About the Festival

The Big Apple Film Festival, presented by the Big Apple Film Society, takes place annually at the world famous Tribeca Cinemas in the heart of the greatest city in the world.

The BAFF, named one of MovieMaker Magazine's top "25 Film Festivals Worth The Entry Fee" and "One of the 25 Coolest Film Festivals",  is dedicated to showcasing 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. Additionally, the festival is proud to honor a variety of New York City based filmmakers, writers, actors and artists who have played an influential role in the growth of independent filmmaking in the Big Apple. Each year BAFF presents awards in a variety of categories including Best Feature Film, Short Film, Documentary, Animation, Experimental, NYC Cityscape Award, Student Film Award, Golden Apple Award, and NY Emerging Talent Award.

NY Emerging Talent Award

Previous NY Emerging Talent Award recipients include:

• Noah Bean (Morning Glory, Damages, The Pill) and Rachel Boston (500 Days Of Summer, The Pill)

• Academy Award and Golden Globe nominee Jesse Eisenberg

• Aaron Stanford (X-Men, Cake Eaters, Winter Solstice, The Hills Have Eyes)
• Zoe Lister Jones (All Good Things, Armless, Breaking Upwards, State of Play, Salt, NBC's Whitney)

Golden Apple Award

Previous Golden Apple Award recipients include:

• Producer Anthony Bregman (Our Idiot Brother, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Oranges, Synechdoche, New York, The Ice Storm, The Brothers McMullen, Darling Companion, Lay The Favorite)

• Independent Spirit
  Award nominee
  Kevin Corrigan

• Emmy Nominee and Independent Spirit Award winner Alan Cumming (The Good Wife, X2, The Smurfs, The Anniversary Party)

• Ernie Hudson

Spirit of New York Award

• actor/comedian
  Mario Cantone

Previous panelists, guests and keynote speakers include representatives from:

• Samuel Goldwyn Films
• Magnolia Pictures
• HBO
• Current TV
• Wellspring Media
• Cinematical.com
• Zeitgeist Films
• Wild Bunch Films
• First Run Features
• Gen Art

Visiting the Big Apple

Alumni Films in the Spotlight

"It's hard to imagine a festival more New York than Big Apple".

- MovieMaker Magazine

"In a time when most theaters are running the same homogenized dreck, BAFF is unveiling the upstart visionaries and out-of-left-field artists who remind us that there's a future to filmmaking."

- Producer Anthony Bregman (Our Idiot Brother, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Oranges, Synechdoche, New York, The Ice Storm, The Brothers McMullen, Darling Companion, Lay The Favorite)

"The big apple film festival plays the films that you hope people will get to see but worry that they won't be able to -- specifically, the ones I have been in."

- actor Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network, Holy Rollers, Zombieland, Adventureland)

"A festival that supports and promotes homegrown talent."

-Cinematical.com

"Big Apple is a great festival. By showing true, bootstrap independent films, they give support to the filmmakers that need it and deserve it the most."

- Actor, Aaron Stanford (The Cake Eaters, The Hills Have Eyes, X-Men)

"I salute the Big Apple Film Festival for keeping it real""

- Independent Spirit Award nominee Kevin Corrigan.

"The big apple film festival is fabulous. Such a supportive and wonderful showcase for NY filmmakers"

- Actor, Zoe Lister Jones (All Good Things, Armless, Breaking Upwards, Salt, NBC's Whitney)

"The Big Apple Film Festival is what a film festival should be: it's not just a market or an excuse for swag, but a place where film, filmmakers and those who love them experience life outside the mainstream. Bravo Big Apple!"

- Emmy Nominee and Independent Spirit Award Winner Alan Cumming (actor/director)


"Apple of the City's Eye"

-MovieMaker Magazine