Culture Chronicle

Local Film Festival Gains Ground
Crain's New York Business - June 1, 2010
By Miriam Kreinin Souccar

The Staten Island Film Festival, in its fifth year, is expected to draw record attendance.

It may not be Cannes or Tribeca, but the Staten Island Film Festival is growing in size and stature.

In its fifth year, the annual festival, which opens Wednesday and runs for five days, is expected to attract a record number of attendees. Last year, 5,000 people attended the event.

Festival organizers said they received hundreds of movie submissions from filmmakers around the world, 75 of which will be screened.

"The Staten Island Film Festival is becoming a key player in the film industry as it continues to grow in participation and attendance each year," said Kim Seggio, senior program officer at the Richmond County Savings Foundation, founding sponsor of the festival, in a statement.

The festival was conceived by the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation to bring business to the borough. This year, the festival chairman is Grammy winner RZA from the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan. RZA, a Staten Island native, will also be screening his first feature film, Bobby Did It, in the St. George Theater. For the full article, click here