Arlington International Film Festival
The Arlington International Film Festival is an annual nonprofit film festival dedicated to promoting and increasing multicultural awareness and showcases world cinema and independent films in their original language with English subtitles. Independent film producers, directors and actors within the US and abroad are invited to participate in engaging panel discussions and Q&A sessions after the screenings. Each year the festival greets more than 2,000 movie aficionados and shows about fifty films from all over the world with an impressive lineup of premieres. The Arlington International Film Festival also includes a year-round events such as poster contest competitions, pre-festival screenings and art exhibitions with local artists and performances by musicians, singers and dancers.
History
The Arlington International Film Festival was founded in 2010 by April Ranck and Alberto Guzman, in the aim of exploring and promoting the cultural diversity through the lens of independent films in a wide range of topics and areas. Jumping from 53 submissions the first year to over 142 the following year, the festival has been a significant success and attracts many enthusiast moviegoers. Hundreds of submissions are now watched by AIFF’s Selection Committee each year and many of the selected films have been nominated for Academy Awards, while others have been purchased by CNN, POV PBS and Nova. The festival was held during four consecutive years at the historic Regent Theatre in Arlington. In 2015, the festival took place at the Kendall Square Cinema, Massachusetts. In 2016, the annual festival returned to his home city in Arlington, and was held at the Capitol Theater Building, in Arlington, Massachusetts. The number of films submissions continues to increase with a strong participation of filmmakers as well as a growing audience.Highlights
In 2014, the "Martin Luther King Community" awarded AIFF for spreading diversity and awareness of African-American culture,In 2012, the AIFF received the Year Award from the Arlington Chamber of Commerce, and in 2013, the McClennen Community Arts Award from Arlington Center for the Arts in recognition for building community, as well as the Gold Star Award from the Massachusetts Cultural Council for its 2013 poster contest.
In January 2014, in conjunction with the Visual Art Department of the Arlington High School, AIFF brought artist Winfred Rembert for a 5-day residency. AIFF has also partnered with the Boston Environmental Film Festival, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and Boston Irish Film Festival. In addition, AIFF worked with the filmmaker Alice Rotchild, of documentary Voices Across the Divide, which co-won the Boston Palestine Film Festival's ‘2013 Audience Award for Best Film.
Two films: Botso: The Teacher from Tbilisi and Elena that were showcased at the Arlington International Festival in 2014 were among the 134 features nominated in the 'Documentary Feature' category at the 87th Academy Awards.
For the 9th annual festival, AIFF launched a new award: "Audience Choice Awards, sponsored by Spy Pond Productions. These awards were named in honor of Fran Ranck Tood, who passed in the spring of 2019. He was a faithful supporter and ambassador of the AIFF.
Categories
The screenings include feature length and short films in narrative, documentary and animation categories. Showings emphasize multiculturalism. The Arlington International Film Festival is a juried festival. College and High school students are also included.Festival awards
2019 Festival Awards
Awards include:; Choreoscope, International Dance Film Festival Barcelona; Social Relevant Film Festival New York Grand Prize Documentary Feature.Awards include: Parajanov-Vartanov Awards for Best Innovative Film, Best Cinematography and Best Composer: Mark Petrie; Fabrique du Cinéma Award for Best International Documentary; Melbourne Documentary Film Festival nominated for Best Art, Best Director and Supreme Jury Award; Ierapetra Documentary Film Festival Audience Award and Best Director; European Cinematography Awards nominated for Golden Eagle Award for Best Film of 2019, Best Cinematography, Best Lead Actor and Best Original Score.
Numerous Awards include: IDA for Best Doc Short; the Social Impact Media Award for Best Director & Best Short; Best Doc Short at the Woodstock Film Festival; the Jury Award at the Traverse City Film Festival; Best Short at the Telluride Mountainfilm; Special Jury Price at the BendFilm; Best Doc Short at the Courage Film Festival; The Act Now Award at the Crested Butte Film Festival; Best Doc Short at the Dublin International Shorts Film Festival; The Audience award at the Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival.
Her previous documentary Awaken the Dragon for cancer survivors was screened as a finalist of HUA International Short Film festival in Los Angeles, London, Tokyo and China. Shugi Wang's other works also have been featured on channels such as NBC.
Awards include: Best Director at the Newark international Film Festival.
Awards include: Best Animation Short, Press Award, Audience Award, and Best Screenplay from the Mirada Oeste National Film Festival.
Awards include: Festival du Court Metrage de Clermont-Ferrand – Talent Tout Court Award.
Awarded Best Documentary in Valley Film Festival, Los Angeles, CA.
Students Division Awards:
2018 Festival Awards
Students Division Awards:Local Filmmakers & Next Generation Of Filmmakers Awards:
Microsoft Awards. Special Recognition to:
2017 Festival Awards
Students Division Awards:2016 Festival Awards
Best of Festival:- East LA Interchange, Betsy Kalin: Director. USA. East Coast Premiere. Winner of the Award of Excellence IndieFest Film Awards; Best Feature New Urbanism Film Festival; 1st place jury award Frozen River Film Festival; Best Doc Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival.
- Climas", Enrica Pérez: Director. Peru. USA Premiere. Premiered at the Warsaw Film Festival. Official Selection of the Festival del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano de Cuba; Epic Award for upcoming Filmmakers at the Festival de Cine de Lima.
- Jiàoliàn ", Esteban Argüello: Director. Official Selection of the Sebastopol Doc Fest; Ethnography Festival, Paris; D.C Asian American FF. Washington DC and Frozen River Film Festival.
- The time of the Luthiers", Jorge Guerrero: Director. Spain. USA Premiere.
- EDÉN Hostel", Gonzaga Manso: Director. Spain. New England Premiere.
- The Day of the Bleeding Gums, Dimitar Dimitrov-Animiter: Director. Bulgaria. New England Premiere.
HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION AWARDS:
Best of Festival:
- Attached At the Soul, William Leon: Writer/Director. USA, CA
- Todo tiene su tiempo/ Everything Has Its Time, Marylys Merida: Director. USA, MA.
- Teach Me Fish, Asa Minter: Director. USA, MA.
- I don't need U, Alyssa Peguero: Director. USA, MA.
- The Flag, Director: Tyler S.Parker. USA, South Carolina.
2015 Festival Awards
Best of Festival:- Gabo: The Creation of Garcia Marquez, produced by Justin Webster. France.
- How Not To Disappear Completely, produced by Stuart J. Parkins, Director. U.K. USA PREMIERE.
- A Chance To Dress, Produced by Alice Dungan Bouvrie. USA
- Tashi & The Monk, produced by Andrew Hinton & Johnny Burke, Directors. MA, USA.
- Kresnik:The Lore of Fire, produced by David SIPOŠ, Slovenia.
- Bendito Machine, produced by Jossie MALIS, Director. Spain, New England Premiere.
Best of Festival:
Best of Festival:
- Jordan, Katie Russel, Director. Raw Art Works, MA
- Inhibited, Alexia Salingaros, Director, TX
- Luminosity, Alexia Salingaros, Director, TX
- Picking up the Pieces, Joshua Tebeau, Director, Poland
- Queen, Arvonne Patterson, Director, MA.
2014 Festival Awards
- Elena directed by Petra Costa and produced by Busca Vida Filmes.
- Botso: The Teacher from Tbilisi, directed by Tom Walters.
- The Forgotten Kingdom, directed by Andrew Mudge.
- The Man Who Fed His Shadow, directed by Mario Garefo.
- Not Anymore, directed by Matthew VanDyke.
2013 Festival Awards
- The Iran Job directed by Till Schauder.
- Clandestine Childhood directed by Benjamín Ávila.
- Baghdad Messi, directed by Shahim Omar Kalifa.
- La Lucha, directed by Tessa Tracy and Sophia Santos.
- The Shingles, directed by Malcolm DC.
2012 Festival Awards
- All Me: The Life and Time of Winfred Rembert directed by Vivian Ducat.
- Racing the Rez, directed by Brian Truglio.
- Consent, directed by Ron Farrar Brown.
- La joie de vivre, directed by Jeremy Vassiliou.
- Molineux, directed by Jacob Sussman.
Best Animation - High School Division Awards:
- In Your Heart, directed by Raymond Caplin.
- The Crown of life directed by Real Junior Leblanc.
2011 Festival Awards
- Zero Percent, directed by Tim Skousen.
- We still live here directed by Anne Makepeace.
- Fuerteventura, directed by Mattias Sandström.
- Nowhere Now Here, directed by Gaby Bruce.