Bridgeport Film Fest in the News
Bridgeport Film Festival returns to the Klein Memorial Auditorium this weekend
Jailene Cuevas, Staff writer [CT Post]
Sep. 5, 2023 | Updated: Sep. 5, 2023 3:19 p.m.
The Bridgeport Film Festival will return to the Klein Memorial Auditorium this weekend.
The festival started in 2021 with 70 films. This year it will feature 92 films, including 16 from Connecticut filmmakers. The festival also highlights filmmakers from 14 other countries like Colombia, Iran, Argentina, Canada and others.
"It is so hard to choose which film I am excited for people to watch," festival founder and artistic director Jason A. Coombs said. "But there are two, 'Every Other Kid,' which is about gun violence and directed by Connecticut native Patrick Godino, and 'Made in Bridgeport,' which is about fashion in Bridgeport and directed by UConn student Agustina Aranda."
The films range from two to 25 minutes and will be grouped by themes like Made in Connecticut, OUTSpoken: LGBTQIA+, For the Culture: Black Stories, She's Got A Story: Female Filmmakers, Stronger Minds, and for the first year, Latinx in the Light.
To select films for the festival, Coombs worked with 20 pre-screeners. Films are submitted on FilmFreeWay.com, and two of the pre-screeners watched each submission, then rated them from A through C or PASS if it is not "the right fit for the festival," Coombs said.
MORE HERE
Jailene Cuevas, Staff writer [CT Post]
Sep. 5, 2023 | Updated: Sep. 5, 2023 3:19 p.m.
The Bridgeport Film Festival will return to the Klein Memorial Auditorium this weekend.
The festival started in 2021 with 70 films. This year it will feature 92 films, including 16 from Connecticut filmmakers. The festival also highlights filmmakers from 14 other countries like Colombia, Iran, Argentina, Canada and others.
"It is so hard to choose which film I am excited for people to watch," festival founder and artistic director Jason A. Coombs said. "But there are two, 'Every Other Kid,' which is about gun violence and directed by Connecticut native Patrick Godino, and 'Made in Bridgeport,' which is about fashion in Bridgeport and directed by UConn student Agustina Aranda."
The films range from two to 25 minutes and will be grouped by themes like Made in Connecticut, OUTSpoken: LGBTQIA+, For the Culture: Black Stories, She's Got A Story: Female Filmmakers, Stronger Minds, and for the first year, Latinx in the Light.
To select films for the festival, Coombs worked with 20 pre-screeners. Films are submitted on FilmFreeWay.com, and two of the pre-screeners watched each submission, then rated them from A through C or PASS if it is not "the right fit for the festival," Coombs said.
MORE HERE
Bridgeport Film Fest is ready for its close-up
By Phil Hall [Westfair Business Journal]
August 27, 2023
The Bridgeport Film Fest will be returning for its third annual happening from Sept. 8-10 at the Klein Memorial Auditorium. For Jason A. Coombs, the events artistic director, starting and maintaining this event rivaled many of its films for drama and adventure.
"It’s been a journey, there's definitely been ups and downs", he said, noting that his challenges have including retaining sponsors and building an audience in a city where there are no cinemas. "The first year was super strong, we had over 500 people virtual and in person. Last year, it was in July and we had a really big heatwave that weekend, our attendance was a little bit down. We're moving into September because we want to get college students and high school students involved, and that’s really hard during the summertime when a lot of them are on vacation..."
MORE HERE
By Phil Hall [Westfair Business Journal]
August 27, 2023
The Bridgeport Film Fest will be returning for its third annual happening from Sept. 8-10 at the Klein Memorial Auditorium. For Jason A. Coombs, the events artistic director, starting and maintaining this event rivaled many of its films for drama and adventure.
"It’s been a journey, there's definitely been ups and downs", he said, noting that his challenges have including retaining sponsors and building an audience in a city where there are no cinemas. "The first year was super strong, we had over 500 people virtual and in person. Last year, it was in July and we had a really big heatwave that weekend, our attendance was a little bit down. We're moving into September because we want to get college students and high school students involved, and that’s really hard during the summertime when a lot of them are on vacation..."
MORE HERE
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2nd annual Bridgeport Film Festival kicks off at Klein Memorial Auditorium
News 12 Staff July 22, 2022 The second annual Bridgeport Film Festival is kicking off Friday at the Klein Memorial Auditorium, with debuts of almost 90 films from local, national and international filmmakers. |
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2nd Annual Bridgeport Film Festival opens Friday
Brian Lockhart [CT POST]
July 21, 2022 | Updated: July 21, 2022 5:33 p.m.
BRIDGEPORT — Bolstered by the success of last year’s inaugural Bridgeport Film Festival, organizer Jason Coombs went bigger for its return this Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
“It’s a jam packed weekend,” Coombs said Wednesday night as he addressed members of the City Council’s economic development committee. “I never do anything small, I guess.” For example, 2021’s festival featured 71 short films. Coombs said 85 will be shown this weekend.
And the hope is to top the nearly 700 audience members — 600 in-person, 90 online — who participated in last July’s celebration of independent movies. This year’s schedule includes some by local and Connecticut artists, with 12 different countries represented in total. The bulk of the festival will take place at the Klein Memorial Auditorium.
MORE HERE
Brian Lockhart [CT POST]
July 21, 2022 | Updated: July 21, 2022 5:33 p.m.
BRIDGEPORT — Bolstered by the success of last year’s inaugural Bridgeport Film Festival, organizer Jason Coombs went bigger for its return this Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
“It’s a jam packed weekend,” Coombs said Wednesday night as he addressed members of the City Council’s economic development committee. “I never do anything small, I guess.” For example, 2021’s festival featured 71 short films. Coombs said 85 will be shown this weekend.
And the hope is to top the nearly 700 audience members — 600 in-person, 90 online — who participated in last July’s celebration of independent movies. This year’s schedule includes some by local and Connecticut artists, with 12 different countries represented in total. The bulk of the festival will take place at the Klein Memorial Auditorium.
MORE HERE
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More than 70 short films from 12 countries to be featured at Bridgeport Film Festival
News 12 Staff July 25, 2021 Independent filmmakers from all over the world will be sharing their art with audiences at the first annual Bridgeport Film Festival this weekend. |
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Bridgeport Film Fest planned for July with in-person and virtual screenings
News 12 Staff Feb 17, 2021, 3:13pm EST Updated on: Feb 17, 2021, 3:13pm EST An inaugural Bridgeport Film Fest will be held this summer, Groundwork Bridgeport says. The festival will take place over three days in July. It will offer both in-person and virtual screenings, plus guest speakers from the film industry and creative workshops. Organizers plan to make it an annual event. CLICK HERE FOR MORE! |
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New film festival being readied for Bridgeport
By Phil Hall [Westfair Business Journal]
March 6, 2021
At one point in time, Bridgeport was home to 20 movie theaters. Sadly, the city’s last commercial big screen venue, Showcase Cinemas, shut down in February 2020. And while the Bijou Theatre and Klein Memorial Auditorium have film projection capabilities, those venues only occasionally hosted screenings for festivals or special events.
However, movies are returning to Bridgeport this summer with the inaugural edition of the Bridgeport Film Festival. Jason A. Coombs, a New York City-based actor/filmmaker, is the festival’s artistic director and he views the event as a means to reimagine his Park City hometown.
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE ARTICLE from the Westchester and Fairfield Counties Business Journal!
By Phil Hall [Westfair Business Journal]
March 6, 2021
At one point in time, Bridgeport was home to 20 movie theaters. Sadly, the city’s last commercial big screen venue, Showcase Cinemas, shut down in February 2020. And while the Bijou Theatre and Klein Memorial Auditorium have film projection capabilities, those venues only occasionally hosted screenings for festivals or special events.
However, movies are returning to Bridgeport this summer with the inaugural edition of the Bridgeport Film Festival. Jason A. Coombs, a New York City-based actor/filmmaker, is the festival’s artistic director and he views the event as a means to reimagine his Park City hometown.
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE ARTICLE from the Westchester and Fairfield Counties Business Journal!
BRIDGEPORT FILM FEST AIMS TO MAKE “PHILANTHROPY THROUGH FILM A PRIORITY” WITH 3-DAY GATHERING
BRIDGEPORT, CONN. (February 17, 2021)– Local community-based organization Groundwork Bridgeport is excited to announce the first annual Bridgeport Film Fest, coming July 2021. The festival will take place over three days and plans to offer both in-person and virtual screenings, as well guest speakers from the film industry and creative workshops for both youth and adults. Led by Artistic Director and Groundwork Bridgeport board member Jason A. Coombs, it will highlight the diversity of the film community in Bridgeport and the surrounding regions by showcasing films directed by over 50% women and POC filmmakers. The programming team will curate a lineup that includes short narrative films, short documentary projects, music videos, one-minute films, student films, environmental-themed works, and films produced during the pandemic. In a ceremony that concludes the weekend, prizes will be awarded to winning films chosen by a panel of acclaimed jurors including Patrick Wimp (Digital Hydra), Sarah Ann Masse (Hire Survivors Hollywood), and AJ Mattioli (Mattioli Productions), among others. Reflecting Groundwork Bridgeport’s mission to “educate, engage, and revitalize,” the festival will provide scholarships for two Bridgeport high school students looking to pursue higher education in the arts.
The Bridgeport Film Fest is currently seeking corporate sponsors and will be accepting submissions from local and international filmmakers until May 2021-- if you are interested in becoming a sponsor or submitting your film, please reach out to [email protected]. For more information, visit bridgeportfilmfest.org or check out the festival’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
CLICK HERE for more from the Bridgeport Patch!
BRIDGEPORT, CONN. (February 17, 2021)– Local community-based organization Groundwork Bridgeport is excited to announce the first annual Bridgeport Film Fest, coming July 2021. The festival will take place over three days and plans to offer both in-person and virtual screenings, as well guest speakers from the film industry and creative workshops for both youth and adults. Led by Artistic Director and Groundwork Bridgeport board member Jason A. Coombs, it will highlight the diversity of the film community in Bridgeport and the surrounding regions by showcasing films directed by over 50% women and POC filmmakers. The programming team will curate a lineup that includes short narrative films, short documentary projects, music videos, one-minute films, student films, environmental-themed works, and films produced during the pandemic. In a ceremony that concludes the weekend, prizes will be awarded to winning films chosen by a panel of acclaimed jurors including Patrick Wimp (Digital Hydra), Sarah Ann Masse (Hire Survivors Hollywood), and AJ Mattioli (Mattioli Productions), among others. Reflecting Groundwork Bridgeport’s mission to “educate, engage, and revitalize,” the festival will provide scholarships for two Bridgeport high school students looking to pursue higher education in the arts.
The Bridgeport Film Fest is currently seeking corporate sponsors and will be accepting submissions from local and international filmmakers until May 2021-- if you are interested in becoming a sponsor or submitting your film, please reach out to [email protected]. For more information, visit bridgeportfilmfest.org or check out the festival’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
CLICK HERE for more from the Bridgeport Patch!
THE BRIDGEPORT FILM FEST proudly accepts entries via FilmFreeway, the world's #1 submission platform.
SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW OPEN
*filmmakers who are residents of Bridgeport and productions shot primarily in Bridgeport, CT are eligible for a discount. For more information please email us at [email protected]
SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW OPEN
*filmmakers who are residents of Bridgeport and productions shot primarily in Bridgeport, CT are eligible for a discount. For more information please email us at [email protected]
