Bermuda International Film Festival
Bermuda International Film Festival or BIFF was first launched in 1997 when only 22 films were screened over 7 days in two of Hamilton's theaters. Since then, the Biff has gone a long way. Today over 90 films are screened in four theaters. This festival in Bermuda has received wide spread recognition from all over the world including from its own islanders. Biff is now the qualifying festival for the Short Film Academy Award.
Only 50 other festivals around the world share such distinction with BIFF. During the first launch year, young actors Renee Zellweger and Vincent D'Onofrio starred on the opening-night film, Whole Wide World. Until 2002, the films used to be screened only at Liberty and Little theatres in Hamilton. In 2002 Southside Cinema was added. And in 2007 Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute (BUEI) theatre was further added.
Liberty theater has a capacity of 270, Little 162, Southside 425 and BUEI 148. Other than the full length feature films, the festival screens some 30 shorts, plus seven documentary features and seven narrative features. Separate awards are given for all these categories. For the narrative and documentary categories, those only with new directors are screened. However the short film competition is open to all directors.
All feature length films compete for the Audience Choice Award and the directors whose films win the awards are invited to Bermuda the following year to sit on the jury.
BIFF also screens World Cinema Showcase, Opening Night and Closing Night, BIFF Kids (children’s films), a Sidebar highlighting modern cinema from a leading filmmaking country, special presentations, midnight madness films, and a Short Series. Over the past several years, the festival has screened films that had later gone on to win Academy Awards in the documentary and short film categories. Biff has been screening winning films from the Cannes, Berlin, Sundance, and Toronto festivals, as well as from European Film of the Year.
Apart from the March/April festival, BIFF also holds Children’s Film Festival in October, a monthly Film Series throughout the year, and eight weeks of Summer Film Production Camps for kids of 7-16 years. Over the years, BIFF has been consistently winning the Best of Bermuda Gold Awards from The Bermudian magazine. BIFF has also won Best Cultural Award three times and has earned Award of Excellence from the magazine.
2024 Schedule
Not published
Contacts for further info
Bermuda International Film Festival
Somers Building, 15 Front Street, Hamilton City, Bermuda
Visit the website www.biff.bm for the full event program.
Visit the website biff.ptix.bm to purchase tickets online.
2017 Schedule: Bermuda International Film Festival
May 1 -7, 2017.
2016 Bermuda International Film Festival
The 19th BIFF to be held between March 4 (Friday) to 11 (Friday) 2016. Main venue is City Hall, Hamilton.
2015 Bermuda International Film Festival
(Update: March 30, 2015)
The 18th BIFF was held between March 20 - 26, 2015. All film screenings took lace in Liberty Theatre (40 Union Plaza, Hamilton City) while the panel discussions took place in Bermuda National Gallery (City Hall and Arts Center, Hamilton). Workshops were held at BUEI (40 Crow Lane, Pembroke). About 30 films were screened including features, short films, documentaries, narratives etc. There were features from countries like Belgium, Germany, Congo, UK, Canada, Hungary, Israel etc. Several films portrayed the difficulty in transition from childhood to adulthood.
The various categories were Afterhours (innovative and uncompromising), Shorts, Biff Kids, From the Onion patch (local), Galas (having renowned film makers and starring big names), and World Cinema (from around the world). About 2,000 tickets were sold. Tickets were available online from ptix.bm as well as from the theatre. Ticket price in general was $15 for the screens, Biff Kids was $10 and opening and closing Gala films were $25 each.
2013 Bermuda International Film Festival
The 16th annual Bermuda International Film Festival (BIFF) will take place from April 12 - 18, 2013. The venues are:
1) Liberty Theatre (254 seats), 49 Union Square, Hamilton, Bermuda
2) Tradewinds Theatre (148 seats), Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute, 40 Crow Lane, Pembroke, Hamilton, Bermuda
2012 Bermuda International Film Festival Updates
To be held between March 16-22, 2012. This is the 15th edition of the film festival in Bermuda. Due to the prevailing economic conditions, the budgets have been slashed. The films will be screened only in one theater this year - The Liberty at Union Square, Hamilton.
The estimated total number of films this year is 77 (27 features films and 50 shorts). It's substantially lower compared to the previous year. Due to limited number of slots, the focus has been kept on the most popular category "World Cinema" which attracts maximum crowd.
This category also includes the narratives and documentaries. The entrees that have received best of critique from all around the world will be slotted under "World Cinema". Some of such films include Bullhead (from Belgium), Declaration of War (from France), Pina (from Germany) etc.
The other categories include Short Films (short narratives, documentaries etc. from emerging film makers from all over the world), Biff Kids (films that are directed for children), After Hours (three late night movies), etc.
There will be a hub set up at the upper floor of the Liberty Theater where the members of the audience can go and chat with fellow viewers and share their thoughts about a film. They can also get snacks and drinks at the hub. A wrap up party will be held at the end of the festival.
2011 Bermuda International Film Festival
The event is being held between Mar 18 - 24 and centered around Hamilton city. Films are screened in Liberty and Specialty theaters only. The lineup includes winners from Oscars, Golden Globes and Cannes Film Festival.
Some of the super-hits being featured in this year's BIFF include In a Better World that received both an Oscar and a Golden Globe for the Best Foreign Film, Illusionist which was awarded the Best Animated Film at the Golden Globes and was also nominated at the Oscars, and the love story Biutiful starring Javier Bardem that was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars.
Tickets are available online at www.biff.bm and at the iStore (46 Reid Street, Hamilton). Ticket prices are $9 for children, $15 for adults, and $10 for BIFF members.
2010 Bermuda International Film Festival Updates
Scheduled between 19-25 Mar
Tickets: Go on sale from March 10. You can buy them online at www.bdatix.com or at the box office at 15 Front Street
Price: All tickets are $12.50 plus a small service charge. The ticket pays for a two hour movie slot which includes two documentaries.
Check out 2010 BIFF Awards to find out about the winning films and documentaries in 2010.
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 By Raj Bhattacharya
Raj, a seasoned travel writer and Bermuda destination expert, has extensive global travel experience. This website reflects his profound insights, garnered over nearly two decades of dedicated findings and research on the island. Raj has assisted countless Bermuda-bound visitors by providing direct, personalized responses to their queries and imparting his wealth of knowledge through this platform. This site serves as an indispensable guide for those seeking informed and reliable insights into Bermuda's treasures.
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