Lamberson Film Festivals
In 2010, Gregory Lamberson was one of the founders of Buffalo Screams Horror Film Festival, which started at the Screening Room Cinema & Arts Cafe. He discovered that many of the most interesting films he and his partners received exceeded genre boundaries. In 2013, he rebranded Buffalo Screams as Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival, which ran for 10 years at different Dipsosn Theatres. In 2023, as the sole remaining partner, he rebranded again, this time as Amazing Fantasy Fest. Throughout its first 16 years, the format of the festival has remained the same: running one week or more, AFF screens Horror, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Action, Animation, and Experimental films from around the world, many accompanied by filmmaker Q&As.
Beginning early on, Gregory's wife, Tamar, assisted him with hIs festival. In 2023, Tamar and their daughter Kaelin, then in high school, launched Valkyrie International Film Festival, showcasing films directed by women. VIFF immediately became a unique event, offering a warm, supportive, and safe space platform for female filmmakers to share their work. Tamar and Kaelin also started at the Screening Room; when it closed unexpectedly early in 2026, they were fortunate to find a temporary venue at Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center. But the Screening Room has found a new location and will re-open late in 2026, and VIFF will return there for its 2027 edition. The Screening Room feels like home.
In 2025, Gregory announced a new fetival: Empire State Film Festival, screening exclusively films produced in New York State. He chose the Cinemapolis in Ithaca, New York, as the venue for this latest venture, and the inaugural three-day event debuts October 23rd, 2026.
Which brings us to Amazing Animation Festival. All three incarnations of Amazing Fantasy Fest have included animation; Valkyrie International Film Festival includes animation; and Empire State Film Festival includes animation. With a strong animation lineup for AFF in 2026, Gregory decided the time has come for the art form to have its own event in Western New York, back where it all began - the Screening Room.
Voila!
