CHFF2011: The Day Everything Changes Between Us,
Rafael Moraes, Sao Paolo, Brazil

CHFF2011: The Empire State Essays: Essay #1,
Anton Cabaleiro, Brooklyn, NY

The Crown Heights Film Festival (CHFF) is a social forum in Brooklyn, NY, which showcases a diverse range of exceptional local and international films curated in a way to encourage dialogue and audience interaction. CHFF is a movement fueled by an active community of filmmakers, artists, musicians, and Brooklyn residents to increase public access to evocative and innovative films. The Festival aims to provide a voice and opportunities for filmmakers, to foster cross-arts collaboration, and to provide a framework for discourse between filmmakers and the wider Brooklyn community. Held at FiveMyles gallery and at FREECANDY, the non-profit festival is supported by the Brooklyn Arts Council and is fiscally sponsored by Fractured Atlas and The Snoring Mouthpiece Report (read about the GMSS here).

CHFF is a collaboration between photographer/cameraman Pedro Martí and artist/curator Erin Gleason. The non-profit festival was founded in 2009 with the aim of creating a film-based social forum in Crown Heights – a rapidly changing neighborhood navigating a number of socio-economic issues including racial and cultural integration, local business growth, and police presence under “zero tolerance” directives. CHFF believes the community at large, through the medium of film, benefits from a festival that reflects the diversity Crown Heights embodies.

Each night of the festival is a unique journey through a variety of film genres including feature length, shorts, documentaries, animations, family and cross-disciplinary/transmedia films. The curation of the festival is based on an international open call submission process, with selections based on which films together make an engaging festival program. Family Day features films made by or for children and young adults.

In addition to showcasing exceptional local and international films, the festival presents Q&A; sessions, workshops, performances, and other opportunities for filmmakers to engage with the wider arts and Brooklyn communities. On closing night, CHFF presents awards for a number of categories. Each year, a different artist is invited to create the awards as unique artworks. This year's artist is .

To view our past seasons' programs, click on the links below:

CHFF 2010
CHFF 2011
CHFF 2012
CHFF 2013