The sixth annual YoFiFest film festival opens Nov. 2, and this year it’s showing more films than ever, from around the world and right here in Westchester. The international submissions have come from all over the globe, including Ireland, Australia, Poland and Turkey.
However, the local filmmakers are showing up in record numbers, as well – both for the “D.I.Y.” (Done In Yonkers) showcase Monday, Nov. 5, and for the “Westchester Wednesday” showcase Nov. 7.
“It was a record year for submissions, so we decided to expand our programming to try and accommodate all the great films we received,” said Patty Schumann, the festival’s co-founder and programmer. “It’s exciting to see the number and quality of films from the lower Hudson Valley that are submitted year after year and it is always a treat for us to be able to showcase our local filmmakers.”
Local talent is appearing throughout the festival, including the NorthEast premiere of Ben Zuckert’s “Noah Wise,” his second feature film to be screened at YoFiFest and the second film he shot in Westchester.
“The community is really supportive,” said Zuckert. “Claudia Huter at Larchmont Music Academy volunteered to assemble a fifth-grade concert band for me and gave the young musicians private lessons to learn the song for the film. Patty Bainton, who runs the ballroom program in Larchmont, was completely on board with filming and played herself in the movie. We shot on a Friday night, right after the real ballroom ended.”
Not only does Zuckert like shooting in Westchester, but he like screening there, as well. “I’m looking forward to screening with a local crowd,” he said. “The film hasn’t been shown yet in the area, so I’m hoping some Larchmont residents can make it out.”
Mount Vernon resident Devin Klos, who also had a movie in last year’s festival, said he feels similarly about his latest film “Santa Claus is Drumming to Town,” which will be making its New York premiere at this year’s festival. He said he likes filming in Westchester because “the locations are so diverse in that you can find both urban, suburban and rural looks all within 30 minutes. Plus, commutes for people from New York City, Jersey and Connecticut are easy,” said Klos.
He added that he is looking forward to this year’s YoFiFest and “meeting other great filmmakers and seeing their work. I was able to meet and stay in touch with a lot of great people from last year’s festival and hope to do the same this year,” he said.
Michael Scarnati, a Westchester native, is another YoFiFest alum who said he is excited to be back at the festival with his latest film “Across The Graveyard,” his senior thesis film for the SUNY Purchase Film Conservatory, which shot in Mamaroneck and Yonkers.
“I always love going to YoFiFest every year, a local festival for me, and being able to point out several film locations that I know off-hand from personal visitation,” he said.
While Alanna Morton from Hastings-On-Hudson was a senior at SUNY Purchase, she shot her short sci-fi dark comedy film “Wash Your Fruit” in Port Chester, Harrison and Purchase.
“There’s a wild variety of locations within a manageable radius,” she said. “Having shot in the winter/early spring, it was valuable to be close enough to what we needed even if the weather was a little unsavory. It was also nice to be close to the rental houses in on NYC.”
Her film will be making its Hudson Valley premiere at the festival.
Purchase was also the backdrop for Michael Cataldo’s “Ascendency Transmission,” a science fiction short that was shot on the Manhattanville College campus. “What I love about Westchester is its many options for different types of shooting locations – from suburban towns to more urban environments to even quiet rural farm landscapes,” said Cataldo, the film’s producer.”
The film will be making its world premiere at YoFiFest, but what Cataldo is most looking forward to is “meeting other filmmakers from the area and seeing what people are working on.” He said he’s also excited about the workshops the festival is offering. “This is my first film festival experience and I want to take advantage of as much of the opportunities presented,” he said.
Eli Cantor shot his film “Inclusion on the Air” in Briarcliff Manor, and said he is a big fan of Westchester. “There are so many creative, talented, generous people who live in our county,” he said. “It’s wonderful when they are willing to share their stories with filmmakers.”
Another filmmaker who shares a love of Westchester is Vagabond Beaumont, who based his production “Aftermath: The Seeds of Armageddon” out of New Rochelle.
“There are some really great locations in Westchester that you can only find in Westchester,” said the professional location manager. “Not to mention that there is such a diversity of locations – urban, suburban, old houses, modern homes, office building, castles, parks, rivers, lakes – there’s just so much for Westchester to offer in terms of choice.”
Other local films screening at this year’s YoFiFest include Vincent Morrone, who filmed his mystery “Mary Rose” in Yonkers and Armonk; “The Hun” by Yonkers native Tyler Mendelson; and the crime drama “Lucid” by Adam Gonzalez.
Honored as one of FilmFreeways “Top 100 Best Reviewed Festivals,” twice voted “Best of Westchester” in Westchester Magazine’s annual poll, and named one of the “Top 10 Things To Do in Yonkers” by The Journal News/LoHud, YoFiFest is curated by award-winning film and television professionals and designed to encourage audiences and filmmakers to watch and talk about movies together.
The festival takes place in Downtown Yonkers from Nov. 2 to 11. Information, schedules and tickets are available at YoFiFest.com.
