Ep. 183: NB Film Festival

Southcoast Artists Index

Welcome, once again, Alyssa Botelho from Podcast Episode 175 and Ethan de Aguiar, from Podcast Episode 173. They have teamed up to create the New Bedford Film Festival - which, "celebrates authentic cinematic stories, cultivates bold storytellers, and champions the city’s growing creative and diverse economy."

The festival will take place in New Bedford (as of this posting) in the South Coast of Massachusetts from April 18 to 21, 2024, their inaugural year. The New Bedford Film Festival event sites are at the New Bedford Ground Work and the New Bedford Creative offices. There will be multiple screening areas. The New Bedford Film Festival offers local filmmakers the unique opportunity to showcase their films as well as simultaneous, panels, and networking events.

During the evening segments, the festival features the "Story in a Frame" for filmmakers to take the opportunity to share a screenshot from their project and engage in lively discussions.

The New Bedford Film Festival celebrates authentic cinematic stories, cultivates bold storytellers, and champions the city’s growing creative economy. NBFF takes place in the vibrant city of New Bedford on the South Coast region of Massachusetts. Alyssa and Ethan say that the festival is committed to their shared vision by, "spotlighting the diverse human experience through cinematic storytelling such as short & feature films, episodic, music videos, documentaries, and PSA shorts through a yearly film festival."

Throughout the day, the New Bedford Film Festival invites you to, "explore New Bedford's downtown small business scene where the filmmakers will be offered discounts and promotions when presenting their official NBFF badge." The opening events will be held at the state-of-the-art New Bedford Whaling Museum theater, with an Academy Award-style closing ceremony held at Steeple Playhouse on the last day of the festival.

And as they say, there's more! The NB48: Filmmaking Challenge Challenge! event is held in collaboration with the New Bedford Film Festival and sponsored by UMass Dartmouth. It aims to highlight the beauty and diversity of downtown New Bedford as the perfect setting for film narratives.

The challenge is a great opportunity to showcase the thriving independent film scene in the New Bedford area and connect with like-minded local filmmakers, actors, and volunteers. Alyssa Botelho and Ethan de Aguiar speak with The Artists Index’s cofounder, documentarian, and podcast host, Ron Fortier, once again, about their new and highly successful festival collaboration.

The Artists Index uses Zoom to accommodate our guests’ schedules and to allow them to remain in the comfort of their homes, especially those who no longer live on the South Coast of Massachusetts. The home base and studio of The Artists Index are located at Spectrum Marketing Group in Howland Place in New Bedford. If you would like to be a guest on The Artists Index or have a suggestion, please let us know!

The In-Focus Podcasts are up close and personal conversations with the makers, performers, supporters, and cultural impresarios of the remarkable creative community of South Coast Massachusetts including New Bedford, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Westport, and beyond.