Big Eddy Film Festival

Big Eddy Film Festival will celebrate its fourth year over a weekend in September in Narrowsburg, NY this year. As film festivals go, there are hundreds of these small festivals taking place all over the country, honoring film makers who are typically working on extremely small budgets while looking for the attention and distribution for their beloved work. In Narrowsburg, BEFF has slowly grown in both recognition and attendance, adding to the rich cultural footprint that has been created here over time.

BEFF is programmed by a local artist, Tina Spangler, who has written, produced and directed her own short films, spent years working at IFC and Sundance and has been in the center of the film industry for much of her career. She relocated to Narrowsburg, NY full-time after time spent in NYC and has developed this annual festival in a very special way. I featured her short film in one of my previous posts, Lucky Lake which showcases her curiosity of the area and talent in capturing a deep history through the lens of locals.

Previous BEFF films have included For Ellen starring Paul Dano, The Truth About Emanuel costarring Alfred Molina and Goodbye To All That, costarring Amy Sedaris, Heather Graham and Heather Lawless. In addition there is a terrific lineup of documentaries along with many shorts that have fascinating themes and stories. Often Ms. Spangler recognizes films made in the area or stories that are meaningful to the region, such as Tiny. One of my favorite documentary films was Alive Inside about the power of music's capacity to reawaken our souls, especially among our aging population. If you haven't heard of it, I urge you to at least play the short video that is available here.

This year the film festival will open on Friday, September 18th and run through Sunday September 20th. While the film line up has not yet been published, I am confident that there are many special features and short films that will excite and delight the crowd. If you are up for a fun weekend getaway full of great films in a beautiful Catskill town, I recommend this film festival. I think you'll be surprised by what you find, both in Narrowsburg and BEFF.