Buffalo International Film Festival

BIFF 2011: The Buffalo International Film Festival 60 Second Trailer

2011-10-09T13:57:00.000-05:00

GOD's LAND in NYC for theatrical engagement OCT 28 ! ! ! - buffalofilmfestival@gmail.com - Gmail

2011-08-22T17:50:00.000-05:00

GOD's LAND in NYC for theatrical engagement OCT 28 ! ! ! -

This terrific film had its World Premiere at the 4th Annual Buffalo International Film Festival and has moved on to several other festivals and is now opening in New York City at the Quad Cinema.

Congratulations to Preston Miller and the team that made this movie.

Great Art Nourishes the Soul

2011-08-09T21:28:00.000-05:00

Cheap Airfare Tickets @ $299 - ad

2011-07-16T08:42:00.001-05:00

Fly to Buffalo Film Fest Cheapest Air fare for $299.99 r/t any US destination & lowest Int'l airfare Tix

formspring.me

2011-07-12T08:36:00.001-05:00

Ask me anything http://formspring.me/BiffBuffalo

Green Lantern - exclusive trailer - ad

2011-07-05T19:31:00.001-05:00

Check out this exclusive trailer of Green Lantern! (and drink Lipton Brisk) (we had to say that) #buffalofilmfest

Hollywood's Female Hotties! The Early Years - ad

2011-07-04T10:02:00.001-05:00

Movie Quiz! Hollywood Hotties! Mmmm. what your fave female stars looked like when they were young? Take the quiz

Rosetta Stone - ad

2011-07-04T10:00:00.001-05:00

Hate Subtitles at The Buffalo Film Festival? Get Official Rosetta Stone® Complete Level 1-5 Only $159, Save 67%

Celebrity's Past Jobs! - ad

2011-06-27T09:47:00.001-05:00

Before they were famous! You won't believe some of the jobs some of today's top celebs had before they made it big!

Kimberly-Clark Cars 2 Online Rewards Promotion - ad

2011-06-27T09:45:00.001-05:00

Disney-Pixar Cars 2 in 3D! Stock up on #KCandCars2 essentials earn #Cars2 rewards A @BuffaloFilmFest choice! #wny

UPside Visa Prepaid Card - ad

2011-06-23T08:50:00.001-05:00

BIFF accepts: UPside Visa Prepaid Card: mobile banking, direct deposits, check writing & cash back points. Sign up

Like this Facebook Page to win Louis Vuitton Bag! - ad

2011-06-23T08:48:00.001-05:00

OMG!! Like this Facebook page to win a Louis Vuitton Bag!! They just gave a Chanel bag away http://lx.im/1deHy?v=Xo_g_q0FzH_gxj2m1dvG_MGiNEaEPMgty_KJraz1J1o

Are you really in Love? - ad

2011-06-15T10:18:00.001-05:00

How Science Works: Are you really in Love? Take this true love quiz and find out >>

Like this Facebook Page to win Louis Vuitton Bag! - ad

2011-06-15T09:55:00.001-05:00

Like this Facebook page to win a Louis Vuitton Bag to carry to Buffalo Film Fest! They just gave a Chanel bag away http://lx.im/1deHy?v=Xo_g_q0FzH_gxj2m1dvG_MGiNEaEPMgty_KJraz1J1o

The Ultimate Kissing Quiz - ad

2011-06-15T09:45:00.001-05:00

Kissing is great! It's done all over the world as a sign of love, but where did it start? Take the Ultimate Kissing

Can you name that Celebrity Tatoo? - ad

2011-06-07T16:17:00.001-05:00

Find out how much you know about celebrities and their ink by taking this quiz!

Top 10 things invented by Women! - ad

2011-06-07T16:14:00.001-05:00

Do you know what are the all-time Top Ten inventions by WOMEN? Find out on howstuffworks, and RT your friends >>

OpenSky - Where celebs and influencers curate deals - ad

2011-06-05T18:01:00.001-05:00

Want to know which Celeb like BIFF? Sign up 4 OpenSky where popular celebs curate the best daily deals just for U http://lx.im/1d3tD?v=a6lf3CmmU2uW6nZmBS7VWQJcmBvrcVGDjVdzfe2q67s

Stop losing things - ad

2011-06-05T17:59:00.001-05:00

Did you lose your all-Access Pass to BIFF? Tired of losing things? Make it easy to get them back with TurlyTag!

The Ultimate Harry Potter Quiz! - ad

2011-05-30T16:41:00.001-05:00

When the new Harry Potter opens @BuffaloFilmFest is there! RU wizard or muggle? Harry Potter quiz and find out

Ultimate Football Quiz - ad

2011-05-30T16:40:00.001-05:00

know who the NFL helmet rule was named after? Prove your knowledge of the game itself right here with this quiz

Top 10 Movies About Time Travel - ad

2011-05-30T16:38:00.001-05:00

Check out these great movies about time travel. How many of them have you seen?

Drink Drink Drink a LOT!!! - ad

2011-05-19T15:26:00.001-05:00

For Great Smiles at The Buffalo Film Fest The best beverage you can enjoy - plain tap water! Find out why >>

Shopping on Ebay has never been easier! - ad

2011-05-19T15:25:00.001-05:00

We filtered through millions of eBay auctions to find what you need! With Attagirl's Attic, shopping on eBay has ne

What is the best city in the US to live in? - ad

2011-05-18T14:50:00.001-05:00

Do you live in one of the top ten cities for families in the US? Click here and find out

DesignContest - ad

2011-05-18T14:48:00.001-05:00

Logo for Your Business Choose from 50 to 150 custom logos professionally done just for you. Risk Free at DesignCon

Win A Brand New 2012 Car Of Your Choice!! - ad

2011-05-17T13:00:00.001-05:00

OMG! You AND a #friend can #WIN A #CAR each Take this quiz sponsored by ChaCha! Help support @BuffaloFilmFest TKU.

formspring.me

2011-04-26T22:33:00.001-05:00

Ask me anything http://formspring.me/BiffBuffalo Mascot of The Buffalo International Film Festival.

Sports in the Movies!

2011-03-03T10:09:00.003-05:00

Are movies about sports as popular as attending sports events?

Buffalonians become morose if their team loses.

Maybe they should go to the movies more often.

New! Which March Movie do you want to see poll!

2011-03-03T10:05:00.003-05:00

We've just added a new poll to see which of the movies coming out this month, March 2011, our readers are most looking forward to.

Not sure what we'll do with the information, but if enough people start to answer, maybe we'll think of a contest and you can win a prize.

Or do you have another idea?

(In case you can't see it, the poll is on the right side of the blog at the top.)

Buffalo Film Festival - Animated Logo 2009 -

2009-06-18T22:01:00.004-05:00

Animation by Steve Kerr (Orchard Park, NY)
Sound Mix by Eastco: California Roads Studios (Orchard Park, NY)
Post Production by Postworks (NYC)
Produced by Edward Summer

Who is Al Boasberg Anyway?

2009-06-04T12:43:00.002-05:00

Al Boasberg was the greatest comedy writer of the 20th Century. Check him out... .

Buffalo Film Festival: 2009 is coming

2009-06-04T12:36:00.002-05:00

We're starting to announce portions of Buffalo Film Festival: 2009.

Check out the page.

Join the Group.

Bookmark it or sign up for updates!

Walt Disney Weekend in Buffalo, NY, USA

2009-02-01T19:29:00.002-05:00

A three-day celebration of the creation of Mickey Mouse in 1928 in Buffalo, NY, United States. Tours, Open-Houses, Restaurants, Screenings, Movie Palaces, Joy and Laughter.

Please join us!

Tickets on sale at Shea's Boxoffice, Main Street, Buffalo, NY and TicketMaster.

Walt Disney

2009-02-01T19:26:00.002-05:00

The things that we have in common far outnumber and outweigh those that divide us.
--WALT DISNEY

Walt Disney

2009-02-01T19:23:00.001-05:00

The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing. - Walt Disney, 1901-1966, American Film Producer/Director/Animator

Buffalo Movie Tour offered for Walt Disney Weekend on Sunday, April 5, 2009

2009-01-30T13:07:00.006-05:00

As part of the April 3-5, 2009 Walt Disney Weekend (featuring Mickey Mouse Movie Masterpieces), BIFF is offering the 4 hour version of The Buffalo Movie Tour guided by Chuck LaChiusa.

See! Where Robert Redford made The Natural

See! Where Burt Reynolds and Goldie Hawn smooched.

See! The site of the World's First Movie Theater

and more, more, more.

Make your reservations today!

Mickey Mouse Movie Masterpieces - April 4, 2009 - Tickets on Sale

2009-01-30T11:36:00.004-05:00

Don't miss this amazing, world-exclusive, once-in-a-lifetime charity benefit presented by The Buffalo International Film Festival, Shea's Performing Arts Center and The Walt Disney Company.

Three joyous and laugh filled events:

The Hand Behind the Mouse: The Ub Iwerks Story

Mickey's Birthday Celebration: The History of Mickey in 10 original Studio Archive prints

Walt Disney's Fantasia: the 1940 masterpiece

Tickets at Shea's Boxoffice or through TicketMaster.

More information at www.BuffaloFilmFestival.com

Mickey Mouse's Movie Masterpieces POSTPONED to 2009

2008-12-15T18:39:00.002-05:00

The Mickey Mouse Movie Masterpiece Celebration has been postponed until April 2008.

MICKEY MOUSE'S BIRTHDAY PARTY, A Celebration of Walt Disney at Shea's Buffalo, December 13, 2008

2008-11-20T11:58:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday, Mickey!

The Buffalo International Film Festival presents: MICKEY MOUSE'S BIRTHDAY PARTY, A Celebration of Walt Disney at Shea's Buffalo, December 13, 2008

Presented in Collaboration by Buffalo International Film Festival and Shea's through the courtesy of The Walt Disney Company

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, NOVEMBER 17, 2008

www.BuffaloFilmFestival.com

Buffalo, NY –The Buffalo International Film Festival and Shea's Performing Arts Center are proud to present MICKEY MOUSE'S BIRTHDAY PARTY, three separate and unique screenings celebrating Walt Disney and The 80th Birthday of Mickey Mouse, the most timeless character of world cinema, on SATURDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2008 at Shea's Buffalo Theater. This is a benefit for many local children's charities, Shea's restoration efforts and BIFF.

On November 18, 1928, the first Mickey Mouse cartoon with sound, Steamboat Willie, premiered in New York City. The world was never the same again. A tiny, singing, dancing mouse went on to become the most enduring and beloved movie character of all time: a timeless, ageless being. As Walt Disney himself said, "It all started with a mouse."

This extraordinary event is unique in the whole world and will never be repeated. It is the only authorized Birthday Party for this wonderful occasion. Shea's and BIFF are thrilled to bring it exclusively to the residents of Western New York. Anyone within walking, running, driving, or flying distance should get themselves there!

TRIBUTES

Together, the screenings will tell the story of how Walt Disney and his partner Ub Iwerks were facing bankruptcy when their successful character Oswald the Rabbit was taken away from them. In a moment of inspiration, followed by desperate labor, Mickey Mouse was born and serendipitously found his voice at the same time.

Mickey's Birthday Party will also pay tribute to Ralph Kent (aka Kwiatkowski), a Buffalo, NY boy who became "The Keeper of the Mouse," the studio's official artist for likenesses of Mickey.

The event will also include the history of Pat Powers, a Buffalo native, who provided Powers Cinephone to the Disney Brothers and made Mickey's "talking" debut possible.

The Program Book includes special messages to Buffalo, NY from Leonard Maltin (the host of all the Walt Disney Treasures DVD Sets and Entertainment Tonight's film critic), Brad Bird (Pixar's Director of Ratatouille and The Incredibles), Don Hahn (Producer of Fantasia 2000 and Beauty and The Beast), John Canemaker (Academy-Award Winning Author of many Disney books), and Maurice Sendak (author of Where the Wild Things Are, and the best-known living, children's book author in the world).

Mr. Sendak, it is worth noting, was born the same year as Mickey, 1928, and considers him his hero. He has also visited Buffalo, NY in the past and thinks it is one of the most beautiful cities in the country.

GUESTS

Mike Iwerks of Disney Imagineering and great-grandson of Ub Iwerks, the man who drew the very first Mickey Mouse cartoons, will introduce The Hand Behind the Mouse, a documentary made by his cousin Leslie Iwerks as a tribute to Ub and Walt.

J.B. Kaufman, author of Walt in Wonderland, Walt Disney's Silly Symphonys, Walt in South America and a forthcoming book on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, is a film historian on the staff of the Walt Disney Family Foundation who is working on the new Disney Family Museum which will open in 2009. Mr. Kaufman is also an expert on early Mickey Mouse.

Edward Summer wrote screenplays for Mickey Mouse at The Walt Disney Company. He is also President of The Buffalo International Film Festival.

All three will introduce the screenings and, at the 2:30 show, explain the significance of each of the wonderful short films in the program. There will be "Talk-Back" sessions after each screening in The Smith Theater adjacent to the Shea's.

THE FILMS

The dozen films to be shown -- which include Steamboat Willie (1928) and Walt Disney's Fantasia (1940) -- are extremely rare 35mm prints directly from the Disney Archive. There will be three separate movie screenings of completely different film programs on the huge Shea's screen using authentic carbon-arc projection just as the films would have been shown 80 years ago. Those who have seen some of these films on television will be astounded at how they look -- huge -- as they were meant to be seen. The two silent films, Alice's Wild West Show (1924) and Oswald the Rabbit in "All Wet" (1927), will be accompanied live on the Shea's Mighty Wurlitzer Organ. A complete list is below.

SCHEDULE, Saturday, December 13, 2008

10:30 A.M. THE HAND BEHIND THE MOUSE
Introduced by Mike Iwerks of Disney Imagineering and also Ub Iwerk's great-grandson,

this award-winning feature-length documentary tells the story of Ub Iwerks, who designed Mickey Mouse in collaboration with Walt Disney who was his hometown friend. The screening also includes: The Skeleton Dance (1929) (the first Silly Symphony cartoon) and Jack Frost (1934), (a rare, CineColor, Iwerks/Powers cartoon supplied by the Academy Archive). All are 35mm prints.

2:30 p.m. MICKEY MOUSE'S BIRTHDAY PARTY, Featuring 10 ORIGINAL Mickey Mouse cartoons in 35mm prints direct from the "Disney Vault."

Introduced by J.B. Kaufman, Historian, Walt Disney Family Museum and Edward Summer, Mickey Mouse Screenwriter.

ALICE'S WILD WEST SHOW (1924) with Live Wurlitzer Organ!

OSWALD THE RABBIT: ALL WET (1927) with Live Wurlitzer Organ!

PLANE CRAZY (1928) – The First Mickey Cartoon animated almost single-handed by Ub Iwerks, but not released until after Steamboat Willie.

GALLOPIN' GAUCHO (1928), the 2nd Mickey cartoon (also released after Steamboat Willie).

STEAMBOAT WILLIE (1928) The first Sound Cartoon featuring Mickey and his public debut.

MICKEY'S GALA PREMIER (1933)

THE BAND CONCERT (1935) – The First Technicolor Mickey

BRAVE LITTLE TAILOR (1938)

THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE (1940) from Fantasia

THE BIRTHDAY PARTY (1931)

6:30 P.M. WALT DISNEY'S FANTASIA (1940)

The original, uncut Roadshow Version unseen in any theater since 1990.

Introduced by J.B. Kaufman, Historian, Walt Disney Family Museum
and Edward Summer, Mickey Mouse Screenwriter.

Guests include J.B. Kaufman, Mike Iwerks and Edward Summer.

Sponsors include: Villa Maria College Animation Program, Drama Lighting, The Mansion on Delaware, Semanchin and Wetter, ScottAlexanderWood Design, Steven Kerr Design

Prices are: $20 adult; $15 student (with ID) $10 children 12 and under) for Fantasia and the Birthday Party. The Hand Behind the Mouse is $5.00 for all seats. Special combination tickets for admission to all afternoon events are $35 adult, $25 student, $15 children. VIP Tickets, which include special "Talk Back" sessions with the Disney guests, All-Day passes, and reserved seating, are $75.

Tickets are on sale now and are available by calling Ticketmaster at (716) 852-5000, online at www.ticketmaster.com and at Shea's Ticket Office, 650 Main Street. For information, go to www.sheas.org , www.BuffaloFilmFestival.com or call 847-0850.

Buffalo International Film Festival Launches Google Campaign to Promote Western NY Media Jobs

2008-10-31T11:33:00.005-05:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 31, 2008

Buffalo International Film Festival Launches Google Campaign to Promote Western NY Media Jobs

Buffalo, New York

The Buffalo International Film Festival has launched an international, internet advertising campaign using its Google Grant to promote the media talent pool in Buffalo and Western New York.

In the last 7 days alone, more than 67,000 advertisements for the Western New York and Buffalo Film and Video Industry were displayed worldwide. That breaks down to about 7 ads a minute, 24 hours a day.

"The best way to grow Media Production in the Western New York Region is to make international film and video producers aware of the talented individuals in this region," said Edward Summer, President of Buffalo International Film Festival, Inc. (BIFF). "We have worked locally with talented artists, camera people, producers, directors, and more, but as far as the rest of the world is concerned they barely exist. We want to change that by attracting international attention."

"The corollary to this, of course," Summer continued, "is for the local professional community to join together and cooperate in presenting themselves as a friendly, coordinated talent pool."

The Google Grant program provides special search-based advertising (through Google AdWords) that appear when people all over the world do Google searches. A recipient of a 2008 Google Grant Award, BIFF is using the grant to promote their screenings and other not-for-profit activities in more than 125 countries.

BIFF is also collecting information for a local database of media professionals. The entry page is available here: http://www.buffalofilmfestival.com/links/buffalofilmproregistry.html
Any working professional may submit their information which will be collected for a future directory.

Mr. Summer, who has worked with extremely talented individuals in many aspects of the Motion Picture and Entertainment industries, said that "You cannot underestimate the importance of a coordinated directory of local talent -- grips, stylists, photographers, sound, assistant directors, and more -- as well as production and post-production facilities that are modern, accessible and affordable to a producer coming into an area to shoot a film. There is no question about the value of a cooperative, supportive, local film community."

Buffalo International Film Festival is a 501c3 not-for-profit charity organized to present the accomplishments of the world's film community and their relationship to the Western New York region. It has produced more than 25 events in 2008. BIFF depends upon contributions and other forms of public support.

Buffalo International Film Festival, Inc. is a recipient of a Google Grant award.

2008-10-09T04:00:00.001-05:00

Buffalo International Film Festival, Inc. is a recipient of a Google Grant award.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 29, 2008

.
Buffalo, New York, United States Buffalo International Film Festival, Inc. is pleased to announce that it is a recipient of a Google Grant award. The Google Grants program supports organizations sharing Google's philosophy of community service to help the world in areas such as science and technology, education, global public health, the environment, youth advocacy, and the arts.

Designed for 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations, Google Grants is a unique in-kind advertising program harnessing the power of Google AdWords advertising product. Google Grants has awarded AdWords advertising to hundreds of non-profit groups whose missions range from animal welfare to literacy, from supporting homeless children to promoting HIV education.

Buffalo International Film Festival's not-for-profit activities include:

The Buffalo Film Festival, a soon-to-be-yearly event showcasing the creation of the world's filmmakers

The Buffalo Film Society, a membership organization which presents special film and video programming in the Western New York Region including screenings, speakers, and other educational events

The New York State Movie Theater Corridor, an international tourist initiative to call attention to the fact that New York State was the "Birthplace of the Movie Theater" (tm). It is because of the theaters started by Mitchel and Moe Mark in Buffalo on October 19, 1896 and in New York City on April 1914 which were, respectively, the first architecturally designed movie theater in the world and the first million-dollar Movie Palace in history. The first phase of this program follows the route of the historic Erie Canal.

How Science Works: The Film and Video Competition, a yearly international event awarding prizes for the best films an videos explaining the scientific method

The Movie Hall of Fame (tm), an activity highlighting the history of the Motion Picture Theater throughout the world

In 2008, BIFF arranged the screening of 23 feature length motion pictures including two regional premieres of important documentary films. These screenings were held at various WNY venues in order to involve the entire community. There are two additional special events planned for December 2008 which will be announced soon.

In September of 2008 Google awarded Buffalo International Film Festival, Inc. (BIFF) a grant for free AdWords Advertising on Google.com.Buffalo International Film Festival's ads are displayed when users search Google for relevant keywords, and when people click on the ad, they are taken to BIFF's homepage. Google's contribution has significantly increased the number of visitors to The Buffalo Film Festival'ss site and has helped spread BIFF's message of Improving international cooperation through the worldwide sharing of Film and Video to the public.

Buffalo International Film Festival, Inc. is a 501c3, not for profit charity which serves the community through its activities in support of the world film and video production communities in general and their particular origin in or impact on the Western New York Community. BIFF is supported by donations from the public at large and corporate contributions.

# # #

112th Birthday Party for The Mark Brothers' Vitascope Theatre, World's First Movie Theater, Buffalo, NY, USA on October 18, 2008 1-2PM

2008-10-09T03:31:00.000-05:00

112th Birthday Party for The Mark Brothers' Vitascope Theatre, World's First Movie Theater, Buffalo, NY, USA on October 18, 2008 1-2PM

Buffalo, New York, United States The opening of The Vitascope Theater in 1896 by the brothers MItchell and Moe Mark will be celebrated on Saturday, October 18, 2008 at The Ellicott Square Building, 295 Main St., Buffalo, New York, 14203. The Vitascope Birthday Party is open to the public and is hosted by the Buffalo Film Festival and Ellicott Development Company.

The Vitascope Theatre is believed by noted authorities to be the first architecturally-designed, purpose-built Movie Theater in the world.

112 years ago, on Sunday, October 18, 2008, the Mark Brothers previewed their brand-new, architect-designed theater for the select residents and The Press of turn-of-the-century Buffalo. The theater opened to the public the following day, October 19, 1896

Only recently "re-discovered" through the scholarship of Ranjit Sandhu and "revealed" in 2007 by The Buffalo International Film Festival, The Vitascope Theater and the brothers Mitchell and Moe Mark -- long forgotten -- are an unexpected major addition to the history of world cinema. Scholars were stunned when a photograph of the entranceway of the theater taken in 1896 was discovered. It is likely to be the earliest such photograph of an actual Edisonia Parlor and Theater in existence. Mark Sommer of The Buffalo News broke the story to the Associated Press on November 25, 2007.

Although motion pictures had been shown in other cities including New York and New Orleans earlier than this event, all of the previous venues had been existing theaters, music halls, or storefronts (that had their windows painted black to make the room dark). The genius of Mitchell and Moe Mark was their vision of a beautifully designed theater constructed exclusively to show the brand-new sensation: Moving Pictures. They had operated a phonograph parlor, then a kinetoscope (a device where the viewer peeked into a machine where the movies were visible) parlor on Main Street in Buffalo starting in 1894. When Thomas Edison made a small number of Vitascope Projectors available for sale in April 1896, the Marks snapped one up and eventually hired an architect to design the theater that would hold it. Allowing for the time necessary to design the theater, draw the blueprints by hand (no computers back then!), and to do the actual construction of the exquisite little 72-seat theater, they must have started work no later than June or July of 1896.

The Ellicott Square Building, completed May 30, 1896, was, at that time, the largest, finest and most complete office building in world. Designed by world-famous Daniel Burnham of Chicago, Ellicott Square had its own electrical and steam generators as well as an advanced air-filtration system. It is highly likely that Burnham and/or his company drew up the designs for the Vitascope Theater.

The Buffalo Express of Sunday, 18 October 1896 noted:

"There's a theater in Ellicott Square now - a new Bijou theater, beautifully decorated in white and gold, with an inclined floor carpeted in Wilton velvet, nine rows of luxurious orchestra chairs arranged in sets of four on either side of the central aisle-72 in all - a handsome stage with an elaborate proscenium arch, lavishly carved and daintily decorated, rich maroon plush hangings, incandescent electric lights flooding the place with radiance, perfect ventilation and all the other accessories of a delightful place of entertainment.

This is Vitascope Hall, the new auditorium fitted up as a suitable place for the proper display of the marvelous possibilities of Edison's wonder worker - the perfected Vitascope.

Beginning tomorrow hourly exhibitions will be given in Vitascope Hall, beginning at 10 a. m. and ending at 11.30 p. m., with weekly change of programme. The advertising columns of the papers will tell what to expect.

In connection with Vitascope Hall, and serving as a vestibule thereto, is the new Edisonia exhibition quarters at No. 305 Main Street, Ellicott Square."

More remarkable is the Buffalo Express article of 7 November 1897 which tells us that Mitchell Mark has decided to keep the theater open on Sundays because "he has had over 200,000 visitors in the last year!"

On opening night audiences were treated to: the Garden of the Tuilleries, Paris, the coronation of the Czar, the Dance of the Roses, bonfire in a hay field, street scene in Moscow, view of the Bois de Boulogne, Co.. Waring's White Wings on parade, two negroes in a watermelon-eating contest, corner of 14th Street and Broadway, New-York, serpentine dance and many others. It's important to note that the majority of these films (which ran less than 30 seconds each) were not produced by Thomas Edison's company, but rather by The Lumiere Brothers of Paris, France and distributed in the United States by the Pathe Brothers with whom Mitchell and Moe Mark were reported to have had one of the earliest American distribution arrangements.

By 1914, the Mark Brothers were the richest theater operators in America and, perhaps, the world: They spent one million dollars to open the archetypical movie palace, The Mark-Strand, at 47th Street and Broadway. Long acknowledged by historians as the very first movie palace, The Mark-Strand was even hailed by the New York Times: "if anyone had told me two years ago that the time would come when the finest-looking people in town would be going to the biggest and newest theatre on Broadway for the purpose of seeing motion pictures I would have sent them down to visit my friend, Dr. Minas Gregory at Bellevue Hospital. The doctor runs the city's bughouse, you know."

Even Cecil B. DeMille's autobiography acknowledges that Mitchell Mark, just before his death in 1917, was one of the two most powerful theater owners in the world. The theater chain founded by the Marks was eventually divided between the Warner Brothers and the Stanley movie chain and become the basis of the RKO-Stanley-Warner Theaters which existed well into the 1970s.

The Honorable Byron Brown, Mayor of Buffalo, NY has issued a proclamation honoring the Mark Brothers and The Vitascope Theater.

Edward Summer, director of The Buffalo Film Festival hopes that "the birthday celebration of the amazing Vitascope Theater and the Mark brothers who built it will become a yearly event. In the coming years, we hope to add to the event with screenings of 1896 films using a real Vitascope, and, ultimately, to reconstruct the actual theater in the still-existing space in Ellicott Square."

A special commemorative poster is being produced by Scott Alexander Wood. It will be available at the birthday party and on-line at www.BuffaloFilmFestival.com. A graphic is available for publication.

The event is co-sponsored by: The Buffalo Film Festival, The Buffalo Film Society, Scott Alexander Wood Designs, Buffalo Tours, Ellicott Development Corporation, Avenue Art & Design, New York State Movie Theater Corridor,

Mr. Wood, Mr. Sandhu, and Mr. Summer are available for phone interviews by appointment.

The Buffalo Film Festival is an activity of Buffalo International Film Festival, Inc. a 501c3 not-for-profit charity, which depends upon donations and support from the general public and private corporations.

World's First Movie Theater in Buffalo: recognized by Buffalo News

2007-11-25T10:41:00.001-05:00

The nation’s first motion picture theater may have been in Ellicott Square

The first public movie theater? Yeah, it was probably in Buffalo

By Mark Sommer NEWS STAFF REPORTER Updated: 11/25/07 8:47 AM

Buffalo lays claim to the air conditioner, grain elevator, windshield wiper and pacemaker. It may be time to add another: The first motion picture theater.

Mitchell Mark and his younger brother, Moe, opened Vitascope Hall in the basement of Ellicott Square in October 1896. Moviegoers entered through the Marks’ first-floor Edisonia Phonograph Parlor, an early penny arcade using inventions of Thomas Alva Edison’s factory.

“This is one of those very hazy areas of theater history. Really, no one can say with any certainty what was the very first purpose-built movie theater,” said Karen Colizzi Noonan, president of the Theatre Historical Society in Elmhurst, Ill., which records and preserves the history of America’s theaters.

“Given the date, it is more than probable that this one was the first in the U.S. We have no evidence of any earlier movie theater.”

Craig Morrison, a theater historian and author of the 2005 compendium “Theaters,” also said it’s plausible.

“It was incredibly early for someone to have the idea of a stand-alone piece of entertainment, but there it is in the paper,” Morrison said, referring to newspaper clippings at the time.

The research is the result of efforts by local movie buffs, including Edward Summer, president of Buffalo International Film Festival, and Ranjit Sandhu, a former Buffalonian and author of the forthcoming book, “Buffalo: The Birthplace of the Movie Theater.”

The rediscovery of Vitascope Hall also underscores the more than a dozen early movie theaters from Buffalo’s past that still remain. Only Shea’s Performing Arts Center, the 1926 movie palace, is still a theater.

Heather Sabin, Academy Awards archivist in Los Angeles, thinks Buffalo should capitalize on this forgotten history.

“You have such an opportunity to say movie theaters as we know them really were born in Buffalo, and to then be able to point to a handful of them, still standing, and hopefully one day restored,” Sabin said.

Summer recently found evidence of Vitascope Hall in a scrapbook belonging to the building’s owner, developer Carl Paladino. A photo of the building with the Edisonia entrance also hung on the wall.

The theater is believed to have been located in what’s now a carpenter’s shop under Crinzi & Gullo Jewelers reachable by a spiral staircase.

Paladino said there are plans to install a window display in the building’s atrium commemorating the Mark brothers and their groundbreaking theater, with artifacts and possibly a computer-aided diagram of what the theater looked like. He also wants to erect a plaque outside the building.

“It was pretty cool finding out,” Paladino said. “I thought [Summer] was nuts when he first came in, but when we went through the old scrapbooks he found the picture of the theater, and articles from that era.”

The Vitascope, an early film projector, made its debut in April 1894 at the Cotton States Exposition in Atlanta.

The inventors had a falling out, and sold the rights to Edison, who insisted on being credited with the invention and that it be renamed the “Vitascope.” Its first commercial screening was in April 1896.

First films were short

The short films, often under a minute long, were shown mainly as traveling-show novelties or add-on attractions at vaudeville theaters before Vitascope Hall opened.

The Mark brothers had grown up in Richmond, Va., and were haberdashers before getting into the theater business. With Rudolph Wagner, a former Edison employee, they opened Edisonia Phonograph Parlor and hired an architect and designer for Vitascope Hall.

“They built a beautiful theater exclusively for the purpose of showing motion pictures. That had never existed before,” Summer said.

One month after the Vitascope was introduced, a New Orleans entrepreneur rented a store, painted the windows black, hung a sheet, laid out chairs and ran movies for a short period. A theater opened in Toronto the same year. But the Vitascope appears to have been the first space constructed to be a movie theater.

The first 12 months were a banner year for Vitascope Hall, according to a Buffalo Express article in which Mitchell Mark claimed some 200,000 ticketbuyers had attended the small theater. He announced it was going to be open seven days a week to meet the demand.

With just 72 seats, that would have required almost 2,800 sell-outs, but the continuous operation and short running times of the programs — each package of films lasted under an hour — made it possible.

10 cents admission

Here’s what the Illustrated Buffalo Express wrote about Vitascope Hall, also referred to at the time as the Vitascope Theatre and the Electric Theatre, on Oct. 18, 1896:

“There’s a theater in Ellicott Square now — a new Bijou theater, beautifully decorated in white and gold, with an inclined floor carpeted in Wilton velvet, nine rows of luxurious orchestra chairs arranged in sets of four on either side of the central aisle — 72 in all — a handsome stage with an elaborate proscenium arch, lavishly carved and daintily decorated, rich maroon plush hangings, incandescent electric lights flooding the place with radiance, perfect ventilation . . .”
The cost of admission was 10 cents, and the films — American and French — changed Sundays and Thursdays.

“This miniature theater is one of the prettiest places in Buffalo,” a press release printed in the Buffalo Express said in proclaiming the theater’s opening.

The Mark brothers went on to become movie theater impresarios, opening more and bigger theaters in Buffalo as projection technology improved. In 1914, they opened the first $1 million movie house, the Mark Strand Theater, on New York’s 47th Street and Broadway.

The Academy Awards’ Sabin was among 15 members of the Association of Moving Image Archivists who visited Buffalo on a daylong tour in September. They saw the 1910 Savoy Theatre, William and Krettner streets, the 1914 terra-cotta Sattler Theatre, 516 Broadway, and the former Regent Theater on 1365 Main St., also built by the Mark brothers and now Bethesda World Harvest Church. Sabin was blown away.

“As someone living in the town that tore down [classic theaters], it just amazes me to see theaters from the early 1900s still standing in Buffalo,” Sabin said.

Sandhu has long marveled at the sheer number of early, hard-to-detect theaters in Buffalo, while at the same time lamenting their decline.

“There are a lot of cities that may have had comparatively as many movie theaters as Buffalo did, but what’s amazing about Buffalo is that so much is still here. You can look at theaters from the turn of the century to the ’30s that are still standing,” Sandhu said.

A visionary

Buffalo’s theater sleuths want the movie world to recognize the trail to Hollywood ran through Buffalo.

“It is clear that Mitchell Mark of Buffalo, New York, was the great visionary of the future of the motion picture theater. He had this sparkling, clear picture in his mind of the potential of exhibiting movies in a beautiful place that would draw huge numbers of people in a way that was undreamed of, and the facts bear that out,” Summer said.

“The vision of the movie theater as an extraordinary and special place came from that Vitascope theater in Ellicott Square.”

Recognizing UNESCO's First World Audiovisual Heritage Day

2007-10-28T12:07:00.000-05:00

PROCLAMATION

Recognizing UNESCO's First World Audiovisual Heritage Day

Whereas: Buffalo, New York is unique in the world in the history of Motion Picture Theaters for the number of theaters that survive from 1896, 1908, 1910, 1919 and many other years; and

Whereas: Mitchell Mark (1868-1918) of Buffalo was the visionary who founded the Vitascope Theater on October 19, 1896 at the Ellicott Square Building, the Vitascope Theater being probably the first true motion picture theater in the world; and

Whereas: The Regent Theater, built in 1910 still survives as the Bethesda International World Harvest Church; and

Whereas: In 1952, the American Optical Company of Buffalo under contract to Mike Todd developed the camera and projectors for the unique and influential TODD-AO 70mm motion picture process, used for "Around the World in 80 Days" and "Oklahoma" among other films; and

Whereas: Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein II witnessed the first test demonstrations of this process in August 1953 at The Regent Theater in Buffalo leading to the adoption of TODD-AO as the method for filming "Oklahoma;" and

Whereas: The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has proclaimed October 27th as World Day for Audiovisual Heritage, which will be celebrated for the first time on October 27, 2007; and

Whereas: UNESCO's stated concern is that much of the world’s 20th century audiovisual heritage is now lost, and much more is slipping beyond recovery because of neglect, natural decay and technological obsolescence; and

Whereas: The Main objectives of the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage are to:

Raise public awareness of the need to preserve our Audiovisual Heritage;
Provide opportunities to celebrate specific local, national or international aspects of this Heritage;
Highlight the accessibility of Audiovisual archives;
Attract media attention to Audiovisual Heritage issues;
Raise the cultural status of our Audiovisual Heritage; and
Highlight Audiovisual Heritage in danger, especially in developing countries.

Now Therefore Be It Resolved

That the Mayor hereby recognizes the City of Buffalo’s contribution to audiovisual history and will annually recognize October 27th as the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage and commends to the citizens of Buffalo and its surrounding cities, towns and villages the observation thereof.

The Honorable Byron Brown, Mayor

Buffalo Common Council Resolution Adopted October 16, 2007

2007-10-28T12:04:00.000-05:00

Buffalo Common Council Resolution Adopted October 16, 2007

Mr. Franczyk, Mr. Golombek

Recognizing UNESCO's First World Audiovisual Heritage Day

Whereas: Buffalo, New York is unique in the world in the history of Motion Picture Theaters, for the number of theaters that survive from 1896, 1908, 1910, 1919 and other years; and

Whereas: Mitchell Mark (1868-1918) of Buffalo was the visionary who founded the Vitascope Theater on October 19, 1896 at the EIlicott Square Building, the Vitascope Theater being probably the first true motion picture theater in the world; and

Whereas: The Regent Theater, built in 1910 still survives as the Bethesda
International World Harvest Church; and

Whereas: In 1952, the American Optical Company of Buffalo under contract to Mike Todd developed the camera and projectors for the unique and influential TODD-AO 70mm motion picture process, used for "Around the World in 80 days" and "Oklahoma" among other films; and

Whereas: Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein II witnessed the first test demonstrations of this process in August 1953 at the Regent Theater in Buffalo leading to the adoption of TODD-AO as the method for filming "Oklahoma"; and

Whereas: The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has proclaimed October 27th as World Day for Audiovisual Heritage, which will be celebrated for the first time on October 27, 2007; and

Whereas: UNESCO's stated concern is that much of the world's 20th century audiovisual heritage is now lost, and much more is slipping beyond recovery because of neglect, natural decay and technological obsolescence; and

Whereas: The Main objectives of the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage are
to:
• raise public awareness of the need to preserve our Audiovisual Heritage;• provide opportunities to celebrate specific local, national or international aspects of this Heritage;
• highlight the accessibility of Audiovisual archives;• attract media attention to Audiovisual Heritage issues;
• raise the cultural status of the Audiovisual Heritage;
•highlight Audiovisual Heritage in danger, especial y n developing countries; and

Now Therefore Be It Resolved

That the Buffalo Common Council hereby recognizes the City of Buffalo's contribution to audiovisual history and recognizes October 27th as the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage.

ADOPTED

BUFFALO, NEW YORK CELEBRATES 111th BIRTHDAY OF WORLD'S FIRST MOVIE THEATER

2007-10-28T12:01:00.000-05:00

October 16, 2007

BUFFALO, NEW YORK, USA. October 19, 2007 is the 111th anniversary of the opening of the first permanent, purpose-built movie theater in the world: the Vitascope Hall which opened on Monday, October 19, 1896 in the Ellicott Square Building on Main Street. It was the brainchild of Mitchell H. Mark, the supreme visionary of the future of motion picture theaters. Mark, a Buffalo-based entrepreneur, together with his brother Moe, would open numerous theaters in Buffalo, New York City, Boston and elsewhere including history's first true "Movie Palace," the Mark Strand Theater.

The Buffalo International Film Festival, a 501c3 nonprofit charity, would be pleased to see the Vitascope Hall recognized for its place in history, celebrated and ultimately recreated.

Entered through a storefront seen in a newly found photograph of the Ellicott Square Building, the Vitascope Hall, probably located in the basement, thrilled, amazed and confounded audiences with its presentations of a series of brief scenes of about a minute each. Having only seen tiny "peep-show" movies, few people of the time had ever before been able to conceive the idea of larger-than-life moving images, let alone see them. Before Vitascope Hall, projected movies, a brand-new invention, had only been shown as traveling novelties in lecture halls or as attractions at vaudeville theaters. Never before had a structure been conceived by an architect and interior designer and built, from scratch, for the sole purpose of showing movies. From these auspicious beginnings, Mitchell Mark would in less than 20 years graduate to building the world's first movie palace, the million-dollar, 1914 Strand Theater in New York City.

An article from November 1897 found only weeks ago in the collection of Carl Paladino at the Ellicott Square Building quotes Mark as saying that in the first year of operation, the 72 seat theater had seen 200,000 visitors! This caused the Mark Brothers to keep their theater open 13 hours a day, seven days a week. Mr. Paladino has kindly made his resources available in the quest for this remarkable first movie theater.

The Mark Brothers had begun their career as hatters on Seneca Street in downtown Buffalo. When a California-bound friend needed to sell his Edison phonographs, the Marks purchased them and opened a penny-arcade called the Edisonia Phonograph Parlors at 378 Main Street in 1894 under license to Thomas Edison. Early the following year they installed Edison's new novelty, the Kinetoscope, an early peep-show movie device.

By 1896 the Marks moved their establishment to a storefront in the new Ellicott Square, which was at the time the world's largest office building. Barely six months after Edison unveiled large-screen movies at Koster & Bial's Music Hall in New York City, the Marks augmented their Edisonia Parlors with the Vitascope Hall, a 72-seat cinema, described by the Buffalo Express as "beautifully decorated in white and gold, with an inclined floor carpeted in Wilton velvet," and having "a handsome stage with an elaborate proscenium arch, lavishly carved and daintily decorated, rich maroon plush hangings, incandescent electric lights flooding the place with radiance, perfect ventilation and all the other accessories of a delightful place of entertainment." Mitchell Mark was apparently the first person in the United States to contract with the famous Lumière and Pathé Brothers in France to show their movies in this country. Thus, the opening night of the Vitascope Hall may well have included the US premières of the films of the Lumière Frères.

After opening the Empire Theater just down Main Street in 1898 and running the Mutoscope concession at the Pan-American Exposition in 1901, the Mark Brothers expanded their operation to New York City where they opened a huge amusement arcade called Automatic Vaudeville. Among those partnering on this venture was a furrier by the name of Adolph Zukor, who realized enough profits from the operation that he pioneered in movie production and went on to co-found Paramount Pictures. Another furrier acquaintance, Marcus Loew, was also excited by the business and, after partnering for a short while, struck out on his own with production ventures and eventually helped found the Loew's Theater chain and Metro Pictures, the precursor to MGM. Back in Buffalo the Mark Brothers opened the People's Arcade at 263 Main and the Edisonia Penny Arcade at 475 Main. They began to open larger movie theaters with the Victoria at 284 West Ferry Street in 1910. That same year they purchased, rebuilt and reopened the Academy Theater at 247 Main as a vaudeville house, opened the Family Theater (converted from the Buffalo Savings Bank) at 441 Broadway as a combination vaudeville/movie house, and then in 1912 Mitchell began work on a 1200-seat movie theater called the Strand at 355 Main and also rebuilt the 1500-seat Lyric Theater at 449 Broadwayas a vaudeville house.

They also built the Regent Theater (still standing) at 1365 Main and the New Victoria Theater at 309 West Ferry. The Regent Theater was where, in 1953, TODD-AO was pioneered by Mike Todd and Buffalo's American Optical Company.

With every venture profitable, the Mark Brothers and their partners planned a 2800-seat theater in Manhattan, which they would call The Strand, a name to which Mitchell Mark had won exclusive US rights. The Strand, the first elaborate theater built for movies only and without a stage, opened in 1914 and was a raging success. It led the movement to build movie palaces in every city in the US. To manage the Strand, Mitchell Mark hired Samuel L. "Roxy" Rothapfel, later to become Broadway's premier movie showman who built Radio City Music Hall. Mitchell Mark died suddenly of blood poisoning on March 20, 1918, but his brother Moe carried on and became an executive with the Stanley Theater chain and then First National. He died on November 3, 1932.

The Buffalo International Film Festival recognizes the seminal importance of the pioneering ventures of Mitchell and Moe Mark in inventing the movie theater and in converting movies from a disreputable low-class amusement into a respected medium.

Buffalo International Film Festival, Inc. is a 501c3 not for profit charity founded to emphasize the extraordinary cultural, artistic and scientific contributions of the Western New York region through the medium of world cinema.

First Motion PIcture Tour of Buffalo, New York Big Success!

2007-10-28T11:48:00.000-05:00

October 13, 2007

First Motion PIcture Tour of Buffalo, New York Big Success!

BUFFALO, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES The first ever tour of Buffalo, New York's fabulous motion picture-related history was sponsored by the Buffalo International Film Festival on Saturday, September 29, 2007.

Twenty members of the Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA) from all over the U.S. and the UK were guided to numerous historic sites in the city, such as the site of Edisonia Hall and the Vitascope Theatre (the world's first purpose-built Motion Picture Theater, opened in the Ellicott Square Building in October, 1896, by Mitchell Mark, Buffalo's true movie theater visionary) and the Regent Theater (1914, now Bethesda World Harvest Church) which is the birthplace of TODD-AO.

Martin Wachadlo, author of Oakland Place: Gracious Living in Buffalo, was the entertaining and engaging docent for this unique, long-needed tour. He supplied remarkable building-by-building facts and insight.

Belonging to diverse, illustrious organizations such as the Library of Congress, the National Archives (NARA), the BBC, the Academy Award Archives, and the UCLA Film Archive, these highly skilled and prominent archivists were astonished at the sheer diversity of architecture in the city. Beyond such masterpieces as the Guarantee Building and the Darwin Martin House, the number of early Twentieth Century Movie Theaters that still stand is unique in the world. These include The Michigan (1910), The Savoy (1911), and The Sattler (1914, on the foundation of a 1900 theater). Although in need of restoration, the theaters – once attended by Mary Talbert of NAACP fame – still glow with beautiful terra cotta decorations. One member of the tour remarked that, in Hollywood, no movie houses before 1920 even exist! This makes Buffalo truly unique in having preserved a fabulous "Time Machine" peek into the past.

Mitchell Mark, the genius who foresaw the rise of the movies and constructed the quintessential theaters in which to view them, opened Vitascope Theater as part of his Edisonia Hall barely six months after Thomas Edison premiered the Vitascope Projector in April, 1896, at Koster & Bial's Music Hall in New York City (on the site where Macy's now stands). Mark was responsible for bringing Marcus Loew (of Loew's Theaters), Adolph Zukor (co-founder of Paramount Pictures), and Roxy (the flamboyant movie theater showman of Broadway) into the motion picture business. Mark was also, apparently, the first individual to distribute Lumiere / Pathe films in the United States circa 1895. This may mean that the first film show at the Vitascope Hall was one of the premieres of the Lumiere Brothers' films in America.

A highlight of the tour was a visit to The Regent Theater (1914) at Main and Utica. Now Bethesda World Harvest International Church, this beautifully remodeled building still preserves many of the architectural features of the original movie house, used by Buffalo's American Optical Company to test the revolutionary 30 frame per second 70mm TODD-AO camera/projection system commissioned by mogul Mike Todd for his movie Around the World in 80 Days, starring David Niven and Frank Sinatra. Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II were flown to Buffalo in 1953 to see a demonstration, which influenced them to give their permission to make Oklahoma into a film using TODD-AO.

Buffalo was also an important Motion Picture Exchange from the turn of the Twentieth Century through the 1960s. Film Exchanges handled and shipped the 35mm prints of all the newest motion pictures and made sure that theaters from Syracuse to Cleveland, and from Erie to Toronto, had them on time and in perfect condition for each evening's programming. Pathe, Vitascope, Warner Brothers, MGM, Paramount and Universal all had offices in Buffalo along Franklin and Pearl Streets starting as early as 1906. Mr. Wachadlo pointed out nearly a dozen of them still standing, although now used for other purposes. The Warner Brothers' building on Franklin is now a restaurant.

The positive response to this unique tour will be an inspiration for future tours that will expand and enrich the international appreciation of Buffalo as a unique site of Motion Picture history.

Richard Baer of Baer & Associates funded the tour, with the help of Nancy Eckerson, a writer from Akron, NY. Other organizers were Marti Gorman of Buffalo Heritage Press and Chuck LaChiusa of the Buffalo Architecture & History website (ah.bfn.org). Transportation was provided by Gray Line of Niagara Falls.

Buffalo International Film Festival, Inc. is a 501c3 not-for-profit charity incorporated in Buffalo to celebrate the artistic, cultural and scientific contributions of the Western New York region to the world's motion picture heritage.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

BuffaloFilmFestival@gmail.com

www.BuffaloFilmFestival.com (a prototype, information-only website)

# # #

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BIRTHPLACE OF MORE THAN THE CHICKEN WING
First Motion Picture History Tour is Big Success!

Buffalo, N.Y. - September, 29 2007 - For the first time in history, the Queen City hosted a tour of its fabulous motion picture history, sponsored by the Buffalo International Film Festival.

Twenty members of the Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA) from across the United States toured the city's repository of unique and priceless World Cinema History, showcasing its importance as birthplace of one of the world's first movie theaters. Attendees witnessed an exhibition of unique motion picture evolution, transcending international, cultural and ethnic boundaries. This included the notable sites of Edisonia Hall and the Vitascope Theater in the Ellicott Square building, home of the world's first purpose-built Motion Picture Theater in 1896.

Belonging to high profile organizations including the Library of Congress, the BBC and the Academy Award Archives, these prominent historians and archivists were astonished by the sheer diversity of existing motion picture and standard architecture in the city. One tour member remarked that in Hollywood, "No movie houses before 1920 even exist anymore!"

The tour drew attention to the Buffalo Film Exchange District, which was particularly significant for film exchange from the turn of the Twentieth Century through the 1960s. It hosted major motion picture companies throughout the years, such as Vitascope, Pathe, Warner Brothers, Paramount, 20th Century Fox, Universal and others.

Tour stops highlighted important city landmarks such as Buffalo City Hall, Anchor Bar (birthplace of the chicken wing), the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, and Millionaires Row along Delaware Avenue. Additionally, many Buffalo landmarks requiring preservation efforts were visited, including the Sattler and Savoy Theaters, (both attended by activist Mary Talbert), the 1909 Movie Theater and the Michigan Baptist Church.

The extremely positive response to this event underlines the pressing need to preserve, restore and reconstruct the buildings and locations crucial to the origins of the world's Motion Picture Theaters. Currently, the Sattler Theater, built in1914 and one of the architectural gems of the motion picture evolution, is threatened by demolition.

The tour was made possible by Richard Baer of Baer and Associates, Marti Gorman of Buffalo Heritage Unlimited Publishers, journalist and writer Nancy Eckerson, Gray Line of Niagara Falls, Chuck LaChiusa and Buffalo International Film Festival, Inc.

The not-for-profit Buffalo International Film Festival was founded in 2005, showcasing the past and present work of individuals from Western New York, who have contributed to motion picture history. For more information visit www.buffalofilmfestival.org.

# # #

Nobel Prize Winner Hauptman on "How Science Works" Board

2007-02-08T10:23:00.000-05:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Nobel Prize Winner Herbert Hauptman Joins Buffalo International
Film Festival Science Film Competition Advisory Board

BUFFALO, N.Y. – January 30, 2007 — The Buffalo International Film Festival (BIFF) announces the newest member of the board of advisors for How Science Works: The Film & Video Competition: Herbert A. Hauptman, Ph.D., winner of the Nobel Prize in 1985 for Chemistry.

A Buffalo resident, Hauptman is President of the Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute, an independent, not-for-profit, biomedical research facility located in the heart of downtown Buffalo's medical campus, dedicated to improving human health through study, at a molecular level, of the causes and potential cures of many diseases.

Hauptman, a mathematician, is interested in the development of mathematical methods to determine the structures of substances of biological importance. On top of overseeing the Institute, Hauptman is a Biophysical Sciences Research Professor at the State University of New York at Buffalo, Chairman of the Board of Directors for the NYS Institute on Superconductivity, an Adjunct Professor for the Department of Computer Science & Engineering and a Distinguished Professor for the Department of Structural Biology.

How Science Works: The Film & Video Competition will be a part of the upcoming BIFF. It will award prizes to the best films or videos explaining the classic Scientific Method in a clear and entertaining way: how it works, how it is applied, why it is more accurate than "guessing" and how it helps humanity. Submission guidelines and deadlines for the competition will be announced soon.

The Buffalo International Film Festival, Inc., a 501(c)(3) not for profit corporation in New York State, was established as a public charity and depends upon contributions from the public at large, corporations, foundations, government grants and other beneficiaries. The festival highlights the cultural, artistic and scientific contributions of Western New York and world cinema.

For information about How Science Works: The Film and Video Competition:
visit: www.HowScienceWorks.org

For more information about the Buffalo International Film Festival, visit: http://www.buffalofilmfestival.org/ or http://www.buffalofilmfestival.com/, Yahoo! at groups.yahoo.com/group/BuffaloFilmFestival/, Myspace at www.myspace.com/buffalointlfilmfest.
###

Buffalo International Film Festival : Kewl new BIFF Logo Stuff from CafePress.com

2007-01-25T14:54:00.000-05:00

Boost BIFF by wearing Buffalo International Film Festival Logo Stuff.

The Festival shamelessly makes money from this to help bring you more great movies and guests!

Buy lots of BIFF Buttons, give them to your friends, wear them, fix holes in the ceiling with them, and make them visible everywhere!

Buffalo International Film Festival : CafePress.com

BIFF in Buffalo Rising! January 22, 2007

2007-01-23T10:36:00.000-05:00

buffalo rising :: arts

Danielle DiGiacomo attends 2007 Sundance Film Festival

2007-01-23T10:22:00.000-05:00

Buffalo International Film Festival Represented at Sundance 2007

BUFFALO, N.Y. – January 23, 2007 — Danielle DiGiacomo, documentary committee chairperson for the Buffalo International Film Festival (BIFF), is currently on hand at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, to talk with interested parties about the impending inaugural festival and its competitions to be held in Buffalo, New York.

DiGiacomo is heading up BIFF’s documentary competition titled "Cities Rising From the Ashes." The competition will award the best short- and feature-length documentary dealing with constructive solutions to urban problems. Submission rules and guidelines will be announced soon at withoutabox.com.

Buffalo International Film Festival was founded as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation on January 21, 2005. The organization is planning a major international film festival in and for the benefit of the diverse Western New York and international film communities. The festival will include film and video competitions, screenings, educational events and appearances by industry professionals and personalities.

For more information about the Buffalo International Film Festival, visit:
www.buffalofilmfestival.org or www.buffalofilmfestival.com.

###

Press Release January 9. 2007

2007-01-10T09:42:00.000-05:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Buffalo International Film Festival Brings Movies of the World to WNY

BUFFALO, N.Y. – January 9, 2007 — The Buffalo International Film Festival, Inc., was founded as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation on January 21, 2005. The organization is planning a major international film festival in and for the benefit of the diverse Western New York community including the counties of Erie, Niagara, Orleans, Genesee, Wyoming, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Allegany and other interested counties.

The festival will include film and video competitions, screenings, educational events and appearances by industry professionals and personalities.

The President and Founder of the festival is Edward Summer, the Treasurer is David Koepsell and the Recording Secretary is Renee Russell. Mr. Summer has worked extensively in the motion picture industry and as a writer and journalist.

The President and Founder of the festival is Edward Summer, the Treasurer is David Koepsell and the Recording Secretary is Renee Russell.

Mr. Summer has worked extensively in the motion picture industry and as a writer and journalist.

Jim Steranko - famed comic artist joins Science/Arts Team

2006-11-17T19:00:00.000-05:00

Jim Steranko has joined the Arts & Science Advisors for BIFF.

As a musician, art director, magician, photographer, fire-eater, designer, escape artist, filmmaker, pop-culture lecturer, and publisher, Jim Steranko has cut a ferocious path through the entertainment arts. The more than 100 innovations he created as artist-writer on Marvel's S.H.I.E.L.D., CAPTAIN AMERICA, and X-MEN revolutionized the comics form and, as an illustrator, he painted a multitude of book covers, record jackets, movie posters, including 30 SHADOW paperbacks.
He has shown his work at more than 200 exhibitions worldwide, including the Louvre, while his art has sold at major auction houses in the $10-20,000 range. His two volumes of THE HISTORY OF COMICS have sold more than 100,000 copies each and as editor-publisher of the international entertainment magazine PREVUE, he conducted hundreds of star interviews and penned more than three million words. As a filmmaker, he has collaborated with Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and Francis Ford Coppola on some of their most popular movies.
Steranko has recently been cited by Michael Chabon as an inspiration for his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and by WIZARD as one of the Top Five Most Influential Comicbook Artists of All Time. He makes rare appearances in support of his SPIRIT OF AMERICA print, which benefits an Art Scholarship Fund for the children of anti-American terrorism victims.

What do you think of our Temporary Logo?

2006-11-13T23:20:00.000-05:00

We need a logo, at least for the time being. So we're playing with a few designs.

What do you think of this one?

What do you suggest?

Or would you like to donate a design of your own?

By the way, if you want to set up a link to the festival website at www.BufffaloFilmFestival.com, you're welcome to use this logo.

BIFF Yahoo Group - Join up!

2006-11-13T14:30:00.000-05:00

Get all the latest news!

Join the Buffalo International Film Festival Yahoo Group.

Low volume. High Information.

Join right this second. Don't wait!

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BuffaloFilmFestival/

Buffalo International Film Festival on MySpace

2006-11-13T14:26:00.000-05:00

Become a MySpace friend of the Buffalo International Film Festival

http://www.myspace.com/buffalointlfilmfest

Some of our amazing MySpace Friends are:

Righteous Babe Records

Goo Goo Dolls

The Buffalo Sabres

The Film Panel Notetaker

WBNY-FM

Buffalo Central

KISS FM

Get in there quick!

Buffalo International Film Festival Website

2006-11-13T14:22:00.000-05:00

The Official Website for the Buffalo International Film Festival is:

www.BuffaloFilmFestival.com

and

www.BuffaloFilmFestival.org

Visit early and often!

Welcome to The Buffalo International Film Festival Blog

2006-11-13T14:09:00.000-05:00

In 2007, you'll attend the First Annual Buffalo International Film Festival

This blog is for YOU to:

give us suggestions
comment on activities
share your points of view
tell us about kewl movies you've seen or would like to see
anything else about The Buffalo International Film Festival