festival

2022 SUNY Niagara Film and Animation Festival features industry professionals, including keynote speaker Debbie Rochon, and special guests Lynn Lowry and Lockport native, Sam Qualiana.

SUNY Niagara’s 2022 Film & Animation Festival will take place in-person on  Saturday May 7 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the school’s Sanborn campus, located at 3111 Saunders Settlement Road. The festival, which features a number of fun and informative activities, is open to the public and admission is free.

The event brings together filmmakers, animators, actors, and enthusiasts from across Western New York and beyond. Topping the festival is an international film competition, which presents $200 awards for best film in a variety of categories including: Drama, Comedy, Animation, Documentary, Music Video, Horror, and Experimental. More than $1,600 in prizes are handed out, including three special “716” awards that are presented to the best Western New York high school student film, best college student film, and best overall film selected by attendees at the festival.

The SUNY Niagara festival includes continuous screenings of finalists’ films, displays, exhibits, workshops, and more.

This year’s featured keynote speaker is Debbie Rochon, legendary horror movie actor, writer, producer, and director, best known for her intense, off-kilter roles in Tromeo and Juliet, Hellblock 13, and American Nightmare. Rochon also will offer a free workshop at the festival entitled “Horror Acting 101—Don’t Be Scared!” Rochon had her directorial debut with the horror film Model Hunger, which was shot in Buffalo, NY.  She also wrote regular columns for the horror fan magazines Fangoria and Asylum and, recently,  gave critically acclaimed turns in works inspired by classical writers; Tales of Poe (Edgar Allan Poe), Mark of the Beast (Rudyard Kipling) and Colour from the Dark (H.P. Lovecraft).

Special guest at this year’s festival is Lynn Lowry, veteran actress, and producer, best known for her film roles in George A. Romero’s The Crazies and David Cronenberg’s Shivers. Lowry will present screenings of her films Ready for My Close-Up, and Mindflip—The Prequel. Along with Debbie Rochon, Lynn will be available for Q&A, pictures, and autographs.

The SUNY Niagara Film & Animation Festival’s “WNY Filmmaker of the Year” award will be presented this year to director, writer, producer, and actor Sam Qualiana of Lockport, NY. Sam is best known for his films Snow Shark, The Legend of Six Fingers, and Lake Effect. Most recently, Sam served as the unit production manager for the made-for-TV movie Romance on Ice, directed by Fred Olen Ray. Filming for the movie took place in Buffalo and East Aurora.