Buffalo State Hosting SUNYWide Film Festival for First Time
Among the people Kyle Bradstreet, ’02, ’04, can thank for his success in television are a number of Buffalo State professors and a depressed computer hacker named Elliot Alderson.
Alderson is the protagonist of Mr. Robot, the critically acclaimed USA show about a cybersecurity engineer for which Bradstreet, a Buffalo State alumnus, is a writer and executive producer.
Bradstreet has received Peabody, Golden Globe and Writers Guild America awards for his work on the show. He will share his tale of small-screen success when Buffalo State showcases the best student cinematic work during the eighth annual SUNYWide Film Festival, November 9–11.
Bradstreet, who earned a bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in theater and a master’s degree in multidisciplinary studies, also served as a writer and producer of the TV series Berlin Station (Epix), Copper (BBC America), Borgia: Faith & Fear (Netflix), and The Philanthropist (NBC).
In addition, he’s an accomplished playwright and a short-story writer.
“We are extremely excited that Kyle could join us for the festival that Buffalo State is hosting for the first time,” said Aaron Daniel Annas, assistant professor of communication and director of the 2017 festival. “An alum like Kyle, who has enjoyed such a range of success, should inspire students to see what they can accomplish with a combination of creativity, ambition, and hard work.”
To have a film considered for the SUNYWide festival, students need to have those attributes. Out of almost 200 entries, the selection committee—composed of communication faculty members from four SUNY campuses, including Buffalo State—chose 39 films, representing 23 schools. Two Buffalo State students, television and film arts (TFA) majors Eliza Zanolli-Stiles and Marissa Brannick were among those to make the cut.
Jurors from across the country, including industry professionals from Chicago and Los Angeles, will choose a winner and an honorable mention in the festival’s four categories: narrative, documentary, experimental, and animation.
“It’s a privilege just to have your film selected for the festival,” Annas said. “The level of talent is significant.”
All of the entries will be screened on Friday, November 10, in Upton Hall's Warren Enters Theatre or the Campbell Student Union Social Hall. Each film lasts anywhere from 50 seconds to 25 minutes. In addition, November 10 workshops on such topics as “Filming in New York” and “Subliminal Storytelling” will be open to all SUNY students. Many sponsors are contributing prizes to the festival including Canon and Final Draft.
“We are proud to host the film festival this year. It’s a terrific opportunity to showcase great student films from throughout the SUNY system,” said Jeffrey Hirschberg, associate professor and director of TFA. “Aaron has done a terrific job as this year’s festival director and the TFA program is proud to be a part of the event.”
The festival kicks off on Thursday, November 9, with a red carpet gala from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. and wraps up with the awards ceremony Saturday, November 11, from 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Both events will be held in the Social Hall.
General admission tickets are $10 and include screenings of all the films and a swag bag. VIP tickets are $25 and include the screenings, swag bag, workshops, keynote address, and gala.
To see the entire schedule and purchase tickets, visit the film festival website.