Good News From The Finger Lakes!

I just enjoyed the wonderful, weekend-long 2016 Blackbird Film Festival in Cortland, NY.

Sam Avery and his team organized a wonderful weekend and selected an outstanding slate of films.

Be sure to visit the festival site to see the full list (and make a point of trying to see the films when you can!). Alas, I was unable to see every film at the festival – schedule conflicts are fact of life at fests, after all – but some of the stand-outs for me were:

• Noon Gun a new feature by Caley MacLennan
• Long John a hilarious and warming short by Joe Bellavia
• Pepper And The Salt Sea a short filled with magical realisim by fellow Brooklynites Don Downie and Stacie Capone
• The Small Time a side-splitting pilot for a web series by Jack Canfora and Andrew Rein
• Pride And Poo a darkly comic tale of Man vs Nature by Brad Silvius
• Feeling Wanted and My Identity two powerful and moving short documentaries by the incredibly talented Yasmin Mistry

I was very honored to be in such good company. After seeing so many exceptional films at the festival, Iwas flabbergasted that i live In Life won both Best Short Documentary and Best Director!