Big Apple Film Festival and Screenplay Competition (LOS ANGELES EDITION)

Big Apple Film Festival (Fall Edition) will take place November 18 - December 12 at Look Dine-In Cinemas in NYC and LA, with Los Angeles screenings taking place DECEMBER 3-4.

In addition to film screenings and screenplay competition, BAFF presents numerous networking opportunities, including an Agents and Managers Conference, industry panels, networking receptions, along with year round industry networking and mentoring sessions.

AGENTS AND MANAGERS CONFERENCE
The BAFF Agents and Managers Conference provides career advice, strategies, guidance and networking opportunities with top agents and managers representing filmmakers and screenwriters. The conferences will assist filmmakers and writers in learning strategies for acquiring representation, selling/optioning/licensing material to TV/streaming networks, theatrical market, production companies, studios, distributors, development executives and more..

Participating agents and managers include reps from:

●The Gersh Agency
●William Morris Endeavor Agency
●Culture Creative Agency
●Innovative Artists Agency
●Zero Gravity Management
●Magnolia Entertainment
●Kaplan Stahler Agency
●Anonymous Content
●3 Arts Entertainment
●and more...

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:

● "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

● "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)

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

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

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

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

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

● "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" (Netflix), Academy Award winner, Best Short Animation Film

● "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

● "Kiss the Ground" (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)

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

And many more...

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

Kevin Bacon (Golden Globe and SAG award winner), Kyra Sedgwick (Emmy and Golden Globe winner), Jesse Eisenberg(Academy Award, Golden Globe and SAG Award nominee)
David Krumholtz (SAG Award nominee), 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(multiple Academy Award nominated animator), Morgan Spurlock(Academy Award nominee, WGA Award winner). Alan Cumming(Tony Award and Independent Spirit Award winner), Actress/Comedian Kim Wayans, Doug Roland (Academy Award nominated filmmaker)
Jose Rivera(Academy Award winning screenwriter), Jerry Stiller, 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.
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FILM FESTIVAL AND SCREENPLAY COMPETITION INDUSTRY JURORS

Industry Jurors Include:

● KENT MORAN: Writer/Director of "The Challenger" (Freestyle Media, Netflix, Showtime) and "Listen to Your Heart" (Warner Bros., Gravitas Ventures, Hallmark Channel, Lifetime Network)

● SOL TRYON: Independent Spirit Award nominated producer ("Amerikatsi", Academy Award Shortlist, International Category)

● JOSH FOLAN: Producer, "Ask for Jane"(Big Apple Film Festival Best Feature Film, levelFilm theatrical release), "Dance Dads" (Apple TV)

● THOMAS FERGUSON: Writer of the feature film "Forgotten" starring Golden Globe Award and SAG Award nominee Tom Sizemore, available on Roku and Prime Video.

● SHERI DAVENPORT: Writer of "Lucky Christmas" (Hallmark Channel) and "Autumn in the City" (Disney Channel, Hallmark Channel)

● ELIZABETH PAGE: Six time Emmy Award and three time WGA Award winning writer and playwright (ABC, CBS, TBS)

● AIMEE PITTA: Writer of HULU's "Christmas on Repeat", "The Clue to Love" (Reel One Entertainment), "Love's Second Chance" (Reel One Entertainment)

and more...

INDUSTRY FEEDBACK
Big Apple Film Festival offers screenplay competition entries the option to receive one page of written feedback from one industry professional. Feedback will be provided by either a professional screenwriter, story development professional, or producer.

Participating BAFF industry professionals have experience writing, story development and/or producing projects for various studios, production companies and streaming platforms, including Netflix, Warner Bros., CBS, Hulu, HBOmax, NBC, FOX, Disney, Marvel, ABC, New Line Cinemas and more...

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

SCREENPLAY COMPETITION ALUMNI INCLUDE:

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

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

● Ron Friedman(Emmy nominee and WGA Award winner)

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

● 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)

● 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)
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● 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)
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● Alex Forstenhausler (optioned screenwriter, Finalist Fox Comedy Pilot Competition)
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● 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)
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● Sheena Lambert (Author, "The Lake", published by HarperCollins, optioned TV projects in various stages of development, represented by Blake Friedmann Agency in London)
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● Thomas L. Ferguson (writer, "Forgotten" starring Tom Sizemore, available on Amazon, Tubi, Roku)
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● 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)

● Michael Vaynberg (writer/director Cannes Film Festival selection "9.8 m/s²")

● Ken Krauss (writer - Hallmark Channel)

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

● 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...