Written by Anna Corbo and Cecile Lessard
Calling all film makers, lovers, and enthusiasts – Blackbird Film Festival is returning to Cortland! From Thursday, April 11th to Sunday, April 14th, the annual festival will return. 103 films will be screened across 15 different screening blocks, located at Brown Auditorium. All of the screenings and events are open and free to the public.
Founded in 2015 as a film festival intended for teens, Blackbird quickly developed into more than that. Expanding in 2016 to allow submissions from all age groups, Blackbird now receives thousands of submissions from filmmakers all across the globe.
Spanning over a long weekend, Blackbird has something for everyone to enjoy. Each film is separated into respective screening blocks based on overall theme. Those screening blocks include “No Boys Allowed”, “Makin’ Movies”, “Friday Night Feels”, “Crime + Punishment”, “Word Power”, “Last Wishes”, “Family Dynamics”, “Let’s Talk About Sex”, “Living With The Monster”, “Human Nature”, “Undocumented”, “Anxiety Overload”, and “Haunted Hearts”. See a detailed explanation and schedule HERE.
Be sure to also check out the student films screening at the festival on Thursday evening in the “Rising Stars” block. You’ll know some of the directors, and many of the actors, as your classmates! Following this will be a Kickoff Party at BRU64, which all attendees are invited to attend for some live music, signature drinks, and more.
After a hiatus from the Kickoff Party in the past few years of the event, Festival Director Sam Avery told The Dragon Chronicle “This year, I’m bringing it back because it always was a fun time but we shall see what the vibe is. My hope is that it is a little more lowkey comparatively with some relaxing music and casual convo!”
On Friday, guests and filmmakers are welcome to attend Blackbird’s café meet up, at BRU64 from 9:00 am to 10:00 am. Following breakfast, filmmakers and VIP guests will have the opportunity to take a guided tour around Cortland. After a tour around town guests can gather at AKE Gallery to discuss the incentive programs and benefits of making films in central New York.
Organized by interning students, Blackbird has collaborated with SUNY Cortland to have our students and filmmakers be centric to the festival.
Event Coordinator intern Mickey Corey says, “We’ve been working really hard and are so excited to see our hard work pay off!” Corey will be overseeing the screening block “Haunted Hearts,” and wants everyone to know her top film in the festival is Rabbit Hole.
Throughout the four-day festival, different activities will be set up. Saturday will start off with a sunrise meditation, followed by cereal breakfast buffet/animation event as an homage to the Saturday morning cartoons we all loved to watch as a kid. The event will be run by animator Alex Salsberg. That night, there will be a paint and sip for guests to unwind and recharge their creative energy.
Sunday will be the end of Blackbird, leaving many attendees with awards to take home. Join Blackbird for a Red Carpet Reception with food and a cash bar followed by the 2024 Award Ceremony announcing festival winners!
Other events throughout the weekend include a taco timeout, sunrise breakfast, a screenwriting workshop, and more! If you want to chat with filmmakers, writers, actors, and other creatives, be sure to stop by.
Carl Hansen, a four-time Blackbird alum, says “I love the Blackbird Film Festival. It feels like coming to a filmmaker family reunion and meeting distant cousins for the first time that you just click with. It’s filled with amazing high-quality films as well as high-quality filmmakers. It’s very filmmaker friendly too.”
Attendees can stay in touch with any Blackbird updates by signing up to receive digital news letters. Also, follow Blackbird on instagram @Blackbirdfilmfest to stay up to date and see exclusive content!