Red Hook Community Cinema Festival celebrates local filmmakers
BROOKLYN, N.Y. (PIX11) -- The Red Hook Community Cinema Festival is back for its second year, showcasing films made by and about the vibrant Brooklyn neighborhood.
The event highlights the area's rich filmmaking history and its significance in New York City's film scene.
Brian Toban, a local writer and director, is among the emerging filmmakers debuting their work at the festival. Toban, who has lived in Red Hook for many years and raised his children there, describes it as "one of the greatest neighborhoods I've ever lived in in my life. Probably my favorite neighborhood."
For Toban and his collaborator Ronaldo Daley, this festival marks their first venture into filmmaking.
"We are both people that worked for a living doing other things outside of film. And so for us, this is like a new world," Toban explains.
Their short film, titled "True Love," features a mix of established and local talent, whom Toban describes as "amazing actors."
Reflecting on the importance of filmmaking, Toban shares, "To me, film is really important because I guess it's a catharsis issue. You can kind of try to help people feel things that they didn't walk into the room expecting to feel. And so to me, there's some magic in that."
The festival offers a variety of attractions, including screenings of local films, expert panels with industry professionals, and community activities featuring local food and music.
Carly Baker-Rice from the Red Hook Business Alliance notes, "We're really trying to balance it between being for our general audiences and everybody down here to enjoy films but then also making some space that are really for the film community, come together and talk."
Looking ahead, Toban is excited about his future in filmmaking.
"This particular short film for us was a small step into a bigger world. We have plans to do a feature film based on this," he reveals.
Despite feeling both excited and nervous about this new career path, Toban remains optimistic, embracing the journey "one film at a time."
The Red Hook Community Cinema Festival runs through Sunday. For more information, click here.