THE ARTISTS FORUM FESTIVAL OF THE MOVING IMAGE: 2024 (#theartistsforumfilmfest) returns for its ninth year with new, innovative programming. This year’s festival will showcase 14 films highlighting our 2024 Competition Theme: TECHNO-FEUDALISM.
The 2024 Official Selections have been created by independent filmmakers originating from 7 countries: Denmark, France, Iran, Japan, Puerto Rico, Slovenia, and the United States.
THIS YEAR’S THEME:
Filmmakers were challenged to interpret our theme: TECHNO-FEUDALISM.
Techno-feudalism, a recently coined term by Greek economist and politician Yanis Vaoufakis, is the transformation of capitalism by tech platforms, done by exploiting the labor force through new technologies.
An example of this concept would be companies hiring people to work from home or through and app, but not paying for employees computers, car repairs, or the infrastructure needed to perform their work.
An expansion on this concept covers the manipulating of media to better serve a political agenda, such as running bots on niche topics that create a sense of divisiveness or political unease.
Additionally, our theme gives a nod to Tech-Deserts. Even in New York City, Tech-deserts (places where many households lack reliable computer and internet access) abound, giving people restricted access to information, thereby limiting their access to other points of view or the ability to research topics.
SCREENINGS:
This year’s live screenings will be held October 17 – October 18, 2024 at the Dolby Screening Room NYC — an exclusive state-of-the-art, ADA compliant screening facility at 1350 Avenue of the Americas at West 55th Street (Lobby Level) in Mid-town Manhattan.
OPENING NIGHT SCREENING: Oct. 17th: 6PM – 10PM
Films: Misericorde, Look Closely, Is It Anything?, Elevator, Primos, By Myself, Golia. (See film synopses below)
Guest Speakers:
Gale A. Brewer, Councilwoman NYC District 6
Laurie Cumbo, Commissioner, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs
Thavary Krouch, Deputy Director, NYC Film Office
CLOSING NIGHT SCREENING & AWARD CEREMONY: Oct. 18th: 6PM – 10PM
Includes the following 7 films:
The Stream XIII, Memo Inc., I’m Sorry I’m Late, Varanus, The Appraiser, Loft and Found, Super Fun Party Girl. (See film synopses below)
Special Guest Speaker:
Laurie Cumbo, Commissioner, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs
FESTIVAL TICKET PACKAGES
Various. VIP & Value Pack Tickets include 1 free t-shirt and souvenir button. (click link for details)
Get your tickets now at https://theartistsforumfilmfest2024.eventbrite.com
ONLINE PROGRAMS
Online Screenings for this years festival begin October 21 – November 24, 2024 and have been divided into 2 programs containing the same line-up as our live screenings. Stream for 7-days for only $4.99 per program or $7.99 for both programs!
Get Your Tickets: https://filmfreeway.com/theartistsforumfilmfest/tickets
HOTELS
We are pleased to announce that The Artists Forum has partnered with Arlo Hotels – a collection of art & lifestyle focused hotels – who have provided discounts for our artists at all their locations. We suggest the Midtown location as it’s a bigger venue, however, any of the 4 NYC hotels would be great choices! Our Discount Code is THEARTISTSFORUM for up to 40% at any of their hotels during or after the festival. (Pricing fluctuates due to venue demand and is affected by the season, so please book early!)
We have also partnered with the famous YOTEL New York Times Square (570 10th Ave 42nd St) – a cool, high-tech, pod hotel nestled between Times Square and Hudson Yards. Our discount provides an exclusive offer and waives their daily destination fee for individual reservations. Simply log on to the Yotel website and enter our code THEARTISTSFORUM under “Promo Rate” for special rate.
2024 CIRCLE ICON
Our 2024 Festival Circle Icon includes promotional images from the following films: Inner Circle image – from the film “The Stream XIII” by Hiroya Sakurai (Japan). Outer Circle image – from the film “Primos” by Ricardo J. Varona (Puerto Rico/US) & Ida Yazdi (Iran). Congratulations filmmakers!
MANY THANKS
Our 2024 Festival Ambassador is The Artists Forum Artist of the Year Cinder Chou
2024 Film Festival Jury: Mary Lou Belli, Ashley Gerst, Martha Gorzycki, Stephen Hilyard, Henry Kanegsberg, Lee Milby, Djordje Radovanovich, David Ranghelli, Anouska Samms, Jonathan Taub, Leandro Taub, and Amos White V
2024 Festival Media Sponsor: LinkNYC (Outdoor Ad / Ad Locations)
2024 Festival Partners: Arlo Hotels, Yotel New York Times Square
THE ARTISTS FORUM, now in its 25th year, is a New York City based non-profit arts service organization specializing in events, juried competitions, and media for artists.
Its FESTIVAL OF THE MOVING IMAGE is the organization’s flagship program, and provides an unparalleled platform for emerging and mid-career filmmakers to share their stories with the world’s creative, media, and film communities.
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Facebook, FilmFest Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads, Linkedin, Youtube, Vimeo, and Tiktok Hashtags: #theartistsforum #theartistsforumfilmfest #technofeudalism #theartistsforum25
2024 FILM FESTIVAL PROGRAM SCHEDULE
PROGRAM I: (OPENING NIGHT – OCT. 17, 2024)
PROGRAM I: 7 shorts (90 mins)
MISERICORDE
9:25 mins (2024)
Writer/Director: Nataša Prosenc Stearns (Slovenia)
EXPERIMENTAL – Misericorde is about fractured relationships in supermodernity, largely a consequence of techno-driven modes of living, ultimately turning us into estranged, isolated consumers devoid of meaningful existence.
LOOK CLOSELY
4:34 mins (2023)
Writer/Director: Sam Lawton (US)
DOCUMENTARY SHORT – An experiment in human perception, angled toward discerning the public’s level of familiarity with generative media. World Premiere
SEE TRAILER / SEE WEBSITE
IS IT ANYTHING?
18:15 mins (2024)
Writer/Director: Jonathan Ullman (US)
NARRATIVE – A policy wonk from the Department of Information attempts to comes to terms with a mysterious object he can’t seem to get rid of. World Premiere
ELEVATOR
2:39 mins (2021)
Writers: Cathleen Ireland, Ryan M. Tedder (US)
Director: Joe Chilcott (US)
MUSIC VIDEO – Cathleen fantasizes about a man she briefly crosses paths with in an elevator.
SEE TRAILER / SEE WEBSITE
PRIMOS
22:12 mins (2023)
Writers: R.J. Varona (Puerto Rico) & Ida Yazdi (Iran)
Director: Ricardo J. Varona (Puerto Rico/US)
LGBTQ+ – During a teenage road trip to the west coast of Puerto Rico, 16-year-old Cristobal begins to suspect that his crush, Yazmín, and his cousin Marcos are secretly dating.
SEE TRAILER / SEE WEBSITE
BY MYSELF
2:17 mins (2023)
Writer: Na’ej Xavier Noze (US)
Director: Shamel Richardson (US)
MUSIC VIDEO – A young man (recording artist Na’ej) is determined to achieve his goals even if it is by himself. World Premiere
SEE TRAILER / SEE WEBSITE
GOLIA
22:57 mins (2023)
Writer/Director: Alice Hjorth (Denmark)
SCI-FI – An attempt to hack into the exploitative tech giant GOLIA has dire consequences for members of the hacker group Xtinct Bugs in a near future where consumerism and climate crisis has left much of the world in ruins. East Coast Premiere
PROGRAM II: (CLOSING NIGHT – OCT 18, 2024)
PROGRAM II: 7 shorts (101 mins)
THE STREAM XIII
5:21 mins (2023)
Director: Hiroya Sakurai (Japan)
EXPERIMENTAL – 13th of a series. Landscape is transformed when wind streams through fields cultivated by humans. Wind chimes highlight the invisible presence of wind as sound while we perceive the invisible wind as ripples in the fields.
MEMO INC.
23:35 mins (2023)
Writers/Directors: Neymarc Brothers (France/US)
NARRATIVE – In a world where memories can be digitally manipulated to heal patients from past traumas, a memory therapist discovers flaws in her own recollection, which have dramatic consequences on her life. East Coast Premiere
SEE TRAILER / SEE WEBSITE
I’M SORRY I’M LATE
7:22 mins (2023)
Director: Sharon A. Mooney (US)
EXPERIMENTAL – Psychological deteriorations caused by invisible labor and stress intensify. What’s left as our internal and external struggle to find solid ground? NYC Premiere
SEE TRAILER / SEE WEBSITE
VARANUS
14:59 mins (2023)
Writer/Director: Kiarash Bokaeyan (Iran)
NARRATIVE – Amir, a hearing-impaired teenage boy, is being forced to participate in secret and illegal fighting competitions by his father’s boss, Samad. Amir doesn’t want to do this and tries to get rid of the man. NY State Premiere
THE APPRAISER
9:30 mins (2024)
Writer/Director: CJ Arellano (US)
NARRATIVE – Gary takes his partner Nico to his family’s farm, where both men are possessed by unseen forces.
LOFT AND FOUND
29:50 mins (2024)
Writer: Zach Weiss (US)
Directors: Pete O’Hare & Phillip Kibbe (US)
WEB SERIES – Five millennials with Peter Pan syndrome run an event venue out of their chaotic Brooklyn warehouse loft.
SUPER FUN PARTY GIRL
2:51 mins (2024)
Writers: Anh Le & Holly M. Kaplan (US)
Director: Holly M. Kaplan (US)
MUSIC VIDEO – ÊMIA and two girls encounter a near-death experience launching them into a hedonistic fantasy garden party. East Coast Premiere
SEE TRAILER / SEE WEBSITE
JUDGES
Mary Lou Belli
Two-time Emmy award-winner Mary Lou Belli has directed television for 30+ years. Through teaching, she supports many diversity programs in her field. She’s co-authored four books on film and served two terms as co-chair of the DGA Women’s Steering Committee. Currently, she is a Governor at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
Ashley Gerst
Ashley Gerst is a 2D and 3D animator living in Brooklyn NY. She holds a BFA in Digital Arts from Cleveland Institute of Art and an MFA in Computer Art from School of Visual Arts. In addition to her professorial work at William Paterson, Ashley is a freelance animator working for clients such as AMC, Viacom, Fast Co., Hudson Media, and CBS.
Martha Gorzycki
Martha is an award winning animator, filmmaker and media artist, experimenting in digital animation and new media. Her work screens globally in festivals, galleries, on LED billboards, as outdoor projections and online. She has produced animation for more than 30 years and teaches digital cinema and animation at San Francisco State University.
Stephen Hilyard
Artist/Educator Stephen Hilyard’s work deals with the paradoxical nature of our impulse towards the profound. He often works in extreme locations, including the bottom of an Icelandic lake. His work has been supported by The Huntington Library, The Harpo Foundation, The American Scandinavian Foundation & The McKnight Foundation.
Henry Kanegsberg
A graduate of Ithaca College, Henry received his MBA from NYU and is a former finance and administration executive in the broadcasting, music, and publishing industries. He held senior positions with NBC, RCA Records and Random House. Currently, Henry is the chair of community organizations for the Mount Sinai Hospital System.
Lee Milby
Lee Milby is a New York-based director and artist known for creating unique and highly conceptual videos. Featured in both domestic and international publications, Lee’s ability to bring out the individual energy and style of each artist and brand makes for timeless, original content.
George Radovanovich
George is an independent scholar with a focus on research and writings on art and cultural criticism. Originally from Serbia, George received his US citizenship in 1995 while studying at New York’s School of Visual Arts, earning his BFA in Film and MFA in Computer Arts in 1997.
David Ranghelli
David studied filmmaking at Brooklyn College (BA), and Comp. Lit./ Cinema Studies at NYU’s GSAS (MA, MPHIL). He taught film analysis and mentored screenwriters at Tisch School of the Arts for 12 years. He has worked at the Media and Communication Arts Dept. at CUNY for 7 years, where he also educates aspiring filmmakers.
Anouska Samms
London Native Anouska Samms is a sculptor, filmmaker, and researcher whose work is concerned with memory and bodies in relation to the domestic. Awards include Best Doc at #theartistsforumfilmfest in 2017 & 2023. Most recently, she was a Research Fellow at the V&A Museum London and resident at the Alexander McQueen Foundation’s Sarabande.
Jonathan Taub
Jonathan is an Argentinean designer and filmmaker living in New York City. He is involved with many collaborative projects that playfully explore and expose the human condition. Jonathan directed his award-winning film Externo alongside his brother Leandro, winning Best Screenplay in #theartistsforumfilmfest 2021.
Leandro Taub
Argentinean native Leandro Taub is an actor, published author, and public speaker based in NYC. He’s had prominent roles in 15 films including his 45x award-winning film Externo which he directed alongside his brother Jonathan, earning Best Screenplay at #theartistsforumfilmfest 2021.
Amos White V
Amos is an inter-disciplinary multimedia artist, event producer, and exhibit designer. A graduate of the College of Human Ecology at the University of Maryland, College Park, Amos bridges his passion for the arts and human relations with the formation of THE ARTISTS FORUM.
