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Yonkers Film Festival Debut Rolls On Despite Storm

YONKERS, N.Y. – Yonkers' first-ever film festival rolled into the city Thursday night with a thunderous debut.

Despite severe storms wreaking havoc on Westchester County and its power grid, the show went on inside the Yonkers Public Library’s Riverfront Branch during the debut of the New York Riverlight International Film Festival.

Organizer Richard Crawford said he shrugged off warnings that he should postpone the debut of the festival, not wanting to delay its premiere any longer.

“I’m Scottish and I don’t get scared off by weather,” he said. “We’ve been working seven months on this and there was no way we weren’t going to do it.”

In the end, dozens of moviegoers braved the conditions and filled the seats for the two-hour premiere. They watched as Crawford and the hosts of the festival, the Blue Door Gallery, screened seven short films, ranging from four to 15 minutes long.  

Selected from hundreds of submitted entries, two of the films were shot in the United States, while others came from places like Greece, France and Australia. Overall, Crawford said he counts the festival’s debut as a roaring success.

“It’s always hard to do something for the first time, but I think it went very well,” he said.

State assemblywoman Shelley Mayer (D-Yonkers) congratulated Crawford and members of the Blue Door Gallery for their work and said Thursday night could be the start of something big in the city.  

“This is an extraordinary day and just a fabulous night for Yonkers,” she said.  

Many of the viewers agreed as the crowd buzzed with excitement after the show and later at the after-party down the block. Irvington’s Dan Fishman said he wasn’t sure what to expect during the debut of the festival, but was pleasantly surprised by a number of the films.

“I thought this was a great idea,” he said. “A couple of the films I found really interesting and engaging.”

The festival will continue until Aug. 4, and admission to all films is free. For a complete list of films and screening times, visit the Blue Door Gallery website.

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