The Bakersfield Independent Film Festival, also known as "BIFF," is a film festival held in Bakersfield, California, which showcases films made by filmmakers with a connection to Bakersfield or Kern County, California.
Bakersfield is a city in and the county seat of Kern County, California, United States. It covers about 142 sq mi (370 km2) near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley and the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's population is around 380,000, making it the 9th-most populous city in California and the 52nd-most populous city in the nation. The Bakersfield–Delano Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Kern County, had a 2010 census population of 839,631, making it the 62nd-largest metropolitan area in the United States. The more built-up urban area that includes Bakersfield and areas immediately around the city, such as East Bakersfield, Oildale, and Rosedale, has a population of over 520,000. Bakersfield is a charter city.
Kern County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 839,631. Its county seat is Bakersfield.
The criteria of a connection to Bakersfield and Kern County for the purpose of BIFF is broad. Eligible films are those made by filmmakers who live in Kern County, or who once lived in Kern County, or which had film crews from Kern County, or films which were shot in Kern County. [1]
BIFF has been held four times in the past.
The most recent BIFF was held on November 1–3, 2012, at The Empty Space, Bakersfield. About 20 films and music videos were shown, including the feature film The Lackey, and some of the filmmakers were also there to answer questions. [2]
History
BIFF is organized and sponsored by the production company, Seat of Your Pants Productions, and its director Roger Mathey. [3]
Roger Mathey is an American theatrical director, as well as a playwright, actor, producer, and filmmaker. His plays have been staged in Los Angeles, Orange County, Bakersfield, and San Francisco in California, and also in Denver, Colorado.
The first BIFF, BIFF 1.0, was held on November 18–19, 2005. It was held at the Spotlight Theatre, Bakersfield. [4]
BIFF 1.5 was held on June 23–24, 2006. As with BIFF 1.0, it was again held at the Spotlight Theatre, Bakersfield. [5]
BIFF 2.0 was held on November 24–25, 2006. As was the case with BIFF 1.0 and BIFF 1.5, it was again held at the Spotlight Theatre, Bakersfield. [6]
BIFF 3.0 was held on November 1–3, 2012. In contrast to previous BIFFs, BIFF 3.0 was held at a new venue, The Empty Space, Bakersfield. [7]
Frazier Park is an unincorporated community in Kern County, California. It is 5 miles (8 km) west of Lebec, at an elevation of 4,639 feet (1,414 m). It is one of the Mountain Communities of the Tejon Pass. The population was 2,691 in the 2010 census, up from 2,348 in 2000.
The Rabobank Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Bakersfield, California, USA. Located downtown at the corner of Truxtun Avenue and N Street, it was built in 1998, and was originally known as Centennial Garden. Dutch cooperative bank Rabobank has held the naming rights since 2005.
The Busan International Film Festival, held annually in Haeundae-gu, Busan, South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. The first festival, held from 13 to 21 September 1996, was also the first international film festival in Korea. The focus of the BIFF is introducing new films and first-time directors, especially those from Asian countries. Another notable feature is the appeal of the festival to young people, both in terms of the large youthful audience it attracts and through its efforts to develop and promote young talent. In 1999, the Pusan Promotion Plan was established to connect new directors to funding sources. The 16th BIFF in 2011 saw the festival move to a new permanent home, the Busan Cinema Center in Centum City. The Busan Cinema Center is an about USD 150 million structure designed by Austria-based architecture collective Coop Himmelblau. The about 30,000 m² Cinema Center includes a 4,000-seat outdoor theatre; four indoor screens under an LED-covered roof; media centre; archive space; and conference rooms; allowing the festival to include industry forums and educational activities.
Roy Arthur Ashburn is an American politician from Kern County, California. A Republican, he served as a California State Senator from 2002 to 2010 representing the 18th district. He previously served three terms in the California State Assembly, representing the 32nd district and 12 years on the Kern County Board of Supervisors. He served on the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board from 2011 until February 2015, after having been appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
California's 21st congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California which is centered in the San Joaquin Valley, and includes areas of Fresno County, Kern County, Kings County, and Tulare County. Cities in it include Coalinga, Delano, Hanford, and outer parts of Bakersfield.
California's 22nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California. The district is currently represented by Republican Devin Nunes.
Kern County Raceway Park is a 0.5-mile (0.80 km) oval speedway located on CA 43 just off Interstate 5 in Bakersfield, Kern County, California, United States. Opened in 2013, it was built as a replacement for Mesa Marin Raceway.
East Bakersfield is a region in Bakersfield, California directly east of downtown. The region was formerly known as the town of Sumner, which was later incorporated and renamed Kern City. It is primarily a mixture of residential and commercial developments. It also contains a small business district centered on the intersection of Baker Street, and Sumner Avenue. Census data is provided on the right for the time period when the region was an independent town and city. It is part of the Bakersfield Urban area of almost 500,000 people.
The Boulder International Film Festival (BIFF), sponsored by the Colorado Film Society, is held annually on Presidents Day Weekend in Boulder, Colorado USA, and has developed a reputation as one of the most compelling young film festivals in the U.S., exhibiting a number of new-but-unknown feature films, documentaries, animations, and shorts that have gone on to significant box-office success and multiple Oscar nominations, including Monsieur Lazhar, Burma VJ, Revanche, Wasp, Miracle Fish, The Conscience of Nhem Eh, Waste Land, Incident in New Baghdad, Instead of Abracadabra, Raju, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, West Bank Story, The Secret of Kells, 5 Broken Cameras, Chasing Ice, Curfew, Asad, The Missing Picture, and The Wind Rises. More than 23,600 filmmakers, national media, special guests and film enthusiasts attended the four-day BIFF 2014.
Dan Mirvish is an American filmmaker and author, best known as the co-founder of the Slamdance Film Festival and co-creator of the Martin Eisenstadt hoax during the 2008 Presidential election.
Downtown is the central business district for Bakersfield, California. Located in the heart of the city, Downtown Bakersfield is easily accessible from all its other parts. It is also reemerging as the center of Bakersfield's arts, culture and entertainment sectors. Downtown contains several of the cities major theaters, sporting complexes, museums, and historical landmarks.
Bakersfield is home to several minor league sports franchises and athletic programs at Bakersfield College and California State University, Bakersfield.
The Padre Hotel is a historical landmark hotel located on the corner of 18th and "H" streets in Bakersfield, California. Originally constructed in 1928 as a luxury hotel and restaurant, the eight-story building recently went through an extensive renovation and reopened in 2010. The Padre Hotel now features 112 rooms and suites, several meeting spaces, a restaurant, a bar, a cafe, a bistro, and an outdoor bar with a cabana and firepits. The Padre Hotel has an on-site caterer and can accommodate a variety of special events. Guests of the hotel are required to be 21 years of age, unless accompanied by an adult.
Derby Revolution of Bakersfield (DRB) is a women's flat track roller derby league based in Bakersfield, California. Founded in 2008, DRB consists of a single travel team which competes against teams from other leagues, and is a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA).
Bak-Anime is an annual two-day anime convention held at the Kern County Fairgrounds in Bakersfield, California by the staff of Sac-Anime. The convention is the sister conventions to the Bakersfield Comic Con, Sacramento Comic, Toy and Anime Show (Sac-Con), and Sac-Anime.
The Catalina Solar Project is a 143.2 megawatt (MW) photovoltaic power station located near Bakersfield, Kern County, California, owned by enXco, an EDF Énergies Nouvelles Company. It covers area of 445 hectares.
Emily Carmichael is an American film director, screenwriter, and animator. Her short films have screened in competition at Sundance, Tribeca, SXSW, Slamdance, and other US and International film festivals. Carmichael co-wrote the screenplay for the 2018 science fiction sequel Pacific Rim Uprising, and is set to direct the film adaptation of Lumberjanes at 20th Century Fox.
