
December 11, 2024
On Sunday, December 8, the Fall 2024 Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY) Film Festival, Welcome 2 Hollywood, took place in the BMCC Tribeca Performing Art Center’s Theater 2 at the college’s Chambers Street campus.
Students who are aspiring documentarians, commercial filmmakers, music video producers and feature filmmakers screened their original work. The event gave them an opportunity to network with peers and engage in conversation with esteemed directors and producers who shared career and creative insight.
The judges who volunteered their time for the event were Kazembe Balagun, Executive Director, Maysles Documentary Center; Marco Niro, Production Designer with credits inducing the ABC show 9-1-1, and Becky Lamming, video editor and BMCC alumna (Video Arts and Technology, 2023) who is a multiple past winner in the BMCC Film Festival herself.
About 130 friends and members of the BMCC community attended the event. Fifty-four films were submitted and 35 played in competition.
Media Arts and Technology Professor and documentary filmmaker Anastassios Rigopoulos—who advises the BMCC Cinema Arts Club—led the event.
The winners are as follows:

Best Fiction Film
One More for Safety, directed by Michael Schnick;
Honorable Mention: Osmose, directed by Jenna Ferayo and Sam Wang
Best Documentary
Ebony, directed by Sean-Josahi Brown;
Honorable Mention: Punk to Protest –– Writing Is Activism with Alvin Eng, directed by Ken Dai
Best Animation
Honest Answer, directed by Sally Weitzner
Best Client-based Film (Commercial or PSA)
Un Altro Caffé, directed by Salvatore Blandina
Best Montage or Experimental Film
Can This Happen to a Normal Woman? by Clara Riso

Best Music Video
El Pérez: Trabajando, directed by Andres Mao Vivas
Best Directing
Jenna Ferayo and Sam Wang for Osmose
Best Acting
Michael Schnick for On More for Safety
Best Screenplay
Michael Schnick for One More for Safety
Best Cinematography (tie)
Salvatore Blandina for Un Altro Caffé and Dreams
Julian Craig for Flutes and Forests

Best Sound
Ken Dai for Punk to Protest –– Writing Is Activism with Alvin Eng
Best Editing (tie)
Mekhi Lee for Wurst Behavior and Clara Riso for Can This Happen to a Normal Woman?
Honorable Mention: Marlon Martinez for Golden Touch.
Viewers’ Choice Award
The Nerves Reminded Me, directed by Isaiah Washington
The Michael Vincent Rosen-Pipitone Foundation’s MVRP Rising Star Award
Moussa Doumbia and Jem Monzon-Reyes
The Rising Star Award is presented by the Michael Vincent Rosen-Pipitone (Rosen-Pipitone) Foundation (MVRP) at each BMCC Film Festival in memory of the late Michael Vincent Rosen-Pipitone, a BMCC student and talented actor, writer, artist and comedian.
Thumbnail image: Sofie Nesanelis and Michael Schnick in still shot from the fiction film One More for Safety directed by Michael Schnick
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
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On December 8, the BMCC Film Festival, Welcome 2 Hollywood, took place in the BMCC Tribeca Performing Art Center’s Theater 2
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The judges were Kazembe Balagun, Executive Director, Maysles Documentary Center; Marco Niro, Production Designer and Becky Lamming, video editor and BMCC alumna (Video Arts and Technology, 2023)
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Media Arts and Technology Professor Anastassios Rigopoulos and the BMCC Cinema Arts Club coordinated the festival which screened 35 films in competition