Thursday, October 1, 2026
With the Sea Cliff Arts Council’s first film festival coming up, Co-Directors Katie Taber and Mark Sobel are finalizing plans for the event. All films have been chosen, panels have been put together, and the schedule can be found on the film festival website.
The festival, set for June 13 and 14, will feature documentaries and narrative films. Taber and Sobel selected a variety of films and shorts, some they sought out and others submitted through applications. Taber said they are looking forward to accepting applications and selecting films earlier next year.
The films and shorts included in the weekend’s lineup explore themes of community in different ways. Taber said including some works with a strong Long Island connection, like “On the End,” was also important to them.
“We looked for films,” Taber explained, “that we felt would resonate with the thoughtful community in Sea Cliff and the surrounding areas.”
“The Dads,” “Shoot the People,” “Icebreakers,” and “Big Girls Don’t Cry” all tell stories about LGBTQ+ rights and community. “Admission Possible” explores the experiences of first-generation college applicants. “Big Girls Don’t Cry” and “Edie Arnold is a Loser” each handle coming of age themes.
One documentary, “The Librarians,” follows librarians who came together against book banning in Texas, Florida, and elsewhere. Taber and Sobel have invited Sea Cliff’s own librarians, Ann DiPietro, who runs the children’s library, and Camille Purcell, who runs the main library, to get involved. They will introduce the film alongside Director Kim A. Snyder.
“This festival has just total community involvement all the way all around,” Taber said. “And so, we’re so excited to bring in the local librarians to be part of that screening.”
Three panels will be held throughout the weekend. One will talk place at Campground and feature local professionals in the film industry. They will discuss their careers and take questions from attendees.
Local editors, composers, graphic designers and others will sit on the panel. Taber described it as a “meet-up” for creative professionals and those starting out in the industry.
Sobel, the arts council’s producer-at-large, said that the panel will be an opportunity for attendees to meet professionals in the community and learn from them.
“That’s the beauty of Sea Cliff,” he added, “is that there’s so many people out there who have this ability and want to connect and want to be part of something.”
One panel will focus on narrative productions and feature directors of “Edie Arnold is a Loser” and “On the End.” They will discuss their creative process as writer/directors.
The other will be a documentary-based panel that explores how to identify and choose a story when making a documentary. Taber emphasized that the discussion will not center on marketing.
“That’s really going to focus on,” she said, “the sort of creative decision-making elements about what stories to follow.”
Both the narrative and documentary-based panels will be held at the arts council building at 86 Roslyn Ave.
A filmmaker’s lounge will be open to those who purchase daily passes for the festival. Food, water, and phone charging stations will be available. The space at 46 Roslyn Ave. is being prepared.
There will be a screening of “The Sixth Borough,” a documentary Taber produced about Long Island artists’ impact on hip-hop, on Wednesday at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. The church will serve as a venue during the festival, along with the arts council building and Sea Cliff Elementary School.
As the festival approaches, Taber said she is excited and feeling “nervous in the right way.” Sobel added that they are hoping to reach an audience from Sea Cliff and beyond. He added that the community has expressed excitement.
“As we get closer to kickoff time,” Sobel said, “it just feels like more and more people are coming out of the woodwork and saying, ‘This is something we’ve always needed in Sea Cliff,’ and I love that.”
To view the complete schedule and purchase tickets, visit SeaCliffFilmFestival.org.
