Thursday, October 1, 2026
The Long Island International Film Expo, Long Island’s summer playground for filmmakers, returned to Bellmore Movies and Showplace for its 29th year this month.
The festival featured 113 films from around the world, including Spain, Hong Kong, Ghana and beyond, as well as domestic films, including those from Long Islanders.
Merrick resident Debra Markowitz is a filmmaker and active member of the local film community. “I can tell you how vital LIIFE is to the community — the economic community, and to the community itself,” she said. “The film industry is a big part of the Island, a big part of our economic development, so this is so important for so many reasons, and art itself is always important.”
The expo ran from July 7 to 11, and featured free panels on screenwriting, directing, foreign markets, and a live table reading of a screenplay.
The sponsors for the event included Nassau County, the county Industrial Development Agency, Gold Coast Studios, Drink Media Network, Hani, and Screen Vision.
“I’m here today on behalf of all 1.4 million people that live in Nassau County”, county Comptroller Elaine Phillips said. “We are culturally rich. We celebrate every race, every religion, every ethnicity. We have the best hospitals, the best beaches, the best restaurants, the best shopping, and the best film festival.”
Donna Drake, founder of Drake Media Studios and the executive producer and host of “The Donna Drake Show,” on CBS, spoke to the gathered filmmakers.
“My love for this film festival starts basically from day one,” she said. “I am thankful for all the years that the festival has thrived here, and that’s why I decided to sponsor it. It is an economic driver for us, but it’s also a creative driver for the world.”
Eddie Lebron, a three-time Emmy Award-winning editor, cinematographer and director, has returned to the festival year after year as his career has grown. “Many things have changed in my life: I’ve held on to many different positions, worked on many different projects, but the constant is every year I find myself back here,” LeBron said. “It’s a hotbed for upcomers in the industry, current rising stars, and veterans who want to share what they’ve learned.”
Flying in from Los Angeles, producer and director Tamela D’Amico offered the global premiere of her film “Bed/Time,” which won LIIFE’s Jury Prize.
“This is a story about family, which is universal to many people,” D’Amico said. “It’s good to be back here, good to be back home. I’m originally from Long Island, and it’s wonderful to bring this film here.”
The cast members of “Bed/Time,” Cooper Barnes, Liz Stewart Barnes and 10-year-old Ripley Barnes, worked with D’Amico to create a story that captured a routine yet meaningful evening in their household, with parents reading to their daughter.
“It documents that moment that parents can relate to, that push and pull between something that you love, something that you want to be present for, but something that you’re obligated to do,” Cooper Barnes said. “Tamela really did a wonderful job capturing that for us … I hope the audience really likes it, because we’re very proud of it.”
Kai Helenius, creator of “I Wish My Bones Were Unidentifiable,” was elated that his second short film was accepted by LIIFE. The film, following a young transgender man’s troubling visit home, received multiple award nominations.
“It’s been incredible,” Helenius said. “I think everyone is very nice. Almost too nice,” he joked.
“I studied to be behind the camera, not in front of it, and as life would have it, here I am now, starring in a short film,” said Kavi Sacha, an actor playing the Stranger in “The Last Sun.” “It’s great to have had this opportunity. I love being part of this community. It’s just really inviting, and motivates you to keep going.”
Hina Ali, director of “Salam Shalom: The Untold Story of a Jewish Family in Pakistan,” created an epic documentary spanning the decades of Hazel Selzer Kahan’s life. Kahan’s parents fled Nazi Germany and established a new life in Lahore, experiencing rejection that led Kahan eventually to Long Island. The documentary also covers her return to Lahore, where she visited her childhood home and reunited with family friends from her childhood.
“I was researching online about different stories that are unique about Pakistan,” Ali said. “Jewish people lived everywhere in the world. I’m sure there were Jewish people in Pakistan … so, the next day I looked it up, and lo and behold, I found Hazel. I found her blog, and then I contacted her, and I was like, hey, I’m a filmmaker, and I’m interested in your story, and that’s how the film came to be.”
To learn more about LIIFE and upcoming events, visit LongIslandFilm.com.
