The prestigious Toronto Festival promises to once again deliver cutting-edge and boundary-pushing material.
Toronto, ON (Sept. 20, 2018) — Anticipation is drumming up for Buffer Festival 2018, with renowned YouTube creators like Elle Mills, Hazel Hayes, and Dom Fera giving fans social media sneak peeks of their top-secret films to be premiered at the upcoming Festival. With over 80 featured creators in attendance and brand new screening categories, this year is guaranteed to see an impressive display of craftsmanship and storytelling from these digital stars. Buffer Festival’s programmers have dedicatedly curated an electrifying mix of short films that will both delight and challenge audiences. These films will introduce us to some of today’s most unique young voices, and they have a lot to say.
Some of this year’s creators with buzz-worthy, not-to-be-missed films include:
Whitney Avalon: Gaining hundreds of millions of views and featuring celebrities like Sarah Michelle Gellar, Eliza Dushku and Yvonne Strahovski, Avalon has secured her spot in the comedic world with her incredibly viral Princess Rap Battles. Her new “children’s” show “Don’t Be A” will mix puppets, singing, and despair (and it’s certainly not for children).
Elle Mills: Mills ascendance into mainstream began soon after her “Coming Out (Elle Mills Style)” video. She premiered her film “Burnt Out at 19” at Buffer Festival L.A. earlier this year, in which she openly discussed the impact that her success has had on her life. Her authenticity and her dynamic storytelling have earned her 1.4 million subscribers and made her a favourite amongst her peers, with a fanclub that includes celebrities such as Casey Neistat and Hank Green. On Twitter, Mills has already teased two stills of the work she’ll be premiering at Buffer Festival with the simple caption “I turned my mom’s house into a frat.” Her viral videos are consistently quirky, spontaneous, and heartfelt, and this one is no exception.
Hannah Witton: Known for taking on any subject, no matter the difficulty, Witton recently opened up about her ulcerative colitis diagnosis at age 7, which eventually led to her having a stoma. Her Buffer Festival premiere will be an impactful 10-minute teaser of her new feature “Disability and Relationships Roundtable.” The film touches on the way disabled people are often expected to date other disabled people, and with the uncomfortably common first question “can you even have sex?” Witton’s ability to spark and encourage important conversations really shines through in this material.
Ashley Wylde: Wylde brings forward a new short film that dives right into an uncomfortable conversation that has only recently been picking up a lot of steam: the heavily gendered features of the Spanish language. In “Elles”, Wylde explores firm religious values and strict gender roles through four individuals who identify as both nonbinary and LatinX.
Sammy Paul
The Sixth Annual Buffer Festival will take place from Thursday, September 27th – Sunday 30th, 2018, at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts located at 27 Front St East, Toronto, Ontario, M5E 1B4. For a full schedule of screenings and events visit: https://bufferfestival.com/schedule
