Sampling an independent film festival is a little like putting a toe in murky waters. Every genre is here, from animation, documentary, narrative, experimental, virtual reality, short to super short—there’s nothing to do but dive in. As the flyer promises, it’s “never boring.” Dennis Cieri, the NYC Independent Film Festival executive director and founder says, “it’s the indie filmmakers who change the nature of cinematography, as an industry and an art.” For this eighth year, Cierti’s crew assembled 85 judges to rate 1,278 films.