By:Hector Flores
Since 1998, the expo has provided a showcase for independent flimmakers and helped them find distributors and music composers. The event also features discussion panels that provide information about moviemaking. And year after year, the festival continues to grow.
q Debra Markowitz, one of the festivalÕs founders and director of the Nassau County Film Office, said the event started out at the Malverne Cinema 4 in Malverne. ÒWe loved Malverne,Ó she said. ÒBut the Bellmore Movie Theatre is a bigger venue, providing 350 feet of space while Malverne only provided 185 feet.Ó
The festival will host four discussion panels: one on creative music; one on the legal issues of using music in movies; the horrors of moviemaking; and how to find a distributor for a movie.
Seventy films will be shown at this yearÕs festival, including 50 short films lasting between 10 to 30 minutes and 20 feature films l between one to two hours long. If the venue works out, organizers will make Bellmore the festivalÕs permanent home.
Theater owners Anne and Henry Stampfel, who also own Malverne Cinema, have been involved with the film festival since its inception. Once the event outgrew the Malverne Theatre, they knew they had to bring it to Bellmore. The couple has owned the Bellmore Movie Theatre since 1986 and the Malverne Cinema 4 since 1990.
Anne Stampfel said the couple were approached by the festivalÕs sponsors, including the Long Island Film and TV Commission and the Nassau and Suffolk county film commissions, about developing the event.
The festival is a great opportunity for first-time filmmakers and actors to showcase their talents, build a following and network. Some of festivalÕs films have gone to cable or film distributors.
ÒWe invite distributors to watch movies,Ó Anne Stampfel said. ÒBut we try to be different from other film festivals, who are more commercial. We want to stay true to the spirit of the independent filmmakers.Ó
Audience members select the festivalÕs winning films. This yearÕs awards ceremony will be held in October. Honors include best feature and short films, the best director, best documentary and best story.
The expo also calls filmmakersÕ attention to Long Island, encouraging them to set their movies here, which helps the Island develop economically. ÒThere are so many places to film on the Island,Ó said Anne Stampfel. ÒWe have beautiful beaches, homes, parks, farms and mansions. In addition, many moviemakers need props, location, hotels and have launched the careers of many actors.Ó
Two local filmmakers debuting their work this year are North Bellmore residents Richard and Lisa Schary, members of the Greenbelt Conference, a group dedicated to preserving Massapequa Preserve and Long IslandÕs open spaces. The couple used a state grant to produce a film showcasing the importance of the Massapequa Preserve and its wildlife.
ÒI believe that we are one of the only nature film in the festival,Ó said Richard Schary. ÒAnd this film is a perfect way of spreading the word of how important open spaces are to the people of Long Island.Ó
The Long Island Film Expo will be held from Friday, July 9 to Thursday, July 15. General admission tickets are $8 and $5.50 for seniors and children. A $50 Gold Pass covers all movies shown at the festival.
For more information or to get a list of movies, call (631) 421-0855 or (516) 572-0012.
