FilmFreeway

HIGHLIGHTED ALUMNI FILMS:

● "I'm Not a Robot", Academy Award winner in the Live Action Short Film Category

● "Sweetwater" Distributed by Universal Pictures, Hulu, Amazon, starring Emmy Award and Golden Globe Winner Jeremy Piven, Everett Osborne, Academy Award winner Richard Dreyfuss, SAG Award winner Kevin Pollak

● "The Living Wake" starring Academy Award nominee Jesse Eisenberg, Jim Gaffigan, Mike O' Connell

● "Life of a King" starring Academy Award winner Cuba Gooding Jr.

● "Mother's Day" starring Academy Award winner Melissa Leo

● 'The Herricanes" Big Apple Film Festival Best Feature Documentary Award, SXSW Documentary Spotlight Audience Award, distributed by Blue Harbor Entertainment

● "Amerikatsi" Armenian selection shortlisted for 96th Academy Awards, Best International Feature Category, released theatrically in NYC and LA

● ​"The Shepherd" shortlisted for the 96th Academy Awards, Short Film Live Action Category, distributed by Disney+, starring Ben Radcliffe, Academy Award nominee John Travolta, directed by BAFTA nominee Iain Softley, produced by Academy Award winner Alfonso Cuaron

● "The One Note Man" shortlisted for the 96th Academy Awards, Short Film Live Action Category

● "Blush"(previously titled "Imaginary Order"), Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize nominee, directed by Independent Spirit Award winner and Producers Guild of America Award winner Debra Eisenstadt, released by Gravitas Distribution

● "A Stage of Twilight", starring Independent Spirit Award nominee Karen Allen and William Sadler, repped by Buffalo 8 Productions, streaming on Prime Video, Fandango at Home, Plex and Tubi.

● "King of Kings: Chasing Edward Jones", directed by Harriet Marin, featuring legendary Grammy Award and Academy Award winning producer Quincy Jones, written by WGA nominee Michael Fessler("March of the Penguins") and Giles Gardner (co-director "A Cooler Climate", co-directed with Academy Award winner James Ivory)

● "The Girl Who Wore Freedom" released in over 100 theaters nationwide, available on major streaming platforms and Delta Airlines

​● "Bones of Crows"Writers Guild of Canada Award nominee, Canadian Screen Awards nominee, theatrical distribution Elevation Pictures

● ​"Exile" starring Critics Choice nominee and Golden Globe Award nominee Adam Beach available on Apple TV, Vudu

● "Inside the Rain" starring Aaron Fisher, Ellen Toland, Academy Award nominees Rose Perez and Eric Roberts. Released theatrically, and Hulu, Showtime, Peacock Network.

● ​"Sleep Study", available on Hulu, directed by Independent Spirit Award nominated producer Natalie Metzger

● "Shadow Brother Sunday" starring Alden Ehrenreich (Oppenheimer, Cocaine Bear, Solo: A Star Wars Story), executive produced by Frances Ford Coppola

● "If Anything Happens I Love You", distributed by Netflix, Academy Award winner, Best Short Animation Film

● "Kiss the Ground" released on Netflix, featuring Woody Harrelson, Gisele Bundchen, Ian Somerhalder, Patricia Arquette, David Arquette, Rosario Dawson, directed by Sundance Film Festival winner Josh Tickell

● "Feeling Through" Academy Award nominee, short film category

● "Unicorns" written and directed by Alex Lora, who won the 2024 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize for his short film "La Gran Obra"; and is the recipient of seven New York Emmys, finalist for the Oscars-Student Academy Awards

● "The Arrival", directed by acclaimed filmmaker Alyssa Rallo Bennett, distributed nationwide by Gravitas Ventures

● "Edith+Eddie" Academy Award nominee, Best Documentary Short Subject

And many more...

PREVIOUS HONORARY GUESTS, AWARD RECIPIENTS, GUEST SPEAKERS AND VIP ATTENDEES INCLUDE:

● Jesse Eisenberg (Academy Award, Golden Globe and SAG Award nominee)
● Kevin Bacon (Golden Globe and SAG award winner)
● Kyra Sedgwick (Emmy and Golden Globe winner)
● David Krumholtz (SAG Award nominee)
● Ginger Gonzaga (actress/writer/director, Disney's, CBS, Hulu, A24),
● Krushan Naik (Academy Award nominated producer)
● Jeremy Piven (Emmy Award and Golden Globe Winner)
● Cuba Gooding Jr.(Academy Award winner)
● Matthew Modine (SAG Award winner, Emmy nominee and Golden Globe winner)
● Bill Plympton (Academy Award nominated animator)
● Catherine Curtin ("Stranger Things", "Saturday Night", "Orange is the New Black", "Homeland")
● Dean Matthew Ronalds (writer/director - Tyler Perry Studios, Epic Pictures)
● Scott Evans (Producer/Editor for Paramount Pictures, Netflix, HBOmax, Hulu)
● John Gray (veteran TV writer/director - CBS, ABC, Warner Bros.)
● Morgan Spurlock (Academy Award nominee, WGA Award winner)
● Alan Cumming(Tony Award and Independent Spirit Award winner),
● Kim Fayans (Image Award and BET Award nominee)
● Doug Roland (Academy Award nominated filmmaker)
● Jose Rivera (Academy Award winning screenwriter)
● Jerry Stiller (Emmy Award and SAG Award nominee)
● Olympia Dukakis (Academy Award and Golden Globe Award winner)
● Kwame Parker (Academy Award nominated producer)

and many more...

BIG APPLE FILM FESTIVAL HAS BEEN FEATURED IN:
Indiewire
The New York Times
MovieMaker Magazine (Top 25 Coolest Film Festivals and Top 25 Festivals Worth The Entry Fee)
CBS New York (Best Film Festivals in New York...)
The Hollywood Reporter
BuzzFeed
PIX News
New York 1
AM New York
And more...

FILM SCREENINGS:

Big Apple Film Festival accepts submissions and presents selected films in live theatrical screenings in NYC, followed by post screening filmmaker Q and A's.

ABOUT OUR SCREENPLAY COMPETITION:
Big Apple Film Festival Screenplay Competition seeks to discover and support the most original and innovative screenplays from emerging and established screenwriters from around the world.

TESTIMONIALS

"Two of the agents I’ve practiced-pitched to have requested my script and one has followed up with a phone call to discuss representation. Your service is career-changing" - Nate Bynum (screenwriter)

"I wanted to thank you, I have signed with an agent. I met her because of the Big Apple Film Festival" - Andrea Careri (BAFF screenplay winner, Agents and Managers Conference participant).

"Since being a finalist with Big Apple, I was signed by A3 (Abrams) and have taken meetings with Starz, Lionsgate, and Anonymous Content (among others). I was also recently a Semi-Finalist for the Sundance Episodic Lab!" -Maia Henkin

"My feature script The Tenant recently became a finalist in the Big Apple Film Festival. This accolade moved my script onto Coverfly's Red List. This helped in querying representation and getting signed by a literary manager."
-Janet J. Lawler

NOTABLE SCREENPLAY COMPETITION PARTICIPANTS THROUGHOUT THE YEARS:

BAFF Screenplay Competition has had the honor of seeing entries from participants such as:

● Shia LaBeouf - SAG Award, People's Choice Award and Independent Spirit Award nominee

● Elizabeth Page - Six time Emmy Award and three time WGA Award winning writer and playwright (ABC, CBS, TBS)

● Caytha Jentis - written/directed/produced projects for HBO, Warner Bros., Amazon

● Ron Friedman - Emmy nominee and WGA Award winner

● Matt Giacheri (producer of NETFLIX's "The Block Island Sound", "Funeral Kings", SXSW premiere, available on AMAZON)
​
● Vanessa Esteves (creator and writer of "Super Wish", series distributed by Discovery Kids and Warner Bros., available in the U.S. on NBC's Peacock Network)
​
● Emily Lansbury (writer and producer of "Story of a Girl", starring Kevin Bacon, directed by Kyra Sedgwick, distributed by Lifetime Network)
​
● Mike Gerbino (writer of "Freelance", distributed by Gravitas Ventures, previously on Apple TV and Amazon)
​
● Silvan Schmid (writer of "Humans", released theatrically in France, distributed by Overlook Entertainment)
​
● Leonora Pitts (TV credits include "It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia" and "The Rookie", and is a recurring character on the Apple+ series, "For All Mankind". Leonora collaborates with the Duplass Brothers, co-starring in the films "The Freebie", and "Manson Family Vacation", and guest-starring on two of their HBO series, "Togetherness" and "Room 104")

● Jyllian Gunther - Emmy Award winner, producer for NBC, ABC, A&E

● Kent Moran - Feature films have been released by Warner Brothers, Netflix, Showtime, Paramount+, Starz, Apple, Hulu, Amazon, Hallmark, Lifetime, LMN, Regal Cinemas

● Nicole Delprado - Development Producer, Flying Bark Productions (Netflix, Hulu, Paramount +, Disney, NBCUniversal)

● Geoffrey Colo - Worked in development at Universal, followed by producer roles including 8 seasons of FOX's House M.D. and 6 years of Marvel TV dramas, earning him an Emmy nomination, 2 PGA nominations and 2 Webby awards
​
● Rosemary Griggs - 2x Quarter Finalist, award winning author, published by Fence Publishing

● Harris Gurny - Producer, "Coup!" starring Emmy Award and Golden Globe nominee Peter Sarsgaard, "The God Committee", starring Emmy Award winner Kelsey Grammer, Golden Globe and SAG Award nominee Julia Stiles and Emmy Award winner Colman Domingo
​
● Alex Forstenhausler - optioned screenwriter, Finalist Fox Comedy Pilot Competition
​
● Lindsay Heiman - showrunner's assistant, credits include “CONAN”, Warner Bros., “VEEP” Paramount, “INSECURE” HBO, “THE SEX LIVES OF COLLEGE GIRLS” HBO Max, "THE GIRLS ON THE BUS" and "MORE," both premiering on HBO Max
​
● Sheena Lambert - Author, "The Lake", published by HarperCollins, optioned TV projects in various stages of development, represented by Blake Friedmann Agency in London
​
● Thomas L. Ferguson - writer, "Forgotten" starring Tom Sizemore, available on Amazon, Tubi, Roku
​
● Larry Collins - Emmy Award Winner, NBCUniversal/Peacock Network

● Henry Sarwer-Foner - Directors Guild of Canada Award nominee

● Daniel Talbott - writer ABC's "The Conners", "The Mist" produced by The Weinstein Company and Spike TV

● Ken Krauss - writer - Hallmark Channel

● Kevin Emerson - author of over twenty novels published by HarperCollins, Random House, Scholastic

● Linda Shayne - writer/director "Undercover Kid" released by WARNER BROTHERS, HBO Family, "Little Ghost,” distributed by PARAMOUNT video airing on HBO

● Chris Phillips - Finalist - Sundance Institute Development Track, Award for Overall Excellence in Playwriting-New York International Fringe Festival

● Maia Henkin - repped by Abrams Artists Agency

● Aimee Pitta - writer of HULU's "Christmas on Repeat", "The Clue to Love" (Reel One Entertainment), "Love's Second Chance" (Reel One Entertainment)

and many more...

INDUSTRY JURORS

● Matt Giacheri (Writer/Producer - Netflix, Amazon, SXSW)

● Jake Alden-Falconer (Producer - Netflix, PBS, Picturehouse, Apple TV, Prime)

● Scott Evans (Filmmaker/Editor - Paramount Pictures, Netflix, Hulu, HBOmax, Starz)

● Mike Gerbino - (Writer - Apple TV, Amazon)

● Michael Brown (Director/Producer - Netflix, Tribeca Film Institute)

● Emma Steiger (junior executive, HappyBad Bungalow Productions)

● Colin Henning (Actor/Director - Hulu, Prime Video)

● Leonora Pitts - (Actor - Hulu, ABC, HBO)

● Thomas Ferguson (Writer - Amazon, Tubi, Roku)

● Matilda Szydagis (SAG Award winner, Amazon Studios, Hulu)

● Vincent Veloso (Writer/Director/Actor - Netflix, Prime Video, Roku, Paramount)

● Shara Ashley Zeiger (Actress - HBOmax, Hulu, TBS)

● Stephanie West (Author)

● Alex Forestenhausler (Writer/Story Editor/Creative Consultant - Amazon, Apple TV, Nicholl Fellowship Quarter Finalist, FOX Pilot Competition Finalist)

● Nela Stachalek - (Production coordinator, Production manager - HBOmax, Hulu)

● Eva Von Schweinitz (Writer/Filmmaker - Big Apple Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, Palm Springs ShortFest, Screencraft Fellowship semi-finalist)

● More to be announced...